Poverty Guidelines for 2014 for Affidavit of Support of Immigrants

Every year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publishes the poverty guidelines for the public. In all family-based immigrant visa petitions, the petitioner must promise under oath that the beneficiary- immigrant will not become a financial burden of the U.S. by completing a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support.  The only exception is if the beneficiary has already completed 40 quarters of work in the U.S.  The petitioner (also the financial sponsor) must demonstrate in Form I-864 an income of at least 125% (100 % for petitioners on active duty in the U.S. military who are sponsoring their spouses or children) of the current poverty level for the his household size, which must include the immigrants and their dependents. The 2014 guidelines are listed below:

Size of Household	48 Contiguous States,D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands,Guam & CNMI	Alaska	Hawaii
125% of Poverty Line (U.S. dollars)
2	19,662	24,575	22,612
3	24,737	30,925	28,450
4	29,812	37,275	34,287
5	34,887	43,625	40,125
6	39,962	49,975	45,962
7	45,037	56,325	51,800
8	50,112	62,675	57,637
	Add $5,075 for each additional person	Add $6,350 for each additional person	Add $5,837 for each additional person

For many applicants, the I-864 form turns out to be the most challenging document to handle.  In fact, a good number of immigrant petitions are delayed or denied due to the petitioner's failure to properly fill out the I-864 and related forms, or produce sufficient documents to prove financial ability.  If the petitioner cannot meet the I-864 requirements, another person may act as a joint sponsor and complete his or her own Affidavit of Support.  Both petitioner and the beneficiary may also use their assets such as real estate, stocks, bonds, cash, etc., to meet the I-864 requirements.