ROC checklist

[K & R 343]

Hi everyone!!

 

My husband still has a little more than a year before ROC but I definitely like to prepare for things way in advance. The IO at his conditional gc interview told us to try and gather evidence throughout the two years for ROC so I wanted to share a list of things we have (and will have) to see if it seems like enough for ROC. I've read other posts like this but wanted some input on our specific situation. Thank you

 

the primary evidence:

- joint checking account and savings account

- joint credit card

- joint car insurance

- joint renters insurance

- both of our names on our lease

- 2018 filed (and in 2019 we will have filed) married jointly

- he has a life insurance policy though work and I am the beneficiary on it

 

and some secondary evidence:

- we have vacation receipts (tickets, hotel bookings and such)

- photos from day to day and from vacations

- both of us on the same cell phone bill

- we also have joint accounts for like google play, netflix, playstation etc (all tied to our joint credit card)

 

I know some of this is minor evidence but I wanted to see if this seems like it will be enough when we eventually get to ROC. Thank you!

[Ash.1101 1,755]

46 minutes ago, K & R said:

Hi everyone!!

 

My husband still has a little more than a year before ROC but I definitely like to prepare for things way in advance. The IO at his conditional gc interview told us to try and gather evidence throughout the two years for ROC so I wanted to share a list of things we have (and will have) to see if it seems like enough for ROC. I've read other posts like this but wanted some input on our specific situation. Thank you

 

the primary evidence:

- joint checking account and savings account

- joint credit card

- joint car insurance

- joint renters insurance

- both of our names on our lease

- 2018 filed (and in 2019 we will have filed) married jointly

- he has a life insurance policy though work and I am the beneficiary on it

 

and some secondary evidence:

- we have vacation receipts (tickets, hotel bookings and such)

- photos from day to day and from vacations

- both of us on the same cell phone bill

- we also have joint accounts for like google play, netflix, playstation etc (all tied to our joint credit card)

 

I know some of this is minor evidence but I wanted to see if this seems like it will be enough when we eventually get to ROC. Thank you!

 

Add in copies of your drivers license if they have your current addresses, also if you have any utilities for the house, even if they’re in different names you can add that.

 

example, cable is in my husbands name, electric is in mine, but they both show the home address as our address. 

 

You can always add in power of attorney or a will. Even some affidavits from family and friends. Not nessecary but no harm in it.

 

Our ROC evidence was very similar, we just added in two car loans, beneficiaries on stock plans and 401ks, having my husband as an emergency contact at my daughters school, and everything else was about the same as yours.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Ash.1101

[K & R 343]

21 minutes ago, Ash.1101 said:

 

Add in copies of your drivers license if they have your current addresses, also if you have any utilities for the house, even if they’re in different names you can add that.

 

example, cable is in my husbands name, electric is in mine, but they both show the home address as our address. 

 

You can always add in power of attorney or a will. Even some affidavits from family and friends. Not nessecary but no harm in it.

 

Our ROC evidence was very similar, we just added in two car loans, beneficiaries on stock plans and 401ks, having my husband as an emergency contact at my daughters school, and everything else was about the same as yours.

Thank you so much! We are definitely planning on adding more stuff like that. I didn't think of bills that we have but in different names that's a good idea. Thank you so much for your response.

[Wuozopo 4,285]

I don't know if you use checks to pay for anything. We write a few. We pay our lawn guys weekly with a check and purposely took turns writing the check to show we both actually use the account. My bank does thumbnails of the actual check both in the statement and in the online account so I sent copies of the page from the statement showing most checks written by me but some from him in the same month. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Wuozopo

[Scandi 3,970]

Other secondary evidence can be different kinds of memberships. Me and my husband added some library membership cards that we have in both our names, and our Costco membership cards and Costco membership renewal notice showing my husband's name as the "account holder" and me as the "household member". Could also be gym memberships etc. 

[K & R 343]

12 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

I don't know if you use checks to pay for anything. We write a few. We pay our lawn guys weekly with a check and purposely took turns writing the check to show we both actually use the account. My bank does thumbnails of the actual check both in the statement and in the online account so I sent copies of the page from the statement showing most checks written by me but some from him in the same month. 

