For the I-864 (AOS) Physical or PDF bank statements etc

[Uoas 58]

Hi all,

 

I'm currently living abroad with my husband and have been going over the I-864 form and the list of documents needed for proof of domicile in the US.(I haven't received an NOA2 yet, I just like to be prepared and have all documents ready beforehand.)  All my bank statements are sent to me online as a PDF.  My question is: Can I print out a PDF of my bank/credit card/tax statements and use this in the I-864 or do I need to provide a physical bank statement that was sent to my home address in America? 

 

My other question is related to my father being a joint sponsor. As I do not make enough on my own (English Teacher's salary abroad) my dad will also fill out an I-864. He doesn't file me in his taxes and isn't married. His household size is one, but because we intend to stay with my dad for the first month or so in America (at least until we secure a job) does this impact his household number and cause him to file the I-864a since we will be living under the same house (same principle residence)?

 

Also, does anyone know when I can find an example letter where a parent states that their child and the beneficiary will be moving back with them upon returning to the states? I'm not sure if a basic statement typed and signed from my dad will do or if there's more to it, e.g. a housing/rent contract. This would fall under proof to reestablish domicile in the US.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!  

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

2 minutes ago, Uoas said:

Hi all,

 

I'm currently living abroad with my husband and have been going over the I-864 form and the list of documents needed for proof of domicile in the US.(I haven't received an NOA2 yet, I just like to be prepared and have all documents ready beforehand.)  All my bank statements are sent to me online as a PDF.  My question is: Can I print out a PDF of my bank/credit card/tax statements and use this in the I-864 or do I need to provide a physical bank statement that was sent to my home address in America? 

 

My other question is related to my father being a joint sponsor. As I do not make enough on my own (English Teacher's salary abroad) my dad will also fill out an I-864. He doesn't file me in his taxes and isn't married. His household size is one, but because we intend to stay with my dad for the first month or so in America (at least until we secure a job) does this impact his household number and cause him to file the I-864a since we will be living under the same house (same principle residence)?

 

Also, does anyone know when I can find an example letter where a parent states that their child and the beneficiary will be moving back with them upon returning to the states? I'm not sure if a basic statement typed and signed from my dad will do or if there's more to it, e.g. a housing/rent contract. This would fall under proof to reestablish domicile in the US.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!  

Online printouts are fine - mine are the same, and I just printed them myself from my online banking with my bank. Be sure to black out your full account number (you can leave the last 4 digits visible for reference purposes). I used to work in financial fraud, so I think of those things.

 

My understanding is the household number, for this purpose, is the household size including the beneficiary. In this case, I would imagine it would be your dad (co-sponsor), you (petitioner), and your fiancé (beneficiary). I didn't use a co-sponsor, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

 

As for the letter - try searching the forums for something like "co-sponsor letter of intent" with regard to the Affidavit of Support. I found an example template of a letter of intent to marry that we used when submitting our initial application, and that seemed to work well for us.

 

Good luck!

[geowrian 22,338]

The PDF is fine. Since you're using a joint sponsor to meet the requirements, your bank statements won't really matter anyway.

 

Your father's household size would be 2: himself + the intending immigrant. You are (presumably) not financially dependent upon him legally (since he doesn't claim you on his taxes and presumably you are age 21 or older).

No I-864A is available for somebody who is not currently a household member. He would file an I-864 as a joint sponsor, and must meet the financial requirements for his household size (2) on his own.

[Uoas 58]

48 minutes ago, Paul & Mallory said:

Online printouts are fine - mine are the same, and I just printed them myself from my online banking with my bank. Be sure to black out your full account number (you can leave the last 4 digits visible for reference purposes). I used to work in financial fraud, so I think of those things.

 

My understanding is the household number, for this purpose, is the household size including the beneficiary. In this case, I would imagine it would be your dad (co-sponsor), you (petitioner), and your fiancé (beneficiary). I didn't use a co-sponsor, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong!

 

As for the letter - try searching the forums for something like "co-sponsor letter of intent" with regard to the Affidavit of Support. I found an example template of a letter of intent to marry that we used when submitting our initial application, and that seemed to work well for us.

 

Good luck!

That's such a relief! I've read so many forums that stress proper photocopies of originals and bringing them to the interview etc and I was worried about using a PDF bank statement. Glad to know someone else has used a printout!

 

I probably used the same example template for intent to marry.   I will look into finding a template for a co-sponsor letter of intent. I guess post it back here if anyone else is looking for it. 

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Uoas 58]

47 minutes ago, geowrian said:

The PDF is fine. Since you're using a joint sponsor to meet the requirements, your bank statements won't really matter anyway.

 

Your father's household size would be 2: himself + the intending immigrant. You are (presumably) not financially dependent upon him legally (since he doesn't claim you on his taxes and presumably you are age 21 or older).

No I-864A is available for somebody who is not currently a household member. He would file an I-864 as a joint sponsor, and must meet the financial requirements for his household size (2) on his own.

