| 1. | What is an Affidavit of Support? |
| | | | | If you are bringing a relative to live permanently in the U.S., you must accept legal responsibility for financially supporting this family member.
You accept this responsibility and become your relative's sponsor by completing and signing a document called an Affidavit of Support. This legally enforceable responsibility lasts until your relative becomes a U.S. citizen or can be credited with 40 quarters of work (usually ten years.) |
| 2. | For whom is an Affidavit of Support required? |
| | | | | You must complete and submit Form I-864 Affidavit of Support, if you are bringing a relative to the U.S. An Affidavit of Support
is required for all immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, which include parents, spouses, and unmarried children under the age of 21, including orphans and relatives who qualify for immigration to the U.S. under one of the family-based preferences: |  |
| | First Preference: Unmarried, adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Adult means 21 years of age or older | | | | Second Preference: Spouses of lawful permanent residents and the unmarried sons and daughters (regardless of age) of lawful permanent residents and
| their unmarried children |  | |
| | | Third Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, their spouses and their unmarried minor children |
| | | Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of
adult U.S. citizens, their spouses and their unmarried minor children |
| 3. | What is the definition of ‘relative’ for employment based sponsors? | | | |
| | ‘Relative’ includes the spouse, adult son or daughter, child, parent or sibling of the person filing the I-140, employment petition or who has a relative with five per cent or more ownership interest in the petitioning company. | |
