Immigrant Visas
I-864 Affidavit of Support Procedures
Effective December 14, 1997, the Department of State updated the procedure for completing the I-864 Affidavit for Support for immigrant visa applicants. The Department of State National Visa Center (NVC), located in Portsmouth, N.H., mails the affidavit of support form I-864 directly to the U.S. petitioner who is sponsoring the prospective immigrant's visa application. The petitioner is responsible for completely filling out the form and returning it to the NVC. This process reduces the waiting period for applications and improves the likelihood that the form will be fully completed by the time of the visa interview. It also minimizes the number of refusals due to incomplete documentation and prevents applicants from having to make unnecessary visits to our Embassies and Consulates.
If an Immigrant Visa applicant is informed that their affidavit of support is not filled out correctly, the U.S. petitioner should send the applicant the properly-completed form. Petitioners should NOT send an affidavit of support directly to the U.S. Embassy, it will be discarded upon receipt.