I-751 Questions for our case

[Janelle K 4]

Hi! I think I'm good to post in here? lol 

I also have some I-751 questions. 
I feel like I'm climbing up a mountain about how to file the evidence for this one. I don't know how to prove our marriage on paper cause we're both ADHD and have been procrastinating on a lot of stuff. 

 

Bit of backstory : 

• Husband has no driving license or state issued ID (we just kept putting it off and he's dyslexic so he panics at the thought of the permit test)
• Car insurance won't let me put him on the policy until he has a license or permit number 
• I bought my house before we even met, I don't feel comfortable putting his name on my house when he hasn't financially contributed to it
• Same thing for the car - I bought a new one in 2024 due to the old one crapping out. Paid cash for it. They wouldn't put his name on the title because he doesn't have a US license and he didn't financially contribute to it, so...idk?
• I only filed joint taxes for 2024. We married in 2022, and he moved here in December of 2023. Accountant said I couldn't file joint for 2023 because he wasn't in the US long enough. I filed married-separate for 22 and 23. 
• He's unemployed (with light freelance work online). He's essentially a stay at home spouse), so no evidence of joint income
• We do have a joint checking account which I pay our cell phone & trash bill out of - but it's only me contributing to the account. I don't direct deposit my wages into it because most of our finances are separate by a mutual choice. 
• We don't really travel. Only went to visit my mom about 3 weeks after he arrived. Lots of photos, videos and receipts of that, but we haven't gone anywhere since then
• We don't take a ton of photos together, mostly cause we're together 24/7 now and didn't see much of a point? idk - we are weird lol
• No kids and no plans to have kids
• Utility companies won't put both our names on anything. We have AT&T, Xfinity and National Grid - all of them refused, not sure what to do on that. He IS an authorized user on all three accounts
• We're both extremely introverted and keep to ourselves. We have absolutely no friends where we live, his family is all in England and mine is on the other side of the US. All of our friends are online only, and have never actually met any of them in person, so we don't know who to ask for an affidavit. 
• We are friendly towards our neighbors but not sure if any of them know us well enough to be willing to write an affidavit. 

How screwed are we? 😰

 

Is there anything I can do about the utilities not wanting to list two names? I asked them about it in our I-130 evidence gathering, and was told "Only one name may be listed". Attorney told me to get a formal letter from the companies explaining why they won't do that but I've literally never heard of a business ever doing that before. Is that even a real thing? Or can I just print off the webapge showing he's an authorized user?

 

Same thing for the credit cards too I guess. He's an authorized user on several of my accounts, but he doesn't ever use the cards. Can i just print off the webpage showine he's on the account or do I really need a letter? 

 

I read somewhere that I can include a letter explaining our living situation and why our evidence may be kind of weak, but I'm guessing we're probably going to be selected for an interview 😒

The list of documents our Attorney sent us is daunting and making me panic a little bit. 

 

 

sorry for the wall of text I guess I'm infodumping and panicking a bit lmao

[Crazy Cat 44,654]

***Topic split from existing member's thread***

[OldUser 10,092]

26 minutes ago, Janelle K said:

Husband has no driving license or state issued ID (we just kept putting it off and he's dyslexic so he panics at the thought of the permit test)

Go get it. Doesn't have to be DL, can be state ID. ID doesn't require tests. It's never too late.

Edited Friday at 04:34 PM by OldUser

[Crazy Cat 44,654]

Your accountant is wrong.  You could have filed a joint tax return for 2022 and/or 2023 if your spouse had a Social Security number.  Looks like spouse's Green Card expires in December 2025, so you have 3-4 months to put your package together.   Right now, it might appear to you that you have a weak package, but there is still time to gather some evidence.  There is no need to rush your filing immediately when the 90 day window opens.  Just make sure USCIS receives the package before his Green Card expires.  

1.  I would get him a state ID with the address which matches your Driver's License asap.  

2.  I would get an affidavit from someone who can testify that you both have lived at the same addresses since he arrived.

3.  I would look into advance directive document showing each other as health care proxies.

4.  He needs to use the joint bank account.  Copies of cards or statements showing common numbers or both names can be used as evidence.

5.  Is he a beneficiary on any of your insurance ?  Health Care documents?

6.  Use a few pictures.

7.  I would try to get his name on some of the utilities.

8.  Any legal documents showing both names can be used....

9.  I would open a couple new credit accounts in both names.

10.  I even used a couple Amazon delivery labels showing our address and both names.

 

You can do this.  Think "How can I prove we live together"?

