Filed AOS last week; Possibility for RFE?

[Rangm021 11]

Hello everyone!

I sent out my application package via Priority Express Mail on March 30th. It was delivered to USCIS on March 31st, and I received the Text notification from USCIS on April 7th, with the message indicating that my i797 Notice of Action should arrive within 7 to 10 business days. According to the text message, my package has been transferred to the National Benefits Center for further processing. It is my understanding that National Benefits Center takes the packet apart and verifies the evidence provided, issues RFEs, etc.

I was looking through forums today and came across one indicating that for bank accounts, one needs to provide 12 months worth of bank statements to be considered acceptable evidence. Because my husband and I did not reach our required income with only his wages, we utilized our income from our joint account and a savings account we opened as well. The income in those accounts includes money from our Income Tax return, etc. When I sent in my package, I obtained a certified letter from the savings account indicating when it was opened and the current balance. As for the joint checking account, I went to the bank and they provided me with a printout for the account indicating when it was opened, that we are joint owners of the account, and the balance at the time of printing. According to the post I saw earlier, this will not suffice as acceptable evidence.

Does this mean I will DEFINITELY get an RFE? Or is there a chance that I will simply be asked for further bank statements at the interview? I'm just trying to figure out my general timeframe, as an RFE will halt and reset the waiting period.

Thanks in advance, friends!

[JR loves JR 196]

How long were you married before filing? The shorter the time, the less evidence you should need for AOS. My husband and I were married a week before filing so we sent in one bank statement and one other joint document as ALL our evidence of a legitimate relationship. We were approved without an interview in 8 months. If you've been married a much longer time, then I'd expect that the USCIS would have a higher expectation for amount of evidence. Did you send in your tax returns for the last 3 years? Those are more important than 12 months of bank statements. And if you didn't include them, you will get an RFE.

I'd also advise that while you wait for your AOS, you start gathering more evidence of financial co-mingling. You'll need it for the next process for sure so you might as well. Here are some ideas: add your spouse to bills (or put some in his name and some in yours with the same address of course), add your spouse's name to the car title, as your life insurance benefactor, to your health/dental/car insurance, make them your emergency contact, write a will and include them, give them power of attorney. And get a box and start saving all these things in it. Then if you get an RFE or have an interview you'll be completely set without much stress. And if you get approved without either of those, then you'll be well on your way to being prepared for ROC. And there will also be less stress for that.

[Rangm021 11]

How long were you married before filing? The shorter the time, the less evidence you should need for AOS. My husband and I were married a week before filing so we sent in one bank statement and one other joint document as ALL our evidence of a legitimate relationship. We were approved without an interview in 8 months. If you've been married a much longer time, then I'd expect that the USCIS would have a higher expectation for amount of evidence. Did you send in your tax returns for the last 3 years? Those are more important than 12 months of bank statements. And if you didn't include them, you will get an RFE.

I'd also advise that while you wait for your AOS, you start gathering more evidence of financial co-mingling. You'll need it for the next process for sure so you might as well. Here are some ideas: add your spouse to bills (or put some in his name and some in yours with the same address of course), add your spouse's name to the car title, as your life insurance benefactor, to your health/dental/car insurance, make them your emergency contact, write a will and include them, give them power of attorney. And get a box and start saving all these things in it. Then if you get an RFE or have an interview you'll be completely set without much stress. And if you get approved without either of those, then you'll be well on your way to being prepared for ROC. And there will also be less stress for that.

Thank you for that wonderful and detailed response!

We got Married on November 17th and applied on March 30, so we've been married for four months. We included: our current lease agreement, our future lease agreement which will span July 2016 to July 2017, auto insurance policy with both of our names on it, joint bank account statement with both our names on it, joint telephone bill, photos of the ceremony (a small, private ceremony), wedding invitation, honeymoon photos, and evidence of travel. As for the tax returns, we included the most recent tax return (for 2015), which was a joint income tax return, and we made sure to fill out the sections inquiring about the previous three years of tax information. While we did not sent in the tax transcripts for 2013/14 (as the page said it wasn't required), we do have the transcripts readily available should they require them!

As for assembling evidence, I'm been working on that too! Basically i made an exact copy of everything I submitted initially, and I will be adding on to that based on the coming months. I have lots and lots of pictures, am hoping to take out a joint credit card as soon as I have a job myself, and will definitely look into the life/health insurance situation. WE just haven't done that part yet because we're both undergrad college students so we're focusing on saving all of our money for rent and other such expenses

I really hope we don't get an RFE, as it would slow down the process overall and i'm SOOO READY to start work to help our finances