Only one stupid thing!

[Apple Bee 272]

 3 days ago I uploaded all of our AOS and civil documents. Today the NVC sent me a message saying I needed to upload my 2017 or 2018 tax transcript. I do not yet have the one for 2018. I uploaded my 1040 because I just got my taxes done on Monday and they told me I had to mail in instead of efile because my husband doesn't have an SSN.  Why does the NVC say upload tax return OR transcript if all they will accept is the transcript?? I uploaded transcripts for 2016 and 2017 but IRS just received my return in the mail today so I imagine it will take days if not weeks for my 2018 transcript to be available to download from their site. This is so frustrating!!

 

They accepted all of our civil documents. There was also an issue of my birth certificate being upside down but I've rotated it and resubmitted it. But what can I do about this 2018 tax transcript issue? Why aren't they accepting the 1040??

[Khallaf 648]

4 minutes ago, Apple Bee said:

 3 days ago I uploaded all of our AOS and civil documents. Today the NVC sent me a message saying I needed to upload my 2017 or 2018 tax transcript. I do not yet have the one for 2018. I uploaded my 1040 because I just got my taxes done on Monday and they told me I had to mail in instead of efile because my husband doesn't have an SSN.  Why does the NVC say upload tax return OR transcript if all they will accept is the transcript?? I uploaded transcripts for 2016 and 2017 but IRS just received my return in the mail today so I imagine it will take days if not weeks for my 2018 transcript to be available to download from their site. This is so frustrating!!

 

They accepted all of our civil documents. There was also an issue of my birth certificate being upside down but I've rotated it and resubmitted it. But what can I do about this 2018 tax transcript issue? Why aren't they accepting the 1040??

during the government shutdown they stopped accepting the 1040, and required all spouse visa to submit transcripts instead, just another way to prolong cases, as no one could get them during the government shutdown.

[Apple Bee 272]

Just now, Khallaf said:

during the government shutdown they stopped accepting the 1040, and required all spouse visa to submit transcripts instead, just another way to prolong cases, as no one could get them during the government shutdown.

Wow. Great so that means I have to freaking wait until the IRS processes my mailed in return and makes the 2018 transcript available to me online. Who knows how long that could take. I feel like crying.

[Apple Bee 272]

So I can't just upload the 2017 transcript again with a letter stating the 2018 transcript is not available to me right now but my husband will bring it to his interview? Or would they not accept that. They said if you cannot upload it then you must provide an explanation about why...

[USS_Voyager 1,971]

That one way to "lighten the workload" I guess

[Khallaf 648]

1 minute ago, Apple Bee said:

Wow. Great so that means I have to freaking wait until the IRS processes my mailed in return and makes the 2018 transcript available to me online. Who knows how long that could take. I feel like crying.

I am really surprised they are requiring 2018, can you do do 2015,2016,2017 instead? technically 2018 does not have to be filed yet.

[Apple Bee 272]

18 minutes ago, Khallaf said:

I am really surprised they are requiring 2018, can you do do 2015,2016,2017 instead? technically 2018 does not have to be filed yet.

What I did just now is typed up a letter explaning that I only just filed my taxes 4 days ago and the IRS hasn't even received it yet ( I had to mail) and I asked if I could just provide the 2017 transcript in it's place and make sure my husband brings my 2018 transcript with him to his interview as it will most likely be scheduled after the April 15 tax filing deadline. I am about to upload it to CEAC and hope for the best.

[Apple Bee 272]

24 minutes ago, Khallaf said:

I am really surprised they are requiring 2018, can you do do 2015,2016,2017 instead? technically 2018 does not have to be filed yet.

well the CEAC message said "please upload 2017 or 2018 transcript" But I already did upload the 2017 transcript so I assumed that meant they were looking for the 2018 one now.

[Khallaf 648]

23 minutes ago, Apple Bee said:

well the CEAC message said "please upload 2017 or 2018 transcript" But I already did upload the 2017 transcript so I assumed that meant they were looking for the 2018 one now.

I would try doing just 15,16 and 17

 

[dwheels76 5,461]

1 hour ago, Apple Bee said:

So I can't just upload the 2017 transcript again with a letter stating the 2018 transcript is not available to me right now but my husband will bring it to his interview? Or would they not accept that. They said if you cannot upload it then you must provide an explanation about why...

why did you submit 2 years . When only most current was required. They are expecting 3 years.
If you wanted to go with just 2017 submit that and you could have brought the 2018 to the interview. I would call NVC and ask about that.
State to them 2018 transcripts will be available at interview.

