Joint sponsor: I-864 / I-864A : which one?

[jj_154 0]

Hi,

So I finally decided to play it safe and asked my brother to be a joint sponsor so there will be no doubt about the ability to support my wife.

1. My main question is does my brother fill out the I-864A, the I-864, or both? I thought he only needed to fill out the I-864A, but I read in a recent thread that he needs to fill out the I-864 instead. What is the I-864A for?

2. Does my brother need to have the I-864/I-864A notarized?

3. If the I-864A is necessary and it is required to be notarized, how do we go about it since the I-864A requires both our signatures, but we live in different countries.

Thanks,

John

[Frustrated2NoEnd 0]

Hi,

So I finally decided to play it safe and asked my brother to be a joint sponsor so there will be no doubt about the ability to support my wife.

1. My main question is does my brother fill out the I-864A, the I-864, or both? I thought he only needed to fill out the I-864A, but I read in a recent thread that he needs to fill out the I-864 instead. What is the I-864A for?

2. Does my brother need to have the I-864/I-864A notarized?

3. If the I-864A is necessary and it is required to be notarized, how do we go about it since the I-864A requires both our signatures, but we live in different countries.

Thanks,

John

1. If your brother lives in the same home you fill out the I-864A and the I-864. (Taken from the form: "Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member, is an attachment to Form I-864, Affidavit of Support" for your reference);

2. It does not need to be notarized (more than likely because your attachments are proof);

3. If your brother has access to a PC, he can download the forms and courier/express mail them to you. An original signature is required.

Suggestion: you may want to research this further if your brother does not live in the US and is going to be your Joint Sponsor. As your Joint Sponsor, he is stating that he will be financially responsible in the event you cannot support the intented immigrant. If he is in another country, then the US may not have any means to enforce this.

I hope this information helps. Good luck to you and yours.

[MargotDarko 0]

Hi,

So I finally decided to play it safe and asked my brother to be a joint sponsor so there will be no doubt about the ability to support my wife.

1. My main question is does my brother fill out the I-864A, the I-864, or both? I thought he only needed to fill out the I-864A, but I read in a recent thread that he needs to fill out the I-864 instead. What is the I-864A for?

2. Does my brother need to have the I-864/I-864A notarized?

3. If the I-864A is necessary and it is required to be notarized, how do we go about it since the I-864A requires both our signatures, but we live in different countries.

Thanks,

John

It seems to me that your brother lives in the US and you live in Japan with your wife. If that is true, you both fill out a I-864 form. The I-864A is needed when a household member (someone who presently lives with you) is going to include their income on your I-864 - basically, you would be making a contract with the gov't and the household member would be making a contract with you, but that is not the case here. You would fill out a I-864 as the main sponsor and your brother would fill out a second I-864 as the only joint sponsor and no I-864A is needed. Nothing needs to be notarized.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Hi,

So I finally decided to play it safe and asked my brother to be a joint sponsor so there will be no doubt about the ability to support my wife.

1. My main question is does my brother fill out the I-864A, the I-864, or both? I thought he only needed to fill out the I-864A, but I read in a recent thread that he needs to fill out the I-864 instead. What is the I-864A for?

2. Does my brother need to have the I-864/I-864A notarized?

3. If the I-864A is necessary and it is required to be notarized, how do we go about it since the I-864A requires both our signatures, but we live in different countries.

Thanks,

John

It seems to me that your brother lives in the US and you live in Japan with your wife. If that is true, you both fill out a I-864 form. The I-864A is needed when a household member (someone who presently lives with you) is going to include their income on your I-864 - basically, you would be making a contract with the gov't and the household member would be making a contract with you, but that is not the case here. You would fill out a I-864 as the main sponsor and your brother would fill out a second I-864 as the only joint sponsor and no I-864A is needed. Nothing needs to be notarized.

Unless, I think, if your brother has dependents of his own (wife, children, etc.) then he might need to fill in an I-864A as an attachment to the I-864. Neither you or your wife would count for this particular form, it's just folks that live with your brother right now.

[MargotDarko 0]

Unless, I think, if your brother has dependents of his own (wife, children, etc.) then he might need to fill in an I-864A as an attachment to the I-864. Neither you or your wife would count for this particular form, it's just folks that live with your brother right now.

The brother will only need a I-864A if his income is not sufficient by itself and he has to include the income of someone else in his household. It's fine for other people in his household to earn income and not include it on the brother's I-864 and not fill out the I-864A.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Unless, I think, if your brother has dependents of his own (wife, children, etc.) then he might need to fill in an I-864A as an attachment to the I-864. Neither you or your wife would count for this particular form, it's just folks that live with your brother right now.

The brother will only need a I-864A if his income is not sufficient by itself and he has to include the income of someone else in his household. It's fine for other people in his household to earn income and not include it on the brother's I-864 and not fill out the I-864A.

I stand corrected. thanks wise one!!!

[jj_154 0]

Thanks for all the help.

I will clarify the situation

1. I and my wife live in Japan.

2. My brother lives in the U.S. and lives alone (single).

3. Although I don't know his exact income, I know it should easily cover my wife.

When filling out the form.

My brother's form will have

1D checked : I am only the joint sponsor

8 checked and the box "yes" checked : I am sponsoring the principal immigrant in part II

9A is not checked.

21a = 1 immigrant

21h = 2 (my brother + my wife), I do not include myself.

23 Current annual income : this is for the current year, so it may not match the income listed on the last 3 years income taxes??

Is this correct?

Thanks,

John

[MargotDarko 0]

Thanks for all the help.

I will clarify the situation

1. I and my wife live in Japan.

2. My brother lives in the U.S. and lives alone (single).

3. Although I don't know his exact income, I know it should easily cover my wife.

When filling out the form.

My brother's form will have

1D checked : I am only the joint sponsor

8 checked and the box "yes" checked : I am sponsoring the principal immigrant in part II

9A is not checked.

21a = 1 immigrant

21h = 2 (my brother + my wife), I do not include myself.

23 Current annual income : this is for the current year, so it may not match the income listed on the last 3 years income taxes?

Is this correct?

Thanks,

John

Yep, if you've got it figured out now. You say your brother lives alone - does he also not have any dependents living anywhere else? If he has minor children who are living somewhere else, they need to be counted. But otherwise, yes, his "household" is just himself and the immigrant.

Yes, the current annual income may very well be different from the previous three years income taxes, and that's fine. A recent letter from his employer would be good extra back up for the current income and a copy of his 2007 W2 if he hasn't his tax return by the time of the interview (not sure where you are in the process). Good luck!