Domicile Question

[Justin&Alicya 0]

Hi everyone!

The interview for my wife is coming up fast! I'm living in Poland with my wife, waiting with her until she gets the visa. I'm not working here nor am I registered here. I'm here on a tourist visa. When the NVC completed our case, they said we still need to bring proof of domicile to the interview. We're having trouble acquiring much proof of this. So far what we have is my flight itinerary for Aug. 12th, and a letter from my brother stating that we will be living with him until we get on our feet. I don't have a bank account right now because they closed it due to inactivity. I tried opening one with no success because I'm not present in the US. I'm not sure how seriously they take a flight itinerary as proof that I intend to live in USA for the "Foreseeable Future". Our argument on this is that I'm only here because my wife's here, and we couldn't stand to be apart for more than a couple months. All of my family is waiting for us to finally get to the US, the only problem is it's hard to prove that. I've read a bunch of other threads about the domicile question, and there aren't many things that I read about that I can do in my situation.

Here are my questions:

1. Do you think what I have is enough?

2. Is there a way that I can prove that I'm not registered here?

-I was thinking maybe she could show them my passport with the tourist visa stamp or maybe they have a way of checking if I'm registered here.

3. Should I register to vote?

If anyone has some advice on this, or knows from experience whether or not we should try to get more evidence, please let me know!!

We're stressing out about this because if she doesn't get the visa approved on the 2nd then we'll have to be separated again until they approve it

Thanks in advance!!

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hi everyone!

The interview for my wife is coming up fast! I'm living in Poland with my wife, waiting with her until she gets the visa. I'm not working here nor am I registered here. I'm here on a tourist visa. When the NVC completed our case, they said we still need to bring proof of domicile to the interview. We're having trouble acquiring much proof of this. So far what we have is my flight itinerary for Aug. 12th, and a letter from my brother stating that we will be living with him until we get on our feet. I don't have a bank account right now because they closed it due to inactivity. I tried opening one with no success because I'm not present in the US. I'm not sure how seriously they take a flight itinerary as proof that I intend to live in USA for the "Foreseeable Future". Our argument on this is that I'm only here because my wife's here, and we couldn't stand to be apart for more than a couple months. All of my family is waiting for us to finally get to the US, the only problem is it's hard to prove that. I've read a bunch of other threads about the domicile question, and there aren't many things that I read about that I can do in my situation.

Here are my questions:

1. Do you think what I have is enough?

2. Is there a way that I can prove that I'm not registered here?

-I was thinking maybe she could show them my passport with the tourist visa stamp or maybe they have a way of checking if I'm registered here.

3. Should I register to vote?

If anyone has some advice on this, or knows from experience whether or not we should try to get more evidence, please let me know!!

We're stressing out about this because if she doesn't get the visa approved on the 2nd then we'll have to be separated again until they approve it

Thanks in advance!!

IMHO, you have enough. A US citizen leaving a country where he has been visiting on his tourist visa and traveling with his immigrant wife is probably enough. Both factors points to you bringing your immigrant wife home to the US. Why would you travel with her when she is immigrating to the US if you didn't intend to live there? Seems odd. Doesn't seem to make sense for you to fly her over to the US to live and then you leaving the US.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

You were obviously living in the US before you went to Poland to visit. Where were you living? Can you prove it? Did you keep that residence while you've been abroad? Can you prove it? Have you been filing your taxes in the US, and not filing as a US citizen living abroad? Can you prove it?

What they want to see is that you have anchors put down in the US, and that you didn't pull up those anchors when you went abroad. If you quit your job and moved out of your apartment before leaving the US then you're not domiciled in the US. That doesn't disqualify you, but it does mean you have to prove you've taken steps to reestablish domicile on or before the day your wife enters the US as an immigrant.

A flight itinerary proves nothing. I can make an itinerary on Travelocity in about 2 minutes without actually purchasing tickets or traveling anywhere. The letter from your brother will be taken with a huge grain of salt. He's your brother. They presume he'd be willing to lie for you. It would be slightly more compelling if it was a rent agreement rather than simply a letter, and if he included proof you'd paid him a deposit for the initial rent.

There was a girl on VJ a couple of years ago with a husband in Israel, and she had the same problems. They were denied at the interview because she couldn't prove domicile. She had a letter from her father stating they planned on living with him, but the consulate didn't buy it. She ended up returning to the US briefly to rent an apartment and open a bank account.

[ffp 2]

It is possible to open bank account online. I can not remember how my friend did it. But he open account online. So I would guess search for online banking. You can try use bankrates.com (search for saving accounts) or something like that to try find the right bank. Tight that bank account to your brothers place.

I hope this will help.

[Anh map 2,098]

Hi everyone!

The interview for my wife is coming up fast! I'm living in Poland with my wife, waiting with her until she gets the visa. I'm not working here nor am I registered here. I'm here on a tourist visa. When the NVC completed our case, they said we still need to bring proof of domicile to the interview. We're having trouble acquiring much proof of this. So far what we have is my flight itinerary for Aug. 12th, and a letter from my brother stating that we will be living with him until we get on our feet. I don't have a bank account right now because they closed it due to inactivity. I tried opening one with no success because I'm not present in the US. I'm not sure how seriously they take a flight itinerary as proof that I intend to live in USA for the "Foreseeable Future". Our argument on this is that I'm only here because my wife's here, and we couldn't stand to be apart for more than a couple months. All of my family is waiting for us to finally get to the US, the only problem is it's hard to prove that. I've read a bunch of other threads about the domicile question, and there aren't many things that I read about that I can do in my situation.

Here are my questions:

1. Do you think what I have is enough?

2. Is there a way that I can prove that I'm not registered here?

-I was thinking maybe she could show them my passport with the tourist visa stamp or maybe they have a way of checking if I'm registered here.

3. Should I register to vote?

If anyone has some advice on this, or knows from experience whether or not we should try to get more evidence, please let me know!!

We're stressing out about this because if she doesn't get the visa approved on the 2nd then we'll have to be separated again until they approve it

Thanks in advance!!

Think big picture. Big picture = obtaining the visa.

Time to get serious about assembling the proof needed to obtain the visa. There have been exhaustive discussions here on VJ about the domicile question with members posting extensive lists of what has been submitted to establish domicile.

You may need to return to the US and get a job, open a bank account, obtain a drivers license, register to vote, etc.

It's nice that you want to be close to your wife. If living together in the US is the goal, you may have to spend a few weeks apart.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Think big picture. Big picture = obtaining the visa.

Time to get serious about assembling the proof needed to obtain the visa. There have been exhaustive discussions here on VJ about the domicile question with members posting extensive lists of what has been submitted to establish domicile.

You may need to return to the US and get a job, open a bank account, obtain a drivers license, register to vote, etc.

It's nice that you want to be close to your wife. If living together in the US is the goal, you may have to spend a few weeks apart.

:thumbs: x2

[Justin&Alicya 0]

Thanks a lot for all the info. Does anyone know how to open a bank account online from abroad? If there's a way then I have to do it.

Also, is it possible to register to vote online, or would I have to be in the states?

[Scott & Ale 3]

Thanks a lot for all the info. Does anyone know how to open a bank account online from abroad? If there's a way then I have to do it.

Also, is it possible to register to vote online, or would I have to be in the states?

Each state is different for registering to vote...you will have to check your state's website.

Ally bank or Schwab banks will all be 100% on-line, but they will send you a signature form by mail for you to sign which you could have sent to your brother....you will need to fund the bank account and have activity