Q. What is an Affidavit of Support?

A. Many immigrant visa categories require an Affidavit of Support, Form I-864. The Affidavit of Support provides information on the petitioner’s household size and income and attests that the petitioner will be able to financially support an immigrant. The Affidavit of Support should be fully and accurately completed. Many times, these forms must be resubmitted due to incomplete or erroneous information, causing delays in processing cases.

Q. What financial documents should I submit with my application and/or bring to my interview?

A. Documentation to verify income must be provided along with the Affidavit of Support. It is important that the correct documents are provided so that consular officers can adjudicate applications quickly and efficiently. Failure to provide the correct documentation results in delays to case adjudication. Acceptable financial documents include (a) a signed Form 1040 AND W-2(s)/1099(s) or (b) an IRS tax transcript. Please note that a 1040 is NOT acceptable without W2s and/or 1099s. These documents should be from the current tax year. Currently, we are accepting 2019 or 2020 IRS tax transcripts, or 2020 1040s and W2s/1099s.

Q. What if there is a joint sponsor or household member sponsor?

A. If the application includes a joint sponsor, the same financial documents are required. The joint sponsor will fill out a Form I-864 and provide 1040 with W2s/1099s or an IRS tax transcript. If a petitioner or joint sponsor is married and files their taxes jointly with their spouse — or if there is a member of household whose income is being added to the total supporting documents — they must complete and submit Form I864-A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member. The household member should also submit their W2s/1099s. Your sponsor and any household members must submit proof of legal status in the United States. For US citizens or nationals, a copy of their birth certificate, passport, or certificate of naturalisation or citizenship is acceptable. For lawful permanent residents, submit a copy of both sides of the Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card.

Q. How do I submit financial documentation for my case?

A. Scan documents and submit them as attachments to KingstonIVdocuments@state.gov. The subject line of the e-mail should include the KNG Case number and applicant’s full name. You can bring the documentation to your interview as well. However, you must submit the information, getting the correct documentation submitted with your application will help reduce delays in the issuance of your visa.

Q. If I do not submit prior to or bring these documents with me to my interview, what do you mean by ‘additional delays’?

A. If you fail to comply with the requirements of the visa, the consular officer at the time of your interview is then required to refuse your application, pending completion of the necessary documents. This is referred to as a 221(g) refusal. If you check your status online, your visa will show as “denied” until you are able to submit the missing information. Due to the current high volume of immigrant visa workload, those cases that are complete at the time of interview will be processed significantly faster than those that are not.

The latest information on our operating status can be found on our website at www.jm.usembassy.gov or by visiting www.travel.state.gov. Keep on top of Embassy news on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USEmbassyJamaica/ and by following @USEmbassyJA on Twitter. We also answer general consular questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages.