How long do you need to be at a job before using it as a basis to file I-864?

[pushbrk 12,898]

14 minutes ago, ztiberiusd said:

I know I'm asking questions that may just not be able to be be answered by users of VJ, but indulge me anyway:

If a joint sponsor was completely not an option at all, with my situation, approximately how many months of work history would a CO be looking for in order to approve my wife's GC with me as the sole sponsor? 

You are correct.  NOBODY can answer that reliably.

[Nat&Amy 623]

35 minutes ago, ztiberiusd said:

As a 22 year old college student, admittedly I don't have a history of making a good income, especially not in the US. I do believe my wife and I have potential to make good and consistent income in the future though. With that in mind, would you advise accruing a longer work history before filing the AOS? 

The potential to make good and consistent income in the future does not always translate into good and consistent income. The job market is not always generous even for people with graduate degrees, and entry level jobs might or might not be offering the pay you expect.

 

Finding a joint sponsor would be important because if USCIS does not accept your six months of employment, and still asks for a joint sponsor, that would mean you uselessly added six months to your visa process. We regularly see petitioners with no tax or employment history be approved with no issues because they had a joint sponsor that ticked all the boxes they alone could not tick.

 

That said, of course you might still wait the six months of paystubs, but wouldn't that time be better employed finding a joint sponsor to avoid future complications?

Edited June 7, 2021 by Nat&Amy

[ztiberiusd 38]

12 minutes ago, Nat&Amy said:

Finding a joint sponsor would be important because if USCIS does not accept your six months of employment, and still asks for a joint sponsor, that would mean you uselessly added six months to your visa process. We regularly see petitioners with no tax or employment history be approved with no issues because they had a joint sponsor that ticked all the boxes they alone could not tick.

 

That said, of course you might still wait the six months of paystubs, but wouldn't that time be better employed finding a joint sponsor to avoid future complications?

That is very true. And if I found a joint sponsor before we moved, then we could move practically at the same time which would be nice.

 

I feel like I've already asked everyone I could possibly ask, but I'll keep thinking if there's anyone else who might do it. As I saw in a thread here the other day, 19 no's and 1 yes is still a yes in this situation. Thanks for the advice. 

[pushbrk 12,898]

23 hours ago, Nat&Amy said:

Finding a joint sponsor would be important because if USCIS does not accept your six months of employment, and still asks for a joint sponsor, that would mean you uselessly added six months to your visa process.

Correction.  USCIS does not make the decision on public charge in visa cases.  A Consular Officer will make the decision.  Otherwise, good stuff.

[pushbrk 12,898]

22 hours ago, ztiberiusd said:

That is very true. And if I found a joint sponsor before we moved, then we could move practically at the same time which would be nice.

 

I feel like I've already asked everyone I could possibly ask, but I'll keep thinking if there's anyone else who might do it. As I saw in a thread here the other day, 19 no's and 1 yes is still a yes in this situation. Thanks for the advice. 

One of the factors considered is the reason the joint sponsor is willing to take on this obligation.  Perhaps there's somebody else who will, but if you haven't already thought of them, they may not have a close enough relationship to you to be believable.  Still you can only do what you can do.

[ztiberiusd 38]

4 hours ago, pushbrk said:

One of the factors considered is the reason the joint sponsor is willing to take on this obligation.  Perhaps there's somebody else who will, but if you haven't already thought of them, they may not have a close enough relationship to you to be believable.  Still you can only do what you can do.

Probably a stupid question but do I have any other options apart from going to the US, working for long enough until I think that we have a good likelihood of the application being accepted (12 months maybe?) and then applying? 

I can live with being separated from my spouse but I don't like the idea of not knowing how long that'd be, whether it'd be 6 months, 12 months or even longer.

[Chancy 6,241]

3 minutes ago, ztiberiusd said:

Probably a stupid question but do I have any other options apart from going to the US, working for long enough until I think that we have a good likelihood of the application being accepted (12 months maybe?) and then applying? 

