Understandably so, you may be earnest to bring your relative to the United States to share a life with you. However, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may require you to first prove a lot. For one, you may have to prove that you have the financial backing to support your relative by completing an Affidavit of Support. Read on to discover more about an Affidavit of Support and how a seasoned family immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., can guide you through the steps of filling out this form.
What should I know about an Affidavit of Support for my immigration case?
Namely, Form I-184, Affidavit of Support, is a USCIS document you must fill out and sign to prove your willingness to be a “sponsor.” That is, you must agree to be held financially responsible for your relative applying to legally reside in the United States. With this, you must gather and submit evidence of your finances and other supporting documents. This may include proof of income, proof of assets, IRS tax transcripts, SSA earnings statements, and more. If the USCIS determines you have insufficient funds, you may still have a “joint sponsor” cosign the form.
Of note, an Affidavit of Support is legally binding until your relative reaches full citizenship status in the United States. Or, it may last until your relative is credited with at least 40 qualifying quarters of work (i.e., approximately 10 years), as per the Social Security Act.
What do I need to do before and after filling out this form?
You must understand that an Affidavit of Support is not the only form that you must fill out to have your relative legally enter the country. That is, there are other documents and otherwise initiatives that you must take before and after, and they read as follows:
- Before filling out this form:
- You must fill out and submit Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
- Both you and your relative must manage your case with the Department of State’s National Visa Center.
- Both you and your relative must pay the $535 filing fee.
- Your relative must schedule an immigrant visa interview.
- After filling out this form:
- Your relative must fill out and submit Form DS-260, Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration.
- Both you and your relative must collect, scan, and submit the civil documents required to support this application.
- Your relative must schedule a medical appointment with an authorized physician in the country of your scheduled interview.
- Your relative must attend their scheduled immigrant visa interview with the required civil documents.
Undoubtedly, there is much to consider with filing an Affidavit of Support. So your next order of business should be to initiate a conversation with a competent Milwaukee, WI family immigration lawyer. Someone at Sesini Law Group, S.C. is awaiting your phone call.