AOS interview - how much evidence?

[Pixelx 29]

So, I just randomly checked my USCIS today, I barely ever do as it is waaay too early to hear anything back (should be in august by the earliest judging by average times) but my status had changed today to Interview scheduled, what! I'm freaking out.

I'm worried about the evidence, we have yet to file taxes jointly since.. well tax thing just started and we haven't opened a joint bank account yet because we didn't feel to be in a rush, so basically all the "evidence" of relationship we have is our wedding pictures, and some couples pictures we've taken since we got married in June... is that enough? I've heard that you're supposed to have joint bank accounts, and taxes and bla bla but.. as I said, wasn't expecting anything til august, and we we're gonna open the bank this month, I just got my EAD in December.

 

Any advice, am I good to go with the pictures only, how much evidence is necessary and should we just go ahead and get joint bank account now or does it look weird since we opened it once we got the interview? How worried do I need to be?

Thanks in advance! 

[arken 4,197]

10 minutes ago, Pixelx said:

So, I just randomly checked my USCIS today, I barely ever do as it is waaay too early to hear anything back (should be in august by the earliest judging by average times) but my status had changed today to Interview scheduled, what! I'm freaking out.

I'm worried about the evidence, we have yet to file taxes jointly since.. well tax thing just started and we haven't opened a joint bank account yet because we didn't feel to be in a rush, so basically all the "evidence" of relationship we have is our wedding pictures, and some couples pictures we've taken since we got married in June... is that enough? I've heard that you're supposed to have joint bank accounts, and taxes and bla bla but.. as I said, wasn't expecting anything til august, and we we're gonna open the bank this month, I just got my EAD in December.

 

Any advice, am I good to go with the pictures only, how much evidence is necessary and should we just go ahead and get joint bank account now or does it look weird since we opened it once we got the interview? How worried do I need to be?

Thanks in advance! 

For AOS interview, just the wedding pictures and other pictures are not sufficient, they want evidences of bonafide marital relationship not just the evidence of being married.

Look into the AOS guideline in VJ and you can see the recommended evidences.

I’d say you better be worried.

 

[Crazy Cat 39,183]

The Officer will possibly ask why you don't have a joint bank account after almost a year in the US.  Do you have other evidence of shared fiances?  Evidence that you even live together?  Affidavits?  Wills?  Health Care statements?  Loans? Insurance?

 

I would strongly suggest that you start looking ahead at what you might also need for Removal of Conditions (if applicable).......Good luck.

Edited February 13, 2020 by missileman

[Pixelx 29]

I came in May,  not a year yet. And also needed social security to open joint bank account which I got with the EAD in December (filed for social security in the EAD application) so technically I've had 2 months of time to open the bank, christmas time made us not think about this stuff hence we we're gonna open in February. I realize this mistake. Thanks. I'm worried.

Edited February 13, 2020 by Pixelx

[Crazy Cat 39,183]

1 minute ago, Pixelx said:

I came in May,  not a year yet. And also needed social security to open joint bank account which I got with the EAD in December (filed for social security in the EAD application) so technically I've had 2 months of time to open the bank, christmas time made us not think about this stuff hence we we're gonna open in February. I realize this mistake. Thanks. I'm worried.

Don't worry about what you DON'T have.  Just think about what you can gather.....Evidence that you even live together?  Affidavits?  Wills?  Health Care statements?  Loans? Insurance? 

[Pixelx 29]

Just now, missileman said:

Don't worry about what you DON'T have.  Just think about what you can gather.....Evidence that you even live together?  Affidavits?  Wills?  Health Care statements?  Loans? Insurance? 

Sorry, I get anxious easily and panic, you're totally right. I'm gonna calm down and start seeing what we can actually gather. Thank you!

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

You don’t need a SS to open a bank account. Find another bank if they keep arguing with you. Do you have IDs that have the same address? Are you on your husbands health insurance policy? Do you drive- car insurance policy? Are you on any bills (electric, gas etc)

[Moon&Stars 172]

A bank account isn't the only way to show what they are looking to for in AOS. They want to see you have a real marriage, a life lived together. So what about your life can be reflected in official documents that your life is together? Lease? Utility bills? Health insurance on same policy? Beneficiary's on each other's insurance/retirement plans? Car insurance? Will?

 

During an AOS interview they don't expect you to have EVERYTHING mingled because it takes time, but you should have a lot of your life intertwined and be able to show how it is in official capacities.

[SuznAaron 121]

We just had our AOS in Norfolk yesterday. You can read my review and see what we did. We frontloaded our app and were only asked if we had anything to add. Specifically they asked for living arrangements (deed or joint on rent agreement which I had not sent). We gave deed, beneficiary proof and bank statements. She did go through our bank statements to check that both our debit cards were used. We were asked NO questions at all about our relationship. We were asked for ORIGINAL documents so make sure you bring originals and copies.  

