Is it too late to get life insurance now for RFE?

[atom99 0]

Hi,

Haven't posted in two years since my wife got her conditional GC on July 6 2011, really appreciate all the help we got around that time.

We were married in Feb 2010. We filed for I-751 in late April, and got the dreaded RFE in August. We have no kids, and here are the things we've submitted:

--One bank letter confirming that we've had a joint checking/savings account since 2008

--copies of joint car titles and joint car insurance

--Affidavit of support from a relative and a best friend

I guess I took it too easy for the I-751, and thought the removal of condition would be a walk in the park. Boy was I wrong! Anyway, after reading through many topics in this forum, now I know I should get more monthly bank statements instead of just one confirming letter. So I've collected 2 monthly statements per year since our marriage date of 2010, with detailed daily transactions. I've also obtained tax transcripts from IRS since 2010, and we filed jointly in those years.

Since I read that USCIS want us to show that we co-mingle our finance, I'm thinking about getting a life insurance policy for my wife. My question is: is it too late to do this now, and submit it as extra evidence? I'll buy a substantial one, like 1/2 million dollars coverage. I'm just wondering if the Immigration Officer might ask "why are you doing this in the last minute?". Or is it still better to go ahead and do it, as it is better than nothing at all?

Thanks a lot everyone, any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

[Apsj29 2]

Ya I'm actually in a somewhat similar situation regarding proving stuff. I was thinking about adding my hubby on my credit card and do my will which will naturally have him in it, but I wonder how it will look. Maybe in your case you might say that you couldn't afford to purchase a life insurance just yet but the timing is a bit too coincidental. But not having extra back up is worse. So I'm conflicted. Maybe someone else will chime in at some point and we'll see.

[Navyk 78]

Hi,

Haven't posted in two years since my wife got her conditional GC on July 6 2011, really appreciate all the help we got around that time.

We were married in Feb 2010. We filed for I-751 in late April, and got the dreaded RFE in August. We have no kids, and here are the things we've submitted:

--One bank letter confirming that we've had a joint checking/savings account since 2008

--copies of joint car titles and joint car insurance

--Affidavit of support from a relative and a best friend

I guess I took it too easy for the I-751, and thought the removal of condition would be a walk in the park. Boy was I wrong! Anyway, after reading through many topics in this forum, now I know I should get more monthly bank statements instead of just one confirming letter. So I've collected 2 monthly statements per year since our marriage date of 2010, with detailed daily transactions. I've also obtained tax transcripts from IRS since 2010, and we filed jointly in those years.

Since I read that USCIS want us to show that we co-mingle our finance, I'm thinking about getting a life insurance policy for my wife. My question is: is it too late to do this now, and submit it as extra evidence? I'll buy a substantial one, like 1/2 million dollars coverage. I'm just wondering if the Immigration Officer might ask "why are you doing this in the last minute?". Or is it still better to go ahead and do it, as it is better than nothing at all?

Thanks a lot everyone, any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Yes, joint account covering full period along with tax transcripts are great for joint finances. The next very important one is regarding joint-stay together for the full period - like lease/s or mortgage or a letter in case of stay with parents.......

Insurance with spouse as beneficiary is good but the above 3 are more important ones. Look for any existing evidence/s - like 401K or Medical coverage.....

[ryna 132]

If your situation suggests that you need life insurance, buy it. But USCIS can't dictate what purchases you have to make if they don't make sense in your personal case. I'd look into collecting more evidence of existing financial co-mingling before I'd buy something (if it's unnecessary in your case) just to show to USCIS.

My wife just filed and we went fairly light on statements - only 2-3 per year for each joint account, same for the utilities which allow two names on an account (some don't), car loan papers/ car registration, auto & health insurance info, IRA beneficiary letters, joint tax return,etc. If they want more, there is plenty but they don't need a play-by-play of our financial life (IMO).

Edited September 25, 2013 by ryna

[ryna 132]

And don't sweat the RFE too much. Up to this point, we haven't had a single RFE requesting more info yet we were always the last ones (from the VJ monthly-filing groups, of course) for both the I-129F/K-1 (>6 months) and the AOS (>8 months) to be approved. Meanwhile, we saw those with multiple RFEs who filed at the same time, or after, sail right by us and on to the next step. At least the RFE means they are giving your case attention. So, send them some extra existing proof and everything will be fine.

[Darnell 8,478]

2 monthly statements per year? that's not enough, IMO.

