Help needed with Affidavit of Support I-134

[PaulandMegan 0]

Hi There,

Notification of Readiness was sent back to U.S. Embassy, Dublin 10 days ago. Awaiting news regarding Interview date.

My Fiancee is in a Master's Programme and we are asking her Father to act as Co-sponsor as she wouldnt have adequate funds in the eyes of immigration to support both of us.

Can somebody please tell me in a straightforward manner what supporting documents are required on his behalf ? I have trawled through tonnes of websites in the last 2 days seeking information only to have conflicting information thrown at me from every angle.

I do realise criteria laid down by I-864 is how they accept I-134 documentation but still, I mean, could they have made this step in the process anymore confusing for people..

My soon to be Father in law earns a good salary as far as I'm aware so once he gets the following documentation, should we be ok :

* notarized copies of his or her latest federal income tax return; (Is this the same as aking him to get a W2 ???)

* a statement from his or her employer on company Letterhead showing salary and the length and permanency of employment; last pay stub, (is just the very last one sufficient ?)

* a statement from an officer of a bank on Bank Letterhead regarding his or her account, the date the account was opened and the present balance;

I would love to hear back from people who needed to have a Co-sponsor aswell as their primary sponsor (Fiancee) and who interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin. What specific documents were they asked to produce on the Interview day.

As for myself, is there documentation required from the Beneficiary also ? I have a signed employment contract on company letterhead noting annual salary and position. Is this enough ?

Your help and input would be appreciated very much,

Paul.

[mike&andi 0]

Hi There,

Notification of Readiness was sent back to U.S. Embassy, Dublin 10 days ago. Awaiting news regarding Interview date.

My Fiancee is in a Master's Programme and we are asking her Father to act as Co-sponsor as she wouldnt have adequate funds in the eyes of immigration to support both of us.

Can somebody please tell me in a straightforward manner what supporting documents are required on his behalf ? I have trawled through tonnes of websites in the last 2 days seeking information only to have conflicting information thrown at me from every angle.

I do realise criteria laid down by I-864 is how they accept I-134 documentation but still, I mean, could they have made this step in the process anymore confusing for people..

My soon to be Father in law earns a good salary as far as I'm aware so once he gets the following documentation, should we be ok :

* notarized copies of his or her latest federal income tax return; (Is this the same as aking him to get a W2 ???)

* a statement from his or her employer on company Letterhead showing salary and the length and permanency of employment; last pay stub, (is just the very last one sufficient ?)

* a statement from an officer of a bank on Bank Letterhead regarding his or her account, the date the account was opened and the present balance;

I would love to hear back from people who needed to have a Co-sponsor aswell as their primary sponsor (Fiancee) and who interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin. What specific documents were they asked to produce on the Interview day.

As for myself, is there documentation required from the Beneficiary also ? I have a signed employment contract on company letterhead noting annual salary and position. Is this enough ?

Your help and input would be appreciated very much,

Paul.

The copy of last years tax return is what they want.

As far as the bank goes,I was told that 6 mos. of statements will show that the bank acc. is consistant.

I was told that some people were putting money it there acc. for 1 mo. and then taking it out,so the #'s were not true.

The co sponsor will have to be making enough to support his family and yours.

That is all that I can help with . I can tell you that I think all the forms are confusing.

Good luck, hope this helps some.

[SunDrop 59]

Most people send a couple of paystubs, especially if income varies pay period to pay period. The advice is better to have more than you need than insufficient evidence.

You don't need to prove anything as beneficiary. You'll be quitting your job to immigrate and aren't trying to self-sponsor (which is anecdotally increasingly hard to do, even where embassies still allow it).

Your soon to be FIL needs to earn 125% of the poverty line for his current dependents (as claimed on his tax return) plus the intending immigrants. This could be your FIL, his wife, all his kids including your fiance plus you and your children. So don't go on 'earns a good income' as assurance that he'll satisfy criteria. You need to ask how many dependents, if any, he claims on his income return and then when you know, ask if he earns above $xx,000

He doesn't need to tell you exactly what he earns if he's not comfortable doing so, just needs to reassure you that he does earn above the qualifying amount. Also, if he doesn't want to disclose to you his actual earnings, ask him to put all the necessary documentation with his I-134 in a sealed envelope marked 'to be opened by the consular official' and send it to you, not directly to the embassy. The risk is they don't receive it or don't partner it up with your file. K & K had this problem with the London embassy...

