Reestablishing domicile to pass the NVC stage I-864

[aerodnight 76]

Hello guys,

 

I've recently had a big change in my plans of going through the NVC, after having an opportunity to talk directly to consular officers that conduct the visa interviews and when I told them my plan of coming alone to the US to reestablish the domicile, start a job and then filing all the documents, they said it's a perfectly fine idea, good enough for them. The worst part I learned is that the interview wait time has risen from the usual 1 month to 6-8 months, currently. This made my and wife have a change of plans and we have a joint sponsor lined up that will solve the income issue and let us possibly go through the process without being apart for almost a year. The question is the domicile. We learned that the US embassy in Poland is pretty liberal about this matter, but still, we need to get pass through NVC first, and I assume, that they might have bigger requirements for the main sponsor who has spent almost all his life outside the US and thus doesn't have any ties with the US currently. I see some people asking questions about the domicile, who have some ties with the US maintained, but I have none. I'm going to travel to the US in next two weeks to get all paperwork related to the joint sponsor done and I was thinking what could I do during that 7 days of my visit to have domicile reestablished as much as possible. What a consular officer also told us, is that after many enough rejections from NVC, the case will be moved to the embassy, for them to make the decision, however, waiting few 2 months periods doesn't seem like a great idea.

[Lil bear 4,252]

16 minutes ago, aerodnight said:

Hello guys,

 

I've recently had a big change in my plans of going through the NVC, after having an opportunity to talk directly to consular officers that conduct the visa interviews and when I told them my plan of coming alone to the US to reestablish the domicile, start a job and then filing all the documents, they said it's a perfectly fine idea, good enough for them. The worst part I learned is that the interview wait time has risen from the usual 1 month to 6-8 months, currently. This made my and wife have a change of plans and we have a joint sponsor lined up that will solve the income issue and let us possibly go through the process without being apart for almost a year. The question is the domicile. We learned that the US embassy in Poland is pretty liberal about this matter, but still, we need to get pass through NVC first, and I assume, that they might have bigger requirements for the main sponsor who has spent almost all his life outside the US and thus doesn't have any ties with the US currently. I see some people asking questions about the domicile, who have some ties with the US maintained, but I have none. I'm going to travel to the US in next two weeks to get all paperwork related to the joint sponsor done and I was thinking what could I do during that 7 days of my visit to have domicile reestablished as much as possible. What a consular officer also told us, is that after many enough rejections from NVC, the case will be moved to the embassy, for them to make the decision, however, waiting few 2 months periods doesn't seem like a great idea.

Establish an address..  even if its with family. Establish bank accounts and use that address. Get a state Drivers licence. Register to vote at that address 

[aerodnight 76]

25 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Establish an address..  even if its with family

Any tips on that? As far as I remember, I would need some correspondence issued with my name and that address to later be able to get an ID or driver license, but where should I start, if I'm starting from scratch?

[Lil bear 4,252]

22 minutes ago, aerodnight said:

Any tips on that? As far as I remember, I would need some correspondence issued with my name and that address to later be able to get an ID or driver license, but where should I start, if I'm starting from scratch?

Its hard isn't it. One option ive heard of is to get a basic cell phone plan and ensure the address is on the account   
Another option is to look into banks that have a presence both where you are now and in the US.. HBSC.. Citibank etc .. or a credit cared like AMEX which allows an account to be relocated to  US .. 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by Lil bear

[JeanneAdil 6,561]

Where do u intend to live when u both arrive in the US?

have u been filing US tax returns as required?

can u fly over to the place u intend to live giving yourself enough time to get a DL and/or bank account in that state and then go back?

 

u do need US residency to get the visa

[aerodnight 76]

1 hour ago, JeanneAdil said:

Where do u intend to live when u both arrive in the US?

Probably we'll want to rent something ASAP, but let's say that for some time after arrival it will be my aunt's house. I guess I can get a letter from her confirming that, if it's needed.

 

1 hour ago, JeanneAdil said:

have u been filing US tax returns as required?

yes

1 hour ago, JeanneAdil said:

can u fly over to the place u intend to live giving yourself enough time to get a DL and/or bank account in that state and then go back?

