Interview in 2 weeks...

[Tithen 4]

And probably for no reason... but here's a few reasons why.

Idiot lawyer submitted all originals to USCIS.

So his 2010 tax return (the one our I-130 is based on) is sitting with them somewhere. We don't have the copies of the 2 prior years, we were told we didn't need them... but now I worry. They're sitting on my dresser 500 miles away and we aren't going back to our apartment until July.

We have not filed 2011 tax returns, and won't be filing for a while as we've got extensions. My Canadian papers are lost in the mail (they were forwarded to me on February 29th, and I don't have them, and they weren't returned to the sender).. and I'm still trying to get new copies in time to file my taxes. I have all his W2's and the like, but we wont' be filing until sometime this summer.

We don't take a lot of photos. Well no, I take a lot of photos, but I'm not in them. We have not had a single photo of the two of us taken since our wedding in September. We don't have social lives, so there really isn't anyone who's going to catch us in photos. I have more of us, but they were all taken at the same time as the ones already submitted to them. Wish I'd have taught the kiddo how to use the camera this winter....

We had planned a second, larger wedding this summer (we eloped so the person we credit with us being together could be there), but thanks to Idiot lawyer and her insistence that an AP wouldn't happen, we had to call it off because we weren't sure I could travel in time to get arrangements made. We also realized we were happy with the one we'd already had, and would feel better doing a vow renewal in 5-10 years.

No long form birth certificate for me, and unable to obtain one in time (I don't seem to be getting my mail from Canada, so even if we paid for it, I probably wouldn't get it). Lawyer insisted that we didn't need one so we didn't bother. So far no RFE about it though.

We don't have many co-mingled things. Our leases are in both names. Our tenant's insurance is in both names. But that's pretty much it. We have pay as you go phones, so it's separate bills. Our bank refused to let us do a joint account because I didn't have an SSN when we opened it, and it's 500 miles away and they require you to come into the office to do paperwork (it's a Credit Union). He's had some issues with National banks (or his ex did, in his name...) and the Credit Union's locally have some very strange requirements so we can't even go out and get an account together here. Power and Net companies have told us that they only do one person's name, and our car insurance company can't even insure me until I have a Wisconsin license (that's where our policy is, we're in Ohio until June).

Because we have pay as you go phones, we cannot obtain copies of his phone records. He was the one who always called me. So while I can make guesses from my phone records as to which ones are his, I can't prove it. His company won't cough up the details unless we get a court order or a subpoena.

Attempted to get a letter from his job saying his hours, what he makes etc.. and they told us they won't do that for their contract workers.... so all we've got are his pay stubs.

AND to top it all off.. got a letter from our lawyer tonight that she's going on Maternity leave next week until the end of May. You'd figure since it's only been 3.5 months since we signed our contract with her that she'd have informed us she was pregnant knowing that our Interview should be occurring while she would be away? I mean, yay she's having a baby, but we'd have gone with someone else had we known.

What has been submitted previously (was submitted in December):

Husband's birth certificate (long form)

marriage certificate

photos

Tenants insurance in both our names

Lease in both our names

Our airline tickets

husband's divorce certificate

my birth certificate (short form)

copies of our passport biographic pages

my medical exam

2010 tax return (and totals for 2009 and 2008)

Bank statement

paystubs for 2011

What we will take with:

any photos that might help

W2's for 2011 for him

Pay stubs for 2012 for him

copies of a photo book we had made

his divorce judgement (just in case)

the copy of the packet the lawyer sent is (just in case)

both birth certificates

both passports

my ead and ssn

all papers received from uscis

Do you think we've got it all covered? Is there anything that I'm not thinking of that we should have? Am I over thinking this and should go to bed and stop thinking about it?

[jdh 103]

I think you are probably fretting a little bit too much.

Not too many Canadians are trying to get into the US through a fraudulent marriage....

It seems like you have enough, to me. Do you have everything they ask for on the interview document they sent you? If so, you should be fine.

[Tithen 4]

the only thing on the list that we dont have is the original documents of the copies we submitted.. cause THEY have the originals and I've got copies.

[Moomin 292]

Bring the copies to the interview, explain the situation and ask if they'll take the copies you have so you can get your originals back.

Sometimes, you can add your name to the address on file but not to the account itself when it comes to accounts/paying bills. Adding your name to the title of the vehicle instead of insurance when they won't add your name to that. Baby steps you know. But 2 weeks away from the interview, I'm not sure how that'll look however.

Good luck! I hope everything will turn out fine and it's just the stress talking. FOR ROC, you're probably better off sending your lawyer a postcard, and doing your own paperwork.

[SOflaherty 40]

I wouldn't worry to be honest. Canada isn't a high fraud country, and if they were going to RFE you they likely would have done it by now. We don't have a lot of joint stuff that way either, because of his not having a SSN, but I'm pretty sure they understand that.

[Tithen 4]

Bring the copies to the interview, explain the situation and ask if they'll take the copies you have so you can get your originals back.

Sometimes, you can add your name to the address on file but not to the account itself when it comes to accounts/paying bills. Adding your name to the title of the vehicle instead of insurance when they won't add your name to that. Baby steps you know. But 2 weeks away from the interview, I'm not sure how that'll look however.

Good luck! I hope everything will turn out fine and it's just the stress talking. FOR ROC, you're probably better off sending your lawyer a postcard, and doing your own paperwork.

