Co-sponsor

[RobEnglish 0]

Hi,

My wife and I need to ask a friend to be a co-sponsor for our application. I’ve seen the list online (see summary below) of what the co-sponsor needs to submit with the AoS form, but do they need to submit all of these things? I guess the IRS tax information is the most important. But if they don’t submit pay stubs and employment letter, is that ok? And will photocopies suffice (e.g. W2s and 1099s)?

Also, I understand that the co-sponsor's responsibility lasts until the immigrant becomes a citizen (this is not an intention -- is dual British-American citizenship even possible?) So if the immigrant gets a very good job some point in the future, is the co-sponsor then technically no longer responsible? And what if the co-sponor is due to retire after ten years, and will then be on a lower income?

Thanks for any advice!

• RS Tax information (photocopy or IRS Tax Return Transcript) - 1 year is required, up to 3 years may help.
  
• Tax Return Transcripts, optional but may help. The I-864 form requires a "Tax Return Transcript" and not a "Tax Account Transcript."
  
• W-2s and/or 1099s
  
• 1040 from most recent tax year
  
• Pay stubs for current year (6 months should do)
  
• Employment letter showing your income and position.
  

[Alaska2012 462]

My husband, who also is a sponsor even though not making enough, sent in all the stuff you listed above.

My co-sponsor didn't include pay stubs or employment letter but it worked fine for us.

The sponsors are responsible the whole period no matter how much money the immigrant makes. But if the immigrant and the spouse makes enough money the co-sponsor don't have to worry...

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hi,

My wife and I need to ask a friend to be a co-sponsor for our application. I’ve seen the list online (see summary below) of what the co-sponsor needs to submit with the AoS form, but do they need to submit all of these things? I guess the IRS tax information is the most important. But if they don’t submit pay stubs and employment letter, is that ok? And will photocopies suffice (e.g. W2s and 1099s)?

Also, I understand that the co-sponsor's responsibility lasts until the immigrant becomes a citizen (this is not an intention -- is dual British-American citizenship even possible?) So if the immigrant gets a very good job some point in the future, is the co-sponsor then technically no longer responsible? And what if the co-sponor is due to retire after ten years, and will then be on a lower income?

Thanks for any advice!

• RS Tax information (photocopy or IRS Tax Return Transcript) - 1 year is required, up to 3 years may help.
  
• Tax Return Transcripts, optional but may help. The I-864 form requires a "Tax Return Transcript" and not a "Tax Account Transcript."
  
• W-2s and/or 1099s
  
• 1040 from most recent tax year
  
• Pay stubs for current year (6 months should do)
  
• Employment letter showing your income and position.
  

That list is a bit redundant. Tax information is ONE proof. You can present your tax info in two different ways

Complete tax return

which is all the paper forms that would be mailed to the IRS if filing by mail. It would start with a form 1040 (or 1040A, 1040EZ) and possibly include Schedule A, Schedule D, etc depending on the source and amount of income. Some people have many pages and others have only a 1040. THEN you must also attach photocopies of W2s or 1099s to the tax return. That makes a

complete

tax return.

Or

Tax return transcript

which is ordered from the IRS. Tax transcripts are summaries of your whole tax return provided free by the IRS. They can't be faked because it's a copy/summary of your whole tax return picture, basically certified by the IRS because it's issued by them. That's why you don't have to include any 1040, Schedules, W2s or 1099s if you send a transcript. Transcripts take the place of sending a complete tax return.

So one of the above is the required proof. Then you may add pay stubs or employer letter to sweeten the deal.

Citizenship? Yes you can be a US citizen and retain your British citizenship. The Brits don't ever mark you off their rolls unless you submit a form and fee requesting it. The US does not make you give up your British passport or citizenship, but expects you to only use the US one when leaving or entering the US. You could for example leave the US showing your US passport, then enter the UK or travel around the EU as a British citizen.

The sponsor is on the hook until you become a citizen, leave the US, die, or work long enough to have 40 credits paid In to Social Security. If you work continuously, that takes 10 years because 4 credits per year is the maximum attained.

[RobEnglish 0]

Thank you for all your help!

An additional question: do we need to notify NVC of our intention to have a co-sponsor before my wife (the US citizen) pays the AoS fee, or can we go ahead with that?

[Ryan H 3,810]

An additional question: do we need to notify NVC of our intention to have a co-sponsor before my wife (the US citizen) pays the AoS fee, or can we go ahead with that?

You do no need to notify the NVC of your intent to have a joint sponsor. The joint sponsor's paperwork would accompany the petitioners paperwork the the Affidavit of Support package is submitted.