Co sponsors birth certificate

[Stef & Andrew 9]

I just saw in another thread, that someone was asked for the birth certificate of their co sponsor. Obviously this is not stated anywhere as a requirement, so I did not send this to my fiancé when I sent all the other paperwork for the interview.

Can anyone confirm, he will absolutely need this?

[RM1987 3]

I had a copy of the co sponsor's birth certificate with me just in case, but no, they didn't ask for it.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

You have to prove the co sponsor is either a USC or a LPR , birth certificate is one way to do this

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

That person in the other thread is the first to mention an I-134 (London) requiring proof of a sponsors citizenship in the years I have been following London. The Foreign Affairs Manual only mentions it when outlining the I -864. An excerpt here of the I-134 discussion in the FAM. Notice the part I put in bold.

d. The simple submission of Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, however, is not sufficient to establish that the beneficiary is not likely to become a public charge. Although the minimum income requirements of Form I-864, do not apply in such cases (e.g., the 125 percent minimum income amount which is only required by the I-864), you must make a thorough evaluation of other factors, such as:

(1) The sponsor's motives in submitting the affidavit;

(2) The sponsor's relationship to the applicant (e.g., relative by blood or marriage, former employer or employee, schoolmates, or business associates);

(3) The length of time the sponsor and applicant have known each other;

(4) The sponsor's financial resources; and

(5) Other responsibilities of the sponsor.

NOTE: When there are compelling or forceful ties between the applicant and the sponsor, such as a close family relationship or friendship of long standing, you may favorably consider the affidavit. On the other hand, an affidavit submitted by a casual friend or distant relative who has little or no personal knowledge of the applicant has more limited value. If the sponsor is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR), the likelihood of the sponsor's support of an immigrant visa (IV) applicant until the applicant can become self- supporting is a particularly important consideration.

e. The degree of corroborative detail necessary to support the affidavit will vary depending upon the circumstances. For example, for a relatively short-term visitor, little, if any, would be required. In immigrant cases, however, the sponsor's statement should include:

(1) Information regarding income and resources;

(2) Financial obligations for the support of immediate family members and other dependents;

(3) Other obligations and expenses; and

(4) Plans and arrangements made for the applicant's support in the absence of a legal obligation toward the applicant.

That bold part indicates to me a non-USC could sponsor but might not be the best choice. It is a subjective decision and the officer can ask for whatever it takes to convince them. London typically doesn't ask for much. And just recently they have handed back the entire I-134 of at least 3 people once they were okay with the evidence they saw.

And you have to remember the first window is a clerical worker gathering documents. They have no decision authority. It would have to be the interview person (second window) who said they could not be convinced. I think you can still get by without a birth certificate.