In overnight change, US releases new form for Green Card sponsor

In a recent update, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a new version of Form I-864, the ‘Affidavit of Support’ for Green Card sponsorship. The revised form will be the sole accepted version from August 31 onwards, with no grace period allowing the continued use of the older version. The American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA) highlights a significant alteration in the new form: it now includes a privacy release authorizing the USCIS to request credit-related information from one or more consumer reporting agencies.

This amendment could potentially result in delays for sponsors who have placed a freeze on their credit or security report, as USCIS may be unable to access necessary information. To avoid such delays, sponsors must promptly respond to any requests from USCIS to lift the credit or security freeze. While the new form retains the financial requirement of demonstrating income at or above 125% of the applicable federal poverty guidelines, the addition of credit information may broaden the scope of the Form I-864 review.