Confused about Income Requirements/Joint Sponsor

[saddlepatch 6]

Can someone clear this up for me?

If you do not meet the required income to sponsor the person you are petitioning for, you can use a Joint Sponsor who does, correct? Thats the point of a joint sponsor, right? (not to combine, I know it doesn't work that way, but to be the one who takes full financial responsibility for the immigrant)

I'm just confused because the way the USCIS website makes it sound, regardless, the primary sponsor (the petitioner) also must be 125% above the poverty guideline, but my understanding from what I read on here is that if you DONT meet that requirement you can have a joint sponsor who does and that will be fine. My wife is just a part time employee who does not have any assets to their name, so we can't use though, hence why we thought that was the point of the joint sponsor (Who is my mother in law)

Just want to make sure that is that case before we pay anymore fees and waste our time.

thanks!

[shippingforecast 126]

That's correct, although I will point out that (from what I remember) they do combine the petitioner's income with the joint sponsor's. As an example, you could have two sponsors earning say, $20,000 a year which (again, from what I recall) wouldn't meet the requirement individually but would when combined. Further clarification in the link below;

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process

[needsmorebutter 5]

Yup! You are correct. Your mother-in-law can apply as the joint sponsor instead if your wife cannot not meet the income requirement.

Good luck!

[Jo Së 200]

Correct, however, they do not combine the income from the petitioner and the joint sponsor. Joint sponsor has to make over what is required.

Redardles of petitioners income, both petitioner and joint sponsor have to submit their seperate I-864 with their supporting documents.

[saddlepatch 6]

Okay so I have another question, on part 7 of page 6 of the I-864, since my mother law meets over the guideline for sponsorship, she can skip that part right? And my wife, does she fill that part out though? I mean again we have no assets, so thats why that part confuses me and the way I'm looking at it, she skips it, as combined the total will be well over and beyond the amount (as the joint meets over the requirements)

Also I have a question about household numbers? Are we including everyone that lives in the house or just the people sponsoring?

And one more question (Sorry! You guys are so helpful though!) even if we have a joint sponsor, later down the road, can my wife and I move out of the house the joint sponsor is in to live on our own or do we have to stay there for two years?

[NikLR 13,234]

The petitioner is always the primary sponsor. However if they do not have the income or assets they may have a joint sponsor who does. You do not have to be related to or live with a joint sponsor. It can be any USC or LPR who is domiciled on the USA.

If there are no assets to include then write n/a or leave it blank.

Household counts vary. For your wife, unless you have children, her i-864 will like have a household count of 2.

For your MIL her I-864 will include herself, her spouse, any dependent children, any other dependents claimed on her taxes, and the immigrant (you.) Eacheck person immigrating in this visa class needs their own i-864 so if a child is immigrating with their parent, they need their own I--864.

If your MIL's spouse makes an income and they file jointly, it is a good idea for that spouse to include an i-864a. If you do not want to do that you should include the entire tax return vs tax return transcripts OR thr tax return transcripts and her w2 to show her portion of the household income.

Edited December 11, 2014 by NLR