Co-mingling finances, but bank can't add alien?

[pushbrk 13,613]

Hey,

Ok, so it's tough to put a succinct, yet descriptive title.

We're preparing for our interview for my wife's conditional green card. We're adjusting status from a K-1 visa. I know co-mingling finances happens to be something strongly recommended to prove our legitimate relationship.

Unfortunately, our financial institution can not add her name to my account without a US passport or California ID. She can not get a California ID without her green card. Eeks, viscious circle! The financial institution states they can not do this due to the PATRIOT act.

Has anyone else encountered this?

A Social Security Card or ITIN notice from the IRS and Passport with visa, is all that's needed for most banks and certainly to satisfy the Patriot Act. Try another institution unless she has no SS Card or ITIN. Inability to comingle finances is not really a problem as long as you have other evidence of bona fides.

Our adjudicator specifically asked us for any documents evidencing co-mingling of assets.

Try another bank. They are blowing smoke about Patriot Act compliance. They just don't want to do it.

If you can't mingle cash, then find other ways to show your finances are co-mingled. There is no such thing as inability to comingle finances because there's always SOMETHING you can show.

It's AOS on a K1. It isn't necessary for the AOS.

A good idea where possible but not a requirement. Being asked doesn't dictate a specific answer is required in this context. "No, we were unable to open a joint bank account but we have done this...." is acceptable. The first thing we were able to do is add my wife to the gas bill, I think but the electric wanted an SSN. Even without comingling of finances, you can probably get by with any business mail sent to the same address. Making your spouse a beneficiary of insurance or 401k is also comingling of finances.

We did not do any of that for AOS. But, then, we filed almost immediately after we married.

We had him on my health insurance. We had some pictures. We had our marriage certificate. That's all we had time for.

LOC is a whole different story, thugh.

Having him on your health insurance is a form of comingling of finances too. I suspect if you did that, he was also the beneficiary to any 401k and/or life insurance. Again, you can do without any comingling of finance and you can do without an interview but if asked to show you live together, you'll need something with both your names on it. In your case, the same policy number on two insurance ID cards serves that purpose, in that it ties you together.

[rebeccajo 14]

Hey,

Ok, so it's tough to put a succinct, yet descriptive title.

We're preparing for our interview for my wife's conditional green card. We're adjusting status from a K-1 visa. I know co-mingling finances happens to be something strongly recommended to prove our legitimate relationship.

Unfortunately, our financial institution can not add her name to my account without a US passport or California ID. She can not get a California ID without her green card. Eeks, viscious circle! The financial institution states they can not do this due to the PATRIOT act.

Has anyone else encountered this?

A Social Security Card or ITIN notice from the IRS and Passport with visa, is all that's needed for most banks and certainly to satisfy the Patriot Act. Try another institution unless she has no SS Card or ITIN. Inability to comingle finances is not really a problem as long as you have other evidence of bona fides.

Our adjudicator specifically asked us for any documents evidencing co-mingling of assets.

Try another bank. They are blowing smoke about Patriot Act compliance. They just don't want to do it.

If you can't mingle cash, then find other ways to show your finances are co-mingled. There is no such thing as inability to comingle finances because there's always SOMETHING you can show.

It's AOS on a K1. It isn't necessary for the AOS.

JG - We AOS'd on a K1 and we were asked for co-mingling of assets.