Good luck with your interview

[PaulandMegan 0]

Most people send a couple of paystubs, especially if income varies pay period to pay period. The advice is better to have more than you need than insufficient evidence.

You don't need to prove anything as beneficiary. You'll be quitting your job to immigrate and aren't trying to self-sponsor (which is anecdotally increasingly hard to do, even where embassies still allow it).

Your soon to be FIL needs to earn 125% of the poverty line for his current dependents (as claimed on his tax return) plus the intending immigrants. This could be your FIL, his wife, all his kids including your fiance plus you and your children. So don't go on 'earns a good income' as assurance that he'll satisfy criteria. You need to ask how many dependents, if any, he claims on his income return and then when you know, ask if he earns above $xx,000

He doesn't need to tell you exactly what he earns if he's not comfortable doing so, just needs to reassure you that he does earn above the qualifying amount. Also, if he doesn't want to disclose to you his actual earnings, ask him to put all the necessary documentation with his I-134 in a sealed envelope marked 'to be opened by the consular official' and send it to you, not directly to the embassy. The risk is they don't receive it or don't partner it up with your file. K & K had this problem with the London embassy...

Good luck with your interview

Thanks for this SunDrop.

My FIL doesnt have any dependants, my fiancee is the youngest in her family and she is 24. All other siblings are married and have their own kids. I dont have children of my own, nor does my Fiancee.

That is good idea about asking him to pop everything in an envelope and send it to me marked 'to be opened by the consular official', I'll advise him to do this as I am mortified that he has to go through all this hassle just on my account.

As I said, my Fiancee is in a Masters Programme until June 2011 and she does have an internship, however, the income derived from that is small, so we are kind of stuck and I am glad he has agreed to help us out, I just hate bothering people with all this intrusive and personal and sensititve information.

Ok - you recommend a few pay stubs and 6 month's worth of Bank Statements on top of the actual letter from the Bank. That's good to know, he's actually ringing that 1-800 Mis Information line today so god only knows what rubbish they will tell him.

And as for my own finances, you are absolutely certain they are not going to be asking for my own Bank statements over the last number of years or anything like that ?

My FIL is a Director so I am certain his annual Income exceeds the requirements set down, but he is asking me about whether he needs to include the information on stocks, investments, property also. Not that they apply to him or anything but I think he feels uncomfortablle noting the value of his property and remaining mortgage sums on the form.

Oh yes - This W2 word is thrown around on other websites a lot, does he have to get this also ? I suppose my question would be - is a W2 the exact same language, terminology and meaning as saying 'Federal Tax Return', and are you certain only last year's return is required?

Thanks,

Paul.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Most people send a couple of paystubs, especially if income varies pay period to pay period. The advice is better to have more than you need than insufficient evidence.

You don't need to prove anything as beneficiary. You'll be quitting your job to immigrate and aren't trying to self-sponsor (which is anecdotally increasingly hard to do, even where embassies still allow it).

Your soon to be FIL needs to earn 125% of the poverty line for his current dependents (as claimed on his tax return) plus the intending immigrants. This could be your FIL, his wife, all his kids including your fiance plus you and your children. So don't go on 'earns a good income' as assurance that he'll satisfy criteria. You need to ask how many dependents, if any, he claims on his income return and then when you know, ask if he earns above $xx,000

He doesn't need to tell you exactly what he earns if he's not comfortable doing so, just needs to reassure you that he does earn above the qualifying amount. Also, if he doesn't want to disclose to you his actual earnings, ask him to put all the necessary documentation with his I-134 in a sealed envelope marked 'to be opened by the consular official' and send it to you, not directly to the embassy. The risk is they don't receive it or don't partner it up with your file. K & K had this problem with the London embassy...

Good luck with your interview

Thanks for this SunDrop.

My FIL doesnt have any dependants, my fiancee is the youngest in her family and she is 24. All other siblings are married and have their own kids. I dont have children of my own, nor does my Fiancee.

That is good idea about asking him to pop everything in an envelope and send it to me marked 'to be opened by the consular official', I'll advise him to do this as I am mortified that he has to go through all this hassle just on my account.

As I said, my Fiancee is in a Masters Programme until June 2011 and she does have an internship, however, the income derived from that is small, so we are kind of stuck and I am glad he has agreed to help us out, I just hate bothering people with all this intrusive and personal and sensititve information.

