IMPORTANT UPDATE — MARCH 9, 2021: Both the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) public charge rule and the Department of State (DOS) public charge policy are currently not in effect. The DHS rule was halted on March 9, 2021, while the DOS policy was paused indefinitely on July 29, 2020. This page reflects those policies, which initially took effect on Feb. 24, 2020, and will not be immediately updated according to the previous, longstanding guidance issued in 1999. Learn more.
When completing the financial support form (Form I-864), the sponsoring spouse (and joint sponsor, if any) needs to provide U.S. federal income tax returns from the previous tax filing year.
The spouse seeking a green card from within the United States, as well as each household member, must also include their most recent tax returns as part of Form I-944 (officially called the “Declaration of Self-Sufficiency”).
The spouse seeking a green card from outside the United States, using Form DS-5440 (officially called the “Public Charge Questionnaire”), must submit their most recent tax return only if they filed taxes in the United States.
Learn more here about who needs to provide tax documents with a marriage-based green card application.