I-134

[MATTODEC2007 0]

Affadavit of Support

Persons in the United States who desire to furnish sponsorship for an applicant in the form of an affidavit of support should use Form I-134, Affadavit of Support, available from the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Sponsors may also elect to furnish a statement in the form of an affidavit sworn to before a notary public or other official competent to administer an oath, setting forth his or her willingness and financial ability to contribute to the applicant's support and reasons, in detail, for sponsoring the applicant.

The sponsor's affidavit should include:

1. Information regarding his or her annual income;

2. Where material, information regarding his or her other resources;

3. Obligations for the support of members of his or her own family and other persons, if any;

4. Other obligations and expenses;

5. Plans and arrangements made for the applicant's reception and support;

6. An expression of willingness to deposit a bond, if necessary, with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to guarantee that the applicant will not become a public charge in the United States; and

7. An acknowledgement that the sponsor is aware of his or her responsibilities under the Social Security Act, as amended, and the Food Stamp Act, as amended; that the affidavit will be binding upon to sponsor for three (3) years after entry of the named persons; and that the affidavit and supporting documentation may be made available to a public assistance agency. (The provisions of the above laws are contained in form DS-1858, Sponsor's Financial Responsibility Under the Social Security Act, and printed in Part III of the instructions for Form I-134).

The sponsor should include in the affidavit a statement concerning his or her status in the United States. If the sponsor is an American citizen the affidavit should include a statement about how United States citizenship was acquired. If naturalized, the affidavit should indicate the date of naturalization, the name and location of the court, and the number of the sponsor's certificate of naturalization. If the sponsor is an alien who has been lawfully admitted into the United States for permanent residence, he or she should state in the affidavit the date and place of admission for permanent residence and the alien registration number which appears on his or her Alien Registration Receipt Card.

To substantiate the information regarding income and resources the sponsor should attach two or more of the following items to the affidavit:

1. Notarized copies of his or her latest federal income tax return;

2. A statement from his or her employer showing salary and the length and permanency of employment;

3. A statement from an officer of a bank regarding his or her account, the date the account was opened, and the present balance;

4. Any other evidence adequate to establish financial ability to carry out his or her undertaking toward the applicant for what might be an indefinite period of time.

If the sponsor is well established in business, he or she may submit a rating from a recognized business rating organization in lieu of the foregoing. If the sponsor is married, the affidavit should be signed jointly by both husband and wife. Affidavits of support should be of recent date when presented to the consular officer. They are unacceptable if more than one year has elapsed from the date of execution. A sponsor may prefer to forward his or her affidavit of support directly to the consular office where the visa application will be made, in which event the contents will not be divulged to the applicant.

Instructions for the I-134

Execution of Affadavit

A seperate affidavit must be submitted for each person. You, as the sponsor, must sign the affidavit in your full, true and correct name and affirm or make it under oath. If you are in the United States, the affidavit may be sworn to or affirmed before an immigration officer without the payment of fee, or before a notary public or other officer authorized to administer oaths for general purposes, in which case the offical seal or certificate of authority to administer oaths must be affixed.

If you are outside the United States the affidavit must be sworn to or affirmed before a United States consular or immigration officer.

Supporting evidence

The sponsor must submit, in duplicate, evidence of income and resources, as appropriate.

A. Statement from an officer of the bank or other financial institution in which you have deposits giving the following details regarding your account:

1. date account opened
2. total amount deposited for the past year
3. present balance

B. Statement of your employer on business stationery, showing:

1. date and nature of employment
2. salary paid
3. whether position is temporary or permanent

C. If self-employed:

1. copy of last income tax return filed, or
2. report of commercial rating concern

D. List containing serial numbers and denominations of bonds and name of record owner(s).

Hey everyone. We will be scheduling an interview in Tokyo soon. It looks like sometime in July. The documentation required for the I-134 includes Transcripts of the last Tax return filed. My last Tax return filed is 2006 (self-employed). I plan on including a copy of my 2007 Extension with the 2006 Transcripts. If were able to file my 2007 tax return now.... it looks like I might not get the transcripts back in time before I go and join my girl in Nagoya. So the question is should I just include the last return filed "2006" and my extension for 2007.

Thanks.

[zrudeboyz 0]

Question, I tried briefly searching here in this thread to no avail.

Does anyone know what number they are looking for on the 1040 (adjusted gross, taxable, etc.)?

Thanks for any insight.

[eric-lyn 0]

Howdy VJ'ers-

I have reviewed about all the FAQ's and Guides posted online at VJ and elsewhere, but still have a few questions I'd love to get some takes on.

#1 - Are just the most recent year's tax returns needed, or do I need to send copies of the last 3 years?

