Guide · NVC and sponsorship
The Affidavit of Support, in Outline
Form I-864 is an enforceable financial commitment by a sponsor. The petitioner, a joint sponsor, and a household member have different roles. Use the official instructions to check income, household size, and domicile requirements.
For: Sponsors preparing an Affidavit of Support for CR-1, IR-1, or F2A processing.
Written from official U.S. government sources. Last reviewed September 2026. Sources and limits.
At a glance
- The petitioner usually files an affidavit. Check the official exceptions.
- A joint sponsor files separately. A household member may use Form I-864A under different rules.
- Domicile is separate from income. Living abroad requires a separate review of the published rules.
- Use current instructions. This guide does not calculate income or decide whether a sponsor meets the requirement.
What the affidavit does
Origin: official source. Official sourceStated by a US government publisher on the page we cite.Sources
Form I-864 is an enforceable commitment to accept financial responsibility for an intending immigrant. In most cases, the petitioner submits an affidavit. State lists exceptions; the current form instructions determine what applies. Travel.State.Gov — Affidavit of Support Travel.State.Gov — I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs
- Use the current form and instructions: USCIS — Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA.
- Read the current income table at USCIS — Form I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support. This guide copies no amounts.
- Check the supporting evidence instructions: Travel.State.Gov — Financial Documents.
Income tables and form editions change. Use the linked sources for current details.
Sponsor roles
Origin: official source. Official sourceStated by a US government publisher on the page we cite.Sources
Petitioning sponsor
- Who they are
- The partner who filed the petition
- What they take on
- Usually submits an affidavit; official exceptions apply
Joint sponsor
- Who they are
- An additional sponsor under the official rules
- What they take on
- Submits a separate affidavit when this route applies
Household member
- Who they are
- A person who may use Form I-864A
- What they take on
- Provides income under that form's rules; does not replace the petitioner's usual filing
Intending immigrant
- Who they are
- The partner immigrating
- What they take on
- Income or assets may count under fact-specific rules
Who is who in a sponsorship
| Role | Who they are | What they take on |
|---|---|---|
| Petitioning sponsor | The partner who filed the petition | Usually submits an affidavit; official exceptions apply |
| Joint sponsor | An additional sponsor under the official rules | Submits a separate affidavit when this route applies |
| Household member | A person who may use Form I-864A | Provides income under that form's rules; does not replace the petitioner's usual filing |
| Intending immigrant | The partner immigrating | Income or assets may count under fact-specific rules |
A joint sponsor and a household member use different form routes. Read the Travel.State.Gov — I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs and current form instructions before choosing a route.
Domicile when living abroad
Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
Domicile means a sponsor's principal residence, with the intention to maintain it for the foreseeable future. State describes limited circumstances for sponsors abroad, including establishing domicile by the immigrant's admission. A joint sponsor cannot replace the petitioner's own sponsor qualifications. Travel.State.Gov — I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs
- Read the domicile rules and examples in the Travel.State.Gov — I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs, alongside the form instructions.
- Check income and domicile separately. An additional sponsor does not resolve the petitioner's domicile requirement.
- Published examples do not decide whether a particular sponsor meets the requirement.
Questions for an attorney
Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
Income, assets, household size, and domicile each have separate rules. Ask an immigration attorney how those rules apply to your facts.
- This guide does not decide whether your income meets the requirement.
- It does not decide whether you need a joint sponsor.
- Togetherward does not score or rate a household.
- Keep the relevant records and questions for your attorney.
What comes next
Origin: Togetherward explanation. Togetherward explanationOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
The National Visa Center (NVC) reviews submitted affidavit forms for completeness. Accepted forms and supporting evidence then go to the embassy or consulate for review. NVC's check does not replace the consular officer's review. See the Travel.State.Gov — I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs.
Figures that change
These numbers change without notice. We only show one when a person has verified it against the official source recently enough; otherwise we say so and send you to the source.
- Current Form I-864P income requirement for your household sizeNeeds review
Not shown(no recorded figure)
We do not have a current figure for this. Check the official source.
USCIS — Form I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
- Current accepted edition date of Form I-864Needs review
Not shown(no recorded figure)
We do not have a current figure for this. Check the official source.
USCIS — Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
Common questions
Do we need a joint sponsor?
The petitioning partner has no U.S. income. Can someone else file instead?
We both live abroad. Is that a problem?
How long does the sponsorship obligation last?
Related guides
- NVC and sponsorshipHow an Approved Petition Moves Through the NVC and CEACUnderstand the NVC and CEAC processing sequence from petition approval to interview
- NVC and sponsorshipWhat Happens After an I-130 ApprovalUnderstand which office holds the case after petition approval and what each one does
- NVC and sponsorshipNVC Document Checklist for CouplesPrepare the civil and financial documents the National Visa Center asks for
- Civil documents and documentary qualificationDocumentarily Qualified, and the Wait That FollowsInterpret a documentarily qualified record and understand the wait for interview scheduling
How Togetherward helps
SuggestionKeep sponsorship records and attorney questions together in Togetherward. It does not calculate income requirements or assess whether a sponsor meets them.