Edited Friday at 04:48 PM by Crazy Cat

[OldUser 10,092]

27 minutes ago, Janelle K said:

Car insurance won't let me put him on the policy until he has a license or permit number 

This is normal. If he doesn't drive, you can leave this out. There's health insurance, renters insurance, life insurance and other useful policies you can have in both names.

[OldUser 10,092]

29 minutes ago, Janelle K said:

 

• Utility companies won't put both our names on anything. We have AT&T, Xfinity and National Grid - all of them refused, not sure what to do on that. He IS an authorized user on all three accounts
•  

Try harder. If not, any chance to show he's authorized user?

[Dashinka 25,920]

Wills and Living Wills are an option.

 

Good Luck!

[JeanneAdil 7,107]

• I only filed joint taxes for 2024. We married in 2022, and he moved here in December of 2023. Accountant said I couldn't file joint for 2023 because he wasn't in the US long enough. I filed married-separate for 22 and 23. 

Refile taxes with SS # 1040x  /if not SS $ file W7 for ITN

you could have filed for that at tax time (accountant was wrong)

 

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-spouse

 

you, yourself , are ok without his name on house as Massachusetts is not a community property state but you will be bound to the I 864

 

the 2 of you could also do a POA for each other

What about the health care  insurance ?

Edited Friday at 04:58 PM by JeanneAdil

[llcoolwil 103]

AT&T let my husband add me to the account - maybe you spoke to someone who didn't know? 

Print out all of your taxes - even if it says married filing separately, a lot of people don't file together for various reasons, include both your taxes that way. Every little bit helps. 

Can you get family members to write letter of affadavits? 

[TBoneTX 47,589]

12 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Wills and Living Wills are an option.

Very true.  Any estate documents -- wills, medical & statutory powers of attorney, HIPAA releases, whatever -- make superlative evidence for ROC, and they're even more valuable to have in "life."  See if your state has templates on file; if not, it's well worth finding a lawyer to draft them for you.

[Sam Burns 201]

Are you guys deliberately trying to fail the application? Are you really taking this seriously? Get him a state Id already! 

[Sukie 1,504]

I have also run into the "only one name on the utility" issue in the past.  Put one of your names on one utility, and the other on the other utility so it shows you are at the same address.   I also owned my home prior to my marriage.  Just note that in a cover letter and note that your spouse is on the insurance policy.  Follow TBoneTX's advice.  "Life" documents show that you intend to stay together long term.

 

Best of luck on your journey.

[Janelle K 4]

I appreciate all the great suggestions!

 

 

 

I didn't even think that a will or power of attorney could be used! I will definitely work on finishing those up so we can include them. I never thought to ask for copies of the HIPPA releases, so that's going on my to-do list as well!

 

 

Taxes are....complicated. I misspoke in saying my account said we couldn't. She advised that we filed separately while he was still in England (2022 and 2023) because the deductions from filing jointly would not have offset the taxes owed for his income. We went through consular processing. We didn't live together at all until he moved here. 

 

We scheduled an appointment with the DMV last week. First available is August 27th for his permit test. We will try to get him a state ID in the meantime but he might not get it any sooner than the permit. He didn't see the point in a state ID for the longest time since every establishment that wanted ID accepted his green card and/or his passport as a valid photo ID.

 

 

Never thought about using Amazon labels as evidence! I'll be digging around trying to find any boxes that might still be kicking around with his name on them. Thankfully he does get spam mail regularly with our address. And he has loads of bank statements for his own account with our address on it (including our joint account statements).

 

Utilities are still a no-go. AT&T does list our phone lines with our names on the bill, so his name is visible on the bill, it just isn't addressed to him (and it does list the date the line was opened, which was the day after he got here). National Grid said no again - only one name on the account at a time. Xfinity also said no, so I will include a printout of the webpage listing him as an authorized user on the account. We don't have a water bill (well water & septic system). I did manage to get him listed on the Heating Oil/Furnace maintenance account, and both of our names appear on that mail, so I'm hoping that one is enough when combined with the random bits of mail and bank statements. I've also been toying with the idea of switching garbage companies, so if I do I'm going to do it sooner than later and list him as the account holder. Even if it's a new account, it's something, right? Our current trash company doesn't send bills at all. I get a handwritten letter on their letterhead telling me if I missed a payment. There's never a name or account number listed, just our address. 

