First, try to figure out how much will you be paid in unemployment benefits: it might be still enough to keep you above the poverty guideline. If it is not, take a good look at your assets (real estate, savings accounts, IRAs, stocks, bonds, etc., car, jewelry) The rules allow you to rely on your assets for affidavit of support purposes if you are short on income; $5 in assets are equivalent to $1 in income. It might not sound very promising, but, if your income is just a few hundred dollars short of the guideline, the scraped together assets might do the trick. If not, you have 2 options: a) to postpone filing for your wife until you find a new job, or b) to look for a co-sponsor. I would not recommend filing now as if you still have a job: this is dishonest, and is bound to become clear at the interview (where you will have to show a letter from your company confirming your continued employment, and pay stubs for the most recent 2-3 months). You are asking USCIS to believe you that your marriage is real, and that you will take care of your wife so that she would not become a public burden; being caught lying by that agency is not a good idea. Bringing in a co-sponsor after filing the case is, technically, possible, but you will have very hard time justifying it to USCIS unless you had a change in your financial circumstances after you filed the petition.
Answered on Mar 20th, 2013 at 9:20 AM