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I-864 defense to minimize your financial liability.

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OverviewWhere sponsor liability is contained.

We support local counsel in state or federal litigation involving the Form I-864 Affidavit of Support. Our work includes liability analysis, strategic defenses, and circuit-specific case law briefs. Although we do not appear in court, we equip counsel with the immigration expertise required to minimize or defeat I-864 exposure.

Deliverables
I-864 withdrawal, I-864 brief, and other memoranda
Timeline
Typically 1–2 weeks
Value
Minimizes or defeats your I-864 exposure.

Requires your retained local counsel and your financial records. Timelines depend on the complexity of the matter.

The ObligationsThe promises you made the government.

By signing Form I-864 you made three legally binding promises that can last indefinitely — here is what you committed to.

  • 01

    Financial support.

    You promised to financially support the immigrant at a minimum of 125% of the federal poverty line.

  • 02

    Reimbursement.

    You promised to reimburse any agency that provides means-tested benefits to the immigrant.

  • 03

    Change of address.

    You promised to update your address with USCIS within 30 days of any change.

The StakesWhat I-864 liability looks like.

Sponsors are routinely sued for breaching their I-864 obligations by attorneys who represent immigrants at zero upfront cost. Your potential annual liability, by household size:

1-person household
$19,950
2-person household
$27,050
3-person household
$34,150
4-person household
$41,250
5-person household
$48,350
6-person household
$55,450
$100k $200k $300k $400k $500k 051015 yrs $512,250 $299,250
  • Single immigrant
  • Immigrant + 3 children
Over 15 years, a sponsor could pay an immigrant $299,250 — or $512,250 if the immigrant brought three children. Keep in mind, this is your federal liability and may not account for any state-based obligations or collection costs.

An I-864 enforcement action is not to be taken lightly.

The liability is difficult to escape, even when fraud is suspected. It ends on a narrow set of terminating events — none of them within your control — and for some sponsors, it never ends at all. I-864 liability can last a lifetime.

Figures use the 2026 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 contiguous states and DC. Projections are modest and do not account for annual increases.

The ProcessHow we support your I-864 defense.

01

Assess Liability

We help you determine whether you are liable under the I-864. Before the obligation attaches, it can sometimes be eliminated outright — by withdrawing the sponsorship, no brief required. Once it has attached, the work shifts to minimizing it.

02

Calculate Exposure

If you are liable under the I-864, we help you determine your liability exposure, which depends on household size, prior contributions, and the applicable case law in your jurisdiction.

03

Develop Options

After identifying your liability exposure, we help you and your local counsel develop strategic and tactical options for minimizing your liability under the I-864.

04

Execute Decision

Once you select one or more options for minimizing your liability under the I-864, our firm helps you and your local counsel execute the actions required to achieve your goals.

Why Codias Law?Built for I-864 enforcement defense.

Form I-864 enforcement is a unique form of hybrid litigation — a federal immigration statute that is frequently enforced in state family court. Worse, the statute failed to define critical issues, leaving courts to form a patchwork of interpretations. We understand both the limits and opportunities to maximize your chances of success.

  • Expertise.

    I-864 enforcement defense is focused, recurring work for us. We research the unsettled questions deeply and build that work into a brief tailored to your case.

  • Capacity.

    Local counsel runs the litigation. We are the federal I-864 layer they rarely have in-house — carrying the liability analysis, the exposure math, and the briefing in parallel.

  • Speed.

    Experience cuts the learning curve. We arrive with deep understanding of the I-864 statute, so the defense takes shape in days and weeks, not months.

FAQs

Do you represent me in the I-864 lawsuit?
Your local counsel represents you in the I-864 lawsuit, not us. We provide litigation support in consultation with them — liability analysis, exposure calculations, strategy, and briefing. Your local attorney handles court appearances; we supply the immigration-law expertise that shapes the defense.
I already signed the I-864 — is it too late to do anything?
Signing the I-864 does not necessarily foreclose your options. Depending on the facts, liability can sometimes be eliminated before it attaches and in other cases minimized. We assess whether you are liable, calculate your exposure, and develop options with your local counsel.
Does a divorce end my I-864 obligation?
Divorce does not end the I-864 obligation — a common and costly misunderstanding. The duty ends only on specific terminating events. We help you understand which apply to your situation and how to limit exposure.
Doesn’t my I-864 obligation end after 10 years?
Not necessarily. The I-864 has no fixed term and ends only on a terminating event — most often the immigrant naturalizing, earning 40 qualifying quarters of work (about ten years of employment), or permanently leaving the United States. The ten-year figure comes from the 40-quarter rule, but no terminating event is within the sponsor’s control. If the immigrant chooses not to work, that event may never occur — and the obligation can continue indefinitely.
Can marriage fraud affect my I-864 obligation?
Yes. If the marriage was fraudulent, some courts have allowed fraud to be raised as a defense to I-864 enforcement — though that is jurisdiction-specific. And a fraud finding, whether through an annulment or a federal fraud report, can lead to the immigrant’s removal — itself a terminating event that ends the obligation.
Schedule

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Sixty minutes. One-on-one. No intermediaries.

Book a 60-minute consultation Conducted personally by Cody M. Brown, Esq.