#2 - (Question 7 on the I-134 Form) Is it necessary to list estimated "personal property" if you feel your income/ other assets are sufficient to answer the question? If so, how much supporting documentation, if any, should be provided?

#3 - (Question 7 on the I-134 Form) Is it necessary to list all one's stocks/mutual funds/annuities, or can just one account be listed and documented if that appears sufficient to answer the question of ability to support the person being petitioned? (Prefer not to give out all that detail if it can be helped).

#4 - (Question 7 on the I-134 Form) Is it necessary to show a recent appraisal of one's real estate to support the quoted value?

#5 - (Question 8) If you did not list your fiancee/petition beneficiary on your last tax return, this should be left blank, correct?)

#6 - (Question 10) This question does not apply to the person being petitioned on behalf of - it means someone else (previous fiancee, children, etc. Correct?)

#7 - (Question 11) The sample form n VJ lists the appropriate response as " N/A (K1 Visa Process for Permanent Residence)" Just want to confirm this is what they are looking for.

#8 - (II - Instructions) - Is it true that 2 of the 4 listed methods of "evidence of income and resources" is considered sufficient for approval, if the income/asset guidelines are met?

I think this covers it...if anyone wants to point me to any additional posts, please feel free. These are the ones I have reviewed at VJ thus far:

http://www.visajourney.com/examples/I-134-exp-04-30-07.pdf

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=support

Not sure it's appropriate to share outside posts, if so I could share those also.

Thanks and best wishes to everyone navigating this process!

All the best-

Eric

[orozco2007 0]

i have a question about the notary portion of the form... it says sworn to me (AT) with a line to fill in.... is that to mean (AT) the county the notary is in???? i am trying to send it off this weekend to my husband and i need to have it notarized today before i leave work. thanks

Don't sign it until you are in front of the notary. He/She will know exactly how to fill it out. The county is a place for him to fill in. Remember DON'T SIGN IT UNTIL YOU ARE IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY.

[Rolando 0]

Hello everyone, i have a question about the co-sponsor requirements for the I-134 Affidavit of support.

Currently im a student and working part time so i dont earn enough to sponsor my fiancé by myself, so it looks like the only way for me to be with her is to get a co sponsor. My sister volunteered to be my co sponsor however there might be a problem. Until recently she was unemployed as she had just finished her masters so her past couple years of income tax was way below poverty line for a household of 3 (her my fiancé and i). Luckily for her she recently got a job with a company and will be earning more than enough for her to be a cosponsor for my fiance and i however the job doesnt begin until Sept 22 which remarkably is the same day my fiance has her interview at the Tokyo embassy.

Im concerned that even though she now earns enough to cosponsor us, the fact that she has yet to start the job and her past years income tax might not qualify her to be our co sponsor.

If anyone has any thoughts or information on this it would be greatly appreciated.

[sasasasa 0]

Do I need to attach a sheet to explain the source of income with the form i-134 or will employee letters and pension letters be enough ?

part of my income will stop after i get married should i explan this or just give the tax?

[V-G-1 1]

Hi folks, does anyone know what to put into #7 where it says "Name of Concern"-- would that the be the name of my company I work in?

[epifreak 0]

Hope someone can help me since the forums seem to be empty all the time know. I'm filling out an affidavit of support i-134 for my fiance. I need a co-sponsor one also and my dad will gladly help me, but I had a question on what he needs to put on his affidavit:

Question 3. This affidavit is executed in behalf on the following person: ??? Who does he put, me or my fiance, and if he puts my fiance what shall he put under relationship to sponsor???

Thanks

[epifreak 0]

Hi folks, does anyone know what to put into #7 where it says "Name of Concern"-- would that the be the name of my company I work in?

I think so, at least it makes sense when you read it. That's what I put.

[Anh map 2,098]

Hope someone can help me since the forums seem to be empty all the time know. I'm filling out an affidavit of support i-134 for my fiance. I need a co-sponsor one also and my dad will gladly help me, but I had a question on what he needs to put on his affidavit:

Question 3. This affidavit is executed in behalf on the following person: ??? Who does he put, me or my fiance, and if he puts my fiance what shall he put under relationship to sponsor???

Thanks

in behalf of your fiance

relationship> future father in law / father of petitioner

[epifreak 0]

Hope someone can help me since the forums seem to be empty all the time know. I'm filling out an affidavit of support i-134 for my fiance. I need a co-sponsor one also and my dad will gladly help me, but I had a question on what he needs to put on his affidavit:

Question 3. This affidavit is executed in behalf on the following person: ??? Who does he put, me or my fiance, and if he puts my fiance what shall he put under relationship to sponsor???

Thanks

in behalf of your fiance

relationship> future father in law / father of petitioner

Thanks!!!

