Affidavit of Support

[Allita 0]

HI VISA JOURNEY COMMUNITY! I NEED YOUR HELPS ONCE AGAIN (hopefully last time :-))

I am currently filing out an affidavit of support (I-134) and I ran into a number of issues.

Since I am a student I am using my mother as a co-sponsor. So, I had some questions about her paperwork.

1. My mother makes around $150,000 a year. When submitting her tax returns is there anything we need to do with it? I read somewhere that it has to be notarized, but when I went to the notary I was told that THERE IS NO WAY to notarize a tax return (1040 form). So is submitting a print out enough (my mother filed online)? Also the tax return runs something like 20 pages - do I need it all? I was thinking of submitting just 1040 and the applicable schedules, since that what my school usually asks for financial aid. Is this correct?

2. My mother has a very low bank account balance and no savings account (around 4,000) - is that an issue? I am really worried about this!

3. The instructions for I-134 concerning bank accounts asks for date opened, current balance and total amount deposited over a year. However, at the bank we were told that the bank does not provide information on total amount deposited in last 12 month! Did anyone else run into this problem and how did you resolve it?

4. For question number 7, do I need appraisals? As people of Persian background we invest into gold/diamonds/antiques so she easily has personal property worth around 75,000 just based on that. She also has two cars, each valued at 40,000. Do I need proof for all of this? I can get gold/diamonds appraised, but should I bother? Not so sure about how to appraise antiques :-/. Do I also include count in stuff like cloth, computers, etc? I am concerned about this because I am wondering if I put a large number like 150,000 for personal property it may raise questions. At the same time, I am thinking it may not, since despite having a relatively high income she has no savings so it may be self-explanatory that money went into "stuff." Any advice?

Thank you and I appreciate any informed advice.

Edited June 2, 2012 by Allita

[Pitaya 2,577]

Welcome to the forum.

This helps everyone that uses these forums.

Use IRS tax transcripts. If you use regular individual tax return, you have to include copies of all schedules, forms, supporting statements, etc. Notarization is not required. Where did you read that?

Independent appraisals will likely be required. How can you prove the value of the property that you mention? The devil is in the details and the documentation that you provide. Think of it this way, how are you going to prove to the satisfaction of the adjudicator that you and your fiance(e) will not become public charges? This has to be proven, and not assumed to be self-explanatory. The adjudicators work off of the facts presented to them, not suppositions or assumptions or estimates.

I should think that others will respond with their opinions.

Good luck on your visa journy.

[EvilSquee 7]

1. No, just the copy (all of it) is fine no need to notarize. Or tax transcripts as already suggested.

2. If you meet the income requirements it doesn't matter if you have 4 cents or 4 million.

3. I had no problems, but I "bank" at credit unions. Ask to speak to a manager. Or skip it because your mom makes enough income so assets aren't required. You only need income above the poverty line plus some per dependent. If your mom is co-sponsoring and makes 150K a year that's far above the typical 20-30k a year that's usually required. I don't have all the details but you can find that easily by just doing a quick search (I see these numbers on VJ at least once a day). You don't even need to list the other assets, they are there for people who may not have employement income but who have savings and you don't have to document them if they aren't needed.

4. You'd need documentation proving the assets and appraisals. Again don't bother. You don't need her assets, your mom's income is more than enough.

It's hard not to overthink things and get all kinds of paranoid when you're so close to the end, hopefully this puts your mind at ease and saves you a ton of unnecessary work and the delay that getting all this stuff would have added. Good luck!

[Allita 0]

Thank you very much! I just found out about IRS transcripts availability - will definitely do that! Also will start working on my timeline now :-)

[Mogambi 96]

At the risk of being puzzled, your mom makes 150k a year but has only $4000 in savings? Strange...

But anyway! I make similar, so I had no co-sponsor, but I didn't send in a single piece of paper except my tax returns and tax transcripts. I didn't get any bank account records, savings records, etc. I agree, with the income of that amount, that shouldn't be an issue at all.

Unless they are more critical of co-sponsors.

I got tax transcripts for 2009 and 2010, because our interview was early this year, I had the full return for 2011. I submitted three since I'm basically independent contractor or my job, so they recommended three years of returns.

No notarization needed. There is a bunch of information about the affidavit of support saying it needs to be notarized floating around the internet. It appears to be quite old and refering to a different form than the 134. But no need.

[Allita 0]

At the risk of being puzzled, your mom makes 150k a year but has only $4000 in savings? Strange...

But anyway! I make similar, so I had no co-sponsor, but I didn't send in a single piece of paper except my tax returns and tax transcripts. I didn't get any bank account records, savings records, etc. I agree, with the income of that amount, that shouldn't be an issue at all.

Unless they are more critical of co-sponsors.

I got tax transcripts for 2009 and 2010, because our interview was early this year, I had the full return for 2011. I submitted three since I'm basically independent contractor or my job, so they recommended three years of returns.

No notarization needed. There is a bunch of information about the affidavit of support saying it needs to be notarized floating around the internet. It appears to be quite old and refering to a different form than the 134. But no need.

That's what I am planning to do now. Full return for 2011 and transcripts for 2010, 2009. Hope that works:-).