K-1 Visa Income Requirements: a Complete Guide for Sponsors

Our team has put together all the K-1 visa income requirements for 2024 so you can focus on your beloved. The K-1 visa is designed to help couples who wish to get married, and live together in the United States. While the romantic fantasy may conjour visions of a happily ever after, it’s necessary to pay attention to the nitty gritty details in order to secure an approval. VisaNation makes the entire K-1 process fast and simple.

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K-1 Visa Income Requirements for Sponsors

The minimum fiancé(e) income requirement is $25,550 in 2024, which is for a household of 2. As the petitioning fiancé(e), there are several requirements that are needed to prove that you are eligible to sponsor the visa. One of them is to demonstrate that you have sufficient income to support your fiancé(e) when he or she gets into the U.S. Why? The government wants to ensure that the foreign immigrant will not end up being a financial burden to the country.

The HHS poverty guideline for the affidavit of support is issued annually to help visa sponsors determine the minimum wage required of them to be qualified as petitioners. This will be calculated using the number of the members of your household, which include yourself and dependent children, your K-1 spouse, any immigrant(s) you’ve sponsored in the past, and your K-1 spouse’s children (if applicable). Not sure where to start with your K-1 application? We are here to provide you with the best services for K-1 visa applications. Start today!

Apart from your own personal income, the income of the members of your household related to you by birth, marriage, or adoption may be counted as part of your household income. However, the household member whose income will be added to yours must have been listed as a dependent in your most recent federal tax return or have been living with you for the last six months.

According to the 2024 K-1 visa income requirements, as a sponsor, if you are living in any of the 48 contiguous states, your household stable income is required to meet HHS poverty guidelines as follows:

If you are based in Alaska or Hawaii, where the cost of living is higher, the required amount for a household of 2 members is $31,925 and $29,375 while the required amount for each additional person is $8,413 and $7,738 respectively. If you are active in the U.S. armed forces, you will add $6,730 and $6,190 for each additional person respectively.

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Sources of Income to Include in 2024

It is crucial to know what types of income you can use to sponsor a K-1 beneficiary’s application to the U.S. In the majority of cases, the sponsor would have to use the yearly income that they stated on the federal income tax return for the most recent year. However, it is advised to have met the income requirement for at least a few years. You can find your annual income on line 9 of your IRS Form 1040.

• As per the income requirement, your total stable annual wage can include the salary that you were paid by an employer, retirement benefits, child support payments, alimony, dividends, and/or interest earned in a private or public company.
• You can use other sources of income; however, some types may require additional documentation or evidence.
• If you are intending to include “non-traditional” sources of income, then it would be beneficial to consult an experienced immigration attorney.

Learn more about marriage and fiancé(e) visas.

Stable Income

You have probably noticed that the word “stable” is referenced quite frequently when talking about income requirements for K-1 visa sponsorship. This is for a good reason. In the above section, you saw that most of the examples of income presented are reoccurring in nature. Reoccurring income is considered stable because it has a predicted frequency of payments. It is not a one-off payment. However, if you are planning on using income that cannot be considered stable, then it would be best to talk to a lawyer.

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How to Meet K-1 Visa Income Requirements

Income requirements for a K-1 visa are usually submitted twice by the petitioning U.S. citizen fiancé(e). The first time will be during the consular process to bring the beneficiary fiancé(e) from his or her foreign country into the United States. The second time will be during the K-1 adjustment of status process.

I-134 Affidavit of Support

The I-134 Affidavit of Support is the first income form that must be submitted as part of the initial process to bring a beneficiary fiancé(e) from a foreign country into the United States. The I-134 is used by every nonimmigrant sponsor for a K-1 visa.

Before the embassy or consulate in your fiancé(e)’s home country will issue a K-1 visa, the petitioner must demonstrate that the beneficiary will not become a public charge after arriving in the United States. The petitioners’ financial ability is measured by the HHS poverty guideline. You must be able to show that your income meets the poverty guidelines for that particular year. If your K-1 visa application is approved, your fiancé(e) will be issued a nonimmigrant visa to come into the United States.

What if I Can’t Meet the Minimum Income Requirements?

If you can’t meet the income requirements, there are two options available to you. These include using the cash value of your assets and having a joint sponsor.

Using Your Assets

The cash value of the assets belonging to your household may be added to help you meet the requirements. The assets must, however, be worth at least three times the difference between your actual household income and the income requirement.

For example, say you reside in Florida and have a household of 4 members; that means your minimum income requirement is $39,000. If the total household income is $25,000, you would have a difference of $14,000 to make up. Therefore, in order to use your assets, your asset cash value must be at least times three times $14,000, which is equal to $42,000. The accepted assets include the net value of your property (e.g. home, car), money in a savings account, bonds, and stocks. Immigration can be a daunting process for someone who is doing it for the first time. With numerous forms and documents to submit, mistakes can be very costly. Need experienced help? At VisaNation, we make sure that your application is flawless. Start today!

Having a Joint Sponsor

Having a joint sponsor is another way of meeting the K-1 visa income requirements. A joint sponsor is any qualified person who is ready to accept the “legal responsibility” of jointly supporting your family with you. The person must meet the same requirements as you, which includes meeting the 125% income requirement. Note though, that it isn’t compulsory for the joint sponsor to be a family member.

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I-864, Affidavit of Support

Now that your fiancé(e) is already in the U.S., you will be expected to get married within 90 days of his or her arrival. For your fiancé(e) to continue living in the U.S. lawfully, he or she will need to file for adjustment of status. At this point, you will need to submit another affidavit of support.

However, this will require another form entirely: the I-864. This affidavit is to show that you have the financial ability to support your alien fiancé(e) after they become a lawful permanent resident. The threshold is a little higher than that of the I-134. For the I-864, you must show that your income is at least 25% higher than the HHS poverty guideline for that year.

Signing the affidavit of support means you are willing to accept legal responsibility for the financial well-being of your K-1 spouse until he or she becomes a citizen or is credited with 40 quarters of social security coverage. Until either of these two conditions is met by your spouse, you will be bound by this affidavit.

Not even divorce can end your sponsorship obligation, as you could be called upon to repay any debt incurred by him or her for any means-tested benefits. You will need to provide supporting evidence to demonstrate you meet this requirement.

You will be required to provide your U.S. federal income tax return and your proof of current employment.

The tax return must be for the most recent tax year. If you can’t provide tax return for the required period, you will need to provide an explanation. Otherwise, your spouse’s application will not be processed by USCIS.