Think of the bank statements on that joint account as a living journal of your comingling of finances.

Print each monthly statement from marriage date to yesterday.

So what if it stacks at 3 inches? So What? It's a continual journal, from marriage date to yesterday. Get all months, submit all months.

---

IMO, evidence generated after RFE issuance date will be seen as 'scramble for more' . So, life insurance issued after the RFE issuance date, will be seen in a bad light by the adjudicator.

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also - you should take a look at any utility that has both names, then get monthly versions of that utility bill, from date of marriage to date of ROC submittal.

---

also - it's good you finally got the tax transcripts. Bad form, alas, for not turning those in with the original ROC submittal. IMO (and others) that's the thing that triggered the RFE, as that collection is the 'bare minimum' when filing.

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[ryna 132]

2 monthly statements per year? that's not enough, IMO.

Think of the bank statements on that joint account as a living journal of your comingling of finances.

Print each monthly statement from marriage date to yesterday.

So what if it stacks at 3 inches? So What? It's a continual journal, from marriage date to yesterday. Get all months, submit all months.

---

IMO, evidence generated after RFE issuance date will be seen as 'scramble for more' . So, life insurance issued after the RFE issuance date, will be seen in a bad light by the adjudicator.

---

also - you should take a look at any utility that has both names, then get monthly versions of that utility bill, from date of marriage to date of ROC submittal.

---

also - it's good you finally got the tax transcripts. Bad form, alas, for not turning those in with the original ROC submittal. IMO (and others) that's the thing that triggered the RFE, as that collection is the 'bare minimum' when filing.

---

[Darnell 8,478]

ryna ? what's up? Thanks for fully quoting my post.

[olaru_steve 1]

Atom99,

As navyak said earlier in the thread, there are three things very important for AO to confirm that your marriage was in fact entered into good faith.

1) proof of living together since you were married

2) Proof of financial co-mingling such as joint back account(s).

3) Joint tax filing

Now lets take one at a time from above bullet:

If you are living together, you should have utilities bills, so send utility bills along with your appt lease doc if you haven't purchased house. If you were living with parents, you need a letter from your parents confirming that you were living with them throughout your marriage - in this case you may not have utility bills in your and your spouse name.

Proof of financial co-mingling would joint bank account. So print about one statement per quarter or so. If you have other documents such as joint credit card etc. that would be even more helpful.

Other important component is joint tax fillings. Include all the joint tax fillings since your marriage.

Besides above documents: you can include both of your ids which show common residence (address). Health insurance if any, If your wife is covered under auto insurance policy vice-versa.

Hope this would help you.

[ryna 132]

ryna ? what's up? Thanks for fully quoting my post.

Don't know what happened there... And too late to edit...

We sent 2-3 for each year from each joint account, spanning the duration of our marriage, including when she had to use her maiden name still because the SSA wouldn't let her take my last name until she at least had her EAD in hand... I personally, think it's enough (along with our other evidence, financial and otherwise). Anyhow, we shall see...

[Darnell 8,478]

Ya, OK - I understand your POV.

It's not MY POV, though. I did post my POV, so that's a plus.

[ryna 132]

Ya, OK - I understand your POV.

It's not MY POV, though. I did post my POV, so that's a plus.

And, I posted your POV again.

Now that I'm thinking about it, and we didn't include it in our ROC, but would the fact that we registered our marriage in my wife's home country count for anything in our favor? (If we should need something else). Since we took the K-1 route, registering our marriage in her country wasn't necessary at all (from an immigration standpoint). But it means that if it weren't legit, we'd have to divorce in 2 countries because, as I understand it, being legally married in any country is considered legally married in the U.S. (and Colombia doesn't recognize U.S. divorces in Colombian marriages, so a U.S. divorce would mean we're still married there.) I mean, no one who married only for U.S. immigration purposes would add an additional layer of complication to it. At least, that's my way of thinking.

Additionally, in our case it was an indirect method of co-mingling assets.. Since Colombia doesn't recognize foreign marriages unless they are registered, without doing so, I'd have zero legal standing when it comes to the property she owns (we own) there. I still can't be put on the deed/mortgage because I'm neither Colombian nor resident of Colombia, but at least my interest in the property is protected (as well as any next-of-kin rights for both of us when we are in Colombia!)

Now, I don't know the OPs situation, K-1 or CR-1, so it may or may not apply to his case, or if they even registered their marriage in her country (if K-1). Remember, while the focus can be on financial things, the real requirement is to prove the legitimacy and good faith of the marriage and that proof exists in many forms.

