pushbrk

The only answer is that it depends on your case and what you want for apparent peace of mind.  Keep in mind hiring an attorney is really just a consultant to help educate your regarding immigration questions.  You will still need to do all the legwork, and you are a fool if you do not double check their work (many stories of attorneys screwing up cases which is why I said "apparent peace of mind").  Most folks here (VJ is a self-help immigration site) will say if your case is straightforward (no criminal issues, no overstay issues, etc.) and you are competent at reading instructions and filling out forms, there generally is no need for an attorney unless it is simply for that apparent peace of mind.  If you do have a complicated case, then a competent attorney is probably warranted.  In the end, the decision is yours.  If you do go the lawyer route and any lawyer advertises or tells you they can speed up the processing, run away and look for someone else.
 
On a personal note, we started this process back in 2013 with no experience, and my wife and I made it just fine all the way through naturalization with no issues.  Back when I started, I had a family friend immigration lawyer review my I129F application, he looked at me and said save my money, do it yourself.  Best lawyerly advice I ever received.
 
Good Luck!

We hired an attorney and I am glad that we did . We did our research and I found one that had a good reputation.  Assuming that the world of immigration is new to you( as it is to me) I wanted someone with experience and understanding of this world.
 
No- an attorney can’t make your papers move faster. But ours has been their to support us, answer our questions and give us guidance, has check in teleconferences with us and has left me at ease while we wait for this process to finish.  
 
i suggest if you choose an attorney to do your research first- not just hire the first ( or cheapest) attorney.
best of luck!
 

I would say it depends on your specific case, as to whether or not you would benefit from having an attorney.  They don't help speed any of the processing per se, unless they help up front to clear any issues that otherwise would delay you had you not had them spot them out!

Perhaps it's more "professional" but that's not the reason I had in mind.  If a Consular Officer asks to see it and you don't have it, there is likely to be a delay.

Yes, and if it was foreign income, that number is likely zero.

That you did it without a problem does not mean it is allowed by law.  My guess is that at least one of your "joint sponsors" qualified on their own.

The IRS doesn't send "any return back to you".  The 1040 is your tax return.  Perhaps the IRS will send you a tax refund.  

We never filed a W7, I filed married filing separately instead of joint and wrote “NRA” for my husbands SSN, we didn’t see the point in applying for an ITIN. Thank you for the response, I’ll use what I have for NVC, but I’ll try to get ahold of a transcript in case the consulate needs it for the interview to be on the safe side 

That you did it without a problem does not mean it is allowed by law.  My guess is that at least one of your "joint sponsors" qualified on their own.

I agree, but pay stubs, tax returns etc. don't have signatures anyway.  They will be copies.  Best practice is for the applicant to carry a wet signed affidavit of support to the interview.

At 1:54 AM you can expect me to be in bed. The answer is definitely the gross income before taxes.

Is there an ESL issue here? Or a game of telephone? Not trying to pry or anything, but there appears to be a clear misunderstanding of what is being asked. As noted previously, terms here have very specific meanings.
 
An I-864 for the OP's circumstances can only only have - at most - a single joint sponsor. It makes no sense to have more than one as they can't combine income/assets anyway, and each one is jointly and severally liable. A joint sponsor that is deemed insufficient to address the public charge issue adds nothing to a case.
 
If an I-864 from the petitioner + I-864A from somebody else was provided, then there was no joint sponsor to begin with. An I-864A covers a household member agreement, which is both technically and (usually) materially different than a joint sponsor.
 
Either way, it appears a different joint sponsor is being requested, not one in addition to the current one.

Another, meaning a "different" joint sponsor?  If so, that makes sense.  The OP is using the term "second joint sponsor".  Second joint sponsors are not allowed for immediate relatives of US Citizens.

Please provide the actual wording of the request.  There can only be ONE joint sponsor in a spouse visa case.  Words and terms have specific meaning here.  Don't give us your interpretation.  Give us the actual words.  Makes no sense for them to request an "Additional Joint Sponsor".  No such thing in a spouse case.

While it is true, you can't combine income of two joint sponsors, that's not what I said.  I said you cannot have more than one "joint sponsor" for the spouse of a US Citizen.  I've since clarified that to expand the assertion to apply to any immediate relative OF A US CITIZEN.

Nonsense.  That advice is from before the forms were PDF.  
 
Here's the real scoop.
 
If the question is applicable but the answer is none, enter NONE for the first in any line of questions about the same subject.  For example, "All children of beneficiary..." is applicable, even if the answer is NONE.  If it is, enter NONE one time and leave the rest of the 5 children spaces BLANK.  If only 1 child, enter NONE in the first space for child two and so on.
 
Something is generally only N/A if rendered N/A by a box being checked that would make it obvious.  Usually, the form will make it impossible to enter N/A or ANYTHING in such spaces.  With Java Script activated, good luck typing N/A anywhere.
 
Common sense really is allowed.
 
If no A number, SS number etc.  Enter 000000...
 
 

From what I've read on this site, it may depend on the consulate.  Me personally, I would bring a wet signature. 

The new rule is a DHS rule. Visas are issued by DOS. Filing the petition with USCIS before a given date won't change any consideration with the public charge rule here.
DOS may or may not adopt some parts of the DHS rule, although the timeline and what parts, if any, would be speculation.

They may be under the new rule, but it was YOU, not your qualified joint sponsor, who received the subsidies.

Nonsense.  That advice is from before the forms were PDF.  
 
Here's the real scoop.
 
If the question is applicable but the answer is none, enter NONE for the first in any line of questions about the same subject.  For example, "All children of beneficiary..." is applicable, even if the answer is NONE.  If it is, enter NONE one time and leave the rest of the 5 children spaces BLANK.  If only 1 child, enter NONE in the first space for child two and so on.
 
Something is generally only N/A if rendered N/A by a box being checked that would make it obvious.  Usually, the form will make it impossible to enter N/A or ANYTHING in such spaces.  With Java Script activated, good luck typing N/A anywhere.
 
Common sense really is allowed.
 
If no A number, SS number etc.  Enter 000000...
 
 

Maybe rephrase the question.  You receiving WIC benefits 25 years ago, or anything that happened 25 years ago is not relevant now for the affidavit of support.  If your son is qualified to sponsor NOW, your Obamacare subsidies are also irrelevant.

Lots of petitioners don't meet the financial requirements for the I-864 and that's why Joint Sponsors are allowed.
 
There is nothing to worry about.  

The first thing to read is the I-130 instructions.  When you do, you will find that an affidavit of support is NOT in the list of supporting documents to submit.  You'll submit the affidavit of support perhaps a year later at the NVC stage.  THEN, become an A-Student of the I-864 instructions to learn how to use both income AND assets to qualify as sponsor.
 
The actual instructions will be more helpful to you as a starting place than anecdotal writings.  Once you've studied those instructions, you many still have questions but you'll have a better foundation from which to ask them.  Without studying the instructions, you have no way to know what it is you don't know or need to understand.

I'm sure the offer is appreciated, but the way VisaJourney works is to post questions publicly in this forum, so others can both benefit from the process, and/or add value/correct advice given by others.

I'm sure the offer is appreciated, but the way VisaJourney works is to post questions publicly in this forum, so others can both benefit from the process, and/or add value/correct advice given by others.