[pepapula 0]

Hi all,

I am in the process of sending my i-134 to my fiance in Argentina. I have a question about the tax returns. I am currently employed at a place where my income is well above the 125% poverty line and so i can solely support my fiance. But do I need to send in the tax returns for 2007 as well? I am sending in 2008. The problem with 2007 is I only worked half the year (spent the other half in argentina with my hunny) and my income was just at the 125% poverty level. Will showing this 2007 tax returns hurt us? I am now making more money obviously, but I wasn't in 2007! Please advise! Thanks!

Stephanie

[manda12502 0]

Hello!

Thanks for all the good information on the site regarding this process! I do have one question regarding acceptable documentation.

I am a USC working on the I-134 Affidavit of Support information for my fiance in the UK. His paperwork is being processed through the London office.

I am filling in my income, bank account, home value, and mortgage information on the form. I'm erring on the side of caution since even though my income is more than 125% of the poverty level, several people advised me not to leave any blanks unless I really don't have that type of asset to report.

Documentation gathered so far includes the last 3 years of IRS tax transcripts, my W2s (originals and copies), letter from my employer using "theworknumber" (which includes my pay, number of years at the company, and what I've been paid the previous two calendar years as well as year to date), and will request a letter from my bank to cover the bank account info. I can print out an electronic statement from my mortgage company to get the latest values. I would think all that would be sufficient.

Question is the house value. I have the letter from my local government stating what they consider the value of my house to be for tax purposes. I was told that would not be considered good enough by the counselate since that would be based on a multiplier used by the government.

So, what is accepted documentation for a home's value? A statement from a real estate agent? or should I pay the several hundred dollars for a formal appraisal (the type that is normally only done when a house is being sold to determine if the selling price is too far off the mark)?

Thanks much!

-manda

[brucejen 1]

What if you dont have a bank account? I don't have any insurance, health or life, I just started a new job in 8/2006? Will that matter? It pays about 35,000 annually. I just spent a lot of what I had saved on some crazy debt I had, cuz Idont wna tmy husband to have to worrry about that when he gets here. That all he talks about. but anyway, what to do?

No bank account? How are you paid? In Cash?

No I get paid with checks. I dont trust them. Had bad experiences with money disappearing, purchases from christian books stores and Im muslim, stuff like that. About 13 years ago, there was actually a large deposit made INTO my account. Do I need to mention how tempted I was to go make a withdrawl???? So I keep cash all the time, well credit cards and stuff like that.....

Hello sirLancelot,

I have the same case, my US citizen fiance have no bank account, and just being paid in checks, encash in the bank and then pay for expenses... mostly cash transactions. What are we going to do if we are to prepare now the affidavit of support??? will the processing of my K1 visa be affected or disapproved by this bank statement grounds alone?

please advise... thanks!

[greg584 0]

Hello!

Thanks for all the good information on the site regarding this process! I do have one question regarding acceptable documentation.

I am a USC working on the I-134 Affidavit of Support information for my fiance in the UK. His paperwork is being processed through the London office.

I am filling in my income, bank account, home value, and mortgage information on the form. I'm erring on the side of caution since even though my income is more than 125% of the poverty level, several people advised me not to leave any blanks unless I really don't have that type of asset to report.

Documentation gathered so far includes the last 3 years of IRS tax transcripts, my W2s (originals and copies), letter from my employer using "theworknumber" (which includes my pay, number of years at the company, and what I've been paid the previous two calendar years as well as year to date), and will request a letter from my bank to cover the bank account info. I can print out an electronic statement from my mortgage company to get the latest values. I would think all that would be sufficient.

Question is the house value. I have the letter from my local government stating what they consider the value of my house to be for tax purposes. I was told that would not be considered good enough by the counselate since that would be based on a multiplier used by the government.

So, what is accepted documentation for a home's value? A statement from a real estate agent? or should I pay the several hundred dollars for a formal appraisal (the type that is normally only done when a house is being sold to determine if the selling price is too far off the mark)?

Thanks much!

-manda

Hi Manda,

I might be way off base here but I figured I would take a shot at this. The only multiplier my local people use is to assess the taxes that are due. They show what they consider to be the full assessed value, then use the multipliers to arrive at the taxes that are due. The multiplier used here reduces the full assessed value to the reduced value that they use to arrive at the tax due amount. This has been similar to the other cities I have lived in. So there are actually 2 values listed on the valuation report. The full assessed value and the value, with the multipliers, used to assess the taxes. Gee, I hope that is understandable, because it is making my head spin!

I would not spend the money on an appraisal, you might bring 2-3 years of assessments from the county or city that does the valuation, this would show some sort of a consistent value on you home. Especially if you are filling in all the other lines of the form and you are over 125% already. Once they see that you are over 125% they probably will not proceed any further on the form.

Hope that did not give you too much of a headache, ha-ha.

Greg