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Hi all,

I've got a (possibly stupid) question regarding the original i-864 required at the visa interview. When my wife and I submitted the i-864, she just printed out page 9 to sign and merged it with the remaining pages, which were electronically completed. She printed this page out in US letter sizing. Now she's with me in the US, and I can only get A4 paper here.

So with regards to submitting the ORIGINAL i-864, all I've got is pages 1-8, 10-12 printed in A4, and a letter size page 9 that was the original one we scanned and submitted. Isn't this going to look a little funny? Would it be reasonable to just have a new printout of the i-864 with a new signature & date, or does that not count as original?

Sorry, I couldn't find an answer to this when searching the forum.

Thanks,

Thanks for your response. I got a case complete email this morning. I also responded to the email I received and it turns out an I864A is necessary in this circumstance, not optional. Also, a photocopy of my wife's birth certificate is sufficient, thankfully. Hopefully anyone else in the same situation finds this thread useful, I couldn't find much on the internet through all my searching.

Hi all,

I posted on this forum about a year ago now looking for advice on my I-130 and consequently the I-864. I'm now happily at the tail end of the NVC stage. The situation is that my wife lives with her parents, and my father-in-law is the joint sponsor. It was recommended to me that he fill out an I-864, even though an I-864A would be legitimate. This I did and submitted about a week or two ago. Now I have received an email from someone with the NVC:

Greetings,

The Customer Assistance Team at the National Visa Center is trying to complete the process of your case. Upon review of your case, we noted that the address listed on the joint sponsor’s affidavit of support is the same address we have for the petitioner. If _____ is a household member of the petitioner, he will need to complete the I864A affidavit of support form and have that original document brought to the interview. He will also need to provide a copy of ____’s birth certificate to verify their relationship.

I'm confused firstly by the household member part. They live in the same household, but her household is defined only as her and myself. But he claims her on his taxes so she's a part of his household. I'm also confused because the email indicates I only need to gather the birth certificate and have a completed I-864A for the consulate interview, not to send a copy of these to the NVC. I was always under the impression that the I-864A was an only an optional alternative to the I-864 (and that a separate I-864 would be better). Also, does anyone know if a photocopy of my wife's birth certificate would be sufficient for the I-864 at the interview?

Thanks

No it's not required unless they want to combine their income. For instance a husband and a wife would combine their income but unless your FIL (father in law) declares your wife on his taxes as a dependent, it's best to be a joint sponsor and use the I-864 for both people.

Okay, I see what you're saying. The thing is that my FIL is a carpenter, and his work is not so steady right now. It's very likely that he's about to begin on a 2.5 year project in California; but on the off chance that doesn't come through, I am unsure that the income he has made last year and the savings her family have are enough for a household size of 4 (me, my brother in law, FIL, MIL) to sponsor me on a separate I-864. For combining income on a I-864A, the income would be enough.

Thanks for your answers.

Not correct.

Her household size would be 2, always. The immigrant and herself (provided she is not financially responsible for anyone else or has any children.)

Her father would sign a completed I-864, just like your wife does. The correct term is joint sponsor.

His house hold size would be at least 3 if he is married. Him, his wife, and the immigrant. If he has any other dependents or children under the age of majority, then they would also add to his household count.

But my wife and my father-in-law share the same residence. I'm under the impression a I-864A is necessary in that case, and not a I-864.

"Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household

the sponsored immigrant(s).

[...]

Form I-864A may only be used when a sponsor's income and

meet the requirements"

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-864ainstr.pdf

I'm also going off something I read in another thread on this forum. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/276791-joint-sponsor-and-household-size/?p=4217922

Thanks for the answers folks.

I would file May time. Maybe a bit earlier.

Her parents can consponsor.

Can she visit for 12 months?

What we're going to do is get a 6 month tourist visa for her to visit from May-November this year, and then another one for January-July of 2016. She'll still be technically living in the US.

This is a little bit off topic from my original post, but am I correct in understanding this?

She resides in the same house as her parents, yet when calculating household size she would only count 2 (myself and her). For her father (the employed one) to co-sponsor, he would fill out a I-864A. However, the household size would now be 3, including myself, my wife, and my father-in-law.

we turned in our I-130 back in August of last year and have yet to hear whether our petition has been approved or not (hopefully we'll hear sometime next month). according to others on this site, the processing center makes a difference. for example, the Nebraska processing center gets majority of the cases so they're a bit backed up. Then you have the california processing center that sometimes doesnt take as long. Supposedly after we get approved, we send our case to the NVC and then possibly another 6 months until we hear about scheduling an interview. So i guess it all depends. there are ways to expedite though. I would expect that the whole process will take a little more than a year for us. Good luck!

Thanks for this. She lives in Las Vegas, NV. Which filing centre do you think would be best for us to file at?

Hi all,

I'm an Australian legally married to a US citizen. Her and I have been together for more than 2 years, and recently we got married while I was in the US on the VWP program. I am currently studying an engineering degree in Australia, and I will finish this degree in June/July of 2016. I am wondering what will be the best time to lodge the I-130 application as part of the IR-1 visa process in order to coincide with my graduation, so that I may move to the US immediately after I finish my degree. It is my understanding that I have 6 months to emigrate to the United States after the IR-1 is granted, but I am unsure as to how long it takes the IR-1 to be granted. We don't want to lodge the application too soon and risk me being unable to emigrate. I am thinking the best time may be around April, but I'm not sure.

I'm also wondering if her situation will affect our application. She has a degree but currently works as a cashier at a supermarket, she doesn't make enough to sponsor me on the affadavit of support. However, her parents have enough in income and savings to be joint-sponsors. Also, she plans on visiting me for 12 months during the final stretch of my degree; consequently she would be unemployed during that period. Would any of this affect the likelyhood of my Visa being granted?

Thank you in advance for your answers.