Joint Sponsor Form I-864: Income Rules, Duties, and Documents

A joint sponsor on Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, is a second person who signs a legally enforceable contract with the U.S. government promising to financially support a green card applicant when the primary petitioner’s income falls short of 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. To qualify, you must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident, domiciled in the United States, and earning enough to meet the threshold for your household size counting the immigrant.¹ The obligation typically lasts about a decade, sometimes longer, and it survives divorce, job loss, and even bankruptcy.

Who Can Serve as a Joint Sponsor

The eligibility rules are strict but the pool of potential sponsors is wider than most people assume. You need to be 18 or older, a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident, and domiciled in the United States or one of its territories.¹ Domicile means you keep your principal residence here and intend to continue doing so.

You do not have to be related to the immigrant or to the petitioner. A friend, an employer, or any qualifying person who meets the income and residency rules can volunteer.²

USCIS allows a maximum of two joint sponsors per immigrant. Each files a separate Form I-864 and independently accepts full liability.³ With two joint sponsors, each only needs to meet the threshold for a portion of the immigrants being sponsored, but most cases involve just one.

2026 Income Thresholds

Your annual income must meet or exceed 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size. Active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces sponsoring a spouse or child only need to hit 100 percent.⁴ For affidavits filed on or after March 1, 2026, the numbers for the 48 contiguous states are:

Household of 2: $27,050 (125%) / $21,640 (military 100%)
Household of 3: $34,150 / $27,320
Household of 4: $41,250 / $33,000
Household of 5: $48,350 / $38,680
Household of 6: $55,450 / $44,360
Household of 7: $62,550 / $50,040
Household of 8: $69,650 / $55,720

Add $7,100 to the 125-percent figure for each person beyond eight. Alaska and Hawaii use higher amounts.⁴ Use the “Total Income” line from your IRS Form 1040 when reporting your income on the form.⁵

Counting Your Household Correctly

This is where sponsors most often trip themselves up. Household size is not just the people under your roof. It includes you, your spouse (even if living abroad), your dependent children under 21, anyone else you claimed as a dependent on your most recent tax return, any immigrants you previously sponsored who haven’t become citizens or completed 40 quarters of work, and the immigrant you’re currently sponsoring.³ Miscount and USCIS will measure your income against the wrong threshold.

If Your Income Comes Up Short

Two options exist before you go looking for a different joint sponsor.

Using Assets to Close the Gap

Assets you could realistically convert to cash within a year can supplement your income. The multiplier depends on the case. A U.S. citizen sponsoring a spouse or a child 18 or older needs assets worth at least three times the shortfall. Every other family-based case requires five times.³ A $5,000 gap in a standard case means you need $25,000 in qualifying assets.

Combining Income With a Household Member

Certain household members can pool their income with yours by signing Form I-864A. Eligible people include a spouse, parent, child, adult son or daughter, or sibling who shares your principal residence, plus anyone you claimed as a dependent on your last tax return. The intending immigrant can also contribute in limited situations.⁶ Anyone who signs I-864A takes on their own binding obligation, lasting as long as your affidavit is enforceable.

What You Are Legally Agreeing To

This is the section most joint sponsors don’t read carefully enough. Your signature creates a contract with the U.S. government to maintain the sponsored immigrant at an income of no less than 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for the life of the obligation.⁷

If the immigrant receives means-tested public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income, TANF, SNAP, or non-emergency Medicaid, the agency that paid them can demand reimbursement from you. Ignore the demand for 45 days or fail to pay, and the agency can sue.⁷

The immigrant can also sue you directly. Federal law gives the sponsored person standing to bring a civil action for financial support, and courts have awarded back support for prior years, ongoing monthly payments, and attorney’s fees.⁷ Signing the form submits you to the jurisdiction of federal or state courts for those actions.

Your liability does not shift with your circumstances. Losing your job doesn’t release you. Bankruptcy doesn’t release you. Losing touch with the immigrant doesn’t release you. If the petitioner and the immigrant divorce, that doesn’t release you either.

When the Obligation Actually Ends

Federal statute lists the only exits:

The immigrant naturalizes as a U.S. citizen.
The immigrant earns 40 qualifying quarters of work under Social Security, roughly ten years. Quarters worked by a spouse during the marriage can count. Any quarter in which the immigrant received federal means-tested benefits after December 31, 1996, does not count.⁷
The immigrant leaves the United States permanently or abandons lawful permanent resident status.
The sponsor or the immigrant dies.

Nothing else ends it. In cases where the immigrant works only intermittently, the obligation can run well past a decade.

Documents to Include With Your Form

Missing evidence is a common cause of delay, so build the package carefully.

For income, submit a complete copy of your most recent federal tax return with all W-2s and 1099s. Only the most recent year is required, but you may add up to three years of returns along with recent pay stubs or an employer letter if that additional evidence helps you qualify.⁵

For status, U.S. citizens usually include a copy of a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate. Lawful permanent residents submit a clear photocopy of both sides of their Permanent Resident Card.⁵

The form itself asks for your Social Security number and current employment information. Recheck your household size before signing, since that figure drives everything else.

The Address-Change Rule After Filing

Once you’ve signed, one obligation follows you around: every time you move, you have 30 days to notify USCIS by filing Form I-865. This applies to joint sponsors independently, whether or not you still have any contact with the immigrant, and it lasts as long as the affidavit is enforceable.⁷

Fines are real. A standard violation carries $250 to $2,000. If you knew the sponsored immigrant was receiving means-tested benefits when you failed to report, the range jumps to $2,000 to $5,000.⁷ File a new I-865 for every move.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 213a – Affidavits of Support on Behalf of Immigrants
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Affidavit of Support
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1183a – Requirements for Sponsors Affidavit of Support