Gathering Evidence for AOS Interview

[FromJapan 0]

Hi there, my laywer gave us list of things to get between now and AOS time. My wife works for a company that provide us with free internet phone etc, but they cannot get both of our name on the bill. They do wired things like (her first name) (my first name initial) (her maden name) (her last name). If anyone have experience of gathering this sort of evidence could you please tell us how I could go about ordering utilities and have them put both of our name? We so far had no luck with AT&T QWest and CleaWire.

PS

We live in apartment where water, swer, garbage, and electrics are included and we don't get to pay those invidicually.

PPS

How bad is it if we don't have any bills at all other than our rent payment?

PPPS

List of thing lawyer told us to collect: 20 pictures (over the shoulder shots), 10 bills, 10 cancelled checks

Edited September 28, 2008 by FromJapan

[JeffnBhing 0]

I just put my Bhing on my bank accounts, that's it. 2 reasons I don't put her on anything else, #1, I cant.. unless I close all accounts and then re-open them in both names it is not possible, they are very fussy and specific about this especially the stupid cable place. #2, I don't want to put her on the bills and especially the mortgage due to the financial economy If things get as bad as I think they will and I end up owing I do NOT want her to be obligated for the debts I incur in the the process. She does not have a well paying job, why should she be obligated... completely unfair.

How will AOS look at this: #1, I can't afford her, #2, I am protecting her, #3 are we a real couple?, #4, if in doubt they can speak to us in private, nothing to hide. If the relationship is based on dual names being legitimate then I can show them my divorce papers of prior american relationships based on monetary greed.

I believe it is luck of the draw and if you are worried if a name is present on a bill makes a relationship than there is more to it than a "real" relationship.

I don't worry about it, see #1 above, thats what will be the snag, all other worries are tossed aside when the first red flag is held high.

Good luck to you both.

[tanyaru 3]

Hi there, my laywer gave us list of things to get between now and AOS time. My wife works for a company that provide us with free internet phone etc, but they cannot get both of our name on the bill. They do wired things like (her first name) (my first name initial) (her maden name) (her last name). If anyone have experience of gathering this sort of evidence could you please tell us how I could go about ordering utilities and have them put both of our name? We so far had no luck with AT&T QWest and CleaWire.

PS

We live in apartment where water, swer, garbage, and electrics are included and we don't get to pay those invidicually.

PPS

How bad is it if we don't have any bills at all other than our rent payment?

PPPS

List of thing lawyer told us to collect: 20 pictures (over the shoulder shots), 10 bills, 10 cancelled checks

You can also add cell phone transcripts, boarding passes from joint trips if any, greeting cards to both of you, your wife`s health insurance cards if it is covering you, etc.

[FromJapan 0]

You can also add cell phone transcripts, boarding passes from joint trips if any, greeting cards to both of you, your wife`s health insurance cards if it is covering you, etc.

Good idea. My wife has health insurance. I need to order cell phone service.

[Dakine 26]

Sometimes not that easy.

Interview from another site.

We showed up for our interview yesterday and this is how it went: This is a long post.

Sworn in by the officer. Short fat middle aged woman. The first question that comes out of her mouth is directed to Theresa. "Do you know there is more than 20 years age difference between you two"? Hmmm.

Asks us how we met. Asks me how many times I have been married. Asks when I first went to the Phils. Asks if I met her family. Asks how they felt about the marriage. Asks when I proposed. Asks who else lives with us. Asks how my son gets along with Theresa.

Then she asks for proof of a genuine marriage. I told her Theresa hasn't applied for SS# yet because we didn't see a pressing reason to have it as she had no desire to work until she had adjusted to married life and America better. We were just waiting for the green card to go to SS office. She asks if we have a joint bank account I say no. Can't get that without SS# and honestly it isn't that important to function right now. She asks if we have joint assets like if I had deeded my real estate assets jointly. I said no and didn't get into the reasons. She asks if we have some joint bills. I told her we don't have any bills including utilities since we live in an apartment above my business all the utilities come in the business name. She asks if her name is on my credit cards I say no not yet. She lectures us "That's the way functional marriages work, you have joint assets and bills" Suddenly this ridiculous woman not wearing a wedding ring is an expert on "functional marriages" I bite my tongue and just listen. There was no reason we could think of as we don't use credit cards. Car insurance? I said no she doesn't drive and isn't ready to learn yet. She asked if I had a will showing Theresa as beneficiary. I told her I was waiting until Oct. when my son turns 18 to redo my will as it will change then anyway, that way we can have a while to live together before doing that but I plan to do it in Oct. She asks if Theresa is on my health ins. I said no because my Insurer told me there is a six month wait which is this week but not until the 27th. Also need SS# for that but not a worry since will have that soon. Asks if I have named her beneficiary of my life insurance. I told her I need SS# for that too but am not worried since that estate planning will go along with my will which I am doing in Oct after Jordan is 18 and I don't have to plan for his needs as a minor. I told her my oldest son is still beneficiary of my life insurance but I informed him several months ago that I currently have no will since my marriage to Theresa in march nullifies my prior will. I told her I instructed my son that if by some act of god I die before then that Theresa and I have discussed what she would do and she would want to return to phils. I told my son to give her a sum of money and send her back if that happens. He hugged me and told me OK. I told her I trust him and besides it was just a stop gap measure. I asked her to pick up the telephone and call my son on his cell phone. Told her to give him a pop quiz about our home life, I don't object. She got upset with me. Told me it is not her job to "do my legwork", it's me that has to prove myself, not her.