 

1.  Build up cash savings well above the 3x minimum requirement for your household size.

2.  Earn sufficient and credibly stable income from an online business that you can continue after moving to the US.

 

[ztiberiusd 38]

28 minutes ago, Chancy said:

1.  Build up cash savings well above the 3x minimum requirement for your household size.

What would be considered well above, in your opinion? $80k? More? I know I'm asking questions that don't have a precise answer but I'm just wondering where I should set my goals. 

 

29 minutes ago, Chancy said:

2.  Earn sufficient and credibly stable income from an online business that you can continue after moving to the US.

I've also considered this and will keep it in mind as a plan B or C. Thank you!

[Chancy 6,241]

16 minutes ago, ztiberiusd said:

What would be considered well above, in your opinion? $80k? More? I know I'm asking questions that don't have a precise answer but I'm just wondering where I should set my goals. 

 

I'd say >5x the minimum, so around $110.  But even that is no guarantee.

 

[ztiberiusd 38]

1 hour ago, Chancy said:

I'd say >5x the minimum, so around $110.  But even that is no guarantee.

Wow, okay. Thank you for the response! I just don't think that is viable for me. 

So I'll work on finding a qualified Joint Sponsor and failing that, I'll see if there's any job vacancies where I could earn US income from NZ.

[Chancy 6,241]

25 minutes ago, ztiberiusd said:

I'll see if there's any job vacancies where I could earn US income from NZ.

 

Remember that it has to be income that will continue from the same company after you move to the US.  It would be a shame if you pass up a better job opportunity in NZ, in favor of a company that offers US-based income but is not actually willing to hire you when you relocate to the US.

 

[ztiberiusd 38]

5 minutes ago, Chancy said:

Remember that it has to be income that will continue from the same company after you move to the US.  It would be a shame if you pass up a better job opportunity in NZ, in favor of a company that offers US-based income but is not actually willing to hire you when you relocate to the US.

Yes, that'd have to be something that I negotiated with the employer before starting the job. 

[EKT 117]

 

On 6/9/2021 at 3:03 PM, ztiberiusd said:

Probably a stupid question but do I have any other options apart from going to the US, working for long enough until I think that we have a good likelihood of the application being accepted (12 months maybe?) and then applying? 

Have you considered staying and working in NZ for a few years, purchasing a property and paying that down while also building some savings? You can then use your cash and property assets to fulfil the financial requirement of the I-864 without having to be separated from your spouse at all.

[ztiberiusd 38]

11 hours ago, EKT said:

Have you considered staying and working in NZ for a few years, purchasing a property and paying that down while also building some savings? You can then use your cash and property assets to fulfil the financial requirement of the I-864 without having to be separated from your spouse at all.

I would consider this, but the median house price in NZ is projected to be $1 million NZD ($720k USD) in September 2021, and salaries are not really competitive with overseas in most fields. So I'm concerned that I wouldn't even be able to get on the property ladder, let alone paying it down while building savings. Otherwise that would be a great idea.

 

It still could be something to consider though. Thank you for the suggestion!

[EKT 117]

4 hours ago, ztiberiusd said:

I would consider this, but the median house price in NZ is projected to be $1 million NZD ($720k USD) in September 2021, and salaries are not really competitive with overseas in most fields. So I'm concerned that I wouldn't even be able to get on the property ladder, let alone paying it down while building savings. Otherwise that would be a great idea.

 

It still could be something to consider though. Thank you for the suggestion!

Yes, housing is pretty out of control here, although you definitely have a shot with two incomes if you stay away from Auckland and Wellington. The trick is getting onto the ladder. We rented a modest unit and saved like crazy for about 14 months to get a deposit. That was a tough period for us but we will leave the NZ market with 10-15x what we put down for our first home. The system is definitely tipped in favour of those who can get a foot in the door at the expense of everyone else sadly.