How early do I start preparing for Ds260 & I864

[yuyul 2]

Hello again!

 

Just wanted to give a quick update — we submitted the I-130 petition (consular processing) on December 24. According to the USCIS site, it looks like we might still have around 10 months to go.

 

I’m currently on my third visit with my husband and was wondering — is it too early to start getting things ready for the DS-260 and I-864?

 

If it’s not too soon, what should I try to bring back with me from him?

 

He’s not very tech-savvy, so it’ll be tough for him to prepare the paperwork without help. Plus, he’s self-employed, which might make things a little more complicated.

 

I’ve collected more evidence of our marriage — like a shared bank statement, a joint credit card, and more recent photos — for the second part of the process. But I’m not sure what else I should be doing while we wait.

Would love any advice you can give!

[pushbrk 13,965]

You can collect supporting documents and study the I-864 instructions, but you cannot complete his affidavit of support until he files his next tax return.  He should not delay filing or file for an extension.  If he has a tax preparer, he should inform them NOW that he needs to file as early as possible next year.  His stated current income is going to be the "Total Income" line of that tax return.  The same goes for those previous two years.  See what those are now, so you know if he'll have any difficulty qualifying.  Some of the things self employed people do in their tax returns can be counterproductive for qualifying to sponsor an immigrant.

[JD2 190]

8 hours ago, yuyul said:

is it too early to start getting things ready for the DS-260 and I-864?

Go ahead and get ready.  I remember when I did my wife's process, the limiting step was the PCC.  I wish I had told her to get it earlier since it is valid for 2 years (or was when we did it).  That way we could have submitted everything on the very first day rather than waiting for her PCC to come in the mail.

 

7 hours ago, pushbrk said:

He should not delay filing or file for an extension.

What's wrong with filing an extension?  I did an extension and it was fine.  You just submit a copy of your IRS Form 4868 and the previous year's transcript.  I submitted the previous 3 years just to be safe.

[pushbrk 13,965]

38 minutes ago, JD2 said:

Go ahead and get ready.  I remember when I did my wife's process, the limiting step was the PCC.  I wish I had told her to get it earlier since it is valid for 2 years (or was when we did it).  That way we could have submitted everything on the very first day rather than waiting for her PCC to come in the mail.

 

What's wrong with filing an extension?  I did an extension and it was fine.  You just submit a copy of your IRS Form 4868 and the previous year's transcript.  I submitted the previous 3 years just to be safe.

Not wrong, just imprudent the year you are sponsoring an immigrant.  if the past years are several times the needed income, it might be OK.  Otherwise, much smarter to get it filed as soon as possible.  In this case, the affidavit of support is going to be needed before the filing deadline.  (Note that my answer follows the context that the sponsor is self employed, and that current income for the self employed can only come from a tax return.)