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How to prove overcoming public charge what are the main methods available to do so[/caption]Hello DV family. in this topic, we will try to have a wide overview on public charge and what are the available methods a DV LOTTERY winner can follow, in order to overcome becoming a future public charge in the United States.
Before we begin, let’s define public charge. it has to do with the person financial situation, if a person had less amount of money than the stated in Federal Poverty Guidelines, and that person is in the United States, then the person is in need of financial support and the government will have to take care of that.So, in DV LOTTERY, winners will have a final step before getting their visas approved hopefully, which is an interview with the Consular Officer in a US embassy. in this step, we have to agree that all winners will need to show some proof of having enough financials in order to support themselves abroad. there are so many ways and methods to do that which basically prove the good financial situation such as owning stocks, a good paying business or investments etc. so the two main ways used are :
- Bank statements.
- a sponsor ( affidavit of support I-134 ).
Bank statements:
It is the most trusted effective way of proving overcoming public charge. if you are choosing to provide bank statements, you need to show at least: 10.000 $ for each Adult individual. supposing you are married with no children, the total number of adults is 2. so your bank statements should show having at least 20.000$. as for children, the amount to show can be little bit less than an adult’s, like a 1/4 of 10.000$ ( ~ 2.500$ ) for every single kid. this children rule does not apply to a family of 7 people and above, see 2014 poverty guidelines table below !! as for a family of more than 8 individulas, we add $4,060 for each additional person.
let us end this method with an example:
Johnny had won Dv-2015 lottery. he is married and have 4 children. the number of individuals Johnny needs to support is 6, including himself. 2 adults and 4 children. so the amount of money he has to show in the bank statements is the following: ( 2 X 10.000$ ) + ( 4 X 2.500$ ) = 20.000$ + 10.000$ = 30.000 $ for a family of six. ( this children rule does not apply to a family of 7 people and above, see 2014 poverty guidelines table below !! )Sponsor ( affidavit of support I-134 ) :
An affidavit of support form I-134 is a form you need to ask your sponsor to complete and sign from the United States and then send it to you. only one form is needed for a selectee and his/her derivatives.
Your sponsor needs to have an income which will cover (support) all sponsor family members if found, in addition to you and your derivatives. so your sponsor’s income needs to exceed the one stated in the Federal Poverty Guidelines (http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm). and we can say the same way as for bank statements, a sponsor’s income should be at least 20.000$ ( 2 persons level in FPG ) if he is alone and you are the same.
let us end this method with an example:
This time, Johnny decided contacting a US legally resident friend to sponsor him and his family. his friend is married and have 3 kids, and again Johnny is married and have 4 children.according to FPG 2014 the amount per family becomes :
– Johnny has a family of 6 : $31,970
– His sponsor has a family of 5 : $27,910His sponsor’s income needs to reach at least the level of 6 adults ( 60.000$ supported by tax records ).
2014 Poverty Guidelines #
2014 POVERTY GUIDELINES FOR THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA :
Persons in family/household Poverty guideline 1 $11,670 2 15,730 3 19,790 4 23,850 5 27,910 6 31,970 7 36,030 8 40,090 For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,060 for each additional person. # You are required to take with you your bank statements OR affidavit of support I-134 the day of interview. present them but only if you were asked to do that. if you were not asked, then we can say that you did earn the CO trust and you didn’t need any public charge proof.
I have noticed, after reading and reading some interview experiences for Moroccan and Algerian winners, they did not need any of the above methods and actually they didn’t get asked about them, and the only reason for that, is that they had someone who will host them in the United States, and they have proved to the CO that their host is a either a relative, a family member or a friend. but, let us not rely on this option, you need to get rid of all suspicions of getting your visa denied/refused due to public charge. you need to worry on getting one of the above methods listed and done, and then you will earn the CO trust and get your visa approved by the end.
Links:
Federal Poverty Guidelines : http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/14poverty.cfm
Affidavit of Support I-134 : http://www.uscis.gov/i-134
Affidavit of Support I-134 form ( pdf ) : http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-134.pdf
Affidavit of Support instructions : http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-134instr.pdfVery useful post. Thanks
You are welcome @Alex !!
Welcome back, I hope everything’s going alright on your side 🙂Hello Samuel.
I am somewhat confused as to when I should print my bank statement. Should I print it a day before my interview or can I print it long before my interview?
Hey Alex,
Concerning bank statements, the CO will ask for recent ones, which means you shouldn’t provide 6 months old statements ( account balance keeps changing.. ) and at the mean time you shouldn’t wait until the last few days before your interview and extract them from the bank.
If you are planning to leave them until the last delays, please contact your bank services provider to ask how long it should take to get those statements so as to know how much time you will have..
Bank Statements
Send the bank statements for the last 6 months. It should have a good balance at least for the last 6 months. Do not deposit money into your bank account the day before to show a big balance, only to withdraw the next day. You really should have money to show your financial strength to be able to support the people you are sponsoring. While there is no specific guideline how much money you should have in the bank, it should be enough to take care of all their expenses. Something like $5,000/person should be good enough.source: immihelp
I hope this answers your question Alex.
Thank you Samuel. I asked the bank and it issues the statement in a day.
So, when I learn the exact day of my interview, I will print the bank statement of the last 6 months until the day of interview, right?I asked the bank and it issues the statement in a day.
That’s a good thing – when you start getting your documents ready for the interview, you can include the bank statements as well. It does not matter if you extracted them one month before your interview appointment as long as they show balance for the last half year at least, but, you can always leave them until the last 2 weeks ( right after doing medical examination ) and extract them.
I assume you already have other documents ready, so nothing to worry about Alex ! 😎
Thank you very much for your explanation Samuel.
You are welcome ! stay blessed and good luck 🙂
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