{"id":42617,"date":"2026-09-03T14:49:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T19:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/travelbeats\/?p=42617"},"modified":"2026-09-03T17:10:58","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:10:58","slug":"green-card-sponsor-form-i864-key-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/travelbeats\/green-card-sponsor-form-i864-key-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sponsoring Family Member for Green Card? USCIS Changes Form I-864 to Check Your Credit Data"},"content":{"rendered":"

The immigration rules for Green Card holders and US visa holders have a new update every other day<\/strong>. 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\u2019 credit information easily accessible, thereby putting their finances and assets under scrutiny, effective August 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

What is the latest Green Card news?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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\u2019 credit information from consumer reporting agencies.<\/p>\n

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This is AI-generated image for illustration purpose only<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Use of Form I-864, Affidavit of Support<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. The updated form tightens the Green Card sponsorship process<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

Who new Form I-864 with Privacy Release impacts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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. \u201cIf 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\u2019s eligibility as per Form I-864. To avoid facing a delay or rejection, sponsors should act immediately to remove a credit or security freeze,\u201d said the American Immigration Lawyers\u2019 Association (AILA).<\/p>\n

What credit score Green Card sponsors require<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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\u2019s credit-related information. Whether a previous bankruptcy or a missed payment would be treated as a disqualifier \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

New Form I-864 does not change income requirement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other sponsorship requirements including a sponsor\u2019s annual household income remain unchanged in Form I-864.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[368,344],"tmauthors":[452],"class_list":["post-42617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-green-card","tag-immigration"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t