Address and Income Questions

[Pennsylvania 0]

Thanks for your help with my previous questions.

We have two new questions that result from my particular situation:

1. Income Requirement: I am at a point in my career life where I am just graduating from law school. I was fortunate to have a position as a summer associate last summer at a major law firm, with a summer salary of $30,000. After graduation and bar passage, I will work from approx. late Aug/early Sept this year for one year as a judicial law clerk for a federal judge, with a salary of approx. $50,000 as well as federal benefits. After the conclusion of my year of clerkship (in Aug/Sept 2011), I will return to the firm where I worked as a summer associate for permanent, full-time employment, with a salary in excess of $145,000/year, again with benefits. I have letters from both the judge and the law firm confirming my employment for the respective time frames. I also have a tax return that shows my income from last year, again, around $30,000. At any given time my bank account shows around $8000-10,000, as well as perhaps $1000 in a savings account and $1200 more in savings bonds. Thus, my income, when viewed across this time frame, will be well above the requirements of the poverty line, but does anyone think that the combination of employment records (limited periods of time following each other) and schooling will present any kind of a problem? It is a normal phenomenon in the legal field to have this type of situation, and in fact is an indication of an extremely successful career to come (alleviating concerns of needing public benefits), but would anyone dealing with our K-1 paperwork need clarification about this?

2. Address: The same situation is causing many shifts in my address. Where I live now (near school) is not where I will live when studying for the bar this summer (different state), then working for the judge from 2010-2011 (different city, same state as school) and it is not where I will live when I finish working for the judge and work for the law firm beginning in fall 2011 (different state from school/judge, same state as where I will study for the bar this summer). We have no idea what to do about listing addresses on the forms -- should I put my current address (near school), the address where I will be living when working for the judge, or what? And what should I put for the address where my fiancee will be living? If all is approved and she comes while I'm working for the judge, I will have that address, but I don't have any address yet for where we would be living when I am working for the firm. I don't want to put the wrong addresses down but don't want this to hold up the process if there is an easy answer.

Thanks!!!!!!!!

[Brad and Vika 129]

None of this should be a problem, although the address changes may require some extra time to disclose. There will be a place to attach an explanation with your documents that will answer any questions USCIS or consular may have. Use the address where you live when you apply I think. You can change it later if necessary, and this would look no different than some one who moves around because of say, military service. Current address still means where you live now. It looks like you may need to make several changes to your address along the way - but I think mail forwarding during your summer job migh handle things. There is a procedure for making address changes, and no limit to how many you can make.

Remember that the purpose of the initial process (up 'till the interview) is simply to prove that you have met during the past two years and intend to marry. Along the way there is an investigation into your criminal background and fitness to sponsor, and hers to live here. That's it. Later in the process you may need to give more detailed explanations, but probably not. So long as your income on paper meets the requirements, the sporadic nature etc. probably won't be questioned.

[Bernie C 24]

Hope this works - below is a link to USCIS - Online change of address (or you can use AR-11)

My link

Some mail is not forwardable using standard change of address method with USPS so be sure to keep any change of address updated with USCIS while you are going through the process.

I never had to do this but others here are very familiar with that part - they will be able to advise better.

[SemperAye 2]

Wait a minute...now there is an income requirment for k1 visa??? Does anyone actually know what the requirement is or is it just speculation? I know that somewhere along the lines they will want to know that the sponcer will be able to suppor the beneficiary, how is this determaned cuz now im worried I make no more then 30k a year now that my hours at work have been cut, sometimes its less then that. Things have been tough for me, but after filing bankruptcy my income to expense ratio is great agian.

[Bernie C 24]

Wait a minute...now there is an income requirment for k1 visa??? Does anyone actually know what the requirement is or is it just speculation? I know that somewhere along the lines they will want to know that the sponcer will be able to suppor the beneficiary, how is this determaned cuz now im worried I make no more then 30k a year now that my hours at work have been cut, sometimes its less then that. Things have been tough for me, but after filing bankruptcy my income to expense ratio is great agian.

Yes there absolutely are guidelines. Attached is a link to the info for the I-864P guide used in conjunction with the I-864 for AOS. You want to meet this. The requirement for the I-134 I believe is 110% but since you'll need to meet this for AOS you might as well see if you do (some consulates want to see this requirement met anyway).

