Can parents get a dependent visa in the USA – Sponsor Income Requirement

Are you a step-child, child, parent, step-parent, or spouse less than the age of 21 of a citizen in the U.S. or happen to be the spouse of a U.S. Citizen who is deceased, visa in the immediate relative category? You can apply for an immigrant visa or a parent sponsorship visa. This will be based on an immigrant visa petition, which should be filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by your relative. 

Can parents get a dependent visa in the USA?

U.S. citizens are allowed by the IR5 parents’ visa in the USA to bring foreign-born parents to the country in the form of permanent residents. But such a Parent Sponsorship Visa needs to be granted overseas and issued at the U.S. consulate/embassy in the foreign nation in which the parent lives. 

If you are a citizen of the U.S. and are 21 years old, you can be eligible to file a petition to bring your parents into the United States to stay and work permanently. However, if you are a lawful permanent resident, there is no eligibility for you to file such a petition.

You need to be an unmarried child of the same visa holder and under the age of 21. You need to have a valid passport for a period of 6 months, at least from the date of travel. In F2 and other specific categories, you also need to be capable of exhibiting enough funds.

No matter which family member signs Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, or Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé (visa petition), they will also have to file Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. It is a long document and an agreement between the U.S. government and a sponsor, where the sponsor makes a promise to give support to the intending immigrant – in case they cannot do it proactively. The sponsor for a parents’ visa in the USA typically has to furnish proof of an income – which is 125% of the federal poverty guidelines – on the basis of the size of the household. 

What is the need for a financial sponsor for parents?

There is a need for a financial sponsor due to the reason that the United States has specific requirements regarding the admissibility of a new immigrant. A foreign national is deemed as inadmissible by law in case they are regarded to be a “public charge.” 

A “public charge” is defined by The Department of State and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as an individual who can possibly be primarily dependent for subsistence on the government, as is shown by either:

1. Public cash assistance receipt for income maintenance.
2. Institutionalization for the purpose of long-term care at the expense of the government.

Institutionalization for brief rehabilitation periods does not include such kinds of primary dependence. Such an immigration law makes sure that new immigrants will not have to depend on any public benefit, such as:

• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Medicaid
• Food stamps

In case some public benefits are used by the new immigrant in the times to come, it might be required by the agency to give the benefits so that the money can be repaid by the financial sponsor.

What if the Financial Sponsor’s Income is not enough?

If the requirement is not satisfied by the financial sponsor’s income for Parent Sponsorship Visa, personal assets might be considered for determining monetary capacity, such as:

• Property 
• Bonds
• Stocks 
• Savings accounts
• Checking accounts

Within one year, the assets need to be transformed into cash. The assets also will not be counted at their total cash worth. On the affidavit of support, the value would be adjusted. Most people will not have the cash assets that are needed in order to be eligible. That is why it is more convenient to find a joint sponsor or household member who can make some contribution. 

Suppose a sibling, parent, adult child, spouse, or other relative stays as the main sponsor in the same household. In that case, that individual can participate as a household member contributing some income. On the other hand, a joint sponsor is an extra sponsor who does not need to have a relationship with either party and is not required to stay at the same address.

You should include

 The income of a relative only as long as they are ready to make the income available for supporting the relative who is trying to get a green card. The other household member must complete a special form called the I-864A to establish this monetary commitment. It is officially referred to as the “Contract between Sponsor and Household Member.” 

For sponsors who live outside the United States at present, the minimum requirements will not be satisfied by the foreign income unless they are able to furnish proof that they will continue to stay put in their existing job once in the U.S. or they have a new occupation which is lined up and satisfies the minimum requirements. 

Some of the instances of jobs that can be continued after the sponsor shifts to the U.S. are transferring offices within major corporations or working remotely – such as shifting to the office of Microsoft in Seattle from the Microsoft office in London.

In case your total combined household income does not still satisfy the minimum requirement for annual income, you can get permission to use your assets as an income substitute. The assets of the other members of your household can also be counted, as long as they satisfy the following criteria:

• They stayed with you for the last six months / were listed on your most recent tax return as dependents.
• They were related to you by adoption, marriage, or birth.

When it comes to Parent Sponsorship Visa, you can bring family members to the United States, also referred to as “sponsoring.” For more information get help from experts.