Financial Joint Sponsor for Manila Fiance Visa

When you as an American Citizen apply to US immigration for your Filipina fiance to enter the USA to marry you, during the application process you must to demonstrate that you have adequate income or assets to prove that you are financially able to support your future spouse in order to prevent her from becoming a ward of the state.

What IF, you, the primary sponsor, don’t have enough income to meet the requirement?

 

In most cases you are allowed to ask a friend or family member to help, and become your joint-sponsor.

Just like buying a car for a teenager, the joint-sponsor could ‘co-sign’ your loan.

But this option, if you are sponsoring a Fiancee in the Philippines is NOT available to you.

The US consulate in Manila, has decided that they will not consider a case for a Fiance Visa, UNLESS the US citizen has enough income or assets to stand on his own.

That means, no joint-sponsor is allowed, and if your income is too low, then NO Fiance Visa.

So what can you do?

Get back on the plane and marry her.

You aren’t allowed to use a joint-sponsor for her Fiancee Visa, but most certainly you MAY use a joint sponsor for her Spouse visa.

The joint-sponsor should have an acceptable reason to want to “help out”, such as friendship or family ties. Joint-sponsors who might have other agendas like loan sharks, relatives of your spouse, or future employers of your spouse are not good choices.

When a joint-sponsor is used his income and his household are added to yours.

For example, a college student petitioning for his spouse, asks his father to joint-sponsor.

Both the college student and the father would each complete an affidavit of support. The students household is just 2 persons, himself and his spouse. The fathers 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 also be added together.

The joint sponsor must provide proof of his income. Normally this is his most recent Federal Tax Return, 3 to 6 pay stubs showing ‘Year to date’ earnings, plus a letter from his employer confirming his job status, and annual pay. He must also demonstrate he is a US citizen or lawful permanent resident. For this he shows his birth certificate, US passport, or green Card.

Responsibilities of the Joint sponsor ?

Just like you the original sponsor, the joint sponsor will sign a contract called the Affidavit of Support. Basically both of you are guaranteeing that IF the beneficiary (the foreign born fiance) ends up using Federal Assistance within the following 10 years, that you and he agree to “pay the bill”.

By Fred Wahl
the VisaCoach