So she asked me what proof I do have our marriage isn't a fraud? I told her I have a marriage certificate from Lane County Oregon. She said that doesnt count as anything. I told her I had a lot of pictures of us together since we were married. She said OK let me see them. I handed her a stack of about 35 pictures taken on different days and different settings. About 25 of them were just Theresa and I and the others were with different people. She thumbed through them for about 20 seconds and said. "all I see here is pictures of two people, that doesn't prove anything". "We see a lot of fraud in here". I said with all due respect ma'am my guess would be fraudulent people would know every nuance of your system and have every single example of so called documentation on your list. We're just simple folks who happen to be busy and didn't worry too much about a bunch of silly things that don't serve a real purpose to our life together right now. I told her I would have done all that stuff but it wouldn't have proved anything and it didn't seem reasonable we would be questioned as frauds without a few of them. She said "many people do all that stuff just for this interview". OK. She asks if we have EAD and I tell her no we didn't apply for it since Theresa had no intentions to work until at least the time she will receive her green card anyway. She informs me that most people get the EAD anyway. I ask her I am supposed to know this how? And how is this relevant to what we are doing here? I am getting very agitated by now but still calm. She then told us a story of a couple from Florida that she interviewed yesterday and the woman had been taking driving lessons from the husband and crashed. The husband was killed and didn't have a will to protect her. We didn't ask how it was the dead man from Florida had been there with his wife yesterday. The anecdote was too bizarre.

So she says there is no way she can approve Theresa's green card without better proof. She says I will have thirty days to get it to her. I get out my passport and tell her to look at it. I went to the Philippines three times last year to see my fiancé. She says, "that's nice" and doesn't look at it. I lose my composure and say this is nonsense Ma'am. She stands up and says "who does these interviews all day you or me"? I bring up concerns about providing all this documentation in the thirty days she has allocated because we need an SS# before I can do most of it. She asks if I have any pictures of our wedding. I take one out of the same stack she looked through and hand it to her. She asks if I have any that don't just have the two of us in it. I take out about 8 more from the same stack she already looked at. She says this is more like it and makes some photocopies of about ten of them not seeming to notice they are the same pics she already inspected. She asks if we have two sets of keys to our house with us. I tell her no Theresa doesn't have her own keys as we rarely lock the house as Coos Bay is very safe. She scowls. She says she is going to go talk to her supervisor and will be back and leaves the room. Some where along this whole thing she unstapled Theresa's I-94 from her visa and puts it on her desk. We don't ask why but while she is gone Theresa points it out to me that she took her I-94 and wonders why. She comes back and says she wants to interview us separately and tells me to go back to the waiting area. I am not sure what is going on but it turns out she is doing a QA to compare our answers. When she calls me back in Theresa is sent to the waiting room. She asks me the same questions she asked Theresa She asks what time we went to bed last night. I tell her eight. She asks what time we got up I tell her ten after three. She asks who got out of bed first I tell her Theresa but only by a minute as we had to leave by four. She asks what color are sheets are and I tell her they are plaid, blue and red. She asks where in our home we put the dirty clothes. I tell her in a basket behind the door in our master bathroom. She asks if Theresa drinks a beverage in the morning. I tell her she doesn't like coffee but will have hot chocolate sometimes. She asks what about me. I tell her I drink coffee. She asks me what i have in it. I tell her just half and half, no sugar. She asks the names of all my siblings and where they live. I answer. She asks how many phones and TV's we have in the home. I explain it to her in detail. She asks about tattoos and scars on both Theresa and I. I answer. I later learn Theresa and I answered every question the same down to the minute details. I also learn that she again asked Theresa about her financial security in private. Theresa told her she married me and not my assets and if I am gone she is gone back to Phils. The woman shakes her head and says "Theresa you're not taking care of yourself, If John is real he won't be offended for you to press him to make sure you are the beneficiary of all his assets". Theresa is very offended. So anyway after I answer all the questions she gives me a paper and says. 'I'm going to give you an extra month to get the rest of the documents I need to me'. Shows me where on the paper is the address to send the "proof to". Tells me she just wants to make sure I am going to "Take care of" Theresa. Thanks me and tells me to go. I had already resigned to just go along with her since all the stuff she is asking for I need to do anyway so no big deal..........Until we are driving down the highway the next day and realize the woman did not return the I-94 to her visa. Without it Theresa can't get an SS# or apply for an EAD even if she wants to. We go to SS office and confirm, no I-94 no SS#.

