Joint checking account problem.

[BrianJenny 0]

OK my question is: One of the things they list as proof a bonified marrage exhists is the sharing of financial resources, such as having a joint checking or saving account. I have found this to be impossible, and am still searching for a solution. Here is my specific circumstances. My wife is Philippino and I am American. She lived and worked in South Korea. She has a bank account in South Korea. When I was living together for 6 months in South Korea we tried endlessly to set up a joint checking or savings account, but in South Korea that is impossible, since they do not have checking accounts, and the savings accounts only can have one name on it. I even tried at my bank Citi Bank in South Korea, and was told we can't because the Citi banks in South Korea are not tied with banks in the US, and I can't even open up a new account there because of tax reasons in a foreign country. So I was told that I would have to apply for a joint account with Citi Bank when I got back to the United States, which I did. I got the proper paperwork, and was told by two supervisors this is all I needed to do. I sent the forms to my wife to sign, and she sent them back. This cost me 100 dollars for the fast shipping because I was told I had 15 days to do it. I got the papers together with copies of birth, passports, etc. They sent off to Texas to process. I waited after 4 weeks got nothing. Called a dozen times kept being told it takes time, till the one day I was told it was denied, and additional paperwork needed to be done. I was told we needed a pay stub from her employer, or a bank referance letter from her bank in South Korea. By now my wife was back in the philippines having our first child. First, she never got checks from her employer, secondly after asking her bank in south Korea they will not issue a bank referance letter unless she is there in person, with identification. So after two months of trying and 100 plus dollars still no joint checking account. Has anybody been able to get this done, and please list your bank, so I can drop citi bank after the run around they have given me, and waisted money, oh yes they also said I would have to do the whole process over again, with the signature cards etc, so more money and waiting for a month once again, but they made it impossible to accomplish this. Any ideas or help would greatly be appreciated. Plus im tired of western union. Thank You.

[Carol and Bruno 0]

OK my question is: One of the things they list as proof a bonified marrage exhists is the sharing of financial resources, such as having a joint checking or saving account. I have found this to be impossible, and am still searching for a solution. Here is my specific circumstances. My wife is Philippino and I am American. She lived and worked in South Korea. She has a bank account in South Korea. When I was living together for 6 months in South Korea we tried endlessly to set up a joint checking or savings account, but in South Korea that is impossible, since they do not have checking accounts, and the savings accounts only can have one name on it. I even tried at my bank Citi Bank in South Korea, and was told we can't because the Citi banks in South Korea are not tied with banks in the US, and I can't even open up a new account there because of tax reasons in a foreign country. So I was told that I would have to apply for a joint account with Citi Bank when I got back to the United States, which I did. I got the proper paperwork, and was told by two supervisors this is all I needed to do. I sent the forms to my wife to sign, and she sent them back. This cost me 100 dollars for the fast shipping because I was told I had 15 days to do it. I got the papers together with copies of birth, passports, etc. They sent off to Texas to process. I waited after 4 weeks got nothing. Called a dozen times kept being told it takes time, till the one day I was told it was denied, and additional paperwork needed to be done. I was told we needed a pay stub from her employer, or a bank referance letter from her bank in South Korea. By now my wife was back in the philippines having our first child. First, she never got checks from her employer, secondly after asking her bank in south Korea they will not issue a bank referance letter unless she is there in person, with identification. So after two months of trying and 100 plus dollars still no joint checking account. Has anybody been able to get this done, and please list your bank, so I can drop citi bank after the run around they have given me, and waisted money, oh yes they also said I would have to do the whole process over again, with the signature cards etc, so more money and waiting for a month once again, but they made it impossible to accomplish this. Any ideas or help would greatly be appreciated. Plus im tired of western union. Thank You.

I don't know how much my story will help, but here it is. When my fiance arrived on his K-1 visa, we went to my credit union to have his name added to my account. They added his name, but I couldn't get an ATM card until we had his social security number. Once we received the social security number, we returned to the credit union and they added his information and printed a card on the spot. No problems at all.

[moonhunt 1]

Usually employees from South Korea doesn't get pay stubs as we do from U.S.

Some company provides the details of pay stubs, but others don't care much about it because most of paycheck deposited to their bank account directly.

Employees may receive pay stub, but they usually throw out to trash can.

But South Korean uses different record to verify their employment and salary information.

They have tax payment record - so called Gab-geun-se - from employer, which employer did for local IRS kind branch.

So she could ask employer, or former employer to get tax payment record for her.

That will prove her employment and salary information.

And probably she also can ask Human Resource to provide employment verification letter.

But since you are not joined with your sweetie, it is not mandatory data you should provide, I believe.

Consular officer will understand the situation.

One thing you can do without much trouble is that you can add her to authorized user of your credit card.

