Bringing over foreigners on the K-1 fiance visa or the CR-1 spousal visa is not cheap. It takes thousands of dollars to complete. From the application and filing fee to the costs involved with necessary translations, travel to and from the consulate, medical exams, and other costs, the total keeps growing.
There is also an income requirement for the American applying so that Immigration knows the foreigner can be supported once they arrive in America. The minimum annual income is based on the household size, which for an individual would be $21,775 in all states except Alaska and Hawaii if that person is not serving in the military.
The minimum household income increases by just under $6,000 for every additional person in the household. For example, Tiffany is trying to bring over Ronald, and she has two dependent children, making her household size four. The minimum income requirement for Tiffany would then be $33,125.
If an applicant does not meet the minimum annual income, they will need an additional sponsor to cosign, stating that they will be financially responsible for the foreigner for what used to be 10 years but changed under the former administration to the rest of their life.
That is to say, if the foreigner runs up a hospital bill, the sponsor is responsible for paying it, if they get parking tickets and don’t pay them, it falls on the sponsor, and if the foreigner ever has to go on government assistance, the sponsor is financially responsible for paying that money back.
Each cast member on this list has different individual circumstances that led them not to meet the minimum annual income. With that said, those who don’t meet the minimum income requirement are considered to be barely above the federal poverty level.
Some of the 90 Day Fiance cast members on this list exhausted all their money during the K-1 visa process and had nothing left to qualify to bring their partner over, so they needed a cosponsor to continue the process. Other cast members on this list seemingly got their visa process bankrolled by friends or family members.
Either way, these 5 90 Day Fiance cast members did not qualify financially to bring their fiance over and needed to have a co-sponsor.
1. David Toborowsky
David hit rock bottom, and his life was in shambles after he divorced his wife of 21 years, lost his home and job, weighed over 350 pounds, and had a stroke. Once he physically recovered from his rough patch and lost a lot of weight, his friend Chris invited him to Thailand to get a fresh start.
Later, Chris was financially supporting his friend while they were in Thailand, even after Chris left Thailand and David stayed. Chris’ wife’s brother claims Chris financially supported David because he felt bad for him and was sympathetic to his situation.
When David met his future wife, Annie, Chris bankrolled their entire lavish engagement in Thailand, their wedding in America, and set David up with a place to live rent-free in Kentucky.
Chris was also Annie’s cosponsor to come to America without telling his wife, and when she found out, she was not happy and made Chris cut David off financially.
David and Annie struggled financially after, but that changed once they moved to Arizona and gained traction with their 90 Day Fiance fame. They have branched out into different successful endeavors. They seem to be financially stable, but Chris is still on the hook as Annie’s visa sponsor.
2. Kalani Faagata
Kalani had only ever worked in a group home for teen moms before she met Asuelu, so when she met him on vacation and became pregnant, it more than likely fell on her supportive parents to deal with the aftermath.
It came out on the current season of Happily Ever After? that Kalani’s dad actually had to co-sponsor Asuelu’s visa. Kalani and her dad went to see an immigration lawyer since Kalani has been thinking about divorce.
90 Day Fiance viewers had their suspicions that it was actually her parents’ money doing the work to bring Asuelu over since she never mentioned a job while being on the show. Since she had no income to support herself, and Asuelu didn’t come from any money, it made sense to assume that her parents foot the bill for everything on top of her dad’s responsibility as a cosponsor.
Kalani and Asuelu had yet another child and are still living with her parents in Utah. Kalani does not work and stays at home with the kids, while Asuelu originally worked part-time at a frozen yogurt store. He became a rideshare driver until he was involved in an accident, so it appears as though Kalani’s parents are still supporting both of them financially.
3. Rachel Walters
Rachel originally planned on sponsoring her husband Jon’s spousal visa herself, but she lost her job during the process and required a co-sponsor. She could get a friend to agree to be a co-sponsor, although the idea made Jon uncomfortable.
Rachel and Jon gave a positive update in September of 2020 and said that Rachel was able to get a job with a permanent work-from-home position to continue the visa process themselves.
This issue of needing a co-sponsor was not the only hurdle the fairytale couple faced in their fight to get Jon to America. Jon’s past criminal record was a major concern. It could potentially lead to complications and the need for a waiver during the application process so that a response could be delayed.
Rachel has an older daughter from a previous relationship, and that child’s father won’t let their daughter go to England, so that’s why they have had no choice but for Jon to come to America.
4. Nicole Nafzinger
Nicole poured all her time, money, and energy into her relationship with her Moroccan ex-fiance, Azan. Nicole has a young daughter that she also dragged through her failed relationship.
Nicole spent all the money she had going back and forth to Morocco, sending Azan money because he wasn’t working, and funding the entire visa process that was ultimately denied. Nicole even went so far as to give Azan money to open a store in Morocco, and that never even happened. This meant that she had nothing left as far as income to qualify for the visa and needed a co-sponsor.
Her mom Robbalee was very involved in Nicole and her granddaughter’s lives but refused to be a co-sponsor because she thought Nicole was making the wrong choices. Robbalee even went to Morocco when Nicole was supposed to be getting married and saw the situation for herself, so her decision not to support Nicole’s union with Azan was grounded.
Nicole eventually got her dad to agree to co-sponsor, but Nicole didn’t have enough money to continue the process, and her relationship with Azan didn’t last.
5. Tiffany Franco
In one of the latest episodes of Happily Ever After?, Tiffany had to ask her dad to co-sponsor her husband Ronald’s spousal visa because she didn’t qualify financially. Tiffany has said she makes money as a makeup artist but has not mentioned anything besides that.
Although he was reluctant after hearing about Ronald’s gambling addiction and previous arrests for the first time, her dad said yes. Tiffany’s dad was nervous about the idea of supporting Ronald financially because he has a track record of not being able to stay stable. Still, he did it to help his relationship with Tiffany.
Tiffany is close to her mom but says her mom not only does not like or trust Ronald but also has a lot going on herself. Tiffany was living with her mother before moving into her own apartment this season.
Tiffany has one child from a previous relationship, and she has one child with Ronald. It opens up the question, how does she support her family? If she doesn’t make the minimum income requirement to qualify for the visa, what kind of help is she getting? She is either making some money from her 90 Day Fiance fame, getting help from her parents, or getting government assistance.
90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? airs Sundays at 8/7c on TLC.