Questions on affidavits, living arrangements, and credit cards

[HK12 273]

I am filing for ROC next month and am halfway done with sorting my evidence. While going through my stuff, I have had a couple of questions come up:

1) We are living with my husband's parents, so no lease or utility bills. My in-laws are willing to either set up a rental agreement or write an affidavit of living arrangements. Is there a benefit to either of them? In other words, would in your opinion a rental contract seem more "professional" in USCIS's eyes than a mere affidavit?

2) I would like to include two affidavits of relationship. Since my in-laws obviously have been around us every day, they would be my first choice for the affidavits. Anything speaking against using them for the relationship affidavits if we already use them for the rental contract/affidavit?

3) Credit cards - we have had a Citi card (with me as an authorized user) since the beginning of our marriage. Unfortunately, our cards got breached three times over the period of our marriage, resulting in us receiving new cards after every breach. We have had the current card since February 2015 only. Do you think USCIS will accept this as an explanation for not being able to send Citi card statements from the beginning of the marriage on? We do have two other credit cards (one account opened in December 2013, one opened in March 2015) that we will also send along.

Thanks for any help!

[Cheezees 1,514]

1. Send the affidavit since no formal lease was constructed at the time you moved in. This situation is quite common. However, DO NOT create a fake rental agreement for past occupancy. USCIS wants evidence of what you have, not "official-looking" evidence of what you think you should submit.

2. No. Have them write the affidavits. There is no conflict. You should note that affidavits are considered on the weaker side of the list of evidence.

3. You have what you have and you are certainly not the first to have your account breached (perhaps your scam artist knows the one who tried to use my credit card on a beach resort in Mexico ).

Good luck!

[mallafri76 1,012]

Are you're in OKC. My husband used to live there so I've been frequently to OKC and Yukon. Just had to say because it's not often I come across someone from the sooner state.

Affidavits carry little weight but if for lack of other evidence, I would use that.

How about driver's licenses with the same address? That will show you two living at the same place. Do you guys have a joint bank account? That would also be good evidence.

Edited July 6, 2015 by mallafri76

[Arinlars 19]

Hi,

We made 3 new cards but because the other ones expired and because we applied for a new one too.i think it's good evidence especially if you have records of the old ones.

[HK12 273]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I will just have my in-laws write both an affidavit of living arrangements and another affidavit of our relationship. I am aware that relationship affidavits are considered secondary evidence, but I would still like to include them. It can't hurt after all.

Mallafri - I have a lot of other evidence (tax transcripts, joint health POA, joint checkings & savings accounts, joint health insurance, joint car insurance, two cars in both of our names, a property that we jointly own, etc.), so I am not too worried about our evidence, but those were the questions that popped up and that I wanted to have addressed. And yes, there don't seem to be too many "Okies" here . I am in Edmond, so I have been to Yukon and OKC lots of times!