All about the ancient tribes
Responsibilities as a Sponsor If an immigrant you sponsored receives any means-tested public benefits, you are responsible for repaying the cost of those benefits to the agency that provided them. If you do not repay the debt, the agency or the immigrant can sue you in court to get the money owed.
The sponsor’s responsibility lasts until the immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen, has earned 40 work quarters credited toward Social Security (a work quarter is about three months, so this means about ten years of work), dies, or permanently leaves the United States.
Your sponsor is usually required to provide for your basic needs for three years after you get permanent resident status, even if you separate from her/him. Therefore, if you leave your sponsor during those three years, and receive social assistance, your sponsor will owe that money to the government.
After Filing the I-130 Petition But Before USCIS Approves It If you have already sent in Form I-130 to USCIS but the case hasn’t gone further, you can “ withdraw ” your petition. To do so, write a letter to the USCIS office that is processing your petition.
The affidavit of support goes into effect when the sponsored immigrant becomes a lawful permanent resident (LPR, or someone who has a “green card”) and remains in effect until the sponsored immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen, obtains credit for 40 quarters of work in the U.S., dies, or leaves the U.S. permanently.
In order to sponsor someone to the United States, the sponsor must be either a United States citizen or a green card holder. They must also prove to the United States government that they can support you financially when you are in the US because they are responsible for you.
If someone else is willing to take responsibility for the immigrant, such as a friend or family member, that person can become a “joint sponsor,” by filing an additional Affidavit of Support on the immigrants’ behalf. That person would need to fill out a complete separate Form I-864.
You can sponsor as many people as your income will support relative to the poverty guidelines and any other affidavits of support that you previously filed and continue to be responsible for..
The most common minimum annual income required to sponsor a spouse for a marriage-based green card is $21,550. This assumes that the sponsoring spouse — the U.S. citizen or current green card holder — is not in active military duty and that the couple has no children.
You can petition to bring family members to the United States (often called ” sponsoring ” them) only if you are a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident (green card holder).
How long am I financially responsible for the family member or relative I sponsor?
Person you sponsor | Length of undertaking for all provinces except Quebec 1 |
---|---|
Dependent child 22 years of age or older 2 | 3 years |
Parent or grandparent | 20 years |
Other relative | 10 years |
You may be responsible to pay their medical bills. During the Green Card sponsorship, you might have been required to sign an affidavit (such as USCIS Form I-864) with the oath that you would be responsible for their medical expenses.
The easiest way to put a stop to a sponsorship is to cancel the immigration petition before it is even approved. An individual who has filed the original I-130 or I-140 petition can contact (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) in writing to revoke the petition.
If the marriage is still intact at the second anniversary, then the immigrant spouse will receive a full permanent residence. Meanwhile, if the marriage ends in divorce, then the immigrant spouse will lose his/her immigrant status and become deportable.
A divorce may make it harder to become a permanent resident, but it is still possible. If you already have a green card and are a permanent resident at the time of the divorce, the divorce should not change your status. However, the divorce may force you to wait longer to apply for naturalization.