2025 Sponsor’s Income requirements for Permanent Residency

In order to successfully petition for your spouse to obtain a Green Card after marriage, you, the US sponsor must demonstrate to Immigration you have enough income coming in, to support your spouse, and household.

The financial requirement is that your income equal must be over 125% of the poverty income level where you live.

Each year the Department of Health and Human Services publishes their Poverty Guidelines.

As of March 2025, for residents in the continental US the Financial Eligibility requirements for Permanent residency are as follows.

Required Annual Income (For Spousal Visa or Green Card)
$26,437, if 2 Persons in Family or Household
$33,312, if 3 Persons in Family or Household
$40,187, if 4 Persons in Family or Household

For each Additional person add $6,875

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 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

By Fred Wahl
the VisaCoach