USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) published a new edition of Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, which became mandatory on the same day of its publication, without any transition period. Starting August 31, 2026, any form from the previous edition (10/17/24) mailed or submitted electronically will be rejected. The change affects three forms simultaneously: the main I-864, the I-864A (used when a family member adds their income), and the I-864EZ (simplified version), all now with the edition dated 08/24/26.
The main innovation is the inclusion of a block of text above the sponsor's signature, which expressly authorizes USCIS and the State Department to consult the sponsor's credit report and credit score from Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. The goal is to assess whether the sponsor has the actual financial means to support the immigrant, reinforcing the commitment to a minimum income of at least 125% of the federal poverty line.
The change may cause problems for those who have a credit freeze, a free security measure adopted by many people after data breaches. If credit is frozen at any of the three agencies, USCIS may not be able to access the necessary information and the process may stall. However, there is no minimum credit score required by immigration law, and negative credit information must be disclosed to the sponsored immigrant, who will have an opportunity to respond before any decision is made.
All other parts of the form remain unchanged: the minimum income rules, the household size calculation, the rules for using assets and property, and the co-sponsor obligations all remain the same. The recommendation for sponsors is to download the form directly from the USCIS website, verify that all pages bear the correct edition, check whether there is a credit freeze at any of the three agencies, and keep the address updated with the agency.
