i-751 - No "true" joint bank account

[renatesol 13]

It's that time again, dealing with paperwork and USCIS! 

 

I am putting together all our evidence, and one of the major points that we do not have is a joint bank account. Stupid, I know, but there we are. We did have a savings account with both of our names on it, but the account was breached, and the bank created a new account and for some reason only put my husband's name on that one, something we did not notice until very recently (since it's a savings account we don't check statements too often, and we're on paperless so we never got any paper statements).

What we do have, bank account wise, is that we both have online access to each others' accounts. Our debit cards only go to our designated accounts, but if I log in online I can see and manage his account, and vice versa. Our statements will also show funds moving between accounts, although the statements will not have both names on them. Does this help at all? 

 

In addition, this is what we have:
- Apartment leases with both of our names

- Proof of being each others' insurance beneficiaries

- Joint tax returns

- Car title with both of our names

- Car insurance with both of our names

- Utility bills with each of our names, same address

- Shared credit card account (not with our bank)

- School records (print from online) showing me as emergency contact for his daughter/my stepdaughter 

- Pictures of our "second wedding" - the ceremony and party we threw with family, also showing my family from Norway

- Other pictures of us together

 

Is this sufficient, or should we also bolster it with affidavits?

 

Thanks all!

[Sukie 1,464]

Look, all you have to do is write a paragraph explaining WHY you don't have joint accounts.  And, explain how you pay your bills.  For example - how to you pay your rent?  Does one of you pay rent, and the other pay the utilities?  Are your incomes very different, so one of you pays the major bills?

 

Explain how YOU, as a couple, handle your money.  And back it up.  Show the utility bills, and then link that to how the bills get paid.

 

MANY couples do not have joint accounts, for many reasons.  Just pre-empt any questions they have by explaining it up front.

 

Good luck!

 

Sukie in NY

[Stevephoto 230]

Your list looks good, but consider adding wills and medical power of attorney (which are even more important in life!) Good luck!

[MadMax101 32]

I would print out a month's statement for you and your spouse's accounts and highlight the account transfers between them.

[Ketsuban 1,034]

On 24/01/2018 at 12:10 PM, MadMax101 said:

I would print out a month's statement for you and your spouse's accounts and highlight the account transfers between them.

Typically when only providing a month's worth of evidence, they will issue an RFE requesting this evidence going back to the beginning of the marriage. Highly recommend not sending just one month's worth of anything unless you literally only had it for a month (and explained as much in the letter).