i-864 Questions (Domicile & Documents & Signature)

[MisterModo 2]

First question I have is about this requirement on the i-864:  "Financial sponsors must be domiciled in the United States. If a financial sponsor has been living abroad, he or she can reestablish domicile in the United States but will need to provide proof that they have done so before any income can be considered in support of the intending immigrant’s visa application."

 

This is potentially really annoying for me right now.  I can easily meet the financial requirements to sponsor my wife, but I'm not domiciled in the USA nor have I been for many years!!  We live in Taiwan.  That's where we met.  That's where we live.  How can I be domiciled in the USA?  This requirement is SO STUPID.

But fine, how to get past this ridiculousness?  I have some options and need advice:

 

1.  Just fill out the i-864 form as usual but claim my Mom's address as my US domicile, and put USA as country of domicile instead of Taiwan.  (Now, my Mom's house actually is a US domicile for us.  My wife and I can stay there indefinitely when we get to the US.)  However, will I get in trouble claiming this as my domicile when I haven't actually lived there?  And if I do claim it, how do I fill out the i-864?  Do I still leave my TW address as my physical address?  Or do I omit the Taiwanese address completely?

2.  Go through the way more difficult and annoying process of having my Mom be a joint sponsor.  (My Mom is in her 70s, getting a bit "batty," and getting her to do stuff like this is getting really really hard.)

3.  I guess the only other thing would be to fill out the form in a way that represents reality and hope that using my Mom's address as the "mailing address" will be enough to meet the domicile requirement.

 

The next question I have is about what kind of documents I can submit to prove my financials.  I was planning on just using e-copies of my most recent bank statements.  Does that work?

 

My last question is about how to get my signature onto the form.  I'm using the free version of FoxitPDF and it won't allow me to add my digital signature jpg/png.  Does anyone know of a free PDF app that I can use for this?  Or do I need to print it out, sign it, and scan it back again?  And even if I do that, does that mean I have to print out and scan back the entire i-864 to make all the files match?  Like, how do I get everything back to a proper file format if I print it out and scan it back in again?

 

 

Edited October 24, 2020 by MisterModo
mispelling

[user555 196]

Why is it "so stupid?" Whatever reason you give, the US government is going to prove that you're wrong. 

 

Please familiarize yourself with this website. 

 

How can a financial petitioner establish a domicile?

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-1-submit-a-petition/i-864-affidavit-faqs.html#aos23 
 

The I-864 needs a black ink signature. You'll have to turn in a hard copy during your interview. Print it out, sign it, and scan it back in. 
I used PDFMate PDF Converter (Free) to merge pictures into a pdf. 

[MisterModo 2]

It's stupid because it's a potentially Catch 22 situation:  Prove you have a domicile in the US so you can move to the US...

 

Anyway, the point is I HAVE a domicile, which is my Mom's house, which is my permanent mailing address and also an address for my bank accounts.  It is also where my wife and I plan to move first when we go to the USA.  So, how do I prove this and use this to correctly fill out the i-864? 

 

 

[gregcrs2 1,778]

Just answer all questions honestly.

[MisterModo 2]

30 minutes ago, gregcrs2 said:

Just answer all questions honestly.

Of course I am doing that.  I guess my question was more about how to fill out the form.  Like, can I use my Mom's house as "domicile" even though I'm not currently living there?   But I understand now that I can't do that.  So, what I want to do now is use my Mom's house as my "future/intended" domicile and I am wondering how I can prove this?

[Crazy Cat 42,557]

3 hours ago, MisterModo said:

Prove you have a domicile in the US so you can move to the US.

You can satisfy the requirement if you can show INTENT to establish domicile in the US.  Set up a lease, establish bank accounts, etc in preparation to live in the US.  

Edited October 24, 2020 by Lucky Cat

[Crazy Cat 42,557]

and write a letter explaining your intent to re-located back to the US.

[Crazy Cat 42,557]

9 minutes ago, MisterModo said:

Of course I am doing that.  I guess my question was more about how to fill out the form.  Like, can I use my Mom's house as "domicile" even though I'm not currently living there?   But I understand now that I can't do that.  So, what I want to do now is use my Mom's house as my "future/intended" domicile and I am wondering how I can prove this?

I assume you have been reporting and/or paying US taxes.  That is extremely important.

[Crazy Cat 42,557]

One more thing.  I don't think it's a stupid requirement.  Domicile in the US is important since that the the person who is signing the contract for support.  I assume the government wants to know they can collect from the sponsor if needed.