[Cassie 8]

The three things that you have show evidence of in the AOS process are:

you got married

you have a legitimate, ongoing relationship

you live in the same residence

When we went to our AOS interview, we had only been married for 7 months, so not a lot of time to get stuff in both our names, etc. So I took alternate forms of proving the above. We only had one bill in both our names at that point, I wasn't on the deed of the house (but I could prove that I lived there), I was on Jerry's health insurance, he was the beneficiary on my life insurance, we submitted a joint tax return, and so on. The example that Haole posted above showed what NOT to do. He had an answer for why nothing was done other than getting married, and the adjudicator wasn't convinced. You have to show them that you are merging your lives together like a married couple does. Now the ways that they look for may not make sense to you, but that matters not, you gotta do what you gotta do.

[Reba 2]

At our interview we didn't have anything other than our marriage certificate and the NOAs from USCIS. We were unable to put my name on any of the bills (couldn't fit my name in the space according to the utilities), my name was not on the deed to our house, my name isn't even on my cell phone bill, his is.

They didn't even ask to see any of it. But then, we'd already been married 3 years by the time we got sorted thru USCIS for the K3, I guess they figured if we suffered the process that long we must be the real thing.

[FromJapan 0]

At our interview we didn't have anything other than our marriage certificate and the NOAs from USCIS. We were unable to put my name on any of the bills (couldn't fit my name in the space according to the utilities), my name was not on the deed to our house, my name isn't even on my cell phone bill, his is.

They didn't even ask to see any of it. But then, we'd already been married 3 years by the time we got sorted thru USCIS for the K3, I guess they figured if we suffered the process that long we must be the real thing.

That's true, sometime they say they cannot do joint account or have no extra space to put 2nd person's name... We came up so far 1) wife's life insurance -- I am beneficial 2) wife's health insurance which covers me. I seems like there are different way to show that we are really living together (phew) so I'll keep on adding things to our collection of evidence. Thank you. Must do it for luv.

Edited September 29, 2008 by FromJapan

[FromJapan 0]

So I took alternate forms of proving the above. We only had one bill in both our names at that point, I wasn't on the deed of the house (but I could prove that I lived there), I was on Jerry's health insurance, he was the beneficiary on my life insurance, we submitted a joint tax return, and so on. The example that Haole posted above showed what NOT to do.

Yes! I must do whatever I can for me and my wife. I also realized that our lease (apartment) got both of our names on it so I will be able to use that too! I'll buy life insurance once I get EAD and join residency program and totally file joint tax return Thank you.

[FromJapan 0]

the woman did not return the I-94 to her visa. Without it Theresa can't get an SS# or apply for an EAD even if she wants to. We go to SS office and confirm, no I-94 no SS#.

Thank you for sharing your experience. This whole situation must have been difficult for you and your wife. I hope that you will get I-94 back and will be able to collect all the evidence. Me and my wife is now convinced that we should be on safe side and spend extra money to get the evidence we need to stay together!

[Kang Lang 7]

i was able to add my husband to the following bills without any trouble at all:

1) cell phone (at&t) is the provider

so the bill comes my name on one line and his name on the second

and looks like:

Mrs Kang Lang

Mr. Kang Lang

2) cable, internet, phone provider (Comcast

on one line

Kang Lang and Mr. Kang Lang

3) PG&E bill was the only place that requested to even speak to him and they even said if need be they could get a thai interpreter.

asked him: do you understand you are now financially responsible for this bill no matter what

are you ok with that

next bill came in both names

I also got him authorized user cards on some of my cc accounts so if for some reason they need to they can see we comingle financial responsibilities outside monthly bills

hope that helps and good luck!

[FromJapan 0]

i was able to add my husband to the following bills without any trouble at all:

<snip>

I also got him authorized user cards on some of my cc accounts so if for some reason they need to they can see we comingle financial responsibilities outside monthly bills

hope that helps and good luck!

Yes! This is a great help (because you gave me information on specific providers and how they format husband & wife names). I am also glad to find out how to get two card on one cc account. Thank you & good luck to you !