- Look at the sample case — Opens Joe and Kat’s fictional sample workspace.
- See the other guides — Opens the guide library index.
- Apply for the private beta — Opens the beta page, where you can read what the beta covers and apply.
In Togetherward
Sign in to your case to continue where this leaves off.
Sign in to continueThis guide explains official sponsorship sources. It is not legal advice or a household assessment. Use current instructions and ask an immigration attorney about your circumstances.
Sources and limits
Last reviewed and verification status
- Last reviewed
- Last recorded source review: . We aim to re-read it every 90 days.
- Review recorded.
- Verification status of the sources behind this page
- 5 of 5 sources are recorded as checked. Nothing is awaiting verification.
Verified (5)
- VerifiedTravel.State.Gov — Affidavit of Support — checked .
- VerifiedTravel.State.Gov — I-864 Affidavit of Support FAQs — checked .
- VerifiedTravel.State.Gov — Financial Documents — checked .
- VerifiedUSCIS — Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA — checked .
- VerifiedUSCIS — Form I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support — checked .
About this guide and its review
Guide scope
- NVC and sponsorship
- CR-1 / IR-1 (Form I-130)
- F2A (spouse of a permanent resident)
- Who this is for
- Sponsors preparing an Affidavit of Support for CR-1, IR-1, or F2A processing.
- Stage it covers
- National Visa Center (NVC) sponsorship preparation, alongside the visa application and civil documents.
- What it helps you do
- Understand sponsor roles and find official income and domicile instructions.
- What this page cannot tell you
- Whether your income, assets, or household size satisfy the requirement.
- Whether you need a joint sponsor.
- Whether a sponsor living abroad meets the domicile requirement.
- Current income amounts; use the official source.
How we put this page together
Togetherward analysisThis guide uses State Department sponsorship and financial-document guidance, plus USCIS Form I-864 and I-864P instructions. It names the roles without copying changing income amounts or form editions, or assessing a household.
What we did not include
- Income tables, household-size calculations, and asset calculations.
- A finding that a household meets the requirement.
- Tax, benefit, or enforcement advice about the contract.
- Form I-134 for the K-1 route, which is a different form and stage.
Review record
- Author
- The Togetherward editorial team. The people who build Togetherward. We are not attorneys and we do not give legal advice.
- Review
- Reviewed by Togetherward Team
- Scope of review
Read the full review scope
Review scope: The source review checked the guide's petitioner, joint-sponsor, household-member, domicile, and NVC-completeness statements against the Department of State's Step 4, I-864 FAQ, and Step 5 pages on 2026-09-27. The USCIS I-864 and I-864P pages were directly retrieved with HTTP 200; normalized main-content hashes are recorded in the issue #333 follow-up memo. The Department of State Step 4 page displayed a 2025 poverty table while USCIS I-864P displayed 2026 guidelines; the Department FAQ says the filing-date guidelines are used. The guide copies no amount, form edition, threshold, or calculation and does not decide which figures apply to a household. This source comparison does not assess legal accuracy for an individual's facts; speak with a qualified immigration attorney about case-specific questions. No attorney or separate human review is claimed.
- Dates
- Last reviewed · Published .
- Review status: Review recorded.
- How this guide was prepared
- How we review guides.
- What the labels in this guide mean
- Official factStated by a U.S. government publisher on the source page we cite.
- Togetherward analysisOur reading of the official sources, not something an agency says.
- SuggestionA way to organise your own case. Optional, and not a requirement.
- Limitations
- This is an explanation of a published government process, not legal advice, and not a prediction about your case.
- Figures that move — processing ranges, Visa Bulletin dates, fees, form editions, interview availability — are described rather than reproduced here, so you read the current number at the source.
- USCIS, the National Visa Center, the embassy, or the consular officer may ask for something this page does not mention.
- This page contains no income figure, threshold, or calculation, and makes no assessment of whether a household satisfies the requirement.
- Official form editions and income tables can change. Check current official instructions; this guide does not determine which edition or figures apply to an individual filing.
- Commercial independence
- Commercial independence: nobody pays to appear on this page. There are no sponsors, no advertising, no referral fees, no affiliate links, and no paid placement of any attorney, agency, or service. Togetherward makes money from couples who use the product, and a commercial relationship cannot change what this page says, when it was last reviewed, whether it is flagged as out of date, or whether it stays in search results.
- Corrections
- Report a correction using the form below, support@togetherward.app or use the support page.