When is a sponsor responsible for public benefits received by a sponsored immigrant (LPR)?
A sponsor’s responsibility for your public benefits begins as soon as you become an LPR based on a Form I-864 filed by your sponsor. When does a sponsor’s responsibility for your public benefits end? Your sponsor’s responsibility for your public benefits ends when one of the following occurs: • You become a U.S. citizen. • You are credited with 40 quarters (approximately 10 years) of work history according to the records of the Social Security Administration, either based on your own work or the work of a spouse or parent. (An LPR can receive credit for 40 quarters from a spouse during marriage, a significant other if the couple is living together as if married, and/or the LPR’s parents for any work performed before the LPR turned 18 years of age.) • You leave the U.S., permanently abandoning your residence. • You or your sponsor dies. If any of these events occurs, the sponsor’s income is no longer deemed available to you (counted as your income) when you are seeking public benefits.
