Sponsored SIL’s Parents – Now They Demand Money

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Sad0ne

New Member
I hope you can help me. I am a 35-year-old, single professional woman living in USA. My brother, my only sibling, passed away 5 years ago. He had a new baby, my niece Priya, at the time of his death. I invited my sister-in-law and the baby to live with me. It was a tough time but we made it through together. I co-sponsored my SIL’s parents to come to USA. Things began to wrong within weeks of their arrival. First they wanted me to add my SIL’s name to my house mortgage. I said the house was paid for so there was no need. Then they wanted me to add my SIL’s name to my bank accounts. I said it wasn’t necessary since I paid all the bills. My SIL didn’t work for the first 3 years and now only works part-time at a grocery store. Next they wanted to manage my property in India. I said I was happy with my current caretaker.

The final straw came last week when they found out I’d put my assets in a trust. Priya can’t have access to it until she turns 30 (if I die before then) and my SIL is NOT the successor trustee. Now they say I don’t treat them as family. They are threatening to leave and never let me see Priya again. I am heartbroken as I love Priya as my own child. My issues are:

1. Do I have any legal recourse to still see Priya or even get custody? I’ve supported her financially her entire life and never asked her mother for a single penny.

2. My SIL says she’ll apply for financial aid and live off the government. She is a naturalized citizen and her parents are green card holders. Can the USA government come after me to repay their aid as her parents came to USA based on my income and savings?

3. Do I need to inform any government agency that my SIL’s parents will no longer live with me?

4. Can withdraw my support for my SIL’s parents? They’ve been living in my home since they came to USA in January.

Any advice will be much appreciated!
 
Sad0ne said:
I hope you can help me. I am a 35-year-old, single professional woman living in USA. My brother, my only sibling, passed away 5 years ago. He had a new baby, my niece Priya, at the time of his death. I invited my sister-in-law and the baby to live with me. It was a tough time but we made it through together. I co-sponsored my SIL’s parents to come to USA. Things began to wrong within weeks of their arrival. First they wanted me to add my SIL’s name to my house mortgage. I said the house was paid for so there was no need. Then they wanted me to add my SIL’s name to my bank accounts. I said it wasn’t necessary since I paid all the bills. My SIL didn’t work for the first 3 years and now only works part-time at a grocery store. Next they wanted to manage my property in India. I said I was happy with my current caretaker.

The final straw came last week when they found out I’d put my assets in a trust. Priya can’t have access to it until she turns 30 (if I die before then) and my SIL is NOT the successor trustee. Now they say I don’t treat them as family. They are threatening to leave and never let me see Priya again. I am heartbroken as I love Priya as my own child. My issues are:

1. Do I have any legal recourse to still see Priya or even get custody? I’ve supported her financially her entire life and never asked her mother for a single penny.

2. My SIL says she’ll apply for financial aid and live off the government. She is a naturalized citizen and her parents are green card holders. Can the USA government come after me to repay their aid as her parents came to USA based on my income and savings?

3. Do I need to inform any government agency that my SIL’s parents will no longer live with me?

4. Can withdraw my support for my SIL’s parents? They’ve been living in my home since they came to USA in January.

Any advice will be much appreciated!
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Well you might want to ask a lawyer rather than people on the internet - but I'll give you a few answers from a laymans perspective.

1. No you won't get custody. Just because you have been supporting them doesn't give you much in the way of legal recourse for access. Your best bet is by remaining in good standing with the mother.

2. If you were the financial sponsor for the parents (and presumably signed an I864 affadavit of support) then yes you can be held accountable for their debts. However you say your sister in law is going to apply for financial aid - so that is not the parents.

3. As LPRs the parents should inform DOS of their new address when they move but I can't see why you would be obligated to inform the government.

4. Again, if you signed an I864 then no you can't change your mind . You signed a contract, and now you must accept responsibility for the downside.

If you think you have liability see a lawyer, but in general I would say you should be working things out with them...
 
You can remove them from your house, but you're still liable for supporting them as per the I-864. However, they'd have to go to court to force you to pay.

Your SIL's parents are obvious parasites looking to extract what they can from you. I wouldn't trust them living in my home. They'll probably do something disruptive like change the locks so you can't get into your own home.

1. Do I have any legal recourse to still see Priya or even get custody?
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Maybe, but that depends on what your brother wrote in his will (if he had one) regarding who would take care of her after his death, and the laws of your state which relate to this scenario.
 
2. First of all, whatever your SIL gets doesn't matter because she is a citizen. If you filed Affidavit of Support (it has to be I-864, not I-134) for her parents, and if they (SIL's parents) get need-based government aid (I'm not sure what you mean by "financial aid", but it has to be specifically need-based aid from the government) while they are permanent residents (before they become citizens), then in theory the government can sue you for any money that gets spent on them. In practice, it is rare for the government to do this; there has only been news of one or two states doing this. In theory, they (SIL's parents) can also sue you, but it is a lot of trouble for them to do it, they have to sue in federal court, etc., so if they threaten to it's probably a bluff.
3. no
4. no
 
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