Joint Sponsor's Responsibilities

[Dogwood_Poet 16]

When a joint sponsor signs an I-864, what is he agreeing to?

If I understand correctly, they are only responsible if my wife accepts any government assistance before she becomes a citizen.

My brother's friends have told him it would make him responsible for ANY financial problems we might have, not just government assistance. He thinks if we got sued for any reason or defaulted on a loan, he would be responsible for that as well. That is not how I read the instructions, I wanted to make sure I am correct.

He also sees the 10-year clause and is worried what would happen if my wife could not become a citizen after the three years is up.

I do have someone else who is considering being a joint sponsor, but I wanted to clear up what they would be agreeing to before I talked to him again.

Thanks to everyone for their help! I have found so many answers to my questions here as my wife and I work through this maze of paper called 'immigration'!

[Niels Bohr 72]

The agreement basically means that the sponsor must accept the financial attributes that maybe associated with your wife when she lives with you. This includes but not limited to unemployment, medical situations, etc...

The instruction did not list these things, but, it specifically states that the US Government will not permit her to apply for AFDC (Welfare), State sponsored Medical Insurance (ex. MassHealth), or any other manifestation of governmental assistance. They want to be ' hands-off ' without support for your wife. So, that's where the sponsor comes in and also the 125% Poverty Line rule.

[john_and_marlene 162]

He is right to be wary of taking on the responsibility. It is significant. I would never agree to be a cosponsor.