Not enough evidence for ROC (split)

[Difolk 0]

Hello, I'm a French citizen and am married since 2014 with my husband, American citizen. I was given a green card in 2015 and have received recently my request letter to file a I-751 form for removal of conditions.

My problem is that my husband and I's situation doesn't provide enough documents to support the bona fide of our marriage, I believe.

We are really in love and happy but we still live at his parents' house for free, I don't have a driver's license (because I'm afraid of driving) so our car is really in his name only, so is the insurance. Our marriage is not recognized in France because we should have officially published the happening of it a certain amount of time prior to it happening according to French law but our marriage having happened spontaneously, we couldn't do so. We haven't been able to afford traveling back to France since our marriage here. We don't rent or own anything in common. We don't have children yet. We don't have health insurance. All of what we have in common is pictures together and with his family (not with my family because I haven't seen them in a while and also I don't get along with them), our joint bank account statement and our taxes filed jointly since the marriage. I do not know what I can provide to show for our real loving marriage. Im afraid that what we have is really not enough.

I will appreciate greatly your advices, I'm really worried. Thank you.

[Jawaree 717]

Have his parents issue you both a lease for the room, insurance with both your names at address .

bank account held jointly, a will making you both beneficiaries of each other stuff, utlity bill or phone

bill at address, statement from parents & friends its bonafide, all this could help

[Lemonslice 4,553]

No bank account, no credit card, membership, nor health insurance? Are you listed as each other's beneficiary anywhere? Will and other legal documents are relatively easy to do.

Not for ROC, but for your information, you can have your "Livret de famille" even if you didn't do the "Publication des bans" - just contact your local consulate. It does take a while, but it can be done.

[Difolk 0]

@ Cookiecat : thank you for all these advices. I think about trying to get my marriage to get recognized in France like you did but I got married in March 2014, and I'm not sure that the consulate would be as generous with me as it was with you, considering that you made your request only 1 month after your wedding, me it's been 2 years and 7 months. The truth is that like you I realized about it right after the marriage, but as I read about it that it was obligatory to be done PRIOR to the wedding, I thought that it was too late and that they would never grant it to me anyway. I pretty much abandoned the idea and thought that I would make a marriage in France one day. But if I have a chance at having my marriage recognized in France now, I'd love to try it, especially if it can be done on time for my removal of conditions file, which is due before the end of January 2017. Do you think that in my situation I have a chance? And in my position, what would you say in the apology letter, how would you explain the situation? By the way, if you are French, know that we can communicate in French, because I'm French too. I'm writing in English so that any other non-French person who follows the thread can understand the content.

I also consider making a will with my husband, I didn't think about it before. I hope it doesn't take too long to get done either.

And I'm gonna look into the car documents, if I have a chance at being added. Are you sure that you didn't have a driver's license when your husband added you? I do have a non driver's license from the DMV, but I don't know if that will be enough. And I intend in getting my license but I still have to practice and I won't have it early enough for the due date.

Thank you, I hope to receive your answer soon.

[Lemonslice 4,553]

Having your marriage recognized by France has zero impact on ROC. It's nice to have, for yourself... but USCIS does not care one bit.

Will, living will, being beneficiaries on each other's account, pension and benefits, you should be able do get those without too much trouble or expense.

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

You don't have any health insurance? Not obamacare, not medicaid? Nothing? Are you paying the penalty for not having it? Open enrollment is coming up in a week, maybe you guys should think about it.

Some other things to think about is mail addressed to both of you, cell phone plans, official type mail that is addressed to each of you but both showing the same address, Christmas cards from friends and relatives that are made out to you "Mr and Mrs French Couple, Merry Christmas!", boarding passes for trips, etc. Get creative with finding evidence.

Your non-driver ID will be perfectly fine if it shows the same address as your husband's driver's license. Photocopy both together.

[jjbandero 39]

You can do a will online in about 30 minutes, it does not have to be complicated. If you really don't have much else, you can have your in-laws write an affidavit stating that you are living with them as tenants and include when you started living with them. We also got a little creative with collecting mail that was addressed to us that showed the same address, in particular, we liked "official" mail e.g. jury summons (both my wife and I received them, even though she is ineligible to serve since she is not a citizen), Social Security statements. Lemonslice's advice is excellent, you should follow that.

Best regards