I was going to use the bank statements for proof of domicile. They list it as an option for what to provide as proof in the I-864 instructions and I wanted to provide as many as possible. I'm not sure how many are enough but I was planning on providing my voter registration card, driver's license, bank statements, quotes from a moving company, and an email on inquiring on reinstating my auto insurance, along with a letter from my dad about future living situation. Maybe over the top? I'm trying to avoid as many RFEs as possible. 

 

I forgot that it would be 2! If there's no I-864a for this particular situation, that's good with me. Thank you for clearing that up. This website is a gem for anyone working to get a visa. Makes the whole process way easier than doing it on your own. 

 

[geowrian 22,338]

2 minutes ago, Uoas said:

I was going to use the bank statements for proof of domicile. They list it as an option for what to provide as proof in the I-864 instructions and I wanted to provide as many as possible. I'm not sure how many are enough but I was planning on providing my voter registration card, driver's license, bank statements, quotes from a moving company, and an email on inquiring on reinstating my auto insurance, along with a letter from my dad about future living situation. Maybe over the top? I'm trying to avoid as many RFEs as possible. 

 

I forgot that it would be 2! If there's no I-864a for this particular situation, that's good with me. Thank you for clearing that up. This website is a gem for anyone working to get a visa. Makes the whole process way easier than doing it on your own. 

Ah, okay. Then yeah, it's fine to include it. There's very little risk of being over the top...barring something excessive like hundreds of pages of documentation that they will never think of even looking at, you're fine.

 

Best wishes!

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

58 minutes ago, Uoas said:

That's such a relief! I've read so many forums that stress proper photocopies of originals and bringing them to the interview etc and I was worried about using a PDF bank statement. Glad to know someone else has used a printout!

 

I probably used the same example template for intent to marry.   I will look into finding a template for a co-sponsor letter of intent. I guess post it back here if anyone else is looking for it. 

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

Trust me, I understand - I actually went way overboard with all the stuff I gave my fiancé (the beneficiary) for him to take to his interview, lol. I wanted to be on top of everything! He said they barely looked at everything I gave him  Mostly interested in the obvious stuff. I had even sent a pay itemization from my employer showing all paychecks from my corporate hire date (back in 2010) to date. They clearly didn't care about all that lmao.

[pushbrk 13,260]

7 hours ago, Uoas said:

That's such a relief! I've read so many forums that stress proper photocopies of originals and bringing them to the interview etc and I was worried about using a PDF bank statement. Glad to know someone else has used a printout!

 

I probably used the same example template for intent to marry.   I will look into finding a template for a co-sponsor letter of intent. I guess post it back here if anyone else is looking for it. 

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

You don't need a joint sponsor letter of intent.  Their signature on the affidavit clearly indicates their intent to honor the contract they are signing.  

 

For clarity.  The I-864a is for household members COMBINING INCOME with the sponsor or joint sponsor OR the spouse of a joint sponsor.  Study those I-864 instructions.  

[Uoas 58]

3 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

You don't need a joint sponsor letter of intent.  Their signature on the affidavit clearly indicates their intent to honor the contract they are signing.  

 

For clarity.  The I-864a is for household members COMBINING INCOME with the sponsor or joint sponsor OR the spouse of a joint sponsor.  Study those I-864 instructions.  

The letter wouldn't be for intent to sponsor my husband but more of an invitation. My problem is that I don't live in America and need to provide proofs of my intent to move back to America. Most of what they list in the I-864 instructions I can provide. I also read that if you're going to be staying at a parent's house temporarily in the beginning, it's good to have a letter from the parent stating that the petitioner and beneficiary will live in the house with them etc. (I guess extra cushioning to show you really do intend to return to the states?) I was hoping to find an example of this type of letter in the forums but haven't had any luck. My dad and I just drafted up a short letter. Not sure if it's something I should post here as I'm not sure how many people used/need a letter from parents to use as proof of intent for domicile. I'm guessing most provide a copy of a lease agreement.

 

I think I was getting hung up on where it talks about principle residence and having adult children and I started questioning if I  technically counted, since my dad's house has also been where I lived minus college and always listed as my permanent mailing address.  Just me over analyzing.  The I-864a is more for situations where a joint sponsor (not petitioner) is married or has a child and combining their incomes then. I think? Anyways, thanks for the clarification. I feel a little more confident about filing the I-864.

[pushbrk 13,260]

If it's an invitation letter, then it should be written as an invitation for you and your spouse to live with your parents until you are ready to find a place on your own.  It can be a single letter signed by both parents, if applicable.  This has nothing to do with the actual sponsorship though.  They'll see they are your joint sponsors too.

[Uoas 58]

8 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

If it's an invitation letter, then it should be written as an invitation for you and your spouse to live with your parents until you are ready to find a place on your own.  It can be a single letter signed by both parents, if applicable.  This has nothing to do with the actual sponsorship though.  They'll see they are your joint sponsors too.

 This is the letter we drafted up. It's not addressed to me personally but more of a statement. I removed names but the idea is still the same. I'm not sure if it's worth mentioning the ability to use the car or not but we put it in just in case. 

Example of Invitation letter.pdf