Hmmmm

[Quarknase 1,072]

2 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

You'll likely need more visits, more time spent together in person, to get through Lagos successfully and get a visa approved.  In addition to more time spent together, you'll need better evidence of financial co-mingling than a pest control bill.  Will, living will, power of attorney, shared bank accounts, joint ownership of assets, joint credit card account, beneficiaries on each other's retirement accounts, investment accounts, life insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, taxes filed as married jointly, all the things normal married couples do.  With only three visits, and getting married on the first visit, with a big age gap, high-fraud Nigeria, and very weak financial co-mingling evidence, in my opinion you'll be denied unless things change significantly.  She may have to move to Nigeria to live with you if you're denied and you want to live together.  Good luck!

Hello,

Just out of curiosity - is it really anticipated that a couple that does not live in the US together has joined bank accounts, joined health/dental insurance and those things? These are something one would create once united in the US, or am I mistaken?

[Fidel 21]

42 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

Hello,

Just out of curiosity - is it really anticipated that a couple that does not live in the US together has joined bank accounts, joined health/dental insurance and those things? These are something one would create once united in the US, or am I mistaken?

Exactly, she make enquiries about all these and they let her know that my presence will be needed before she can do all these aforementioned 

[Fidel 21]

50 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

You'll likely need more visits, more time spent together in person, to get through Lagos successfully and get a visa approved.  In addition to more time spent together, you'll need better evidence of financial co-mingling than a pest control bill.  Will, living will, power of attorney, shared bank accounts, joint ownership of assets, joint credit card account, beneficiaries on each other's retirement accounts, investment accounts, life insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, taxes filed as married jointly, all the things normal married couples do.  With only three visits, and getting married on the first visit, with a big age gap, high-fraud Nigeria, and very weak financial co-mingling evidence, in my opinion you'll be denied unless things change significantly.  She may have to move to Nigeria to live with you if you're denied and you want to live together.  Good luck!

Most of these are not realizable unless I'm there physically 

[JFH 12,189]

1 hour ago, Quarknase said:

Hello,

Just out of curiosity - is it really anticipated that a couple that does not live in the US together has joined bank accounts, joined health/dental insurance and those things? These are something one would create once united in the US, or am I mistaken?

Not necessarily. But a married couple is never too young or too healthy for a will. We spent the first two years of married life on separate continents but my husband was still the beneficiary of my employee life insurance through my employer. 

[geowrian 22,336]

2 hours ago, Quarknase said:

Hello,

Just out of curiosity - is it really anticipated that a couple that does not live in the US together has joined bank accounts, joined health/dental insurance and those things? These are something one would create once united in the US, or am I mistaken?

Generally, no. That's more common among people living in the US already, or at least living together abroad.

Being beneficiaries on policies, retirement accounts, insurance, healthcare, etc. is something that can be done without residency together.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

2 hours ago, Quarknase said:

Hello,

Just out of curiosity - is it really anticipated that a couple that does not live in the US together has joined bank accounts, joined health/dental insurance and those things? These are something one would create once united in the US, or am I mistaken?

It would be unusual to have joint accounts before US entry.

 

Open enrollment allows addition of spouse after marriage to health insurance.  This would be a normal action.  Bonus:  Spouse shows up all insured at interview with a card to prove it.

 

Banking?  My wife was carrying a debit card around.  She was using it to close out business and get things together to move. 
 

She might not have been named on the account, but she could demonstrate that she could access the account if she needed to.  

Everything else - beneficiary info, etc, generally has to wait on a SS card.  If they can be added to life insurance/retirement great, but it isn’t expected.

Adding an overseas spouse to the pest control bill looks like creating evidence to be honest.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by Nitas_man

[Nitas_man 3,100]

1 hour ago, Fidel said:

Most of these are not realizable unless I'm there physically 

You are correct and the IO’s are not dumb. That goes for utility and pest control bills.

