siriuslea

There is no such restriction for joint sponsors and income does not have to be work income exclusively. If someone qualifies through their pension income for example, or through their assets, then they can definitely be joint sponsors.

Your signature from now on will only be needed for the I-864 affidavit which needs to be presented at the interview. But you don't have to be in the UK to do that (in fact it'll be better for your case if you are in the US, since your domicile won't be questionned this way). You can always fill out the form in the US, sign it and Fedex it to your husband in the UK.

All other forms only require the intending immigrant's signature.

awesome. I'll see if someone I know has a decent pension then. thanks for the help, this makes things a lot clearer.

Jen

For a start, have you tried reading the DCF wiki on this website? It's quite useful.

There's also another website/forum called britishexpats.com where you can find lots of info about DCF in London.

The stages for DCF in London in a nutshell are: you file I-130/you get confirmation of receipt with filing date/you get I-130 approval/prospective immigrant receives case number/with case number in hand they can schedule the medical and return forms DS230 part I & DS2001/ interview is scheduled and prospective immigrant is notified of interview date and time/ interview/ if approved at interview, passport with visa (valid for 6 months) is returned via courier within a week or two of the interview.

The whole process from start to finish takes between 5 and 6 months by current timescales.

Re tax returns: if you didn't make enough in previous years, then you need to write and sign a note explaining that and why you didn't file in previous years. For the 2010 tax returns, you don't have to wait till you go back to the US. You can either mail your tax return directly to Texas or to the IRS Department in the London Embassy who will forward your returns to the US for you.

Re the affidavit and sponsorship requirements, have a good read of the I-864 instructions. Everything is explained there.

In a nutshell though you can qualify with one of the following ways:

1) by demonstrating US-earned income that is at least 125% of the poverty line for your household size. For a household of 2 the current minimum income requirement is $18,212 a year

2) IF your income is not enough (or if it is zero) you can qualify by using liquidable assets owned by you, the intending immigrant or jointly. Bank savings are preferred as they can be easily liquidated. You need to have assets that equal 3 times the difference between the 125% poverty line and your income. For example, if your income is $15,000, you need to have assets that are at least $3,212 x 3 = $9,636. If your income is zero, you will need to demonstrate assets equal at least 3 x $18,212 = $54,636. Bank savings in a foreign currency are accepted as long as they meet the US dollar equivalent, and as long as the foreign country doesn't have restrictions on the money you can transfer out of the country.

3) If none of the above helps you qualify, you can get a joint sponsor. Anyone who is a US citizen or a US permanent resident living in the US can qualify, as long as their income meets the threshold for their household size plus the intending immigrant. For example, if you used one of your parents as a joint sponsor and they lived with their spouse with no other dependents, they would need an income that would cover the 125% of the poverty line for a household of 3 (two plus the immigrant they're sponsoring). Google I-864P for poverty guidelines based on household size. Note no1: the US citizen doesn't count as part of the household for this purpose, as they don't need sponsoring.

Note 2: if assets are being used instead of income for a joint sponsor, then these need to be 5 times the difference between poverty line and income. It is 3 times only for those sponsoring their spouse or child.

Re fees from now on: there is a $404 fee for visa processing paid on the day of the interview, the medical at the Embassy's appointed clinic costs £200, and the courier fees for after the interview start at £14.80 for standard service. Also, the UK police certificate costs £35 and £5 for any additional copy your husband may want to obtain. Overall, I'd say it cost us about $1,200 including postage and travel expenses.

Finally, you are obviously free to move to the US anytime you want. No need to tell them about the address change, as they'll be sending everything from now on to your husband's UK address which they presumably have.

Good luck!

I did read the wiki, and the USICS site, and the embassy site, and all the forms, etc, etc. it's one of those too much information and not enough blatantly stated things specific to my situation kind of things.

I can't file my taxes here in the UK because I have some tax issues, due to the fact that my mother recently passed away - which also means I don't have anyone who isn't retired that can be my co-sponsor, and I assume that a retired person cannot be a co-sponsor. my sister could possibly do it, but only through assets and not her own income either, so I suppose the best thing would be to go back and take the first ####### job I can find that pays me $19,000ish, right?

so I'm not needed for any of the future paperwork, not the DS forms or anything? or will I need to sign things and leave it here with him?

thanks,

Jen

Hello all,

I'm new here. I'm the USC and my husband is British, married last November. I sent off the I-130 already, credit card has been charged for payment, and got an email saying that my filing date is Feb 8, 2011. so, cool, got that down. now I'm worried about what comes next, which, is what exactly? everything I seem to read has conflicting things based on where you're filing, which is fine. I'm just paranoid I'm getting it wrong, and I don't have a lot of time to get it right. my visa for staying in the UK runs out in April, and so I am going back to the US to get a job and all that. I know there's the medical and the interview, and the DS-230I & DS-2001, but I'm also required to do an Affidavit of Support, right? this is the bit I'm currently stressing about. I do not have tax returns for the past three years, as one year I didn't make any money, the next year I didn't make much, and I haven't filed for last year yet. I will do these when I get back to the US, but is it enough to have money saved up in a bank account, or am I required to have the money as income? I may have income by then, depending on how long all this takes and what job I'm able to get right when I go back home, but as of yet there are no guarantees. I do, however, have funds, so is this enough to pass support?

What other fees are there left to be paid after the first $420 for the I-130? trying to estimate how much is needed and for what, and again, I'm confused because of the filing places and all that.

Also, what happens if I move back to the US before we get to the next stage? Since my visa runs out in April, I can't work in the UK after that, so I can't stay anyway. If I tell them I've changed my address to the US, will they still send the forms to me, or to my husband who will still be here? or should I have things back by then and should I stop worrying about it? aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!

So confused!! Any help will be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

Jen