What Is the Purpose of Form I-134?
Some immigration benefits that involve a temporary stay in the United States require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to determine whether the applicant or beneficiary of the request has sufficient financial resources or financial support to pay for expenses during the temporary stay. The individual who signs and submits Form I-134 must establish that he or she has both sufficient financial resources and access to those funds to support the beneficiary listed on Form I-134 for the duration of the beneficiary’s stay in the United States.
Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, was previously titled “Form I-134, Affidavit of Support.”
Who Must File Form I-134?
Certain individuals applying for parole into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit who are not filing Form I-131 may also be required to submit this form. In such cases, Form I-134 is completed by an individual other than the beneficiary who is agreeing to financially support the beneficiary for the period of his or her temporary stay in the United States.
NOTE: Whether or not the beneficiary of this Form I-134 will have sufficient means of support while in the United States is an important factor in determining whether to exercise discretion to authorize parole. We require evidence that the beneficiary of this Form I-134 has financial support for the duration of his or her stay in the United States. Lack of evidence of financial support while in the United States is a strong negative factor that may lead to a denial of parole.
Who May File Form I-134?
You may file this form on behalf of yourself or on behalf of a B, F, or M nonimmigrant requesting an extension of stay or change of status.
Form I-134 may also be requested by the Department of State in certain instances. Do not use Form I-134 if the beneficiary you agree to financially support must have Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA, filed on his or her behalf instead.
Submission of Declaration
If you are agreeing to financially support more than one beneficiary, you must submit a separate Form I-134 for each beneficiary. You, as the individual agreeing to financially support the beneficiary, must sign your full name on the form.
WHAT THIS FORM CAN HELP YOU WITH
- Change My Nonimmigrant Status
- You are currently in the United States with a nonimmigrant visa;
- Your nonimmigrant status remains valid;
- You have not violated the conditions of your status; and
- You have not committed any crimes that would make you ineligible.
- Submit evidence and pay fees electronically;
- Receive notices from us electronically;
- Receive case status updates about your case and see complete case history;
- Communicate with us securely and directly; and
- Respond to requests for evidence.
- Read the instructions for Form I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status
- Complete and sign your Form I-539;
- Pay the filing fee and biometrics fees, if applicable; and
- Provide all required evidence and supporting documentation.
- Receipt notice confirming we received your application;
- Biometric services notice, if applicable;
- Notice to appear for an interview, if required; and
- Notice of USCIS decision.
- Extend My Nonimmigrant Stay
- Your nonimmigrant visa status remains valid;
- You have not committed any crimes that make you ineligible for a visa;
- You have not violated the conditions of your admission; and
- Your passport is valid and will remain valid for the duration of your stay.
- Submit evidence and pay fees electronically;
- Receive case status updates about your case and see complete case history;
- Communicate with us securely and directly; and
- Respond to requests for evidence.
- Read the instructions for Form I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status;
- Complete and sign your Form I-539;
- Pay the filing fee and biometric services fee, if applicable; and
- Provide all required evidence and supporting documentation.
- Receipt notice confirming we received your application;
- Biometric services notice, if applicable;
- Notice to appear for an interview, if required; and
- Notice of USCIS decision.
- Humanitarian Parole
- Read the instructions for Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, and the Form I-134, Affidavit of Support;
- Complete and sign your Form I-131 and Form I-134;
- Pay the filing fee for each parole applicant, if applicable;
- Provide all required evidence and supporting documentation.
- To receive an email or text message when we accept your form, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, and clip it to the front of the application.
- Receipt notice confirming that we received your forms;
- Biometric services notice, if applicable
- Notice to appear for an interview, if required; and
- Notice of USCIS decision.
To change your status while in the United States, you (or in some cases, your employer) must file a request with USCIS on the appropriate form before your authorized period of stay expires.
Eligibility
Generally, you may apply to change your nonimmigrant status if:
Until you receive approval from us, do not assume we have approved your request for a change in your nonimmigrant status. For example, if you came to the U.S. to work in a university, you cannot change your job until we have approved your Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. If you do, you might violate your current nonimmigrant status.
You can find your authorized status and the date your authorized period of stay in the United States expires in the lower right corner of your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record.
For more information on eligibility and exceptions that may apply, see the Form I-539 Instructions.
How to File
Applying for a change of status application depends on your nonimmigrant status. For a complete list of categories, read the Form I-539 Instructions.
You may file your Form I-539 online or by paper.
File online
Create a USCIS online account to file online and:
If you already have a USCIS online account, simply sign into your account to get started.
File by Paper
You must:
After You File
Once they receive your Form I-539, you will receive a:
If you want to extend your stay in the United States, we recommend that you apply at least 45 days before your authorized stay expires. If you remain in the United States after your authorized period of stay expires, you may be barred from returning, and/or you may be removed (deported) from the United States. You also may be required to apply for a new visa in the country of your nationality.
Eligibility
Generally, you may be eligible to apply for an extension of your authorized period of stay if:
You are currently in the United States with a nonimmigrant visa;
You can find the date your authorized stay expires in the lower right corner of your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record.
For more information on eligibility and exceptions that may apply, see Form I-539, Application To Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status Instructions, and our Extend Your Stay page.
How to File
You may file online or by paper.
File Online
Not all nonimmigrants are able to file Form I-539 online at this time. You can check your eligibility on our website. If you are eligible, you may create a USCIS online account to file online and:
If you already have a USCIS online account, simply sign into your account to get started.
File by Paper
You must:
After You File
Once they receive your Form I-539, you will receive a:
Parole allows an individual who may be inadmissible or otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States to be in the United States for a temporary period for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.
Eligibility
You may apply for humanitarian parole if you have a compelling emergency and there is an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit to allowing you to temporarily enter the United States. Anyone can file an application for humanitarian parole. If you do not have an urgent humanitarian reason for your visit, you must follow the normal visa-issuing procedures set by the Department of State.
You cannot use parole to avoid normal visa-issuing procedures or to bypass immigration procedures.
If you are currently in removal proceedings or have been previously removed from the United States, you must submit your request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please refer to Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, Instructions for details.
For more information, visit our Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole for Individuals Outside the United States page.
How to File
To apply for parole, you must:
Want status updates about your case? Learn how to create a USCIS online account to stay informed.
After You File
Once they receive your Form I-131 and Form I-134, you will receive a:
Contact Us
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