Chiemi

@Crazy Cat Thank you so much for your comment. Yes, we have included the current annual income, which is well above the guideline, along with most recent pay stubs. I agree with you that finding a joint sponsor is the best course of action.

Hello VJ folks, I am desperate now for your knowledgeable advice... I just had my IR1 interview at Tokyo embassy and the officer issued me a 221g letter requesting additional evidence for my US husband's financial stability. Our background: we have lived together in Japan from 2021 until February 2025. My husband resumed earning US income in August 2024, but he had no US income for the previous in 2021, 2022, or 2023. On the I-864, we submitted only his 2024 tax transcripts,which shows about $14,000 so lower than the poverty guideline. At the interview, his last year's income was my only concern. However, he is currently employed in US with stable income for 2025, so I was hoping that the officer would approve my visa considering the total circumstance. We also submitted a letter explaining why his 2024 income is below the poverty guideline: he did not work for the full year, but he has returned to the same company where he was employed for nearly 10 years. We understand that having a joint sponsor is usually the most straightforward solution, but unfortunately, we do not have one at this time and we also lack assets sufficient to meet the guideline. My questions are: Would his earlier tax transcripts (2018, 2019, 2020), when he had stable income, help establish financial stability? Alternatively, could we wait until the next tax season and submit his 2025 tax transcript as additional evidence? We have already waited a very long time to reach this stage, and we are very worried about having to start over. I know that finding a joint sponsor would be the simplest option, and we will continue to try, but I would also like advice on what evidence we can provide in the meantime. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a copy of the 221(g) letter for reference. Thank you sincerely for your help. I have attached the 221g letter.

You mean a full copy of tax return including all attachments and schedules, or as @Crazy Cat mentioned, a copy of the amended 1040 package. Is that correct? Sorry for being unclear.

Thank you, pushbrk! Your affirmation gives us the confidence to move forward. Yes, we will make sure to submit the tax return transcript and W2.

Thank you, S2N and JeanneAdil, for your comments regarding the tax return. We will take your suggestion into consideration once the immigration process is complete.

Thank you for your replies. I'm glad to hear that filing a tax return under the wrong status won't be a major issue. It's a great relief to know that we don't have to wait until the amended version is reflected on the system. As @Crazy Cat recommended, we will submit the amended 1040 to CEAC.

Hello VJ folks, We are on NVC stage now and collecting the required documents. We've encountered an issue with our most recent tax transcript–our CPA mistakenly filed it under "SINGLE" status instead of "married filing separately." Unfortunately, this version has already been uploaded to the IRS system. We have submitted an amended version to correct the error and IRS has received it. However, it may take up to 16 weeks for the amended version to appear in their system. Given this situation, is it going to be a problem if we submit the current tax transcript (filed as "single") as it is? Or should we wait until the amended version is reflected in the system? Or is it acceptable to submit the current version along with a letter explaining the CPA's mistake and noting that an amended return has been filed? Thank you in advance for your help and advice!!

We submitted I-130 on Oct. 23rd 2023 and got approved on Feb. 26th 2025, so it took almost exactly 16 months. We haven't heard anything from USCIS until 3 days before the approval. Prior to the approval, they sent me two emails with the exact same message: 'We have taken an action on your case. Sign in to your account to review your case status.' However, nothing had changed in my account. Finally, upon receiving the exact same message for the third time, we got our case approved!!

I'm sorry to bother you but let me make sure I understood it correctly. So NVC will use the poverty guideline of the year we submit I-864, a CO will use the one of the year the beneficiary has the interview. We likely (and hopefully) move on to NVC stage around the end of this year. Do you think it's better for us to wait until 2025 or the reveal of new poverty guideline then submit I-864? We want to be certain that his income is sufficient.

So it's going to be either the 2024 poverty guideline or the 2025 one depending on the year we submit our I-864. We thank both of you for clarifying it for us.

Ok I appreciate your quick response!

So it's going to be the 2024 guideline or maybe the 2025 one?

Thank you for your comments. He is going to be an employee. We make sure that we get the letter from the company. Thank you for your kind suggestion. One question: Do we go with the 2023 poverty guideline or the 2024 one? Does it depend on which year we submitted I-130? If it's the 2023 one, it would be little bit easier for us to reach the number because the 2024 one is $25,550. We try hard to get him a job from the US. Thank you all again for taking the time to respond to us!!

Thank you for sharing your situation, and we've checked your previous post which was really helpful. He may be hired back to his old job and do consulting work online, but he will be paid a bare minimum. He can continue working for the same company when he goes back to the US. We guess this is the direction we are going and meantime we continue looking for a joint sponsor. Again thank you for your comment. It's always good to know we are not the only couple being in a situation like this.

Thank you for your comment. We understand if that's the only way, we have to do whatever it takes. Then, when he should move back to the US is the next question. We assume sooner is better. However, we are afraid that if his going back to the US alone would not change our situation of needing a joint sponsor, or he would end up living in the US alone for next one-three years to be a solo sponsor.