Of course, USCIS thinks differently than normal people and my reasoning may be way off base with respect to a (pre-RFE) foreign registration of your marriage but it got me thinking about it as additional evidence.

Edited September 25, 2013 by ryna

[David & Diana R 1,005]

Hi,

Haven't posted in two years since my wife got her conditional GC on July 6 2011, really appreciate all the help we got around that time.

We were married in Feb 2010. We filed for I-751 in late April, and got the dreaded RFE in August. We have no kids, and here are the things we've submitted:

--One bank letter confirming that we've had a joint checking/savings account since 2008

--copies of joint car titles and joint car insurance

--Affidavit of support from a relative and a best friend

I guess I took it too easy for the I-751, and thought the removal of condition would be a walk in the park. Boy was I wrong! Anyway, after reading through many topics in this forum, now I know I should get more monthly bank statements instead of just one confirming letter. So I've collected 2 monthly statements per year since our marriage date of 2010, with detailed daily transactions. I've also obtained tax transcripts from IRS since 2010, and we filed jointly in those years.

Since I read that USCIS want us to show that we co-mingle our finance, I'm thinking about getting a life insurance policy for my wife. My question is: is it too late to do this now, and submit it as extra evidence? I'll buy a substantial one, like 1/2 million dollars coverage. I'm just wondering if the Immigration Officer might ask "why are you doing this in the last minute?". Or is it still better to go ahead and do it, as it is better than nothing at all?

Thanks a lot everyone, any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

My spouse has been here with me in the US for two months. We already have a (1)joint credit card, (2)joint checking account, (3)joint bank loan, (4)joint Costco membership and a (5)joint lease on our residence. We are beginning to accumulate evidence and will continue to do so for the next two years. Good luck with your process. I wish you peace.

Aloha Ke Akua

[atom99 0]

Hi, thanks everyone for the quick response. I've decided to go ahead and purchase life insurance for my wife, just for my own peace of mind. But I'll not submit it for RFE, as it may look bad as "Scramble for evidence".

So looking at the existing evidence, I've ordered more copies of bank statements to cover one per quarter. On the residence front, I obtained copy of rental lease from the landlord, and copies of rent check from the bank. I ordered old auto insurance policies so it covers the whole marriage period. Also got utility bills, though only in one of our names, the cable/phone/internet bill in my name, and electricity bill in my wife's name. I'll submit copies of driver licenses too, with the correct address shown. Should I send some photos too? we went back to China after our marriage, and have photos together with our family.

About our joint tax return, I did get tax transcripts from IRS for the past 3 years. They do show both our names as we filed jointly. One question I have is that I'd been unemployed for much of that period until late last year, when I got a part-time job. We lived off our savings mostly, and did not pay taxes for the last 3 years. Will this look bad in the eyes of an Immigration Officer? will they ask me to do a proof of income and the affidavit of support (I864) again? that's the main reason I didn't submit the tax return with the original filing.

Good luck to everyone!

[Navyk 78]

Hi, thanks everyone for the quick response. I've decided to go ahead and purchase life insurance for my wife, just for my own peace of mind. But I'll not submit it for RFE, as it may look bad as "Scramble for evidence".

So looking at the existing evidence, I've ordered more copies of bank statements to cover one per quarter. On the residence front, I obtained copy of rental lease from the landlord, and copies of rent check from the bank. I ordered old auto insurance policies so it covers the whole marriage period. Also got utility bills, though only in one of our names, the cable/phone/internet bill in my name, and electricity bill in my wife's name. I'll submit copies of driver licenses too, with the correct address shown. Should I send some photos too? we went back to China after our marriage, and have photos together with our family.

About our joint tax return, I did get tax transcripts from IRS for the past 3 years. They do show both our names as we filed jointly. One question I have is that I'd been unemployed for much of that period until late last year, when I got a part-time job. We lived off our savings mostly, and did not pay taxes for the last 3 years. Will this look bad in the eyes of an Immigration Officer? will they ask me to do a proof of income and the affidavit of support (I864) again? that's the main reason I didn't submit the tax return with the original filing.

Good luck to everyone!

There is nothing wrong in sending the life insurance details as evidence now. Your unemployment is not the criteria at this level but the joint finances and living together evidences covering the full period. Go ahead and submit your response to RFE and you should be fine.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Navyk