jepi

Hi,

Me and my wife filed our I-130 package in January and we are now waiting for things to move forward. Meanwhile I have started to fill out my I-864 form and I have a few questions I was hoping to get some advice on.

I recently moved to Florida from Finland and I am now a student over here(although I am still employed back in Finland but I am on study leave at the moment). So technically I am employed but on the other hand I’m not, how should I enter this in the form?

I earned some money in January and I will earn some during the summer while visiting Finland. I’m not exactly sure how much my total income will be this year because of the situation above but I guess it would help to put something down as we will be using assets to meet the requirements.

The 125% of 2017 poverty guideline is 20300 USD for a household of 2.

Let’s say that I anticipate to earn a total of 12000 USD for this year so the difference of those is 8300. As I am sponsoring my spouse that would be multiplied by three, so if I have understood correctly, I would have to show assets worth of approx 25000 USD?

Do you think the USCIS would be satisfied with the information above or am I in their eyes unemployed at the moment? I will take on a part time job next to my studies after the summer and I am expecting to start working full time early next year here in the US. We do have the required assets available to backup the low income for this year.

I have been doing my tax returns from Finland for the past few years so I am good on that part(although through tax form 2555 my adjusted gross income is “0” for all years as I have payed my taxes to Finland).

We do also have a family friend(LPR) that will help me with the sponsorship if needed(I’d rather do it on my own of course if possible). What do you think is our best plan of action here?

I appreciate all your help, thank you in advance!

jepi

Thank you for your answers!

So if we send out the package once we arrive in the US I shall answer on question 14. of the I-130 form that my wife is currently in the US as a visitor. Where can we get the Arrival/Departure record(I-94) as she is travelling with ESTA?

Hi,

Me (US citizen) and my wife got married a bit over a week ago. We are getting ready to start our CR-1 visa process but I'd like your advice on the following:

We are relocating to Florida from Finland as I am starting my studies in FL. We intend to leave in a couple of weeks from now. She will continue to work here in Finland but she has been able to get some periods off so that she can visit me. My question is, when should we file? Is it ok for me to send the CR-1 package while she is in the US visiting as a tourist or should I wait until she returns back to Finland? She plans to be in the US for around 3 weeks.

Thanks for your help!

Please correct me if I'm wrong but lets take the scenario where I start working immediately after entering the US.

Because my main focus will be studies for starters, I would only be working part-time but I figured out that could lead to approx. 10-15k / year.

Am I counting correctly with the formula below:

125% poverty line about 20k - income 15k = 5k

5k *3 = 15k assets needed to support income?

Household would be just me and my spouse.

If this is the case then I feel we will get through our application.. Also, I might have a joint sponsor available just in case.

Thanks!

jepi

Another informative answer, thank you!

I've actually filed my taxes for several years now so I'm good on that front.

Loaning from someone for immigrational purposes won't go through for sure but what about eg. parents wanting to support their child? Would that be an acceptable reason?

It could and most probably will be a option for me to depart a few months earlier than her and start working but doesnt the I-864 ask for yearly income(writing from my phone, unable to check now)? How would that work if I've only worked for a few months?

Also, I plan to transfer my savings to a US account as soon as I open one.

Thank you for your replies!

A joint sponsor would be more than helpful, the only con is that I don't have any relatives/friends living in the US anymore(I am the only USC in the family).

Can you confirm that the required assets to meet sponsorship in my case is 3*125% poverty line(with 2016 guidelines thats about 60k)? I'd be only sponsoring my spouse.

Does USCIS care if I loaned some money from my parents to meet the required amount or how strict are they in providing evidence of your assets and where its came from? Is it just a matter of showing them to have enough at the time of applying for the visa or do they keep track of your ability to support your spouse after the application?

I guess I would have a good shot of being a sponsor by getting a job fairly quickly and presenting that amount of assets?

Please share your thoughts, thanks!

jepi

Good evening,

I've been living outside the US for almost 20 years and I am planning on relocating back for studies. I plan to bring my spouse with me, but I've ran into some questions I want to ask your opinion about.

Affidavit of support - income and assets is what's giving me a hard time. I currently work for a local business here in Finland so I have no US income at the moment and the only assets I have are savings towards my future studies and our mutual savings. Giving that information, I've understood that I would have to have around 60k worth of assets to be a sponsor for my spouse?

I am planning on taking a part-time job next to my studies as soon as I relocate. Would this help me out straight away by estimating my yearly income or do you input your income according to previous years tax returns? I have done my taxes for many years now, although after the foreign income exclusion my income is basically zero.

Thank you for your time!

jepi