See link: My link

[SemperAye 2]

oh ok im good lol...geeze it so easy to get all worked up and worried ....breath in...breath out

[pushbrk 12,295]

Thanks for your help with my previous questions.

We have two new questions that result from my particular situation:

1. Income Requirement: I am at a point in my career life where I am just graduating from law school. I was fortunate to have a position as a summer associate last summer at a major law firm, with a summer salary of $30,000. After graduation and bar passage, I will work from approx. late Aug/early Sept this year for one year as a judicial law clerk for a federal judge, with a salary of approx. $50,000 as well as federal benefits. After the conclusion of my year of clerkship (in Aug/Sept 2011), I will return to the firm where I worked as a summer associate for permanent, full-time employment, with a salary in excess of $145,000/year, again with benefits. I have letters from both the judge and the law firm confirming my employment for the respective time frames. I also have a tax return that shows my income from last year, again, around $30,000. At any given time my bank account shows around $8000-10,000, as well as perhaps $1000 in a savings account and $1200 more in savings bonds. Thus, my income, when viewed across this time frame, will be well above the requirements of the poverty line, but does anyone think that the combination of employment records (limited periods of time following each other) and schooling will present any kind of a problem? It is a normal phenomenon in the legal field to have this type of situation, and in fact is an indication of an extremely successful career to come (alleviating concerns of needing public benefits), but would anyone dealing with our K-1 paperwork need clarification about this?

2. Address: The same situation is causing many shifts in my address. Where I live now (near school) is not where I will live when studying for the bar this summer (different state), then working for the judge from 2010-2011 (different city, same state as school) and it is not where I will live when I finish working for the judge and work for the law firm beginning in fall 2011 (different state from school/judge, same state as where I will study for the bar this summer). We have no idea what to do about listing addresses on the forms -- should I put my current address (near school), the address where I will be living when working for the judge, or what? And what should I put for the address where my fiancee will be living? If all is approved and she comes while I'm working for the judge, I will have that address, but I don't have any address yet for where we would be living when I am working for the firm. I don't want to put the wrong addresses down but don't want this to hold up the process if there is an easy answer.

Thanks!!!!!!!!

All this is good information but at the time you execute the I-134, you'll be asked to state your current income. That's the key answer and the most important thing to document.

[Pennsylvania 0]

None of this should be a problem, although the address changes may require some extra time to disclose. There will be a place to attach an explanation with your documents that will answer any questions USCIS or consular may have. Use the address where you live when you apply I think. You can change it later if necessary, and this would look no different than some one who moves around because of say, military service. Current address still means where you live now. It looks like you may need to make several changes to your address along the way - but I think mail forwarding during your summer job migh handle things. There is a procedure for making address changes, and no limit to how many you can make.

Remember that the purpose of the initial process (up 'till the interview) is simply to prove that you have met during the past two years and intend to marry. Along the way there is an investigation into your criminal background and fitness to sponsor, and hers to live here. That's it. Later in the process you may need to give more detailed explanations, but probably not. So long as your income on paper meets the requirements, the sporadic nature etc. probably won't be questioned.

Thanks much. This is great information. Just to clarify, are you suggesting that if I put my current address (Apr. 2010) for the place where she will live when she is here, that I can change this address when I have the correct address (definitely by late summer 2010) for where I will then be living? We know the city (I have a job there) but not the place yet. We don't want to delay filing for this reason if we don't have to.

[Pennsylvania 0]

Thanks much. This is great information. Just to clarify, are you suggesting that if I put my current address (Apr. 2010) for the place where she will live when she is here, that I can change this address when I have the correct address (definitely by late summer 2010) for where I will then be living? We know the city (I have a job there) but not the place yet. We don't want to delay filing for this reason if we don't have to.

A P.S. to this is that she is learning about the city where we will live after my move, not really about where I am living now, and of course we would want them to ask about that city in the interview (it would be just too confusing otherwise and seemingly nonsensical). Sorry if this is confusing but, of course, we want to do this right even if that involves waiting until I have a street address in the new location, but we'd prefer not to wait for that event if we didn't have to.