K1 visa- Income requirements

[Hazel Revilloza 0]

Hi. Im a US citizen and planning to sponsor my boyfriend from the Philippines. Were both Filipinos in blood but my nationality is American because I was born here. But I lived in the Philippines for a long time, since I was 7 yrs. old and up to now that I am 24 yrs. old. I just came here again in California this last 8th of May and in still search for a job. The question is how long will I have to be employed for me to bring my bf here? Thanks!

[iulia.matey 25]

Hi,

Generally they want you to have at least a W2 or to have made enough money so far in the year to meet the poverty guideline. The income proof comes at the interview part of the process so that should win you another month or 2. Since the embassy is the one deciding if that's sufficient, you could give them a call and ask if they have a requirement, maybe? There's also the option of a co-sponsor, which can speed things up for you.

[geowrian 22,337]

Manila rarely asks for the I-134 anymore, but you should be prepared in case they do. There's no minimum period of working required, but it is the CO's judgement call on the public charge concern. A history of stable income would be preferred IMO, but there are people who have been issued a visa with only several paychecks worth of a history.

 

The I-134 won't come into play until the interview...in ~8-10 months after filing the I-129F if the current timelines don't change. So you have plenty of time to get working and accumulating paychecks.

 

What matters is current income, not past income. While COs from some countries are more strict than others, when dealing with an employee for a company, there is no strict requirement for income for a past year. Your current income is how much you make in a 12 month period, not how much you made in the past 12 months or YTD.

For instance, somebody who made $50,000 in 6 months then gets laid off has a current income of $0. Somebody who starts working in July and earns $30,000/year has a current income of $30,000 despite only earning $15,000 in that tax year.

Note that this is different for self-employed individuals / independent contractors, investment income, etc. Tax returns would be the source for current income since the money earned in the current year is revenue not income (until claimed on taxes).