F-1 to AOS Questions - i-485 (military-service related) and i-864 (tax-related) questions

[ssey 0]

Hello all,

 

Hopefully new users can ask multiple questions in one post. I am currently an F1 student thinking of possibly adjusting, married to my US citizen partner for 2.5+ years. I have some questions that I cannot move past, because I do not want to apply incorrectly and receive an RFE or even worse a rejection.

 

1. Form I-864 - Tax and Income:

In 2024 and 2023, we filed our taxes jointly. I am unsure what to exactly submit for those. We found 2024 tax receipt transcript on IRS website, but it is titled "Form 1040 Tax Return Transcript" and not "Tax Return Transcript" I see posted by many other people. Is it okay or are we finding an incorrect document? Then, the total income seems too large because my income is also added to the "Total Income" part, should we still enter that value in I-864, and submit W2s to show our individual income?

 

2. Military Service - 

1.       I did (mandatory) military service in past 5 years for a month. I will include that information in i485. My question is, should I include that 1 month in my previous places I lived? Since I was living in a separate place and sleeping there and such. However, I am worried about oversharing info because my places I lived looks like this, it seems too extra? I would like your opinions on this:

a.       US new house 

b.       US old house 1

c.    Home country house

d.       Military address in home country

e.       Home country house

f.       US old house 1

g.        US old house 2

3. Form I-485 - Organizations? I understand military service should be included in the "organizations" I am involved in, I did military service for a month in one summer past 5 years. Should I also include student chapter things I was involved in during my studies? I did not really do much except going to some meetings, and organizing student events (bring coffee to office kind of very casual).

 

We greatly appreciate any help we can find here.

[OldUser 9,421]

25 minutes ago, ssey said:

1. Form I-864 - Tax and Income:

In 2024 and 2023, we filed our taxes jointly. I am unsure what to exactly submit for those. We found 2024 tax receipt transcript on IRS website, but it is titled "Form 1040 Tax Return Transcript" and not "Tax Return Transcript" I see posted by many other people. Is it okay or are we finding an incorrect document?

Tax return transcript is what you need. It really says it in PDF that you download from IRS website.

 

[OldUser 9,421]

26 minutes ago, ssey said:

 

 

3. Form I-485 - Organizations? I understand military service should be included in the "organizations" I am involved in, I did military service for a month in one summer past 5 years. Should I also include student chapter things I was involved in during my studies? I did not really do much except going to some meetings, and organizing student events (bring coffee to office kind of very casual).

 

We greatly appreciate any help we can find here.

No downside to listing. I even listed wine club membership in there, and museum membership. It had no effect whatsoever.

[ssey 0]

29 minutes ago, OldUser said:

No downside to listing. I even listed wine club membership in there, and museum membership. It had no effect whatsoever.

 

Thank you for your answers and help. Would this answer also apply to question 2, where I list anything and everything as correctly as possible although it makes the list really long.

[Dashinka 25,681]

11 hours ago, ssey said:

 

Thank you for your answers and help. Would this answer also apply to question 2, where I list anything and everything as correctly as possible although it makes the list really long.

Should be thorough, most of it will probably be ignored, but better to be complete, then be asked about it if that makes sense.

 

Also, if providing official tax transcripts, do not include W2's (this information is in the IRS transcript) as that seems to confuse USCIS.  

[carmel34 3,722]

12 hours ago, ssey said:

Should I also include student chapter things I was involved in during my studies? I did not really do much except going to some meetings, and organizing student events (bring coffee to office kind of very casual).

List everything.  Mahmoud Khalil is a green card holder, currently detained by ICE and fighting deportation, who is accused of misrepresentation by omission on his green card application (I-485) for organizations he belonged to at Columbia University.  

[ssey 0]

On 6/16/2025 at 3:38 AM, Dashinka said:

Should be thorough, most of it will probably be ignored, but better to be complete, then be asked about it if that makes sense.

 

Also, if providing official tax transcripts, do not include W2's (this information is in the IRS transcript) as that seems to confuse USCIS.  

Sorry to revive this post and be bother, but is this the official tax transcript? We filed jointly, so we were planning to submit W2 to show my spouse's actual income. Otherwise, the one we report is made by two of us together but I am the beneficiary so I cannot use my own income to support myself. Should I include W2 (if yes, is it last three years?) because we filed jointly?

 

Edited 14 hours ago by ssey
Changed photo

[Dashinka 25,681]

10 hours ago, ssey said:

Sorry to revive this post and be bother, but is this the official tax transcript? We filed jointly, so we were planning to submit W2 to show my spouse's actual income. Otherwise, the one we report is made by two of us together but I am the beneficiary so I cannot use my own income to support myself. Should I include W2 (if yes, is it last three years?) because we filed jointly?

 

Up to you about the W2 of your spouse, but the transcript should include the W2 information already for both of you and the I864 should be filled out only using your spouses W2 income.  One suggestion, if you include the W2 separately as evidence, also include a copy of the tax return as we have seen RFEs for those when combining W2’s and tax transcripts.

 

Good Luck!