Joint sponsor and household size help?

[HtBlack 4]

I've been reading a lot around the forums in these last few days, so I'm sorry if this has been said elsewhere! :/ I tried finding some similar situation to ours.

Since my husband and I are unemployed right now (he'll fly to the States soon and hopefully finds a job quickly enough, but yeah - I'm getting unemployment benefits, anyway) we were thinking of using his mother as a joint sponsor.

Well, turns out that even though she makes plenty of money, she has her household size listed at 6 to pay less taxes, or something like that (she's had nine children). Poverty line is pretty high up.

So we thought we'd use my husband's stepfather - who declares only himself. But since they're married, will their household size numbers add to each other?

Together they make around 90k, so we could use them together and even if the household sizes added up, we would still be okay, but IF WE USE THEM TOGETHER, do we need to file two separate Affidavits of Support(three with my husband's), one for each of his parents, or just one I-864 for his mother with attached one I-864A for the stepfather?

I really don't know which option to do, and I don't want to get things wrong... thank you in advance to anyone who replies. (:

[Ian H. 207]

Hi,

Ok, so let's break things down.

Now, only certain people have to be included in the household size. That said, if any children are over a certain age, usually 21 or 18, they don't have to be included, unless they are her tax dependents. She would have to include her tax dependents as part of her household no matter how old they are. Married children aren't counted either.

She also has to include her husband anyway because they are married. Other than that it would be any children that are under age that don't live with them and/or anyone they have ever sponsored previously who is subject to the I-864. Lastly, she would include you as the intending immigrant.

So, if you can specify which people you are counting as part of the household size, we can determine who goes and who doesn't. Now because they file taxes jointly they would pretty much have the same household size anyway.

They can certainly combine their incomes with each other, just not with your husband. Your husband needs his own I-864 and supporting docs. One of his parents does an I-864 and the other does an I-864A with supporting docs. $90k a year is certainly a lot so they would be more than ok combining their income and be well over the requirements for their household size.

[HtBlack 4]

Wow, thanks for all the info and the quick reply.

Hm, I hadn't even thought of asking her WHO were those six... she has nine children, though, all over 21, 7 of which are married, one single, one widowed so I guess single, too. Even if her sons and daughters are married, if they are tax dependents they count in the household anyway?

Okay, so my husband files his own I-864, his mother another I-864, her husband an I-864A. Thanks, that's really helpful. (:

[Ian H. 207]

If they are all over 21, she doesn't count them unless they are also her tax dependents. I believe married children cannot be claimed as dependents on your taxes. If they are married and not on her taxes, she doesn't include them. Therefore, her household size is herself, her husband, you, and the number of people she actually claimed on her 2013 taxes.

[HtBlack 4]

Okay, great! Thanks again.