How Could I Sponsor My Sister's U.S. Immigration as a Co_Sponsor? Sponsor, Sister Immigration, US Immigration, Co-Sponsor

Question:

My mother is a U.S. citizen and a homemaker with no income in the U.S. My sister is in her home country and she is the beneficiary of the sponsored immigrant. I live separately from my mother. Can I qualify as the co-sponsor or joint sponsor? since my income alone will qualify for the Affidavit of Support on form I-864 for my sister.

Answer:

The immigrant sponsor is usually the petitioner of an immigrant petition for a family member. An affidavit of support is legally enforceable; the sponsor's responsibility usually lasts until the family member or other individual either becomes a U.S. citizen, or can be credited with 40 quarters of work, usually 10 years.

According to the USCIS, you can file as a "joint sponsor", so long as the visa petitioner's household income is not sufficient to meet the requirements of the USCIS, and you can fulfill the necessary affidavit requirements. Please note that the joint sponsor does not need to be related to the immigrant.

A joint sponsor is a person who is not the petitioner for the immigrant applicant but who meets the citizenship, residence, and age requirements and who meets the 125 percent minimum income requirement for the household size.

A joint sponsor can be used for each family unit applying to immigrate. To qualify, the joint sponsor must:

Be a U.S. citizen or green card holder;
Be at least 18 years old;
Reside in the United States or a U.S. territory;
Have a total household income equal to at least 125% of the Federal Poverty Level.

A U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident can submit Form I-130 to USCIS to sponsor a qualified relative for permanent residence in the United States. Each person you sponsor needs a separate Form I-130. You can submit the form online or by mail. The entire process from filing the I-130 petition to a sibling over 21 obtaining an immigrant visa can take upwards of 10 to 15 years.