RFE -- Are we covered?

[zeilend 1]

Nov 2019 filer here -- just received an RFE stating that my wife and I "didn't submit sufficient evidence showing that we share responsibility for our assets and liabilities." Looking at the list of what we provided vs what they're requesting, I'm not sure what else we can send to help prove that.

 

What we sent:

• Last two years of leases
• Life insurance policies
• Proof of shared medical insurance
• 2017 and 2018 tax transcripts
• Proof of our joint checking account, with a list of all transactions
• Proof of shared credit card account, with an assortment of bills
• Proof of shared mobile phone account, with an assortment of bills 
• Affidavits from 2 friends
• Photos

 

In the RFE, they listed the documentation that they received, and they failed to mention the life insurance and affidavits; the latter I'm less concerned about but it's weird that they missed the insurance policies. Not sure if it's because they just weren't mentioned, or if they could have possibly been misplaced. Alas..

 

Anyway, we're planning on submitting the following for the RFE:

• Written explanation of our finances set-up (they seemed to unclear how our transaction history shows how we share financial responsibilities)
• Tax information
  • 2019 Federal and State tax return
  • 2019 tax transcript
  • 2017 and 2018 Federal and State tax return to compliment the transcripts already provided: Not sure about this one, as I don't want it to be a duplicate, and for some reason my 2017 return is 350 pages which is a lot for one document
  • 2017, 2018, 2019 W-2 records: Again, not sure if it's additive (the requested evidence specifically calls out W-2s as desirable attachments)
• 2020 apartment lease: To show that we still live together
• Renters insurance coverage summary: To show that we are both on the policy and that my wife's engagement ring is a part of the policy
• Information regarding our new car
  • Vehicle registration showing us as co-owners
  • Geico car insurance declarations page showing us as both insured on the policy
• Credit statements since December 2019: Highlighting (literally) our continual sharing of core household expenses
• Joint bank statements since December 2019: Highlighting (literally) our continual  bi-monthly deposits and payment of bills
• Health insurance documents:
  • Proof of shared health insurance: Possibly duplicative, but showing continued coverage
  • Proof of shared dental insurance
  • List of insurance claims showing that we're using it: Not sure if this provides any additional value
• Life insurance documents: Sending again because they didn't explicitly state that they were received

 

Anything else that we should be thinking of? Affidavits from neighbors or our landlord? It's so frustrating that we're getting an RFE on this, but I understand that the co-mingling of finances might not shown, especially since all of the bills are in my name because I already had accounts and also my wife couldn't work for the first year. Hopefully the description of how our finances are set up, especially with an extra 10 months of statements, help mitigate some of this (perhaps we send the last 3.5 years of statements to be 100% sure that we're covered). Is there anything else that would help show shared responsibility of assets and liabilities? Gas and electric bills that only have my name on them don't seem super impactful, but I want to be as thorough as possible.

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

A copy of both of your IDs that show you reside at the same address.

[Bob in Boston 734]

22 minutes ago, zeilend said:

Anything else that we should be thinking of?

Cards or Bills with both your names on it. Pictures..... trip or airplane tickets

Edited September 21, 2020 by Bob in Boston

[carmel34 3,639]

Will, living will, power of attorney are easy to do.  They tend to like legal documents.

[JeanneAdil 6,560]

So  many times people see this and the mistake may be that the supporting evidence was lost among all other applications coming in

Did you label each and every paper you sent with your case # and both names and both DOB's in the upper right hand corner?

If not,   it may have gotten separated in a pile on a desk inbox

[zeilend 1]

6 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

Did you label each and every paper you sent with your case # and both names and both DOB's in the upper right hand corner?

If not,   it may have gotten separated in a pile on a desk inbox

Not on every paper, but I think at the top of each set of documents. We'll be more careful on that in the future.

 

Thank you, all, for the other suggestions. This is definitely one of those situations where 'more is more' and I'll see what else we can dig up, and will look into power of attorney information. 

[Sukie 1,464]

OK - you stated the problem that USCIS had with your packet in your own posting to us...

 

It's so frustrating that we're getting an RFE on this, but I understand that the co-mingling of finances might not shown, especially since all of the bills are in my name because I already had accounts and also my wife couldn't work for the first year.

 

If you had stated this fact in your cover letter, then the case officer would not have been suspicious about the fact that all the bills are in your name.  Send your second response, but PLEASE start with an explanation of how the two of you have covered your living expenses in the past years.  Remember - the officer is merely looking at the data - if you have not provided a clear path for how things are handled in your household, they can't read your mind.

 

It is NOT a "situation where more is more".  It's a situation where you need answer a specific question they have - not throw a bunch of paper at them.  Do not send your tax returns.  Your transcripts are much more valuable, and they already have them.  Your tax returns will NOT answer their question.

 

Explain your way of handling your finances together.  State that your partner was not working at first, but now you can show the joint bank statements where the money comes in and the money comes out.

 

Really - it's not about quantity this time - it's about quality.

 

Good luck!

 

Sukie in NY

[jeanieCZ 228]

Utilities bills - water, sewage, electricity, gas

[Daisy.Chain 317]

I second the recommendation of the power of attorneys. You can download and fill these in for free and then sign in front of the notary, and they are pretty strong evidence along with uour other things.

 

This is minor, but you can sometimes fet a spouse's name added to a "one name only" utility bill by addressing the bill to "Jane Doe c/o Bob Doe". I'm not sure if it would be worth the call at this point since you're already at this stage.

 

Maybe car insurance and renters'/homeowner's insurance too?