I'm going to fly for a week this month, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to get a proof of address to be able to get a DL, but a bank account should be no problem, I heard that Wells Fargo is ok in situations like this, or maybe like @Lil bear mentioned, I will try Citi, that has branches in both countries.

[Lil bear 4,252]

15 minutes ago, aerodnight said:

Probably we'll want to rent something ASAP, but let's say that for some time after arrival it will be my aunt's house. I guess I can get a letter from her confirming that, if it's needed.

 

yes

I'm going to fly for a week this month, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to get a proof of address to be able to get a DL, but a bank account should be no problem, I heard that Wells Fargo is ok in situations like this, or maybe like @Lil bear mentioned, I will try Citi, that has branches in both countries.

If you get a bank account .. get a statement printed by the bank with the US address .. order a cheap

magazine subscription to the US address.. 

[Chanel H. 41]

Have a look in your state to see if you need to book a written test and the driving test separately. I wanted to get my license in Oregon but the wait times between the written test and the driving test was too long and I wouldn't be able to do it in one trip to the US.

[aerodnight 76]

Wow, this proof of address requirement is such a pain when you don't live in the US and want to get something done. I'm trying to build my proof of address to be at my uncle's house, so I tried ordering myself a debit card from Wise to that address and of course the last step to finish the card ordering is to provide a proof of address. Wanted to do the change of address on USPS page that could later help my prove my address at the bank when creating an account, or when getting an ID at DMV, but of course, at the end of the changing address process you have to make a payment with a credit card that has the old or new address assigned to it, and I got rid of my debit card 7 years ago when I left the US for the last time. Anyways, with what I came up so far

 

- Getting a letter from my employer, stating that I will be relocated to the US before my wife's admission

- Opening a bank account and transferring few thousands dollars to it

- Showing emails with renters/realtors about interest in places

- Getting a letter from my family, stating that we'll be living with them for some time after the arrival(It's hard to put a precise date on that, since we can't be sure, when my wife will be admitted)

 

Anyone has some other ideas? I wanted to renew my ID card but with those proof of residence issues, I might not be able to do so in a week of time.

[Chancy 6,241]

3 minutes ago, aerodnight said:

Anyone has some other ideas? I wanted to renew my ID card but with those proof of residence issues, I might not be able to do so in a week of time.

 

NVC only requires 1 proof of US domicile, then they will likely leave it up to the interviewing consul officer to make the final decision.

 

[aerodnight 76]

3 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

NVC only requires 1 proof of US domicile

 

First time about it, do you know that from experience?

[Chanel H. 41]

11 hours ago, aerodnight said:

Wow, this proof of address requirement is such a pain when you don't live in the US and want to get something done. I'm trying to build my proof of address to be at my uncle's house, so I tried ordering myself a debit card from Wise to that address and of course the last step to finish the card ordering is to provide a proof of address. Wanted to do the change of address on USPS page that could later help my prove my address at the bank when creating an account, or when getting an ID at DMV, but of course, at the end of the changing address process you have to make a payment with a credit card that has the old or new address assigned to it, and I got rid of my debit card 7 years ago when I left the US for the last time. Anyways, with what I came up so far

 

- Getting a letter from my employer, stating that I will be relocated to the US before my wife's admission

- Opening a bank account and transferring few thousands dollars to it

- Showing emails with renters/realtors about interest in places

- Getting a letter from my family, stating that we'll be living with them for some time after the arrival(It's hard to put a precise date on that, since we can't be sure, when my wife will be admitted)

 

Anyone has some other ideas? I wanted to renew my ID card but with those proof of residence issues, I might not be able to do so in a week of time.

If you have kids, you can enquire about schools/daycares. If you have any pets, get a quote to relocate the pet. Also get a quote to relocate your belongings from where you live now to the US.

