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 and assets under scrutiny, effective August 31, 2026.
What is the latest Green Card news?
USCIS has revised Form I-864 that US citizens and immigrants use as the Affidavit of Support to sponsor immediate family members for a Green Card. USCIS started accepting the new Form I-864 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 and whether the sponsored member would come under the public charge rule. The updated form tightens the Green Card sponsorship process. Privacy Release, a new addition to the form, authorizes USCIS to directly get insights on your credit history 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.
