Co-sponsor questions

[RosaMystica7 0]

I'm still fishing for a co-sponsor. I make well over 125% of the poverty guidelines, enough to support us both in an apartment. I've been in my job for a month and a half and don't plan on quitting anytime soon. I don't have a solid working history, I just graduated from high school in 2003, I've been a college student and was a missionary at one point. An immigration lawyer told me that I'll be fine as his sole sponsor as long as I'm making enough to support us both on (which will be over 125% of the poverty guideline anyway) and hold the job for the entire duration of the visa process (the job on my G-325a is my job when he goes for his interview).

But the worrywart that I am... I'm still worrying. In part it's been that my boss has been giving me nasty attitude lately about stuff that simply hasn't been my fault - I wasn't taught it and she expected me to know it anyway. I work in a pharmacy that deals with dozens of insurances and tens of thousands of items, a lot is learned with time and usage. Anyway, I'm really worried that I'll get fired before his interview and we won't have a co-sponsor back-up. I wouldn't move him here til I was secure in a new job that paid enough... but... the embassy wouldn't care about that. Plus I'm worried that the embassy won't like my cruddy work history - I made very little income last year and NO income the two years before that. I've been told here before that they only care what I'm making now. But I'm still playing what-ifs...

I've been trying to talk my parents into just signing the dang form for me. I've showed them my Excel budget that shows how much money I estimate that we'll be able to save all the way up til August 2007, with estimated expenses a little over on the safe side. I've re-affirmed over and over again that I don't want to ask anyone for help, I'm proud that I'll be on my own and married and I don't wanna start it off leaning on someone, I wanna do it all on my own. I've explained that it's just the embassy may not buy that part because of my work history. But... they just want to... so... time to move onto another idea. My sister has 4 kids and is in big financial trouble, so she's not an option. Next idea is my brother. This is where most of my questions come in.

- His ex-wife is brutal, taking every chance to suck him dry that she can get. If he co-sponsors us and she finds out, can she use that to get more child support out of him? Don't get me wrong, he pays the child support he's supposed to now, he loves his sons and is very active in their lives. But could she say "well look he has enough extra income for another person, he should pay more child support"?

- How do the kids work into the dependants thing? They don't live with him full-time... I'm not exactly sure what their visitation schedule is like. They don't live with him much but he does pay child support, so do they count as his depenants?

- Is his income, as far as co-sponsoring is concerned, considered to be pre-child support payments or post-child support payments? He's making a fair amount of money but has to pay a LOT for child support... so... that's why I'm wondering. If I remember right, he needs to be making over 125% of the poverty guidelines for his household plus one more BEFORE taxes, right? So then I'd think it would even be before child support payments, or any other expenses for that matter?

Next, a semi-unrelated question... I know the co-sponsor has to be a US citizen, but does the co-sponsor have to LIVE in the US? Like can it be a US citizen living in France? If so, does the US citizen need to have a US domicile address? My fiance has some US citizen family members that are currently living outside the US, so that's why I'm wondering.

Thanks!

Maybe I should just give up on the whole co-sponsor thing since I'm making enough now... but... like I said... I'm just afraid that I'll get fired before his interview and won't have a co-sponsor back-up and he'll be screwed at the embassy. Maybe that's just me worrying too much, I dunno.

[rebeccajo 14]

If you are REALLY worried about keeping this job and being able to 'grow up' and be self-supportive, my suggestion would be to sit down with the boss and ask for an assessment of your performance to date. Let her know that you are anxious to do the job right. Don't approach her as if you think she's giving you 'attitude' and don't use excuses like 'there's so much to learn'. Tell her you want to know how you are doing so if there is anything you need to be improving upon, you can start fixing it immediately.

I'd suggest you go the website for the French consulate and see what their requirements are for sponsorship. Talk to members in that forum and find out if there are any oddities.

As to later on at AOS, you will be the sponsor. If a co-sponsor is required that means their pre-tax income must be enough to sustain the immigrant plus their own household, including dependant children who don't reside with them.

Who's going to tell the ex-wife about the affidavit?

Sponsor's must be USC's who are domiciled in the US - generally speaking. There is an exemption for this but the qualifications are narrow. See the instructions for the I-864 - it's clearly explained there.

[RosaMystica7 0]

If you are REALLY worried about keeping this job and being able to 'grow up' and be self-supportive, my suggestion would be to sit down with the boss and ask for an assessment of your performance to date. Let her know that you are anxious to do the job right. Don't approach her as if you think she's giving you 'attitude' and don't use excuses like 'there's so much to learn'. Tell her you want to know how you are doing so if there is anything you need to be improving upon, you can start fixing it immediately.

True. I just got really worried today when she said she was gonna take me off the phones (it's a mail-order phone-based pharmacy) and have a supervisor sit with me. She didn't go through with it, though, so maybe she just didn't think about what she was saying... she was hungover from the office's weekend Christmas party so that could have something to do with the way she was today. You know what... I'll sleep on it, can't make a decision while I'm still raw about it. I'll work on growing thicker skin and taking everything as a chance to improve myself rather than feel bad, a change in attitude is probably what I need the most here.

I'd suggest you go the website for the French consulate and see what their requirements are for sponsorship. Talk to members in that forum and find out if there are any oddities.

Good idea, thanks!

As to later on at AOS, you will be the sponsor. If a co-sponsor is required that means their pre-tax income must be enough to sustain the immigrant plus their own household, including dependant children who don't reside with them.

Okay, so my brother's kids count as dependants, and it definately is pre-tax income that's considered, got it, thanks! I didn't even think about AOS yet... why do they even require a sponsor then if the foreign fiance will be able to work? Well, at least by then my fiance and I will (hopefully) have more in the bank. And by then if I haven't gotten fired yet I should be good to go. I'll have proven my stability more by then.

Who's going to tell the ex-wife about the affidavit?

True. But worst case scenario, say he slipped and told her one day while picking up the kids. Could it be used against him like I said before? My dad asked the question and has very similar thinking to my brother, so I'd like to know the answer when my brother asks.

Sponsor's must be USC's who are domiciled in the US - generally speaking. There is an exemption for this but the qualifications are narrow. See the instructions for the I-864 - it's clearly explained there.

I-864... isn't that what's used for AOS? Does the co-sponsor for the K-1 interview HAVE to be the co-sponsor for AOS? I thought domicile address meant an address over here even though they live overseas - do I have the definition of that word wrong? Does it mean they have to live in the US?

Thanks!