[MisterModo 2]

Well there was a set of instructions I was looking at earlier, before I posted, which did not mention the part about "showing you intend to move to the US in good faith" and all of that.  It just said you had to prove a domicile in the USA before you could even submit the i-864.  So that's when I got really annoyed and confused.

 

Now that I have seen more complete instructions I'm ready to take back my "stupid."  But, I still think this rule can be a Catch 22 for people in certain situations.

 

No doubt people will defend this process no matter what, but compared to how easy it was for me to get my marriage visa in Taiwan....

[Crazy Cat 42,557]

39 minutes ago, MisterModo said:

No doubt people will defend this process no matter what, but compared to how easy it was for me to get my marriage visa in Taiwan....

I agree.  It was much easier when I got my ARC in Taiwan.......My Taiwanese wife calls it "American efficiency" vs "Taiwanese efficiency"......LOL.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Lucky Cat

[MisterModo 2]

So, do I need to show my intention to move to the USA right now, while submitting the i-864?  Or is that something I show down the line, during the interview?

 

The website says this: 

How can a financial petitioner establish a domicile?

A petitioner who is unable to demonstrate that he or she is domiciled in the United States who wishes to qualify as a sponsor must demonstrate that:

• He or she has either already taken up physical residence in the United States; or
• He or she has taken concrete steps to establish a domicile in the United States and will do so concurrently with the applicant no later than the date of the intending immigrant’s admission.

I'm still a bit confused and unsure how to do this.  The financial documents that I am already submitting for the i-864 show my Mom's address for my bank accounts, etc.  Also, my Mom's address is on my Driver's License, and that's where I'm registered to vote and everything like that.  (I was just back in Texas for a visit and voted in person.)  On top of all that, our plan is to move first to my Mom's, for a month or two, before finding a more permanent residence.

 

So, what should I do in this situation?  Isn't my Mom's address already my US domicile?  How can I present my intention to move there and what documents should I use?  Also, can I just add a letter or explanation of the situation to the i-864?

[Crazy Cat 42,557]

6 minutes ago, MisterModo said:

So, do I need to show my intention to move to the USA right now, while submitting the i-864?  Or is that something I show down the line, during the interview?

 

The website says this: 

How can a financial petitioner establish a domicile?

A petitioner who is unable to demonstrate that he or she is domiciled in the United States who wishes to qualify as a sponsor must demonstrate that:

• He or she has either already taken up physical residence in the United States; or
• He or she has taken concrete steps to establish a domicile in the United States and will do so concurrently with the applicant no later than the date of the intending immigrant’s admission.

I'm still a bit confused and unsure how to do this.  The financial documents that I am already submitting for the i-864 show my Mom's address for my bank accounts, etc.  Also, my Mom's address is on my Driver's License, and that's where I'm registered to vote and everything like that.  (I was just back in Texas for a visit and voted in person.)  On top of all that, our plan is to move first to my Mom's, for a month or two, before finding a more permanent residence.

 

So, what should I do in this situation?  Isn't my Mom's address already my US domicile?  How can I present my intention to move there and what documents should I use?  Also, can I just add a letter or explanation of the situation to the i-864?

Where do you intend to live?  Making inquiries and arrangements for living, job, school, etc. are "concrete steps" to establish domicile.  I think you already have some solid evidence.....and I have not seen cases in which AIT was difficult in this matter.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Lucky Cat

[carmel34 3,660]

2 hours ago, MisterModo said:

How can I present my intention to move there and what documents should I use? 

US tax returns for the last three years would help, as additional evidence, (US citizens are required to file US income taxes based on worldwide income from all sources, regardless of where they live) IRS tax transcripts are best, I assume that you have these so submit them with the I-864, maybe a letter explaining that you intend to live with your Mom temporarily when you first arrive in the US, potential apartments to rent, houses to rent or buy, documents showing you have taken steps to return and live in the US, copy of Texas driver's license showing US address, voter registration card, would all be good to include to show intent to re-establish US domicile.  You'll also need to show that your current income (or assets, which it sounds like you have) will continue after you return to the US, or if you use assets, that they are sufficient based on the guideline of 3X minimum income requirements, or get your Mom as a co-sponsor, to satisfy the financial support requirements.  Good luck!

Edited October 24, 2020 by carmel34

[MisterModo 2]

Thank you for all your help and suggestions.

 

I have a question about submitting proof of assets.  My thought was just to submit my recent bank statements.  But my concern is the private information contained in some of these documents.  Not just my detailed account info, but also the name and number of the banker who handles the account, etc.  Should I worry about what info I'm showing?  Should I redact some things, but submit my bank statements?  Or should I be looking for a more summarized version of my accounts somewhere?