2025 Financial Eligibility requirements for K-1 Fiance Visa
In order to successfully be approved for a K1 Fiance visa
that allows your fiancee to travel to the USA, US immigration
must be confident that you, the US sponsor, have enough
financial strength, to support and feed your future
family. They must be convinced that there is no chance
your new family would need public benefits such as welfare,
or food stamps to survive.
It is critical that you understand BEFORE you apply, what the
requirements are, in order to avoid surprises and denial.
In order to successfully be approved for a K1 Fiance
visa that allows your foreign fiance to enter the USA
and take up permanent residence with you, US immigration
must be confident that you, the US sponsor, have enough
financial strength, to support and feed your future
family. They must be convinced that there is no chance
your new family would need public benefits such as welfare,
or food stamps to survive.
The financial requirement is that your income
must be over 125% of the poverty income level, based on the number
of people you have to support, in the state where you live.
Each year the Department of Health and Human Services
publishes their Poverty Guidelines. As announced in 2021
the guidelines have risen for a household of 2 persons by $ 180 from last year.
For residents in the continental
US the Financial Eligibility Thresholds for K1 Fiance Visas
are as follows.
Required Annual Income
$21,150, if 2 Persons in Family or Household
$26,650, if 3 Persons in Family or Household
$32,150, if 4 Persons in Family or Household
For each Additional person add $5,500
The Financial eligibility thresholds are lower for
active military, and higher for residents of
Alaska or Hawaii.
Proving your Income.
Normally you provide your most recent Federal Tax Return,
3 to 6 pay stubs showing ‘Year to date’ earnings,
plus a letter from your employer confirming your
job, and what your expected annual pay is.
If your income might be low, but you have
‘money in the bank’ your cash assets, can be used as
a alternative for annual income.
‘Cash’ assets are assets which can be easily converted
(sold)to cash. For example: stocks, bonds, certificates of
deposit, cash in the bank
You may have a lot of other assets such as your car, boat, coin
collection, business or investment property but because these
can NOT be easily turned to cash immigration will not accept
them as alternatives to annual income.
The one exception to an asset that is hard to convert, but
CAN be counted is your home. If the market value of
your home is higher than your mortgage you may use
the equity just like a cash asset.
$5 cash assets is the equivalent of $1 annual income
For example, a retired Fiancee Visa sponsor living in California,
with NO income, and no dependents would need to have
5 times $21,150 or $105,750 in cash assets to quality for the Fiancee Visa.
Alternatively a combination of income and assets can work.
For example, if the sponsors income is $10,000 per year,
then his annual income is short by $11,150 so he should have 5 times
that amount or $55,750 cash or convertible assets
to qualify.
This is calculated by subtracting $10,000 from the annual
requirement of $21,150. And then the difference of $11,150
times Five equals $ 55,750 of cash assets needed.
What if you don’t have enough income OR assets?
In that case you could ask a relative or friend to act as a co or joint-sponsor.
Just like buying a car, your joint-sponsor could ‘co-sign’ your loan.
When a joint-sponsor is used the size of the household increases.
The combined household (for the financial calculations) would include
the household size of the sponsor combined with the household
size of the co-sponsor.
For example, a college student petitioning for his fiancee,
asks his father to joint-sponsor.
Both the college student and the father would each complete an
affidavit of support. The student’s household is just 2 persons,
himself and his fiancee. The father’s household would be father, mother, and the two siblings
still living at home.
Thus the combined household would be 6 persons,
and the combined income of both sponsor and joint-sponsor
would have to be $43,150 or more.
A joint-sponsor can be used for any Spousal Visa or
Adjustment of Status petition, and can be used for MOST
Fiancee Visa petitions.
However, not all consulates allow the use of a joint-sponsor for a Fiancee Visa.
For example: Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Nigeria do not.
If you are applying for a Fiancee visa and need a joint-sponsor,
before filing the petition, best is to contact the consulate directly and
confirm whether the consulate’s policies permit the use of a
financial joint-sponsor or not. If they won’t allow a co-sponsor then
switch plans, marry then apply for a spouse visa, and your co-sponsor
can be used when needed.
This was Fred Wahl, The VisaCoach
