General

information F3

How do I financially 

sponsor someone who 

wants to immigrate?

Under U.S. law, every person who immigrates based 

on a relative petition must have a financial sponsor. If you 

choose to sponsor your relative’s immigration by filing a Form 

I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, you must agree to be the financial 

sponsor and file an affidavit of support when the time comes for 

actual immigration. If you do not meet the financial qualifications at 

that time, you still must file a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, and 

accept responsibility, but you and your relative also must find other 

individuals who meet the requirements and are willing to make this 

commitment by filing affidavits of support.

What is the purpose of the affidavit of support?

The affidavit of support helps ensure that new immigrants will not 

need to rely on public benefits such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance to 

Needy Families. If a person for whom you file an affidavit of support 

becomes a permanent resident and is later given certain public 

benefits, the agency that gave the benefits can require that you 

repay that money.

Who has to have an affidavit of support 

in order to immigrate?

Anyone applying to be a permanent resident through a family 

member must have a financial sponsor. A sponsor is also required for 

a family member coming to work for a relative, or for a company in 

which a relative owns 5 percent or more of the company.

The person filing the petition sponsoring the person’s immigration 

must file an affidavit of support. If he or she does not, then their 

sponsorship is not complete, and the person will not be given 

permission to immigrate based on that petition.

What are the financial qualifications 

for an affidavit of support?

The law requires a sponsor to prove an income level at or above 

125 percent of the Federal poverty level. (For active duty military 

personnel, the income requirement is 100 percent of the poverty 

level when sponsoring a husband, wife, or children.) If your income 

does not meet the requirement, your assets such as checking and 

savings accounts, stocks, bonds, or property may be considered in 

determining your financial ability. Federal poverty levels are updated 

each year by the Department of Health and Human Services. You can 

check current minimums at their Web site at www.aspe.hhs.gov.

I filed the I-130 immigrant petition for my relative, 

but I do not meet the minimum income requirement. Can 

anyone else be a financial sponsor?

If you do not meet the financial qualifications, the income of certain 

other household members can be added to your income level if 

they sign a contract on Form I-864A, Affidavit of Support Contract 

Between Sponsor and Household Member, agreeing to make their 

income or assets available for the support of the relative applying for 

permanent residence.

If you still cannot meet the financial qualifications, another person 

must complete a separate affidavit of support to become a joint 

financial sponsor of the person’s immigration. The joint sponsor 

must meet all sponsorship requirements separately, including the 

minimum income requirements or his or her household, and must be 

willing to assume, along with you, financial liability for the sponsored 

immigrant(s).

All sponsors must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, be at least 

18 years old, and be living in the United States (including territories 

and possessions) when they file the affidavit of support.

When and how do I file the affidavit of support?

You do not need to file it with your I-130 petition. When the person 

reaches the front of the line to immigrate based on your I-130 

petition, he or she will have to submit the affidavit of support with an 

application for an immigrant visa or permanent residence. Just follow 

the instructions for the affidavit and submit all the necessary supporting 

documents with the visa or residence application at that time.

F3—General information...How do I financially sponsor someone who wants to immigrate?

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2 F3—General information...How do I financially sponsor someone who wants to immigrate?

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Do I need to notify USCIS if I move?

If you financially sponsor someone, you are legally required to keep 

USCIS informed of your address until your financial responsibility 

ends. If you change your address, you will need to file a Form 

I-865, Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address, within 30 days after 

the date of your move. Please read the instructions on the form 

carefully.

What if a person I financially sponsor gets public benefits 

after becoming a permanent resident?

If a sponsor does not provide basic support to the immigrants 

they sponsor, the sponsored immigrants, or the Federal or State 

agency that gave the benefits to the family members, can seek 

reimbursement of the funds through legal action against the sponsor.

When does my financial responsibility end?

An affidavit of support is enforceable against the sponsor until the 

person they sponsored either:

•	Becomes a U.S. citizen; or

•	Is credited with 40 quarters of work in the United States (usually

10 years); or

•	Leaves the United States permanently; or

•	Dies.

Key Information

Key USCIS forms referenced 

in this guide

Form #

Petition for Alien Relative I-130 

Affidavit of Support I-864

Affidavit of Support Contract Between 

Sponsor and Household Member

I-864A

Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address I-865

Other U.S. Government Services–Click or Call

General Information www.usa.gov 1-800-333-4636

New Immigrants www.

welcometoUSA.gov

U.S. Dept. of State www.state.gov 1-202-647-6575

U.S. Dept. of Health www.aspe.hhs.gov 1-877-696-6775

For more copies of this guide, or information 

about other customer guides, please visit 

www.uscis.gov/howdoi. 

You can also visit www.uscis.gov

to download forms, e-file some applications, 

check the status of an application, and more. 

It’s a great place to start!

If you don’t have Internet access at home 

or work, try your local library. 

If you cannot find what you need, please 

call Customer Service at: 1-800-375-5283

Hearing Impaired TDD Customer Service: 

1-800-767-1833

Disclaimer: This guide provides basic information 

to help you become generally familiar with our 

rules and procedures. For more information, or 

the law and regulations, please visit our Web 

site. Immigration law can be complex, and it is 

impossible to describe every aspect of every 

process. You may wish to be represented by 

a licensed attorney or by a nonprofit agency 

accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals.