My low salary / Getting spouse a Green Card

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I'm a US citizen trying to get my husband a Green Card. We don't live in the US. Our I-130 has been in USCIS since last April. From what I understand, they will eventually transfer our case to the National Visa Center, at which point the process will finally begin.

Part of this process will include the National Visa Center asking about my salary. It was below the poverty line last year, and now I am unemployed. Is this going to be a problem for us? Can they reject us for my low income? Or is our application purely based on determining that our marriage is a real one?

I will add that my retired father would be willing to co-sponsor us if necessary. But he has been retired for several years, and I understand they will ask him for the last 3 years income tax returns. So I am worried that could also be a problem.
 
Employment income can only be counted if it's from a job in the US, so even if your foreign income was $100K it wouldn't matter -- you'll need a joint sponsor and/or assets anyway.

Can they reject us for my low income?
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Most definitely yes, unless you overcome that with a joint sponsor and/or assets.

To use assets to compensate for the lack of income, for marriage to a US citizen every $3 of acceptable assets makes up for $1 of income. So (for example) if the requirement is $20000/year of income for your household size, $60000 of assets would be enough to satisfy the financial requirements if your income is zero. Or if you have US income which is $3000 below the required level, having 3 times that deficit = $9000 would be enough to make up for the shortfall.

See I-864P for the income requirements based on household size, and I-864 for the Affidavit of Support form. If your father is going to be a joint sponsor, he'll fill out and sign an I-864 in addition to the I-864 you will file. Using assets also applies to him; if his retirement income is insufficient he can use assets to bridge the gap, using the same 3 to 1 ratio.
 
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