Do you earn enough to sponsor them?
This is the step that ends petitions quietly. A family files, waits out a queue measured in years, and then finds that the sponsor's income doesn't reach the line — and by then the priority date is the only thing they have left. It is worth knowing the number at the start rather than the end.
The requirement is 125% of the federal poverty guideline for your household size. The arithmetic is easy; the household size is what people get wrong, almost always by undercounting. It is not the people living in your house. It includes every relative on this affidavit and everyone you have ever sponsored before whose obligation hasn't ended.
You must show at least
$27,050
125% of the 2026 guideline for a household of 2
You meet it
by $17,950
Who counts toward household size
- Yourself — the sponsor
- Your spouse, if you have one
- Your dependent children under 21
- Anyone else you claimed as a dependent on your last tax return
- Every relative you are sponsoring on this affidavit
- Anyone you sponsored on a previous I-864 whose obligation has not ended
2026 HHS Poverty Guidelines, published January 2026 — they change every January, and the consulate applies the table current when your case is reviewed, not when you filed. A planning estimate, not a determination: the officer reviews the full financial picture, and a sponsor whose income sits near the line should expect questions. General information, not legal advice.
Where this fits
The affidavit comes late — after the petition is approved and the priority date is current. If you are still working out whether you can petition someone at all, start with who you can petition; for a parent specifically, there is no queue at all and the process is petitioning a parent for a green card. To see where an existing priority date sits, use the Visa Bulletin checker.
One thing worth thinking about before you sign: the affidavit is a contract with the US government, not a formality. It lasts until the immigrant becomes a citizen or is credited with 40 quarters of work, and it survives divorce. And if the person you are bringing over is an aging parent, the honest financial picture includes what care costs here versus at home — the US vs. Philippines care comparator puts numbers on that.