The immigration rules for Green Card holders and US visa holders have a new update every other day. Other than the Green Card wait time being stretched up to 179 years for H1B visa professionals, the new change to Form I-864 has raised a new wave of concerns in the US. The updated Form I-864 makes Green Card sponsors’ credit information easily accessible, thereby putting their finances under scrutiny, effective August 31, 2026.
What is the latest Green Card news?
USCIS has revised Form I-864 that immigrants in the US use as the Affidavit of Support to sponsor family members for a Green Card. USCIS started accepting Form I-864 with the new change for applications made on or after August 31, 2026. No grace period for the previous edition. The revised form comes with a privacy release that USCIS can use at its discretion to seek Green Card sponsors’ credit information from consumer reporting agencies.
Use of Form I-864, Affidavit of Support
Form I-864 helps USCIS officers assess your financial capacity to support a family member whom you sponsor for a Green Card. The updated form tightens the Green Card sponsorship process for immigrants. Privacy Release, a new addition to the form, authorizes USCIS to directly get insights on your credit health and dig more into your financial capacity. Precisely, your credit-related information will now determine whether you can sponsor a family member for lawful permanent residence in USA.
Who new Form I-864 with Privacy Release impacts
Privacy Release being a key change in Form I-864, sponsors with a credit freeze are likely to take a hit from the new Green Card rule. A credit freeze with credit-reporting agencies helps consumers prevent the opening of unauthorized accounts in their name. However, it does not erase their credit history. “If sponsors have a credit or security freeze on their consumer or credit reports, USCIS may not be able to access the financial information that they need to evaluate a sponsor’s eligibility as per Form I-864. To avoid facing a delay or rejection, sponsors should act immediately to remove a credit or security freeze,” said the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA).
What credit score Green Card sponsors require
In the 24 August 2026 revision of Form I-864, USCIS has not ruled in a credit score threshold for Green Card sponsorship in the family-based category. Neither minimum nor maximum credit score has been specified, according to immigration experts. There is yet no clarity what disqualifying aspects USCIS would derive from a sponsor’s credit-related information. Whether a previous bankruptcy or a missed payment would be treated as a disqualifier – is yet unknown. Immigration attorneys are trying to know how USCIS will use the credit-related insights that it can now directly obtain from credit bureaus.
New Form I-864 does not change income requirement
Other sponsorship requirements including a sponsor’s annual household income remain unchanged in Form I-864.