[Apple Bee 272]

4 minutes ago, dwheels76 said:

why did you submit 2 years . When only most current was required. They are expecting 3 years.
If you wanted to go with just 2017 submit that and you could have brought the 2018 to the interview. I would call NVC and ask about that.
State to them 2018 transcripts will be available at interview.

I don't know , so many people were saying its best to give them transcripts for the last 3 years so that's what I did. Well I gave them 2016 & 2017 transcripts and 2016,2017 & 2018 W2s. I took the advice of another member upthread and wrote a letter explaining why 2018 transcript is not available yet and uploaded it to CEAC. In the letter I did state what you said, that it will be available at the time of the interview.

[dwheels76 5,461]

2 minutes ago, Apple Bee said:

I don't know , so many people were saying its best to give them transcripts for the last 3 years so that's what I did. Well I gave them 2016 & 2017 transcripts and 2016,2017 & 2018 W2s. I took the advice of another member upthread and wrote a letter explaining why 2018 transcript is not available yet and uploaded it to CEAC. In the letter I did state what you said, that it will be available at the time of the interview.

Then send 2015. See you half did it only 2 so they are expecting 3 years.Why in the world would you send a W2 and not the Tax form's. All you did was confused the situation. It's either most current (required) or all 3 years Optional. Not two.
You follow the instructions of what the I-864 says not what others opinion is. It says most current year is required. Or last 3 years optional.
I would redo it. 2018 isn't ready. do 2015, 2016, 2017. Take 2018 to interview Or wait for 2018 and submit when ready.
Reason why they are not accepting 1040's is because it's not proof you filed. Transcripts are and many people lie and and anyone can input anything into tax software and make whatever income they want. Anyone can makeup a W2 also.
Nit your case just illustrating how things are and why transcripts are preferred.

[Apple Bee 272]

17 minutes ago, dwheels76 said:

Then send 2015. See you half did it only 2 so they are expecting 3 years.Why in the world would you send a W2 and not the Tax form's. All you did was confused the situation. It's either most current (required) or all 3 years Optional. Not two.
You follow the instructions of what the I-864 says not what others opinion is. It says most current year is required. Or last 3 years optional.
I would redo it. 2018 isn't ready. do 2015, 2016, 2017. Take 2018 to interview Or wait for 2018 and submit when ready.
Reason why they are not accepting 1040's is because it's not proof you filed. Transcripts are and many people lie and and anyone can input anything into tax software and make whatever income they want. Anyone can makeup a W2 also.
Nit your case just illustrating how things are and why transcripts are preferred.

Ok geesh I just sent them the 2015 transcript. I don't know what you mean by why would I "send the W2 and not the tax forms". Upload W2 is an option on CEAC so if they felt they could be easily manipulated, why would they give you the option to upload them at all? I sent them both. The only thing that was missing is the transcript for 2018 because I just filed my taxes 4 days ago so I don't have that transcript yet. And to be honest, the tax transcripts can be easily manipulated as well. Have you seen the ones that you can download from IRS.gov? They literally look like they were created in Microsoft Word. There's no special seals or anything that can't be duplicated.

 

but I did take your advice regardless of how harshly it was delivered so thanks

Edited March 8, 2019 by Apple Bee

[Sarah&Facundo 576]

When I filed in April, 2018 for AOS, I had not completed my 2017 taxes yet. I sent them 2014, 2015, 2016 plus my W2s from 2017. I also stated I had not filed 2018 yet. I had no problem and I brought the 2017 taxes to the AOS interview a few weeks ago and I was never even asked for them. 

[geowrian 22,335]

The recommendation is not to provide a W-2 without a matching tax return. A 1040 + W-2 has traditionally been accepted (and is allowed per I-864 instructions), although recent NVC website updates only mention the transcripts now instead. But a W-2 without a matching tax return copy has been known to result in a checklist.

 

23 minutes ago, Sarah&Facundo said:

When I filed in April, 2018 for AOS, I had not completed my 2017 taxes yet. I sent them 2014, 2015, 2016 plus my W2s from 2017. I also stated I had not filed 2018 yet. I had no problem and I brought the 2017 taxes to the AOS interview a few weeks ago and I was never even asked for them. 

This is a little different as you were dealing with USCIS (DHS) instead of NVC (DOS). USCIS is traditionally not as strict IMO.

That said, they weren't supposed to accept your I-864 without a copy of the most recent tax year's return (2017 as of the date you filed for AOS), barring a current filing extension or if you were not required to file. The "Have you filed a Federal income tax return for each of the three most recent tax years?" should have stuck out to them, but they miss stuff sometimes.