Q: My husband is planning on sponsoring his father and stepmom from Venezuela. What financial liability do I incur?
I will not be signing anything to help with the process. Also my spouse is military, naturalized U.S. citizen with a Florida residency. I am a natural US citizen born in Missouri and we were married in MO. It is my understanding state residency can influence marital property. I will be coming into a significant amount of money in a few years and do not want my financial future compromised by something out of my control.
A:
You can look up Form I-864 Affidavit of Support and read the instructions to find out what it means to become the financial sponsor for an intending immigrant. Basically it is a contract with the government stating that you can support the immigrant and will not allow them to become a "public charge" (like go on welfare or food stamps, for example).
As for the money you may have coming in a few years, you should speak to a wills and estates attorney in your area. There are probably ways for you to protect this money but that will depend on state law where you live.
A:
If you are not signing the Affidavit of Support, then you would not have liability to repay the US government for any monies paid out to your in-laws in the form of public assistance. Your husband would have this liability. It is possible that joint assets such as bank accounts could be used by the government for repayment. If you are concerned then you may wish to keep that future money in a separate account that does not bear your husband's name.
I suggest that you consult with an attorney at the time that you come into the money to determine how best to protect it.
1 user found this answer helpful
A: From an immigration point of view you don’t need to sign anything or otherwise agree to have your income/assets included in any analysis of your husband’s income.
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