This is a good idea! we do use checks to pay for things. Sometimes he pays rent and sometimes i do. Thank you!

10 hours ago, Scandi said:

Other secondary evidence can be different kinds of memberships. Me and my husband added some library membership cards that we have in both our names, and our Costco membership cards and Costco membership renewal notice showing my husband's name as the "account holder" and me as the "household member". Could also be gym memberships etc. 

That's a good idea we do have stuff like that too! We both are members on a BJS wholesale membership.

[HeartNYC 1]

How do you pay off your joint credit cards? 

It better be from your JOINT checking account!

print out statements from several months and highlight transactions like that. 

 

Do do you have a joint insurance policy?

if you don’t have a JOINT insurance - each of you can still contact your insurance company and ask that your spouse be added as the emergency contact in healthcare proxy. 

 

A health care proxy is a document that names someone you trust as your proxy, or agent, to express your wishes and make health care decisions for you if you are unable to speak for yourself. ... You do not have to be terminally ill to designate a health care proxy or for the proxy to make decisions on your behalf.

[xillini 71]

1) If your finance allows it, just see couples' therapiest session and routinely document it. 

Every couple has an issue no matter how much they love each other, and if couple's therapy session is documented, who could even write the nature of the relationship to USCIS during ROC, it will definitely help to prove bona fide marriage. 

 

For me, I was lucky that my previous employer used to fund free 1000$ per year, and we just hang out with a therapist to get to know more and spit out things that would be uncomfortable to share but with professional 3rd party listening to each of our stand and giving us objective perspective, it will not only help a lot to strong our relationship, but also with the documentation, we were able to submit to USCIS. 

 

2) Another evidence would be to have vet co-ownership or bills on both of your names. Pets in modern society is as equivalent as kids in early 1900s, so when you can prove the co-ownership, this can also strength.

 

I am only saying this since your timeline says your ROC journey is not even started, and you have time to gather evidence and build strong case for your merit. Good luck. 

[afrocraft 313]

Consider using the framework linked below (click the arrow). The list is not exhaustive, but it helps one think about the buckets of evidence you'll need (e.g., of cohabitation, of co-mingled finances, etc.) to provide marriage bona fides.

 

[Ash.1101 1,755]

I gotta say some of these suggestions are getting extreme and going into overkill.



This is what we provided, all of these things came to be naturally while we were married, we didn't have to try to get any of this, just basic life stuff.. Approved last week with no RFE or interview.
 

We didn't provide 2016-2017 lease because I didn't have him added, we didn't provide Driver's Licences because I forgot about that, and we didn't provide medical insurance because we have separate plans because we work for the same company and it was cheaper that way. There was no emergency contact for our separate insurance or anything. We were going to just write statements for anything like that if we did get RFE'd, but we didn't.
 

• Joint Car loan for 2016 Nissan Rogue in both our names
• Joint Car loan for 2016 Hyundai Accent in both of our names (sent the actual loan agreement for both and statements)
• Joint bank account where all of the money goes in both of our names (Four-Five COMPLETE monthly statements for 2016, 2017, and two statements from 2018)
• 2016 and 2017 tax returns filled jointly
• Document showing we are each others  beneficiaries for our own stock plans
• Document showing we are each others  beneficiaries for our own 401Ks 
• Documents showing we are each others beneficiary to life insurance plans
• Cable bill in his name to our home address
• Electric bill in my name to our home address
• Pay stubs showing same home address
• Apartment lease in both of our names for 2017-2018, 2018-2019 (did not provide 2016-2017)
• School registration showing that he is an emergency contact for my daughter
• Car insurance for both cars in both of our names
• Renters insurance in both of our names for our apartment
• Christmas cards addressed to us
• Pictures of us on vacation, out with my daughter, family gatherings etc. Printed on regular paper, hand wrote dates and event if there was an event. Only about 5-8 pictures.
• Hotel bill/Reservations from vacation (two vacations)

Edited May 8, 2019 by Ash.

