Does the embassy care about I-134 sponsor background?

[A Wang 0]

I was wondering whether the embassy cares about who the I-134 sponsor is for a K-1 or diversity visa applicant. I got into some argument with a friend that if a "complete stranger" does fill out the I-134 form for an applicant then that would be a red flag. However, I did mention that non-profits do fill out I-134 forms for applicants and there doesn't have to be an explicit relationship between the I-134 sponsor and the applicant directly.

I wonder what the embassy's take is on this?

[Mononoke28 134]

I don't think it matters as long as the co-sponson is financially stable. My uncle got a friend to co-sponsong his wife and there were no issues with it.

[joeyjoey 1]

I was wondering whether the embassy cares about who the I-134 sponsor is for a K-1 or diversity visa applicant. I got into some argument with a friend that if a "complete stranger" does fill out the I-134 form for an applicant then that would be a red flag. However, I did mention that non-profits do fill out I-134 forms for applicants and there doesn't have to be an explicit relationship between the I-134 sponsor and the applicant directly.

I wonder what the embassy's take is on this?

They don't know whether the person is a complete stranger or not. What they do know is that the sponsor is taking the financial responsibility of making sure the beneficiary does not become a Public charce.

[Yodrak 7]

Mononoke28,

It matters very much at some consulates. The FAM tells consular officers that they must take into consideration how reliable the proposed sponsor might be - is the sponsor sure to put out their money as promised, or will they close their pocketbook if asked to actually pay to support someone else's bride.

Your uncle may not have had a problem in this regard, but other have. The Philippines and Vietnam come quickly to mind as 2 consulates that take this very seriously, to the extent that some people believe those consulates will not a accept any sponsor other than the petitioner.

Yodrak

I don't think it matters as long as the co-sponson is financially stable. My uncle got a friend to co-sponsong his wife and there were no issues with it.

Edited March 9, 2007 by Yodrak

[A Wang 0]

I guess that for the K process, those embassies would care whereas the Diversity visa lottery process, it would be different?

[Yodrak 7]

A Wang,

I'm not intimately familiar with the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery program, but I don't find any mention of sponsorship in the instructions on the DoS web site.

Being an immigrant visa program, and the instructions do say that applicants must meet all of the INA requirements for an immigrant visa (or for adjustment of status, if appropriate), then I guess that the I-864 affidavit of support would apply.

So yes the DIVL is different from the non-immigrant K visas, one way or the other, with respect to sponsorship .

Yodrak

I guess that for the K process, those embassies would care whereas the Diversity visa lottery process, it would be different?

[A Wang 0]

A Wang,

I'm not intimately familiar with the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery program, but I don't find any mention of sponsorship in the instructions on the DoS web site.

Being an immigrant visa program, and the instructions do say that applicants must meet all of the INA requirements for an immigrant visa (or for adjustment of status, if appropriate), then I guess that the I-864 affidavit of support would apply.

So yes the DIVL is different from the non-immigrant K visas, one way or the other, with respect to sponsorship .

Yodrak

I guess that for the K process, those embassies would care whereas the Diversity visa lottery process, it would be different?

Thanks for your prompt reply, I guess that I shouldn't be too surprised that K sponsorship tends to be more rigid to prevent cases of marriage fraud which don't exist through the DV program.

[Yodrak 7]

A Wang,

Sponsorship for K visas is quite flexible, as it is for all of the non-immigrant visas. It's the immigrant visas that have the strict requirements, embodied in I-864.

The possibility of marriage fraud is not the issue here. The issue is will the visa applicant become a public charge once they enter the USA.

Again, I don't know whether or not a sponsor is required for the DIV program. My guess would be not.

Yodrak

Thanks for your prompt reply, I guess that I shouldn't be too surprised that K sponsorship tends to be more rigid to prevent cases of marriage fraud which don't exist through the DV program.

[A Wang 0]

Actually only the I-134 form is required for DV applicants who cannot provides the savings. It's rather unusual because it is an immigrant visa application with some rather taken criteria from the non-immigrant visa stuff. They don't even need a I-864 form for the DV application.

I would have loved to figure out the DV process as the person in interest is undergoing her administrative processing (3 months less 3 weeks) so basically it's hard to figure things out....

A Wang,

Sponsorship for K visas is quite flexible, as it is for all of the non-immigrant visas. It's the immigrant visas that have the strict requirements, embodied in I-864.

The possibility of marriage fraud is not the issue here. The issue is will the visa applicant become a public charge once they enter the USA.

Again, I don't know whether or not a sponsor is required for the DIV program. My guess would be not.

Yodrak

Thanks for your prompt reply, I guess that I shouldn't be too surprised that K sponsorship tends to be more rigid to prevent cases of marriage fraud which don't exist through the DV program.

[Yodrak 7]

A Wang,

Thanks for that information. I agree, it's interesting that I-134 is used rather than I-864. I'm not surprised if the public charge provisions do apply to the DIV, and I am surprised that I didn't find mention of it in the material I looked at on the DoS web site.

If you have a source on the web for the information, please share it.

Yodrak

Actually only the I-134 form is required for DV applicants who cannot provides the savings. It's rather unusual because it is an immigrant visa application with some rather taken criteria from the non-immigrant visa stuff. They don't even need a I-864 form for the DV application.

I would have loved to figure out the DV process as the person in interest is undergoing her administrative processing (3 months less 3 weeks) so basically it's hard to figure things out....

A Wang,

Sponsorship for K visas is quite flexible, as it is for all of the non-immigrant visas. It's the immigrant visas that have the strict requirements, embodied in I-864.

The possibility of marriage fraud is not the issue here. The issue is will the visa applicant become a public charge once they enter the USA.

Again, I don't know whether or not a sponsor is required for the DIV program. My guess would be not.

Yodrak

Thanks for your prompt reply, I guess that I shouldn't be too surprised that K sponsorship tends to be more rigid to prevent cases of marriage fraud which don't exist through the DV program.