The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has raised the income requirements for family-based green card and immigrant visa sponsors, effective this month. This change follows updates to the Poverty Guidelines by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with USCIS adjusting the minimum income threshold accordingly.
For sponsors in the 48 contiguous states, the required annual income to support one person has increased from $25,550 to $26,437. For each additional household member, the requirement rises by $6,875. Higher thresholds apply to residents of Alaska and Hawaii due to their elevated living costs. However, active U.S. military members sponsoring a spouse or child are only required to meet 100% of the Poverty Guidelines rather than the standard 125%.
These updated income requirements impact individuals completing Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support) for family-based immigration, a legally binding agreement ensuring financial responsibility for the sponsored immigrant. If the immigrant receives certain public benefits within 10 years of arrival, the sponsor may be required to reimburse the government.
For other visa categories, such as employment-based visas, the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery, or K-1 fiancé visas, sponsors use Form I-134 (Declaration of Financial Support), which has a lower income threshold at 100% of the Poverty Guidelines. Unlike Form I-864, sponsors using Form I-134 typically do not face repayment obligations for public benefits received by the immigrant.
