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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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Well, hard to believe… job done! I’m frank to admit I had no idea that it would be so involved compared to 10 years ago when I did the renewal myself. Happily I was fortunate enough to find the best people to help get it done this time. When I was a working stiff it was mostly as a field guy in sales & marketing. High tech communication in those days was a pay phone in customers’ lobbies, so someone back in the office skilled in dealing w/problems was absolutely essential when I couldn’t be contacted. Most of those who supported me that way were good at what they did, some were outstanding. None were better than you!! This tedious & sometimes worrisome process would have been unbearable without your keeping it, & me, on track. So we want to extend our thanks to you and Radlyn. Hoping for Gardner & Mendoza to continue the good work for many years to come. - Anonymous
Gardner and Mendoza Law Firm is a great law firm no matter what kind of situation you may be in! For example I had court today, John Gardner, my attorney represented me today and got the charged dismissed totally the first time we both appeared in front of the judge in Virginia Beach Traffic Court. He uses every bit of knowledge he can to help you get the best results!! He also works very well with Latinos! They have a Spanish speaking person in their office at all times!! - Sebastian
My husband and I had a great experience with Mrs. Mendoza. She provided excellent information and a sense of urgency with every step of our immigration process. Her team was always supportive in getting us the information we needed throughout the whole process. This legal firm also treats their clients with the highest levels of respect. In all of Virginia I would say that the Gardener & Mendoza team is the best recommendation for same sex immigration cases and for immigration cases in general. It was a pleasure to work with them. - Anonymous
I Highly Recommend Radlyn Mendoza, An Excellent Immigration Lawyer. My wife and I were very worried about my wife’s immigration and legal status. We were quite impressed with Attorney Mendoza during our initial consultation. She proved to be a smart, knowledgeable, and very capable immigration attorney. She and her staff were very helpful and responsive to all of our requests. Kudos to her and staff, especially Leesa, for successfully handling our case. Thanks for a job well done. - Thomas and Cheong W.
My daughter received a reckless driving ticket going 60 in a 35 mph zone, so understandably, I was very concerned. In court, Mr. Gardner was able to get the reckless driving charge and ticket completely dismissed due to his knowledge of what the police officer had to present in court. Mr. Gardner was a familiar face to the judge and the clerks in the Virginia Beach courthouse. When we contacted John Gardner’s office at Gardner & Mendoza, he and his staff made us feel comfortable by explaining the whole process to us. His track record and the reviews online helped make the decision to choose Mr. Gardner over other attorneys easy. I highly recommend Mr. Gardner. He gave us peace of mind and won the case too! - Michelle

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