Is My Application Too Small?

[ausmad 3]

We're about to file our I-751 and I have what I thought was a lot of stuff put together to mail off and reading this forum about binder clips and boxes I'm worrying I haven't got nearly enough! I have included our cover letter here (pertinent info removed) to see what y'all think and if we can add any more (and no, we don't have any joint bank accounts because it was something that we completely lapsed on 😑)

 

 

 

May 7^th  2019

 

I-751 Joint Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence

 

Name USCIS #1234

 

US Citizen Spouse:                             Husband                      SSN:    1234

Conditional Resident Spouse:             Wife                            SSN:    1234

 

Please find attached Form I-751 and materials to support removal of conditions on residence for Wife. USCIS granted Wife conditional residence on August 31^st 2017.

The materials enclosed show a merging of personal and financial lives since marriage - March 10^th 2017

 

 

Contents of Packet Include:

·         Personal Check Payment in the amount of $680.00 for I-751 Petition & Biometrics Fee

·         G-1145 e-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance

·         Form I-751

·         Copies of Front & Back of wife’s Permanent Resident Card

·         Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage including the following:

o   Copy of Marriage License from the State of Missouri

o   Copy of Home Deed showing Shared Property Ownership

o   Copy of Mortgage Interest Statement 1098

§  Explanation letter of wife’s name not on Mortgage Statement

o   Copy of shared Homeowners Insurance

o   Copies of Joint Car Insurance

o   Copies of 2018 Tax Documents

§  Personal Property Tax Receipt showing shared Personal Property Taxes

§  Husband 1^st  W2

§  Husband 2^nd  W2

§  Husband 3rd W2

§  Husband 1099-G

§  Husband 1095-B showing wife as a covered individual

§  Wife W2

·         Copy of Vehicle Title for showing wifer as Husband’s TOD

·         Copy of Wife’s  NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages certificate showing official change of name in Australia

·         Copy of Board of Zoning Adjustment Application for construction at shared residence with shared applicant names

·         Copy of husband & wife health insurance cards showing shared insurance coverage

·         Copy of husband & wife drivers license showing shared address

·         Copy of current Veterinary Records showing husband and wife shared pet ownership

·         Copies of Utilities Invoices addressed to husband and wife for shared home address  

 

[ausmad 3]

I have also included our 2018 Federal & State Tax Returns I just forgot to put them on the cover letter

[Cryssiekins 976]

I think it’s expected that there be some sort of shared banking or credit accounts with this petition.  

 

You can’t provide what you don’t have, so at this time, I would go open a joint account and both of you start using it right away.  

 

You can explain this plan in the cover letter, and then by the time an interview comes, you’ll have 10+ months of shared financial documents to be added at that time.

[Cryssiekins 976]

To note:  I personally don’t see an issue with a husband and wife having separate accounts.  It’s 2019, and that idea is archaic, but immigration doesn’t appear to take that view.  

[ausmad 3]

Just now, Cryssiekins said:

To note:  I personally don’t see an issue with a husband and wife having separate accounts.  It’s 2019, and that idea is archaic, but immigration doesn’t appear to take that view.  

Haha yeah and it was something we meant to do (purely for immigration) and then life happened 😶 will definitely go in this week and get one of us added to the other's account and a nice letter in there thanks! 

[HeartNYC 1]

Have you taken any trips together? Vacations together? Maybe you can find the itinerary sent to your email or any booking reservations in your credit statements? 

If you find them - send it along with few photos of you together from that vacation. 

 

Do you have any joint credit cards/store cards? With 1 spouse being an authorized user on the other spouse's account? If yes - make copies of both cards and send few months of credit card statements as well.

 

Good luck to both of you!

[ausmad 3]

45 minutes ago, HeartNYC said:

Have you taken any trips together? Vacations together? Maybe you can find the itinerary sent to your email or any booking reservations in your credit statements? 

If you find them - send it along with few photos of you together from that vacation. 

 

Do you have any joint credit cards/store cards? With 1 spouse being an authorized user on the other spouse's account? If yes - make copies of both cards and send few months of credit card statements as well.

 

Good luck to both of you!

Vacations thankyou! 
And I completely forgot about a credit card we only occasionally use but we're both on 😁 better than nothing! 

[xillini 71]

1) You can add life insurance beneficiary. It might take a few bucks added but it is totally doable. You can choose either term life insurance or permanent life insurance, but term life insurance would be definitely cheaper. Often time, it is 10-50$ per months, and you will gain strong evidence in financial comingling. I would recommend to do it at least until I 751 is completed and cancel the life insurance upon the approval. I think it is worth it albeit it depends on personal financial health. I have my work AD&D insurance (one that most employer automatically enroll for work-related death or disability) and personal life insurance, so I did include both. 

 

2) If you have friends or family, just ask them to write statement that the relationship is genuine. To save the time, I did write affidavit for them based on my experience and interaction with them (things that I wished they would include in the affidavit to enhance my case albeit everything is truthful), and just emailed them to print, and sign on it with their driver license scanned all together (as a side note, this is how I was able to get the best recommendation letter to my graduate school, so it is not something I haven't done! "Professor XXX, I have completed recommendation letter, and please review it and feel free to edit it if things are not accurate, but please make sure you send it to the graduate school application. Thanks").

There are some formats that you can find. 

It seems that affidavit is arguably considered less credible evidence, which would be true if it is just written essay that is not verifiable and just copied and pasted from online, but I do believe that with affidavit's originators' ID and signature as well as "Under the penalty of perjury" statement, it will really enhance the credibility as an evidence when IO is reviewing your case. 

 

3) As a USC, if you write the 1-2 pages of essay describing how the relationship evolved from first to current and why you think your wife is an awesome person and you believe she is the ONE, that will also help a lot. USCIS generally tends to give credits to USC, rather than an immigrant, so your written testimony will boost a chance without RFE (of course your signature required!) This is something I noticed many I 751 filers forget to include. 

 

Hope this helps! 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by xillini

[AstroCanada 206]

I'd also suggest tax transcripts.  They are considerably better evidence than the returns themselves and then you don't need to send the W-2.

[Pitaya 2,576]

Any individual retirement plans where the other spouse is listed the beneficiary?

Any wills, DPOAs, Living Wills drawn up listing each other as the beneficiary?

Be sure to include ALL months, since inception of the marriage, of any and all financial and bank statements. We got an RFE for only including the cumulative quarterly summaries. So we sent Everything!

Edited May 8, 2019 by Pitaya