[afrocraft 313]

13 hours ago, Ash. said:

I gotta say some of these suggestions are getting extreme and going into overkill.



This is what we provided, all of these things came to be naturally while we were married, we didn't have to try to get any of this, just basic life stuff.. Approved last week with no RFE or interview.
 

We didn't provide 2016-2017 lease because I didn't have him added, we didn't provide Driver's Licences because I forgot about that, and we didn't provide medical insurance because we have separate plans because we work for the same company and it was cheaper that way. There was no emergency contact for our separate insurance or anything. We were going to just write statements for anything like that if we did get RFE'd, but we didn't.
 

• Joint Car loan for 2016 Nissan Rogue in both our names
• Joint Car loan for 2016 Hyundai Accent in both of our names (sent the actual loan agreement for both and statements)
• Joint bank account where all of the money goes in both of our names (Four-Five COMPLETE monthly statements for 2016, 2017, and two statements from 2018)
• 2016 and 2017 tax returns filled jointly
• Document showing we are each others  beneficiaries for our own stock plans
• Document showing we are each others  beneficiaries for our own 401Ks 
• Documents showing we are each others beneficiary to life insurance plans
• Cable bill in his name to our home address
• Electric bill in my name to our home address
• Pay stubs showing same home address
• Apartment lease in both of our names for 2017-2018, 2018-2019 (did not provide 2016-2017)
• School registration showing that he is an emergency contact for my daughter
• Car insurance for both cars in both of our names
• Renters insurance in both of our names for our apartment
• Christmas cards addressed to us
• Pictures of us on vacation, out with my daughter, family gatherings etc. Printed on regular paper, hand wrote dates and event if there was an event. Only about 5-8 pictures.
• Hotel bill/Reservations from vacation (two vacations)

Lol. Actually that's a pretty extensive list that covers all the 4 main areas -- cohabitation, co-mingled finances, shared life experiences, planning for the future -- and includes evidence covering multiple years.

[Ash.1101 1,755]

1 hour ago, afrocraft said:

Lol. Actually that's a pretty extensive list that covers all the 4 main areas -- cohabitation, co-mingled finances, shared life experiences, planning for the future -- and includes evidence covering multiple years.

It is to an extent, some guys like the one above add in marriage counseling, and others add in vet bills, adoption papers, anything else that has any form of connection. But everything we provided... It’s all things that just naturally occurred over the marriage. 5 of the things just exist from working! (Tax return, Job provides 401k, stock plan, paystubs and life insurance.)

 

the only thing we had to actively save were the vacation reservations and cards written to us.

 

one big thing to remember is that 99% of ROC applications get approved because it’s VERY hard for USCIS to prove the relationship isn’t bona fide. People have been approved with just tax returns, leases and a letter from a friend.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Ash.

[afrocraft 313]

3 hours ago, Ash. said:

It is to an extent, some guys like the one above add in marriage counseling...

Lol. Rich-people problems 😂

[Ash.1101 1,755]

4 hours ago, afrocraft said:

Lol. Rich-people problems 😂

RIGHT?! No offense to that poster but my husband work day and night literally, 10am-630pm and 10pm-630am. We work our butts off to make sure we can provide for my daughter and live a fairly stable life. I don't say we always want for much, but we'd be wanting more if we decided to do marriage counseling just for ROC. USCIS gets enough money, I'm not putting more money into immigration than I need too. Now if I felt that we needed marriage counseling then ya, of course we'd go broke for it.

[Wuozopo 4,285]

I think everybody is going to provide different evidence based on their situation, but the USCIS will evaluate it for what it is, not against the bigger package somebody else provided.

 

And I agree with the statement about not spending extra money just to add something to your package. My wife bought our house with a mortgage only in her name, and thus the deed was only in her name. We weren't going to jump through legal hoops to change that just for a ROC package. The mortgage was very short and mostly to fill a gap. Once paid off we did sort the deed to both names, but because we wanted to, not to impress USCIS.