Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member

Last updated: November 9, 2025.

By Asel Williams, Esq. · Columbia Law School · Licensed immigration attorney

Immigrating to the US involves submission of sponsor’s proof of income (Affidavit of Support).

One of the immigration forms used in this process is Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member.

This is a legally binding contract used in family-based and some employment-based immigration cases to make sure the intending immigrant has financial support.

In this post we will go over the important parts of Form I-864A, including who is required to submit this form, who is considered a household member and other important details.

What is Form I-864A? 

Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member is a supplement to Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA (Immigration and Nationality Act). 

The purpose of Form I-864A is to allow a household member to add their income to help the sponsor meet the financial requirements to support the intending immigrant. 

Sponsor is the individual who filed Form I-130 or Form I-140 on behalf of the intending immigrant. The sponsor is also known as “Petitioner”.

Intending immigrant is the foreign national applying for permanent residence based on sponsor’s immigration petition. Intending immigrant is also known as “Beneficiary”.

All family-based sponsors and some employment-based sponsors are required to submit Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support) to prove sponsor’s financial ability to support the intending immigrant.

Sponsors must prove that the immigrants will not become a public charge and have access to sponsor’s financial resources in the US.

The sponsor must show they have enough income or assets to support the intending immigrant. 

If the sponsor’s income is not enough, the sponsor’s household member can step in by signing Form I-864A and agree to make their income and/or assets available.

If the sponsor’s income and/or assets meet the minimum income requirements, submission of Form I-864A is not required.

Who submits Form I-864A?

Form I-864A is submitted by a household member who wants to add their income and/or assets to support the intending immigrant. 

This household member must live in the same principal residence as the sponsor and must be related to the sponsor by birth, marriage or adoption. 

The form is signed by both the household member and the sponsor, so it’s a joint responsibility to support the intending immigrant.

The sponsor and the household member must read and understand their obligations under Form I-864A. 

Each household member must sign a separate Form I-864A.

By signing this form, the household member agrees to make their income and/or assets available for the immigrant’s support and this obligation will continue until:

• Immigrant becomes a US citizen
• Immigrant has 40 qualifying quarters of work
• Immigrant departs the US permanently
• Immigrant dies

Who are household members for Form I-864A purposes?

Household members for Form I-864A purposes are individuals who are at least 18 years of age. The following individuals are considered household members: 

Intending immigrant: to qualify, the intending immigrant must prove lawful employment in the US that will continue from the same source after the immigrant obtains permanent residence.

Spouse: The sponsor’s husband or wife.

Children: biological, adopted, or stepchildren who live with the sponsor.

Parents: The sponsor’s mother or father who lives with the sponsor.

Siblings: brothers or sisters of the sponsor who have the same residence

Other Dependents: Any other dependent claimed on the sponsor’s US federal income tax return, even if not residing with the sponsor.

The household member must prove their relationship to the sponsor and provide evidence that they live at the same residence.  

Note: The relationship and residency requirements are strict. Proper documentation, such as most recent federal tax returns, birth certificates, and proof of residence must be submitted to USCIS to prove the relationship and shared residence.

The household members do not have to be US citizens or permanent residents. 

Also, the household members are not required to report their change of address to USCIS by filing Form I-865, Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address.

Can the intending immigrant sign Form I-864A? 

The following intending immigrants can use their income to help the sponsor to meet the minimum income requirements:

• Intending immigrant resides with the sponsor and can prove that his/her income will continue from a lawful source after obtaining permanent residence
• Intending immigrant is the sponsor’s spouse and can prove that his/her income will continue from a lawful source after obtaining permanent residence

Intending immigrants are not required to sign Form I-864A unless they have a derivative spouse or child.

To prove that the intending immigrant’s income will continue from a lawful source, the following documents can be submitted:

• Pay stubs
• Recent employment verification letter that confirms that the intending immigrant will continue receiving income from the same source after obtaining permanent residence
• Most recent federal tax return or IRS tax transcript
• Most recent W-2 and/or 1099 forms

Can more than one household member sign Form I-864A? 

Yes, more than one household member can sign Form I-864A to add their income and assets. 

Each contributing household member must complete a separate Form I-864A and sign the contract together with the sponsor. 

