US Immigration from Canada

My husband makes more than enough to meet the income requirements, but he was unemployed for the first 3 months of 2024.

All of our NVC documents were approved last week. We got an additional message in the inbox -

"The income reported as stated on form I-864, I-864A is insufficient to overcome the public charge grounds of inadmissibility for visa issuance. To avoid delays, an additional Affidavit of Support Form I-864 from a joint sponsor may be submitted. For more information visit https://nvc.state.gov/aos and https://www.uscis.gov/i-864p. A consular officer will decide if you meet these requirements at the time of the interview. Note: You, as the sponsor, and any other sponsors household members and joint sponsors, must provide updated or additional evidence for the applicant to present at the time of their interview such as: * Other income * Assets * Proof of current employment Note: You submitted documentation to the National Visa Center through the Consular Electronic Application Center CEAC. You can continue to upload documents to CEAC up until the date of your visa interview."

My understanding is we do not NEED a joint sponsor but it would help our case. Unfortunately we have no one to ask for such a big request.

Has anyone received this message? Any suggestions on how to proceed?