Ok - you recommend a few pay stubs and 6 month's worth of Bank Statements on top of the actual letter from the Bank. That's good to know, he's actually ringing that 1-800 Mis Information line today so god only knows what rubbish they will tell him.

And as for my own finances, you are absolutely certain they are not going to be asking for my own Bank statements over the last number of years or anything like that ?

My FIL is a Director so I am certain his annual Income exceeds the requirements set down, but he is asking me about whether he needs to include the information on stocks, investments, property also. Not that they apply to him or anything but I think he feels uncomfortablle noting the value of his property and remaining mortgage sums on the form.

Oh yes - This W2 word is thrown around on other websites a lot, does he have to get this also ? I suppose my question would be - is a W2 the exact same language, terminology and meaning as saying 'Federal Tax Return', and are you certain only last year's return is required?

Thanks,

Paul.

The reason you keep getting various answers is because the correct answer is - you provide whatever the consulate asks for. The I-134 form itself doesn't have specific requirements. Even the instructions provided with the form aren't reliable, as they will often conflict directly with the instructions you get from the consulate. The form itself is not even required by law, though many consulates ask for it to be included with the financial evidence of the sponsor or co-sponsor. So, you read the instructions provided by the consulate (usually with both packet 3 and packet 4), and you provide what they ask for. There will often be brief instructions on the consulate's website, as well. Instructions from any other source, including this website and even the Department of State, is anecdotal. In the end, the consulate decides what is required.

Ok, now for the "general" advice and information.

A W2 is a statement that an employee receives from an employer once per year. It includes information about the employee's gross salary, taxes withheld, etc. Four copies of the statement are usually provided, and the employee will usually attach one of these copies to their tax return forms when they file with the IRS. A W2 by itself doesn't tell the whole story - a taxpayer may also have income from other sources. If a consulate asks for a copy of a tax return, they mean they want a copy of every form submitted to the IRS, in addition to a copy of every document attached to the forms, including any W2's. In other words, they want an exact copy of the entire package of documents submitted when the tax return was filed. Most consulates will also accept a "tax transcript", which is a computer printout provided by the IRS showing the numbers entered from the tax return documents. When an IRS tax transcript is provided then no other supporting documents (like W2's) are needed. Tax transcripts can be obtained from the IRS at no cost, and they are generally preferred if the consulate will accept them (some consulates specifically ask for them). A tax transcript confirms the financial data actually submitted to the IRS, whereas a copy of the tax return is less reliable - anybody can download forms from the IRS website and write anything they want on them.

I don't know of any consulate that requires a copy of the tax return to be notarized. A notary seal in the US confirms nothing more than the identity of the person signing the document (i.e., the notary is a legal witness to the signature). The notary seal does not confirm, in any way, the information contained on the document. Tax returns do not need to be notarized when submitted to the IRS, and since most people now submit their returns electronically most returns are not even signed. A paper copy of the tax return is often just a printout of the data which was electronically submitted to the IRS.

There used to be a requirement that the I-134 form be notarized, but this is no longer a uniform requirement. Most consulates won't require it to be notarized, but some consulate websites still indicate that it should be notarized. Follow the instructions you get from the consulate.

Usually, if the tax documents indicate that the sponsor or co-sponsor qualifies on income alone, then no other assets need to be indicated on the I-134, nor evidence of those assets provided. In other words, bank statements are usually not required unless the sponsor/co-sponsor requires the cash assets in the bank to qualify. Same with other assets, such as real estate. Again, follow the instructions you get from the consulate. If they specifically say that bank statements are required, then you should provide them. Same applies to pay stubs, letter of employment, etc.

A person's job title is no indication that their income is sufficient. A good friend of mine is the CEO of a corporation, but he qualifies for food stamps. Obviously, his corporation isn't doing very well.

Evidence of your employment and income is not required unless you will continue working in the same position for the same company AFTER moving to the US, and you intend to self-sponsor. A consulate is not required to accept self-sponsorship from an applicant for a fiancee visa, so very few people even attempt it.

[PaulandMegan 0]

Hi Jim,

I didnt get a chance yesterday to thank you for your response.

I am very thankful for your good and solid advice in your post and thanks very much.

I have read everything you said and it all makes complete sense, going to start from scratch with it now instead of diving in 3 steps ahead of myself,

Cheers for now and take care,

Paul.

Edited December 2, 2009 by PaulandMegan