Is our evidence insufficient? Suggestions?

[BookishGirl 0]

Filing I 751 soon.We have joint leases for every year since our marriage in 2011, except for a 3 month sublease last yr which was under my name as we were in a rush to move and since it was temporary, the owner did not bother asking both of us to sign,should we sent that lease too?, joint checking account since 2011,my two credit card statements since 2011(he is an authorized user of one, but his name is not on the statements and we did not realize it) but we do not use the credit cards as we are trying to pay it off ,his student checking statements showing his dad sent us money monthly, cable bills in his name until 2 mths ago(moved to a place with free cable)electricity under my name, both our id,tax return filed jointly but we only filed this yr as I'm not working and he only started last yr, and a few photos. We do not own a car or have any health( him under his dad and my mum bought me a private one) or life insurance ( can't afford it right now) together.

Edited November 21, 2013 by BookishGirl

[OnceaTexan 3]

Hi,

My wife and I filed for removal of conditions in October. I've been unemployed for quite a while so a lot of the evidence is one sided but I guess I am not the only one without a job in the US. Anyhow the file we sent weigh about six pounds. I guess that's how much our love weighs. we did include health insurance, IRA accounts, car insurance and tax stuff but as I said a lot of this official stuff is one sided as I've been a poor grad student in charge of a cable bill and picking up the dinner tab once in a while.

I included a few affidavits (not considered strong evidence but since we also moved thought it would be useful). but saved some in case an RFE comes. I printed out about 50-70 photos - got them copy pasted in a word document and drained a toner printing them. We both wrote notes on the side of the photos especially photos one took of the other. I also printed a bunch of conversations and chat threads between each other and correspondence/e-mails between our families in lieu of family affidavits. My mother passed away this year so there was a lot of that going on. Receipts from trips taken together were good too.

HIPAA Authorizations, living will, end of life decision making, power of attorneys- are papers that you can easily draft, sign at a notary or in front of friends. Since you moved this would be a good time to get those done. A lot of this stuff couples don't do due to laziness. I still have to get an end of life decision drafted but I'll definitely do it this month, that plus find doctors where we relocated. That will be good for an RFE down the line as well. We used a moving company since it was cross country and I printed the quotes we got on the move and the bill.

I also included letters with Dear USCIS explaining our life in the past couple of years as well as our banking situation. We have one credit card and just like you I am just a user and do not show on statements. So I included copies of our credit cards that show our names, but same account number (i used a marker and showed only the last four digits). I also printed out some credit card statements and even though the statements only show her name I highlighted purchases that I knew I made for her or for the household. I wrote on the side small notes pertaining to the purchases. At times I paired photos of a trip with those purchases. This maybe will pass as too organized and raise a red flag, but we did it because it seemed logical.

We have a dog so I also printed out the history of his grooming, who took him when and who paid. If you've been to a doctor or dentist together you can ask for a printout history that show the times you and your other half visited the office. That's good too.

Now all of this info may mean nothing in the end, may exhaust the person who reviews the case, or, and that's my hope, provide a full honest picture of our lives that will have them approve the removal on the spot.

Also remember that the office wants to see documents spanning the whole marriage if possible. I sent stuff from our honeymoon even though I also submitted some of that with the AOS application. When we had our AOS interview the officer had no clue what we submitted and had us show copies of the documents that were already in the file. That should tell you how superficial the process is in some ways, and how in the end you can submit a one pound or a six pound package and still be called for an interview for quality control, red flags, or just 'cause.

Remember the window does not open 3 months before the GC expires, BUT 90 days. Use a time and day calculator online that will tell you precisely that. They will return your package if it gets there one day early. Make sure you make an exact copy of what you send.

Also from what i know so far if you file at the Vermont Center your file will probably be directed to California in the end. That's what happened to mine and apparently to many many others about a month and a half after mailing it.

Having spent some time on lots of forums I can say there is no recipe for success, just stress, patience, hope and more stress. Good luck and excuse the length of this message.

[OnceaTexan 3]

ALSO - a few thoughts from above that needed further attention:

We also printed bank statements hopping back three months, then another three and so on. I explained in another letter why I was added later on one account. Again i figured if they want to read it now fine, if not they'll ask us in an RFE anyway and I'll have some of these answers ready to be printed.

I followed the 3 month window by mistake (instead of 90 days) and then realized if I had sent the package one day earlier (which I could have easily done) it would have been returned. I should go back to primary school and learn which months have 30 days and which 31. They will return your package if it gets there one day early.

Make sure you make an exact copy of what you send. If you recently moved make sure you changed your address with them. The GC holder has to file AR 11 online and the sponsoring spouse has to mail and I- 865. This I-865 is often omitted and you will not find much info about it but it is necessary. We made copies of the receipts we received and included them in the package.

[TBoneTX 45,469]

HIPAA Authorizations, living will, end of life decision making, power of attorneys- are papers that you can easily draft, sign at a notary or in front of friends. Since you moved this would be a good time to get those done. A lot of this stuff couples don't do due to laziness.

Excellent suggestions. One of my biggest ongoing surprises and disappointments is that so few VJ couples seem to have these documents, let alone present them as ROC evidence. Bluntly put, dying without a will is perhaps the cruelest thing that any spouse could do to the surviving spouse.

[BookishGirl 0]

Thanks for your tips! I'm not sure we ll gonna do any end of life stuff yet ( it's kinda taboo for my family since we ll in our early 20s, my dad will freak out!). What are the chances of us getting an interview? Is my case too complicated that we might need a lawyer to help us file? I guess we could add his pay stubs and copy of checks that he paid the rent from his student checking? Would that help?

[OnceaTexan 3]

Thanks for your tips! I'm not sure we ll gonna do any end of life stuff yet ( it's kinda taboo for my family since we ll in our early 20s, my dad will freak out!). What are the chances of us getting an interview? Is my case too complicated that we might need a lawyer to help us file? I guess we could add his pay stubs and copy of checks that he paid the rent from his student checking? Would that help?

From previous posts it seems that interviews can be for quality control, if there's a red flag or just because. We might get an RFE because they need additional proof or because that's the USCIS way of slowing down and catching up with cases...sort of like an assembly plant slowing down production. We are trying not to freak out too much about the process even though we were very nervous at the AOS interview two years ago to begin with. I was especially nervous because my wife is older than me and thought age may make a difference. Yes pay stubs and copy of checks would be good especially if you have some from previous years. Sometimes you can order transcripts from the bank from way back when for free. I did that and as I said I highlighted some expenses that I thought would show we live together. I just signed for a Costco family membership and for sure I'll add that to a package if an RFE arrives. I would also give heads up to family and friends and forward them a sample or two of affidavits (you can find some online google-ing) in case an RFE comes and you need letters drafted and notarized quickly. End of life and medical stuff papers shouldn't freak out anyone. I am 30 and having been an international student for ten years I knew I needed to have such records on file in case of emergency. Also your bank may offer as a benefit/bonus some minimum life insurance per account (mine did cost free) and if it does you might list your other half as beneficiary of that $1500-3000 sum. As for a lawyer - that's up to you. We filed each time without one. Seems to me that you can save yourself the trouble and money until you are called for an interview (if you get an RFE and is not enough in the end). There are various threads around this forum dealing with lawyer-ish stuff.