Form I-864A – Contract Between Sponsor and a Household Member

Many immigrants to the United States must show they have sufficient financial resources. Family members can help. 

You should file form I-864A with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services if you are a household member who pledges to help support a sponsored immigrant.

Form I-864 is also known as an affidavit of support. The person who signs it accepts financial responsibility for the immigrant who is arriving to live in the United States. USCIS allows a family member to help if they complete I-864A. The sponsor and the household member must complete and sign the form. Typically, the sponsor must be the same person who filed a visa petition for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status to become a green card holder. A substitute sponsor may sign the form along with a household member if the original sponsor died. 

A joint sponsor can sign I-864A along with a household member. The household member agrees to help a sponsor. The form is used when the sponsor cannot financially support the immigrant on his or her own. I-864A forms a contract between the sponsor and the household member who is providing financial guarantees.

Each form I-864A must be completed and signed by both parties; the sponsor who is completing Form I-864 and the household member who is promising to make his or her income available to help the applicant.

People who fill in Form I-864A enter a legal contract. You are promising to make your income or assets available to help the sponsoring relative to meet the income required to support a new arrival seeking a green card in the United States.

Financial forms can be tricky to complete. The immigrant must submit one original Form I-864 to USCIS as well as Form I-864A Affidavit of Support for his or her file. The immigrant must provide supporting financial evidence of the sponsor’s and household member’s income. 

Sponsors are vital for many immigrants to the United States to prove they will not become a public charge. In other words, they won’t require financial assistance from a government agency once they arrive in the United States.

You should file Form I-864A with Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. You must sign the form or it will be returned.

If you are completing Form I-864A for a relative you intend to support, you should provide USCIS with evidence of your financial means. The government wants to see an Internal Revenue Service transcript or a copy of your federal income tax return for the most recent tax year available. You should include a copy of every Form 1099 and W-2 that you used for your tax return. Supply copies of your federal tax returns for the last three years if you believe this will help meet the support threshold.

USCIS will judge your financial returns against the poverty guideline detailed in Form I-864P. USCIS updates its poverty guidelines every year. Sponsors who are on active duty in the U.S. armed forces must meet a threshold of $18,310 for a sponsor’s household of two which represents 100% of poverty guidelines. A family of two must meet 125% of the poverty guidelines if they are not in the military. This is $22,887 a year.

It’s vital to fill out form I-864A correctly to avoid lengthy processing delays. All eight pages must be completed. An immigration lawyer can help ensure this is a seamless and error-free process. Please contact Virginia Beach-based Gardner & Mendoza at (757) 464-9224.

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