Hey there. I got an unexpected RFE I thought I should share with you guys and ask for some advice.

My case was going very fast once it got to NVC and I was really feeling good about things, but today I find out that the NVC wants some information about my tax history. I sent them an I864EZ with three years of tax returns just to be on the safe side. I owed taxes on all three forms because I jack up my exemptions during the year to pay off bills or whatever, then when I send my annual 1040 I send a check. Bad idea I guess, because now NVC wants something from the IRS saying my account is paid to date. First of all I didn't think that sort of thing even counted for immigrations, and second of all, aren't they able to just look this stuff up directly if they want it? Is there no reciprocity or information sharing between these big government systems if they need to check on something? So now I called the IRS and asked them to send me confirmation of my account status, and they say it will take 14 to 21 days. Jeez Louise!

Have I just happened to get a jerk adjudicator? If I feel I am being given hassles about things that aren't supposed to be required, is there someone at NVC I can address an e-mail or letter to?

Bob

Bob,

First I've heard of something like this, and the NVC does not evaluate the financial information that is submitted - they simply check to see that all required documents are present. So I expect that you got an improperly trained clerk.

No, they are often not able to just look things up if they want it. Americans are concerned about their privacy and there are laws to protect many aspects of that privacy.

Yodrak

Thanks, Yodrak. So what do I do about it? Do I accept the hold-up and send the information? If I call NVC, do you think this can be resolved on the spot since it isn't supposed to be something they do? That's one heck of a training boo-boo.

Bob

One more question, Yodrak. Should I not bother NVC about this and just send the information whether it's an appropriate request or not, in anticipation of the embassy wanting it later?

I would at least call the NVC - I don't think it will bother or upset anyone And maybe you'll get someone smart on the line who can help you. It can't hurt to get extra documentation in case it's needed - but I think the decisions are already made by the time your file arrives at the embassy.

You're probably right. But at least if I tell myself that suffering a delay for this now might save me trouble later, I won't be so irritated about it. I'll call NVC this afternoon. Thanks, riblet.

Bob

Bob,

Good questions. I don't want to be responsible for anything adverse that might happen, so this is something that you can decide on your own or with the help of other VJers.

Yodrak

I would call the NVC, ask to speak to a supervisor and discuss the situation with him/her. If he/she does not agree that this information is not required by the NVC, ask to speak to another supervisor. Take notes on names, etc. of who you speak to and don't give up until you straighten it out! Good luck.

Personally.. I would request the TAX info from the IRS AND try to resolve the problem with the NVC.
If you resolve the problem while waiting on the IRS info? then GREAT! you are back on the fast track and have the TAX info for "just in case".
If not, then oh well, you did everything you could do, so just send the requested TAX info and wait.

Just my two kopecks.

Thanks, Gang. And Yodrak, I know what you mean. No sweat.

I called NVC and had a really nice little pow-wow with a supervisor. Ever notice that NVC staff are about 1,000 times nicer than the crew at CIS? Believe me, I thanked them for it this time!

The supervisor heard me out then told me the RFE shouldn't have happened, but she had to do some checking and would call me back about what they could do for me. She returned to me with the answer that they 'resolved' the RFE, but on a totally different issue the fact that I consistently jacked up my exemptions (my current number of exemptions is listed on each paystub I sent) beyond the household size I claimed on my I-864 could very well cause some serious questions and even AR later on.

$@%# I'm an idiot!

Bob

Bob,

I don't see why this should be a problem. The whole purpose of W-4 is to allow a tax payer to withhold the correct amount based on their circumstances. Number of dependents is only one of many factors that determines what one's proper withholding amount should be.

Yodrak

Bob, for what it is worth, I agree with Yodrak on this. The amount of your withholding should not have any impact on your I-864. It shouldn't even impact the validity of your tax filings. It clearly made you owe more at tax return time, but I'm sure the IRS will get theirs from you.

Hi, Bob. My uncle brought his wife from the Netherlands in April, and he also has always had his exemptions hiked up because he prefers to earn interest on the money all year rather than let Uncle Sam do the same. They did ask him about it at the interview and he told them the plain truth. He said the interviewer smiled and said "that's a good idea" and moved on to the next question. If you do get asked later just explain it honestly like you did here. They won't really care just as long as you answer their question.