As of March 9, 2021, USCIS has discontinued the use of form I-944. On Nov. 2, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois vacated the Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds.
A US Credit Report used to be a mandatory document for the USCIS Adjustment of Status Process as part of the evidence requirements of form I-944. With the introduction of form I-944, USCIS intended to assess whether a person would be financially sufficient (financial stable) to live in the U.S. without having to seek financial aid or government assistance in the United States.
The credit report was used to evaluate whether the person’s debts and payments would make financially risky and have them fall under the federal poverty level guidelines. In order to show financial stability, a household (comprised of Immigrant and Family Members) would have to show how much money was earned in the most recent Federal Income Tax Return, overall annual income, together with the credit report and debt statements were then used to evaluate overall financial stability.
It used to be very important to include at least one of the credit reports from the three major reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) with your green card application or application to adjust status in order to allow the immigration officer to evaluate your financial stability and avoid delays in the process (request for evidence RFE).
However, in a nutshell, the USCIS Immigration Officer would use this information to determine that the filing/household is likely to be unstable and fall under the poverty level, then the officer will request the I-945 immigration bond (an $8100 immigration bond or the Immigrant would face deportation).
If you have questions or concerns regarding providing your Credit Report to USCIS or regarding the I-944, please schedule a consultation with our Immigration Law Office.
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