Van is titled in Wisconsin, we're currently living in Ohio while he works.

Yeah we wont be using a lawyer again for immigration stuff. I'm sure with the help of VJ we can figure out the ROC ourselves. We will be filing a complaint with both her firm and the state bar about the situation as well, since she's giving me incorrect information to start with.

And I will def take my packet with me. I'd really like some of the stuff back (like the airline tickets). I'm a really sentimental person and keep all that. The rest they can have, I'm not worried about the pictures we sent or even the marriage certificate (we ordered extras for that purpose), those things can be replaced. It's hard to replace the tickets .

But they can keep those tickets if they'll change my GC to my married name rather than my maiden (stupid lawyer!!!!!) If not, my lawyer better be coughing up the fee to do that.

[Moomin 292]

You're AOS'ing from a tourist visa so you'll have an interview. You can ask them there to change the last name and hopefully it'll be no problem.

I've read a few stories about those lawyers. They seem to fudge up the situation from time to time.

[Tithen 4]

You're AOS'ing from a tourist visa so you'll have an interview. You can ask them there to change the last name and hopefully it'll be no problem.

I've read a few stories about those lawyers. They seem to fudge up the situation from time to time.

I'm aware I'm having an interview.. it's in two weeks and what this topic was about.......

[Moomin 292]

I'm aware I'm having an interview.. it's in two weeks and what this topic was about.......

It's just a matter of stating the fact - some don't always have interviews depending on which visa they're adjusting from.

[kittenkaboodle 1]

And probably for no reason... but here's a few reasons why.

Idiot lawyer submitted all originals to USCIS.

So his 2010 tax return (the one our I-130 is based on) is sitting with them somewhere. We don't have the copies of the 2 prior years, we were told we didn't need them... but now I worry. They're sitting on my dresser 500 miles away and we aren't going back to our apartment until July.

We have not filed 2011 tax returns, and won't be filing for a while as we've got extensions. My Canadian papers are lost in the mail (they were forwarded to me on February 29th, and I don't have them, and they weren't returned to the sender).. and I'm still trying to get new copies in time to file my taxes. I have all his W2's and the like, but we wont' be filing until sometime this summer.

We don't take a lot of photos. Well no, I take a lot of photos, but I'm not in them. We have not had a single photo of the two of us taken since our wedding in September. We don't have social lives, so there really isn't anyone who's going to catch us in photos. I have more of us, but they were all taken at the same time as the ones already submitted to them. Wish I'd have taught the kiddo how to use the camera this winter....

We had planned a second, larger wedding this summer (we eloped so the person we credit with us being together could be there), but thanks to Idiot lawyer and her insistence that an AP wouldn't happen, we had to call it off because we weren't sure I could travel in time to get arrangements made. We also realized we were happy with the one we'd already had, and would feel better doing a vow renewal in 5-10 years.

No long form birth certificate for me, and unable to obtain one in time (I don't seem to be getting my mail from Canada, so even if we paid for it, I probably wouldn't get it). Lawyer insisted that we didn't need one so we didn't bother. So far no RFE about it though.

We don't have many co-mingled things. Our leases are in both names. Our tenant's insurance is in both names. But that's pretty much it. We have pay as you go phones, so it's separate bills. Our bank refused to let us do a joint account because I didn't have an SSN when we opened it, and it's 500 miles away and they require you to come into the office to do paperwork (it's a Credit Union). He's had some issues with National banks (or his ex did, in his name...) and the Credit Union's locally have some very strange requirements so we can't even go out and get an account together here. Power and Net companies have told us that they only do one person's name, and our car insurance company can't even insure me until I have a Wisconsin license (that's where our policy is, we're in Ohio until June).

Because we have pay as you go phones, we cannot obtain copies of his phone records. He was the one who always called me. So while I can make guesses from my phone records as to which ones are his, I can't prove it. His company won't cough up the details unless we get a court order or a subpoena.

Attempted to get a letter from his job saying his hours, what he makes etc.. and they told us they won't do that for their contract workers.... so all we've got are his pay stubs.

AND to top it all off.. got a letter from our lawyer tonight that she's going on Maternity leave next week until the end of May. You'd figure since it's only been 3.5 months since we signed our contract with her that she'd have informed us she was pregnant knowing that our Interview should be occurring while she would be away? I mean, yay she's having a baby, but we'd have gone with someone else had we known.

What has been submitted previously (was submitted in December):

Husband's birth certificate (long form)

marriage certificate

photos

Tenants insurance in both our names

Lease in both our names

Our airline tickets

husband's divorce certificate

my birth certificate (short form)

copies of our passport biographic pages

my medical exam

2010 tax return (and totals for 2009 and 2008)

Bank statement

paystubs for 2011

What we will take with:

any photos that might help

W2's for 2011 for him

Pay stubs for 2012 for him

copies of a photo book we had made

his divorce judgement (just in case)

the copy of the packet the lawyer sent is (just in case)

both birth certificates

both passports

my ead and ssn

all papers received from uscis

Do you think we've got it all covered? Is there anything that I'm not thinking of that we should have? Am I over thinking this and should go to bed and stop thinking about it?

my husband (USC) was able to open a joint account for us and he filed taxes jointly using my tin number since i dont have a ssn yet.