Frequently Asked Form Questions

Form I-864

Part 5 Question 3 (Page 4)

Why is it “0”?

This is a common confusion, but 0 is the correct number. This is because the spouse (i.e. the applicant) is already counted once in part 5, question 1. The form instruction says “Do not count any member of your household more than once.”. Since question 1 already counts the applicant (who is also the spouse) once, the spouse should not be counted again for question 3.

Part 5 Question 2 (Page 4)

Why is it “1”?

For question 2, “yourself” means the sponsor. The sponsor is not sponsoring him/herself in this affidavit (the sponsor is sponsoring the applicant). Therefore, the sponsor is not counted in question 1 and should be counted in question 2.

Part 6 Questions 8-19 (Page 4)

Do I need to fill out this part?

Not all sponsors need to fill out Form I-864 Part 6 Questions 8-19. You can reference I-864 instructions page 8 regarding this requirement:

Part 7 (Page 5)

Do I need to fill out this part?

Form I-864 Part 7 is optional according to the form instruction. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to fill it out. If the sponsor’s income already exceeds the Federal Poverty Guidelines, then the sponsor is not required to complete Part 7:

Form I-131

Part 4 (Page 3)

Do I need to fill out this part?

On the bottom of Page 2 of Form I-131, it says “If you are applying for a non-DACA related Advance Parole Document, skip to Part 7; DACA recipients must complete Part 4 before skipping to Part 7.” Unless you are a DACA recipient, you can skip Part 4.

Part 3 Question 5 (Page 3)

Do I need to fill out this part?

Since I-131 Part 3 Question 5 comes after the instructions at the bottom of Page 2 of Form I-131 that says “If you are applying for a non-DACA related Advance Parole Document, skip to Part 7; DACA recipients must complete Part 4 before skipping to Part 7.” (as explained in the question above), we follow this instruction and skip to Part 7.

The I-131 instructions do not provide further clarifying instructions on whether this is the correct understanding. If you feel more comfortable filling out that question, feel free to do so. You can change the PDF by going to the “Review and Print” step, click on the form you want to edit, and type on the form directly. IMPORTANT NOTE: The changes are not saved after you close the PDF window. So make sure you save a copy before you close the window.

Part 7 (Page 4)

Do I need to provide an explanation of how the applicant qualifies for an Advance Parole Document?

If you are referring to this part of I-131:

then according to the I-131 instructions page 9, this is the section regarding “An explanation or other evidence showing the circumstances that warrant issuance of an Advance Parole Document”:

There is a “or” connecting items (2) to (5), which could mean that you only need one of them. There is no direct USCIS instruction saying you are treated as having submitted item (3) if I-131 is submitted together with I-485, but according to I-131 instructions on page 13, it appears that you do not need to submit Form I-797 receipt if I-131 is filed together with I-485:

So if item (3) is considered met, then there is no need to submit item (2) – the “explanation or other evidence”.

Since we are not lawyers, we cannot give legal interpretation on the instructions, nor can we give legal advice on what you should do. So it’s up to you to decide whether to provide item (2). If you want to double check on this question, you may consider having a quick lawyer consultation about it. We work with a lawyer who offers a 30-minute consultation for $100. If you just have a quick question, he may be able to offer a different consultation option. Let us know if you want his contact info.

Form I-130

Part 2 Question 12 (Page 2)

Why is Physical Address 1 filled out as N/A?

The Physical Address 1 field needs to be for the present address (if you open the original form from the USCIS website using Adobe Reader, you’ll see that the “Date To” field is automatically filled in as “Present”). Based on the instructions underlined in red below, if the sponsor’s present address is the same as the mailing address, the address doesn’t need to be entered again. Therefore, GreenCardHero filled out “N/A”.