[Fr8dog 312]

There is no magic bullet for the evidence part. The most important thing is that what you do have, fits with your relationship and makes sense for the time spent together. There is a good change they will ask about the lack of accounts but if the answer you give them is a logical one it will be accepted.

 

Get added to the bank account and bring that with you.

They really like to see tax returns, so if you can get those done before hand it should help

Are you on the phone plan? Take some proof of that with you.

Did your husband report you as his wife to his employer for benefits? Take that form with you.

At one point my wife got a red light traffic cam picture in my car (though she still says it was me). I included that.

We got an invite for a wedding of friends, that was thrown in the package at some point.

I had to get a pool pass through our HOA.

I got added as an emergency contact with the school and at work, that went in.

She had kids from her previous marriage. I signed some permission slips and Report cards and those where added.

Non of these items are "strong" evidence but put together it shows a consistent life as a couple.

 

We did not include statements from friends as we felt it would look fake (our opinion only!) We did not include pictures as I am not on any of them (I hate pictures) We do not have joint accounts since we both have had bad experiences with them in the past.

 

The IO looks at what you did supply and if that make senses for the time you spent together.

They ask a question and look at your responses. Is it natural or rehearsed, do you appear to be a couple or does it look staged.

Also your nationality still plays a big part as well.

 

Continue to collect evidence and keep it available for both the AOS and the ROC stage. 2 years is gone a lot quicker than you think.

[Shawn_Lock 36]

You just received your EAD card so they wouldn’t expect many joint accounts to be open before then. Some of the thing that we were able to provide during our interview:

-Cell Pone bill with both numbers

-BJs card.( I printed account page in WORD and snapshots of both cards).

-AAA card. (Also printed account page with snapshots of AAA card).

-Printed out Social Media snapshots on a WORD doc.

-Printed text messages on WORD doc. ( I still had our first conversation saved which they loved).

-Printed various photos on a WORD doc with description of who and where,etc.

-I have a movie theater subscription so I printed out all of my 15+ movie tickets which ended up being a good conversation piece. 
-Any trips or hotel reservations.

 

Open bank account as soon as possible. This is quite possibly the biggest piece of evidence other than Joint health insurance or Beneficiaries on 401k, life insurance, etc. 

 

 

[Mrs Thor 16]

My husband and I recently had our interview. The officer did ask additional evidences even if she was very nice to us. Does the petitioner have a personal bank account that is currently used? You can let the benefeciary become joint owner of the bank account.

My husband and I provided joint utiliy bill as our evidence and Costco joint account. Hope this helps!

[beloved_dingo 1,930]

@Pixelx My husband also arrived in May, and he got his EAD & SSN in December. Our interview was January 29th, and we were approved (hubby got his green card Feb. 4th). 

 

I didn't bring bank statements, and it wasn't an issue. Ironically, I did add him to my account in December and he has a debit card for the account but his name doesn't appear anywhere on the bank statements. So I wasn't able to get "proof" of our joint account before the interview. As someone else said, don't stress about what you don't have. Dig around for anything you do have.

 

Here's a complete list of everything I brought as proof of our marriage:

• Our lease with both names listed
• Mobile phone account with both names/numbers
• Car insurance listing him as my spouse
• CapitalOne credit card statements showing purchases from both of us (note - it is extremely easy to add someone as an authorized user on a credit card. CapitalOne will even let you do it without an SSN)
• Discover card listing him as authorized user
• Heathcare Power of Attorney (one for me and one for him)
• Documentation that he's an authorized user with our power company
• Documentation that he's an authorized user with AT&T (our internet company) 
• Receipts/itineraries for trips we have taken since married
• Photos - a few from the wedding, and others throughout the last 6 months with family and on trips
• Water bill in both of our names
• Facebook marriage announcements with comments from many of our family members

Other items that can be used:

• Copies of your driver's licenses (or State ID) showing the same address
• Life insurance with you as the beneficiary 
• Mail that you've received addressed to both of you (like wedding invitations, Christmas cards, etc.)
• Shared gym membership (or documents showing you have memberships at the same gym)
• Joint health insurance
• Any loan in both names (car loan, mortgage, personal loan, etc) 
• Proof that you have each other as your emergency contact at work (and/or schools, if you have kids)

As a side note, the IO took ALL of the marriage evidence I brought to the interview, but he didn't actually look at any of it. 

Edited February 13, 2020 by beloved_dingo

[thespecial1 0]

Hi, my interview is next week 2/19/20 in Hartford CT... I submitted my i-693 medical exam with my i 485 and i 130 would i need to bring another medical with me?  its been about 10 months since i submitted it.

[Scandi 3,970]

You have been married since June 2019, it's now February 2020, meaning there should be plenty of evidence by now. 

 

With that said, I brought a TON of evidence to our interview and the IO didn't want to see any of it.