I-864 or I-864a?

[diegoando]

Hi, I’m a permanent resident, student (no income) petitioning a green card for my wife. I live with my mother, who has the minimum income requirement for a household of 3.

1)Do I (petitioner) only need to fill out form I-864?

2) Does my mother (joint sponsor) need to fill out forms I-864 and I-864a?

Thank you

 

[newacct]

1. yes
2. In your case, your mother can serve either as your "household member" or a "joint sponsor".

To have your mother as your "household member", you would have to count her in your household size, in Part 5 #7, since she is not your dependent but she is a sibling, parent, or adult child living in the same residence as you. She would fill out an I-864A, and her income would be listed as "Person 1" on Part 6 of your I-864, and it would combine with your individual income to form your household income, and that income needs to be sufficient for your household size.

Alternately, if she is a "joint sponsor", she would fill out a completely separate I-864, and her household income needs to be sufficient. There would be two I-864s.