Each household member must also provide the following evidence:

• Proof of residence with the sponsor (not required for sponsor’s spouse and dependent claimed on the tax return)
• Proof of relationship to the sponsor (birth certificate)
• Proof of income and/or assets:
  • Most recent federal tax return
  • Most recent W-2 and/or 1099 form(s)
  • Ownership of assets (if applicable)

Signed Form I-864A are submitted with the sponsor’s Form I-864:

• Within Form I-485 packet (if applying in the U.S.)
• Within the National Visa Center (NVC) application (if applying outside the U.S.)

Can a joint sponsor use a household member’s income to meet the minimum income requirements?

A joint sponsor is an additional sponsor who agrees to share the financial responsibility for the intended immigrant if the primary sponsor’s income is insufficient.

A joint sponsor can use their household member’s income to meet the minimum income requirements, but the household member must complete and sign Form I-864A just like they would for the primary sponsor. 

This will allow the joint sponsor to combine their income with that of their household members to meet the income requirement and support the intending immigrant. The joint sponsor and their household members must provide the same documentation and proof of relationship as the primary sponsor’s household members. 

The role of a joint sponsor is important when the primary sponsor’s income does not meet the minimum requirements.  

Form I-864A Filing Fee 

There is no filing fee for Form I-864A. This form is submitted along with Form I-864 and other supporting documents to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or National Visa Center (NVC) depending on the location of the intending immigrant.

Form I-864A checklist

Household member	Checklist of required documents
If the household member is the intending immigrant	Signed I-864A (only if you have accompanying dependents – spouse and unmarried children under 21) Proof of joint residence with the petitioner (examples of acceptable documents: joint lease agreement, rent payments, letter from a landlord, affidavits from family members confirming joint residency, etc.) Proof of joint residency is not required if the intending immigrant is petitioner’s spouse Proof that intending immigrant’s income will continue from lawful source after permanent residency is obtained (examples of acceptable documents: job offer or job contract that shows employment dates beyond green card approval date, a letter on business letterhead from employer stating that intending immigrant will be employed after obtaining permanent residency; if self-employed – proof of company’s ownership, company income and affidavit stating the intending immigrant’s self-employment status, plans to continue doing business after obtaining permanent residency and % of company ownership)
Spouse	Signed Form I-864A  Spouse’s federal tax return or IRS tax transcript for the most recent year Spouse’s all W-2 and/or 1099 form(s) for the most recent year
Parent	Signed Form I-864A Proof of relationship between parent and petitioner (petitioner’s birth certificate listing the parent) Proof of joint residence with the petitioner (examples of acceptable documents: joint lease agreement, rent payments, letter from a landlord, affidavits from family members confirming joint residency).  Parent’s federal tax return or IRS tax transcript for the most recent year Parent’s all W-2 and/or 1099 form(s) for the most recent year
Child	Signed Form I-864A Proof of relationship between the child and petitioner (child’s birth certificate listing the petitioner as parent) Proof of joint residence with the petitioner (examples of acceptable documents: joint lease agreement, rent payments, letter from a landlord, affidavits from family members confirming joint residency).  Child’s federal tax return or IRS tax transcript for the most recent year Child’s all W-2 and/or 1099 form(s) for the most recent year
Adult son or daughter	Signed Form I-864A Proof of relationship between the adult son/daughter and petitioner (adult son’s or daughter’s birth certificate listing the petitioner as parent) Proof of joint residence with the petitioner (examples of acceptable documents: joint lease agreement, rent payments, letter from a landlord, affidavits from family members confirming joint residency).  Adult son’s or daughter’s federal tax return or IRS tax transcript for the most recent year Adult son’s or daughter’s all W-2 and/or 1099 form(s) for the most recent year
Sibling	Signed Form I-864A Proof of relationship between the sibling and petitioner (sibling’s and petitioner’s birth certificates listing at least one common parent) Proof of joint residence with the petitioner (examples of acceptable documents: joint lease agreement, rent payments, letter from a landlord, affidavits from family members confirming joint residency).  Sibling’s federal tax return or IRS tax transcript for the most recent year Sibling’s all W-2 and/or 1099 form(s) for the most recent year
Any other individual who was claimed as petitioner’s dependent on petitioner’s most recent federal tax return	Signed Form I-864A Individual’s all W-2 and/or 1099 form(s) for the most recent year (if applicable)

See Also:

Form I-864A Instructions

How to fill out Form I-864A, Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member