 

We don't really use our joint account more than a couple bills because I'm the only one making any tangible income. He makes maybe $100 every couple months. I found it easier to just pay for things for us and the household from one of my accounts (usually already linked to wherever I am ordering it from). Any time we go shopping, we're together, so I guess we never really thought to use the joint account when we both knew I was paying for everything anyway. It seemed like a lot of extra work to keep shuffling money around just to look good on paper, but now I do regret not setting up more to pass through that account. 

 

 

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On 8/2/2025 at 9:18 AM, Sam Burns said:

Are you guys deliberately trying to fail the application? Are you really taking this seriously? Get him a state Id already! 

 

Please try to hold more kindness and understanding in your heart. I mentioned in my post that I have ADHD (a cognitive disability recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act, btw), and my husband has ADHD and Dyslexia. We both suffer from memory issues and chronic disorganization. Neither one of us thought the ID was such a critical step. Yes, we made a mistake in underestimating its importance, but we are doing our best. I hired an attorney for the I-130, the DS-260 and now the I-751 because I knew my disability has its limitations. She has informed me that the ID is extremely helpful but not critical. We are going to try to get it, but it's not the end all be all if we don't have it in time. 

[OldUser 10,092]

38 minutes ago, Janelle K said:

I appreciate all the great suggestions!

 

 

 

I didn't even think that a will or power of attorney could be used! I will definitely work on finishing those up so we can include them. I never thought to ask for copies of the HIPPA releases, so that's going on my to-do list as well!

 

 

Taxes are....complicated. I misspoke in saying my account said we couldn't. She advised that we filed separately while he was still in England (2022 and 2023) because the deductions from filing jointly would not have offset the taxes owed for his income. We went through consular processing. We didn't live together at all until he moved here. 

 

We scheduled an appointment with the DMV last week. First available is August 27th for his permit test. We will try to get him a state ID in the meantime but he might not get it any sooner than the permit. He didn't see the point in a state ID for the longest time since every establishment that wanted ID accepted his green card and/or his passport as a valid photo ID.

 

 

Never thought about using Amazon labels as evidence! I'll be digging around trying to find any boxes that might still be kicking around with his name on them. Thankfully he does get spam mail regularly with our address. And he has loads of bank statements for his own account with our address on it (including our joint account statements).

 

Utilities are still a no-go. AT&T does list our phone lines with our names on the bill, so his name is visible on the bill, it just isn't addressed to him (and it does list the date the line was opened, which was the day after he got here). National Grid said no again - only one name on the account at a time. Xfinity also said no, so I will include a printout of the webpage listing him as an authorized user on the account. We don't have a water bill (well water & septic system). I did manage to get him listed on the Heating Oil/Furnace maintenance account, and both of our names appear on that mail, so I'm hoping that one is enough when combined with the random bits of mail and bank statements. I've also been toying with the idea of switching garbage companies, so if I do I'm going to do it sooner than later and list him as the account holder. Even if it's a new account, it's something, right? Our current trash company doesn't send bills at all. I get a handwritten letter on their letterhead telling me if I missed a payment. There's never a name or account number listed, just our address. 

 

We don't really use our joint account more than a couple bills because I'm the only one making any tangible income. He makes maybe $100 every couple months. I found it easier to just pay for things for us and the household from one of my accounts (usually already linked to wherever I am ordering it from). Any time we go shopping, we're together, so I guess we never really thought to use the joint account when we both knew I was paying for everything anyway. It seemed like a lot of extra work to keep shuffling money around just to look good on paper, but now I do regret not setting up more to pass through that account. 

 

 

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Please try to hold more kindness and understanding in your heart. I mentioned in my post that I have ADHD (a cognitive disability recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act, btw), and my husband has ADHD and Dyslexia. We both suffer from memory issues and chronic disorganization. Neither one of us thought the ID was such a critical step. Yes, we made a mistake in underestimating its importance, but we are doing our best. I hired an attorney for the I-130, the DS-260 and now the I-751 because I knew my disability has its limitations. She has informed me that the ID is extremely helpful but not critical. We are going to try to get it, but it's not the end all be all if we don't have it in time. 

It can be critical if you get an interview. ID is critical in every day life too.

 

Best of luck!