Can You Cancel Immigration Sponsorship? Window and Obligations

Canceling immigration sponsorship is possible only inside a narrow window. You can withdraw the visa petition (Form I-130) or the Affidavit of Support (Form I-864) up until the immigrant’s adjustment of status is approved or their immigrant visa is issued at a consulate. After that, the sponsorship contract locks in, cannot be undone by divorce or a private agreement, and can bind you financially for a decade or longer.

When You Can Still Pull the Petition Back

Two filings are in play, and they close at slightly different moments.

The I-130 petition can be withdrawn any time before USCIS makes a final decision. Even after approval, withdrawal remains possible so long as the immigrant has not yet had Form I-485 approved or entered the United States on an immigrant visa. Once either happens, the petition has been used and there is nothing left to revoke.¹

The I-864 closes on a similar timeline. In an adjustment-of-status case, USCIS must receive a written withdrawal before it decides the adjustment application. In a consular case, the I-864 cannot be withdrawn after the consular officer issues the visa unless the petitioner also withdraws the underlying visa petition.²

The practical rule: if the immigrant already holds a green card, you cannot undo either filing.

How to Send a Withdrawal

Inside the window, the mechanics are simple. Send a signed letter to the office currently handling the case, whether that is USCIS or the National Visa Center. Include your name, the beneficiary’s name, the receipt or case number, and a clear statement that you are withdrawing. There is no dedicated form. Keep copies of everything, because those copies are your proof if the agency later says it never received the letter.

One separate duty applies regardless of any plan to withdraw. If you have already filed Form I-864 and you move, you must file Form I-865 (Sponsor’s Notice of Change of Address) within 30 days of the move.³ Failing to report a move can trigger civil penalties.⁴

What You Are Bound To Once the Window Closes

Form I-864 is a contract between you and the U.S. government. By signing it, you promise to maintain the sponsored immigrant at an annual income of at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for your household size.⁴ For 2026, that threshold is $27,050 for a household of two and $41,250 for a household of four.⁵

Three parties can enforce that promise against you: the federal government, any state or local agency that provides means-tested benefits to the immigrant, and the immigrant themselves.⁴

The Only Ways the Obligation Ends

The affidavit terminates on one of four events:⁶

The immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen.
The immigrant earns 40 qualifying work quarters under Social Security, roughly 10 years of credits. Credits earned by a spouse during the marriage or by a parent while the immigrant was under 18 can count, but only if the spouse or parent did not receive federal means-tested benefits during those quarters.⁴
Either the sponsor or the immigrant dies.
The immigrant gives up lawful permanent resident status and leaves the United States permanently.

Divorce is not on that list. Ending a marriage does not end the sponsorship obligation.⁷ A prenuptial agreement or a divorce decree cannot override the affidavit either, because the contract is with the government, not with your former spouse.⁶

Who Can Collect From You

If the sponsored immigrant receives federal, state, or local means-tested public benefits, the agency that paid can demand reimbursement from you. The main programs that trigger this liability are Medicaid, SNAP, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.⁸ The agency has discretion over whether to pursue you, but if you refuse to repay, it can sue.⁷ State Medicaid agencies in particular have been directed to enforce sponsor deeming and repayment rules, meaning they count your income when deciding whether the immigrant qualifies and can bill you for costs.⁹

The immigrant has an independent right to sue you directly in federal or state court to enforce the affidavit.⁴ This most often comes up after divorce, when the ex-spouse’s income drops below 125 percent of the poverty guidelines and they file suit for support at that level. You agreed on the form itself to submit to the jurisdiction of any federal or state court for that kind of action.⁶ Remedies can include ongoing payments up to the 125-percent threshold, back payments for months you fell short, and the immigrant’s legal fees.

Courts have consistently treated the I-864 as an enforceable contract rather than a statement of intent. A judge typically looks at whether the immigrant’s income fell below 125 percent of the poverty guidelines during the period in question, calculates the shortfall, and enters judgment for the difference. That judgment behaves like any other civil debt: it can affect credit, produce liens on property, and, in some jurisdictions, lead to wage garnishment.

What Happens to the Immigrant If You Withdraw in Time

If you withdraw before the green card is approved, the case stalls. Without an approved petition and a valid affidavit, the immigrant cannot show they will not become a public charge, which is a required step in the green card process.⁷

The immigrant’s options at that point are limited. Another qualifying family member could file a new I-130 and I-864. A joint sponsor who meets the income requirements could satisfy the affidavit without replacing the petitioner. An employment-based category may be available, though switching tracks usually means starting over. If the immigrant is in the United States on a temporary status that is about to expire, or has no lawful status, a withdrawal can force them to leave.

Alternatives Short of Canceling

If the concern is financial rather than a wish to end the immigration case, adding a joint sponsor may be the better move. A joint sponsor files a separate Form I-864 and takes on the same obligations you have. They must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, at least 18, domiciled in the United States, and their household income must meet or exceed the 125-percent threshold for the combined household size.⁶

Adding a joint sponsor does not release you. Both sponsors remain independently liable. What it does is satisfy USCIS’s income requirements when your earnings alone fall short, so the case can move forward without withdrawal.

If the petitioner dies before the immigrant receives a green card, the approved I-130 is automatically revoked, but a substitute sponsor can keep the case alive. The substitute must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or U.S. national related to the immigrant in one of the categories USCIS recognizes (spouse, parent, sibling, adult child, in-law, grandparent, grandchild, or legal guardian), and files a new Form I-864 with a request to reinstate the petition. The sponsor’s own financial obligation ends at death; the estate is not on the hook for ongoing support.⁶

Once the affidavit has become enforceable, there is no legal mechanism to cancel it. The only remaining question is whether one of the four statutory termination events occurs before a claim is filed against you. Planning around that reality, rather than looking for an exit, is where an immigration attorney’s advice tends to pay for itself.

1
USCIS. Adjudicator’s Field Manual – Section: 20.4 Petition Withdrawal
2
USCIS. Adjudicator’s Field Manual – Section: 20.3(h) Withdrawal of an Affidavit of Support
3
USCIS. Form I-865 Instructions
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1183a – Requirements for Sponsors Affidavit of Support
5
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. 2026 Poverty Guidelines – 48 Contiguous States
6
USCIS. Form I-864 Instructions for Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA
7
USCIS. Affidavit of Support
8
USCIS. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
9
Medicaid.gov. Sponsor Deeming and Repayment for Certain Immigrants