Then make the copy of Credit Card for you and your sweetie along with credit card statement bearing your address and credit card account number.

Plus if you can add your sweetie to your medical insurance, and others, that will be good additional data to support your financial responsibility sharing duty.

Also, you can add her to your life insurance benefitionary and show that, too.

OK my question is: One of the things they list as proof a bonified marrage exhists is the sharing of financial resources, such as having a joint checking or saving account. I have found this to be impossible, and am still searching for a solution. Here is my specific circumstances. My wife is Philippino and I am American. She lived and worked in South Korea. She has a bank account in South Korea. When I was living together for 6 months in South Korea we tried endlessly to set up a joint checking or savings account, but in South Korea that is impossible, since they do not have checking accounts, and the savings accounts only can have one name on it. I even tried at my bank Citi Bank in South Korea, and was told we can't because the Citi banks in South Korea are not tied with banks in the US, and I can't even open up a new account there because of tax reasons in a foreign country. So I was told that I would have to apply for a joint account with Citi Bank when I got back to the United States, which I did. I got the proper paperwork, and was told by two supervisors this is all I needed to do. I sent the forms to my wife to sign, and she sent them back. This cost me 100 dollars for the fast shipping because I was told I had 15 days to do it. I got the papers together with copies of birth, passports, etc. They sent off to Texas to process. I waited after 4 weeks got nothing. Called a dozen times kept being told it takes time, till the one day I was told it was denied, and additional paperwork needed to be done. I was told we needed a pay stub from her employer, or a bank referance letter from her bank in South Korea. By now my wife was back in the philippines having our first child. First, she never got checks from her employer, secondly after asking her bank in south Korea they will not issue a bank referance letter unless she is there in person, with identification. So after two months of trying and 100 plus dollars still no joint checking account. Has anybody been able to get this done, and please list your bank, so I can drop citi bank after the run around they have given me, and waisted money, oh yes they also said I would have to do the whole process over again, with the signature cards etc, so more money and waiting for a month once again, but they made it impossible to accomplish this. Any ideas or help would greatly be appreciated. Plus im tired of western union. Thank You.

Edited December 7, 2008 by moonhunt

[Boorai 0]

HSBC is your easiest solution for a joint account. They offer an on-line account that can be shared jointly and one can tranfers funds from ANT account into that HSBC account. Since HSBC is a large service provider in the Philippines, she can easil withrdraw money directly from an HSBC ATM.

I have done this and it has served as our joint acccount and is a very good way to get money to my wife without ANY fees...such as with Western Union and others.

[BrianJenny 0]

HSBC is your easiest solution for a joint account. They offer an on-line account that can be shared jointly and one can tranfers funds from ANT account into that HSBC account. Since HSBC is a large service provider in the Philippines, she can easil withrdraw money directly from an HSBC ATM.

I have done this and it has served as our joint acccount and is a very good way to get money to my wife without ANY fees...such as with Western Union and others.

THANK YOU BOORAI, and others for your replies!!!

I will look into HSBC. I was hopeing there would be a bank somewhere where we could just setup a account, but so far I haven't been able to find any, just the constant run around, or find hidden fee's they don't tell you about, or they require a social security number, which of course she doesn't have.

As far as her last Employer. They won't do a thing to help us, they won't give her anything because they are resentful because she quit after giving them notice of two weeks, they were discriminatory towards her, and the owner also loved to sexually harrass my wife, and right in front of his wife. The things that employers do in

South Korea are considered here in the great United States as on the job sexual harrassment. When an employer constantly says sexual remarks, and also touches an employee with unwanted contact, such as rubbing of shoulders, and rubbing her back, or hugging, and touching her legs, and doing this right in front of his own wife who also works there is really something that can't and won't happen here in the US because there are laws that protect women here. My wife told her employer many times to not touch her, it would work for a few days then he would start doing it again. My wife was also very scared of loosing her job if she complained to the labor board there.

Now for the real fun part regarding her wonderful employer. She was there on a work visa, which needed to be renewed. He told her he took care of it, but he lied. We didn't find this out till she tried to fly home to the Philippines. Immigration told her that her work visa was never renewed. After hours of talking and showing paperwork to immigration, they understood, and gave her the exit stamp on her visa. I lived with my wife for 6 months in South Korea, and they were very memorable, and I loved it there, but there were also at times difficult situations that I had to deal with. I understand it is a different culture from here in the USA. It's a very modern, and hi tech country, and the people there are very wonderful, but they are also still doing things from the past and havent kept up with the 21st century, and I also realise that some things just take time. At times I was very frustrated by the way the banking industry is there. They still have the mentality that the man is head of the houshold, and the wife doesn't have equal rights.

Well I want to thank everyone for your responses

THANK YOU!