Skip to main content
Legal DIY & Cost Estimator

Methodology · Immigration & Other

Immigration & other methodology

Reviewed by · Last reviewed .

Page in progress.

Immigration anchor calculators are on the post-launch backlog. Likely candidates: I-864 Affidavit of Support sponsor income requirement (125% of federal poverty guideline by household size — INA §213A); USCIS filing fee total (per-petition filing fee schedule + biometrics + premium processing under INA §286(u)); naturalization continuous-residence timing (5-year / 3-year rules under INA §316). The immigration income requirements specifically may be reviewer-gated for prescriptive sufficiency-of-evidence guidance — calculator math itself is shippable as estimation; case-strategy guidance is not.

When this section ships, expected coverage: Affidavit of Support sponsor income math (Form I-864) including joint sponsor + asset-as-income substitution at 5x ratio; USCIS fee table cross-referenced by petition type (Form I-130, I-485, I-765, I-131, N-400, etc.); Form I-944 declaration-of-self-sufficiency math (currently vacated under post-2021 rulemaking, but historically based on public-charge factors). For any non-trivial immigration matter, consult a licensed immigration attorney — USCIS adjudication is highly fact-specific and prescriptive math has limited value.

Sources we'll cite

  • INA §213A (Sponsor Affidavit of Support) — 8 USC §1183a
  • INA §286(u) (USCIS filing fee schedule) — 8 USC §1356(u)
  • INA §316 (Naturalization residence requirements) — 8 USC §1427
  • HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines (annual update; drives I-864 125% threshold)
  • USCIS Policy Manual + Form Instructions (per petition type)
  • EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review) — practice manual reference

Back to methodology overview.