[observatorka 197]

On 10/5/2022 at 3:09 PM, aerodnight said:

Hello guys,

 

I've recently had a big change in my plans of going through the NVC, after having an opportunity to talk directly to consular officers that conduct the visa interviews and when I told them my plan of coming alone to the US to reestablish the domicile, start a job and then filing all the documents, they said it's a perfectly fine idea, good enough for them. The worst part I learned is that the interview wait time has risen from the usual 1 month to 6-8 months, currently. This made my and wife have a change of plans and we have a joint sponsor lined up that will solve the income issue and let us possibly go through the process without being apart for almost a year. The question is the domicile. We learned that the US embassy in Poland is pretty liberal about this matter, but still, we need to get pass through NVC first, and I assume, that they might have bigger requirements for the main sponsor who has spent almost all his life outside the US and thus doesn't have any ties with the US currently. I see some people asking questions about the domicile, who have some ties with the US maintained, but I have none. I'm going to travel to the US in next two weeks to get all paperwork related to the joint sponsor done and I was thinking what could I do during that 7 days of my visit to have domicile reestablished as much as possible. What a consular officer also told us, is that after many enough rejections from NVC, the case will be moved to the embassy, for them to make the decision, however, waiting few 2 months periods doesn't seem like a great idea.

 

Name, middle name, last name.
SSN
FORM I­864
Part 4, Question 5: Country of Domicile

I, .............................. , am currently residing in ....... with my spouse, ............... .............. Below you will find a list of attached documents to show that my principle residence is in the US and the steps that I have taken to return to the US with my spouse.

 

Steps I have taken to maintain US Domicile:
Maintained my US bank account at ............................Bank

Maintained my .....................credit card registered in the US

Maintained my US 401(k) retirement fund .........................

Maintained my student loan through .................................

Maintained my life insurance through ...............................

Maintained my membership at ............................... Church

 

Supporting documents for the above steps:
..............Bank statements for the last 15 months showing permanent US address

..............Bank credit card statements showing permanent US address
US 401(k) retirement fund showing permanent US address
........... ...Student load bill showing permanent US address
...............life insurance bill showing permanent US address
............. Church letter stating I am a member of the church

 

Steps I have taken to return to the US to take up residence:
Made arrangements for us to have a house to live in
Updated my voter registration
Name is on the Xcel Energy electricity bill at my permanent US address

Name is on the CenterPoint Energy gas bill at my permanent US address

 

Supporting documents for the above steps:
Letter written by .............. stating we can live at my permanent US address

Voter registration card showing my name and permanent US address
Xcel Energy electricity bill showing my name and permanent US address

CenterPoint Energy gas bill showing my name and permanent US address

 

I declare that I intend in good faith to re­establish my domicile in the United States no later than the date of my spouse's admission into the US.

I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States that the statements in this letter and all accompanying evidence are true and correct.

 

Signature:__________________________________ Date:___________________

 

It's just an example letter.

 

Ask your uncle to write you a letter confirming the address.

Ask your uncle to add you to his utility bills.

Register to vote at this address.

 

Edited October 12, 2022 by observatorka

[Mel.King 23]

6 minutes ago, observatorka said:

 

6 minutes ago, observatorka said:

 

Ask your uncle to write you a letter confirming the address.

Ask your uncle to add you to his utility bills.

Register to vote at this address.

 

 

I second this - getting your name on utility bills are a good step to take. Credit card statements are also a possibility - maybe get a credit card as well when you open the bank account. You can also use pay slips from your employer with your address on it.

 

6 minutes ago, observatorka said:

 

 

[aerodnight 76]

Thanks guys, unfortunately I don't really have anything to show for maintained domicile but will use this template to show the steps I have taken to re-establish it after 7 years. In my case, probably the strongest evidence for re-establishing the domicile will be the letter from my company's HR department, stating that I will be transferred to the US branch in the nearest future, probably in relation to the interview scheduled date.As for adding me to the utility bill, I don't think it's doable, since I'm not really going to live there probably, and if I will, it will be not sooner than next 6-8 months and probably just for 2 weeks. 

 

Is showing a communication with apartment complexes in terms of renting it in the nearest future and asking them how it's done when I don't have credit score established will be better than having a letter from my uncle that we'll be living with him for some time after arrival?

 

Also, is the admission date related to the interview date at the embassy or arriving at the Port of Entry in the later date?