Replies

The populous appears to not understand that immigrants need sponsors that ensure they will not be a burden on the republic.

Except that immigrants do not need sponsors that ensure they will not be a burden on the Republic. Far from it ---- a sponsor only needs to be 125% over the national poverty level and the sponsor's income is counted in with their immigrant's income which could be $0 a year when determining eligibility for government programs like SSI and Medicaid. A sponsor does not need to ever contribute a dime toward the upkeep of their immigrant.

The guidance contains important information regarding both how the I-864 form should be completed and how the INS should determine whether a sponsor meets the statute’s requirement that she or he be able to support the immigrant at 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. The new guidance is contained in a memorandum issued by INS Acting Associate Commissioner Michael D. Cronin....

According to the guidance, the question on the I-864 regarding the use of means-tested benefits by a sponsor or a member of the household in the past three years ensures that such benefits are not counted as income on the form. Sponsors should not be disqualified for responding that they have used means-tested benefits. The guidance states that sponsors may count earned benefits as income, including those derived from Social Security retirement, Unemployment Compensation, and Workers’ Compensation. Notably, the U.S. State Dept. does not allow the latter two benefits to be counted as income....

A sponsor’s spouse may choose to complete Form I-864A (Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member) if he or she qualifies as a household member and wishes to have his or her income counted towards meeting the 125 percent-of-poverty requirement. However, since the spouse is not required to complete this form, the sponsor may be limited to using his or her own income and assets in meeting this requirement. Where a sponsor’s spouse qualifies as a household member and is the sponsored immigrant, he or she should not complete Form I-864A. However, if the spouse is the sponsored immigrant but there are also immigrant children of the spouse listed on the affidavit of support, the spouse must complete the I-864A.

The guidance states that a sponsored immigrant’s income may be used toward meeting the sponsor’s income requirement if the immigrant has been living in the sponsor’s residence for at least six months prior to the adjustment interview. The sponsored immigrant should not complete Form I-864A in this case because it is presumed that he or she will support him or herself. However, if there is a spouse and/or child immigrating with the sponsored immigrant, the sponsored immigrant must complete Form I-864A in order to have his or her income counted.

A sponsored immigrant’s assets may be counted if a sponsor’s income and assets are insufficient by themselves. In this case, the net value of the immigrant’s assets are added to those of the sponsor. The immigrant does not need to complete form I-864A to have the assets counted.....

http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/aosupp/aosupp009.htm

You are probably referring to the $5,000 bank account for a person toget a family member here from another country.

Possibly at one time that was the law. This is how it worked. A Filipino nurse told me that when she arrived in the US, she and 7 or 8 Filipino nursed shared an apartment. They pooled their money and deposited $5,000 in a bank account for the first nurse to get a family member. When the INS had viewed the bank account and OK'd the family member, they transferred the $5,000 to another bank account for another nurse's family member. They repeated the process until they got all their family members here.

They also applied and received government aid for their parents.

From what I have read, this law has been changed to Fitz"s explanation of the 125%.