Is it worth it to include a letter with my I-864?

[Ribs & Beans 19]

I'm about to start with the NVC stuff, and here's my situation:

2007 - made about $3k

2008 - made about $3k

2009 - made about $19,900 (started work in April)

2010 - will have made about $32k

Obviously I meet the 125% of poverty guidelines (household of 2) for 2009 (barely), and will for 2010 (I have paystubs and a letter from my job to include). However, my income was exceptionally low in 2007/2008 because I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. I'd like to include a letter pointing that out, so that it's clear that it was a temporary situation, and I am now working in a regular job here in the US, and plan to continue doing so.

So my question is: If I include a letter to that effect, will they even read it? Should I bother?

Edited December 3, 2010 by Kikapoo

[pushbrk 13,250]

I'm about to start with the NVC stuff, and here's my situation:

2007 - made about $3k

2008 - made about $3k

2009 - made about $19,900 (started work in April)

2010 - will have made about $32k

Obviously I meet the 125% of poverty guidelines (household of 2) for 2009 (barely), and will for 2010 (I have paystubs and a letter from my job to include). However, my income was exceptionally low in 2007/2008 because I was a Peace Corps Volunteer. I'd like to include a letter pointing that out, so that it's clear that it was a temporary situation, and I am now working in a regular job here in the US, and plan to continue doing so.

So my question is: If I include a letter to that effect, will they even read it? Should I bother?

Not really necessary. If it were me, I might hand print "Peace Corps" next to the 07 and 08 income numbers. It's the current income that really needs documenting.

[katie & sifa 25]

I had the same exact situation. I actually did include a letter - I put my 2007 W2 from Peace Corps and a short paragraph just saying I didn't file taxes in 2007 because I didn't make enough money to have to file that year. I probably went a little overboard and also included my 2007 taxable income worksheet that PC sent me at site (I happened to have it in a folder) and a document from the 2007 tax forms that said how much you had to make in order for filing to be required. Probably not necessary, but...that's what I did.

Edit: Just realized you are doing a CR-1, this is what I did when we filed the I-864 for AOS from a K1.

Edited December 3, 2010 by katie & sifa

[Ribs & Beans 19]

Thank you to both of you! I hadn't thought to write in "Peace Corps" next to those years...I'll probably do that and include a letter. I actually did file in 2007...I think there was an extra refund or something that year for anyone who filed. I also filed in 2008 so that it would be easier to fill out my FAFSA in 2009. So I have tax transcripts for both of those years. I'll just include a letter on top of it.

Thanks!

[Ashley_Armando 1]

we will be having a co-sponsor, but when i included my last three years of income taxes in my part of the AOS (which the figures are well below the 125% because I was in college) do I just writing in next to those numbers that I attended college during those years or should I add a letter saying that I was working a part-time job and attending college. I was thinking all that might be a lot to explain in a short space.

Not really necessary. If it were me, I might hand print "Peace Corps" next to the 07 and 08 income numbers. It's the current income that really needs documenting.