[Quarknase 1,072]

1 hour ago, JFH said:

Not necessarily. But a married couple is never too young or too healthy for a will. We spent the first two years of married life on separate continents but my husband was still the beneficiary of my employee life insurance through my employer. 

Yup my husband is my beneficiary too (life insurance). But health insurance, dental etc. I really didn't see the point of adding him after marriage or during enrollment this year knowing that he won't be here anytime soon since there's no international coverage...

[Quarknase 1,072]

2 minutes ago, Nitas_man said:

Open enrollment allows addition of spouse after marriage to health insurance.  This would be a normal action.  Bonus:  Spouse shows up all insured at interview with a card to prove it.

Totally agree with this. We're still early in the process and figured it will be enough to add him during enrollment period for 2021. After all the difference in monthly payments is a lot for someone who is not even allowed to enter on a tourist visa to visit, and therefore has no chance of actually using the insurance 

 

[Nitas_man 3,100]

18 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

Totally agree with this. We're still early in the process and figured it will be enough to add him during enrollment period for 2021. After all the difference in monthly payments is a lot for someone who is not even allowed to enter on a tourist visa to visit, and therefore has no chance of actually using the insurance 

 

So my view at the time was that the normal action in a normal marriage would be to enroll the spouse from date of marriage, send that in as front-load on the I-130, and send her to interview with an insurance card stapled to the support affidavit.  

There was not and still isn’t a specified qualifying event “spouse arrived in the US” that opens enrollment for them to be added whenever it is convenient, leaving the time between US arrival and next open enrollment as a gray and possibly highly risky area while waiting to be insured.

[Quarknase 1,072]

But back to OP - as you can see our discussion here stated that common sense should be applied, not artificially generated "proof".

 

Facetime I believe is the most valuable thing and it looks like your USC spouse has already spent some time with you, and you are planning to spend more time together so that's good.

Then wills, power of attorneys, USC making you beneficiary for life insurances, maybe shared credit cards (if they're being used in your country). My husband for instance doesn't use any bank accounts or credit cards, in his country everything works best via cash payments and I assume local IO's know that so we don't even bother with credit cards.

[Quarknase 1,072]

3 minutes ago, Nitas_man said:

So my view at the time was that the normal action in a normal marriage would be to enroll the spouse from date of marriage, send that in as front-load on the I-130, and send her to interview with an insurance card stapled to the support affidavit.  

There was not and still isn’t a specified qualifying event “spouse arrived in the US” that opens enrollment for them to be added whenever it is convenient, leaving the time between US arrival and next open enrollment as a gray and possibly highly risky area while waiting to be insured.

Totally agree with you - again

In our case we JUST filed the I-130 and I'm LPR so we're in the F2A category and it will be early enough to add him effective January 2021 - sadly we must assume that this will even be early enough still to take the insurance card to the interview lol

[Fidel 21]

14 minutes ago, Quarknase said:

But back to OP - as you can see our discussion here stated that common sense should be applied, not artificially generated "proof".

 

Facetime I believe is the most valuable thing and it looks like your USC spouse has already spent some time with you, and you are planning to spend more time together so that's good.

Then wills, power of attorneys, USC making you beneficiary for life insurances, maybe shared credit cards (if they're being used in your country). My husband for instance doesn't use any bank accounts or credit cards, in his country everything works best via cash payments and I assume local IO's know that so we don't even bother with credit cards.

Thanks for your contribution... She is ready to move here whichever way the outcome of the interview... Moreso she has added me.... We shared credit card and also a beneficiary on her life insurance but Medicare won't allow her to add me on her Healthcare based on the fact that I have to be there in person 

[SalishSea 16,893]

4 hours ago, Nitas_man said:

She put you, in Nigeria, on her pest control bill and other bills that you have no accountability for?
Those things mean nothing at this point.

THIS.

[SalishSea 16,893]

2 minutes ago, Fidel said:

Medicare won't allow her to add me on her Healthcare based on the fact that I have to be there in person 

This is incorrect.  You are not (nor will be) eligible for Medicare anytime soon, if ever.