Advice before filing

[Nywoek 153]

Hi 😃
 

Arrived on a K1 at the end of July, got my ssn and last week we went and got a marriage license. Now we are trying to figure out when to actually get married, but we have decided to just do it pretty much without celebration, and plan a bigger wedding for friends and family in a year or two. I do have two daughters who will be there, and I suppose we need witnesses, but other than that I am not sure we will have any guests at our wedding.

 

Feeling a little nervous about filing, after submitting the i129f application with proof of relationship I have kept up making a page of photos and documentations from all our visits, which I brought to the embassy when I had my interview. They did not even look at it, but better safe than sorry. Since I have been here we have been super busy, and while I have snapped some photos during datenights there is not a whole lot to write home about. In addition, I think the only mail I have gotten has been my snn, and things I have purchased that came in the mail.

 

Should we document the entire relationship, or is it more important to show newer photos from right before and right after we got married?

 

We do not really get any post in the actual mailbox, so collecting that also feels hard, any advice with that? Since I do not want to wait too long before we file I feel stressed I do not have enough to send in. I read you can send it afterwards, but that they do not always look at it.

 

So yeah, entered the country, got my ssn and marriage license, anything else super important I should be getting up to? 😅 Me and the kids will be put on his work insurance after we marry, and he will add me to bank accounts. I have a credit card with my name on it right now, still using my norwegian funds though. Any advice is appreciated, thank you! ^.^

[TBoneTX 47,827]

Avoid overthinking the AOS process.  Read instructions carefully, interpret them literally, and answer/respond completely and honestly.  Just file the I-485 as soon as you marry.

 

Get multiple copies of your marriage certificate.  The brand-new Mrs. T-B. & I got permission from our officiant to hand-carry the signed marriage license to the courthouse.  We made a beeline there.  The clerk said that no one had ever requested as many as 7 certificates, but she prepared them as we waited.  We then immediately included one in the I-485 package.

 

You should begin now to collect information for ROC (Removing Conditions).  Take everything that comes to you in the mail or from other sources, and throw it into a box.  Create a special document folder on your computer for online material.  Come ROC time, you'll have plenty of evidence to pick from.

 

In addition (actually, before anything), shop for a lawyer who can draft wills, medical & financial powers of attorney, and similar estate documents.  These make superlative evidence for ROC, and they're even more crucial to have in "life."  Remember that if you move from one U.S. state to another, your will may need to be redone.

[TBoneTX 47,827]

Thread is shifted from the "AOS from K Visas" Case Progress subforum to the main Process forum.

[smilingstone 728]

We married at UPS store, no witnesses needed, only notorized by a store employee. But your state may vary.

 

We filed with initial secondary evidence of a few pics of us. After you file, you will be able to upload further evidence via your USCIS account. We have been sporadically uploading what we can, such as pics from marriage party with family, comingling stuff, whatever we can, since filing. But honestly, it can be limited what you have. USCIS understand that you're filing after being here for barely any time, it isn't expected that you will have much. As @TBoneTX said, just file ASAP, worry about evidence later. 

 

Work on getting state ID/driving license next, although you may not be able to do this before getting your EAD. Some of us, including myself, have had trouble getting things before EAD. 

[SL2024 314]

I would advise you to get married as soon as you can (as you then have to wait a week or 2 for the marriage certificate to be ready - well at least in California that's how long it took) and like @TBoneTX said to get multiple copies of the marriage certificate (we got 5). 

 

I would also say file to the AOS initially with the strongest case you possibly can within the 90 days. You can then print off and upload additional evidence in between the AOS filing and the interview (if scheduled one).

 

This is what we submitted initially for evidence along with the AOS paperwork as follows:-

 

Petitioner (US Citizen) - Proof of US Citizenship (US Passport), Birth Certificate, Most recent federal tax returns, W2's, 1099's, 3 recent pay stubs and 2 passport style colour photographs

 

Beneficiary - Passport, Birth Certificate, K1 Visa in passport, DS 3025 Vaccination Worksheet (I didn't need to do a new medical exam as I had all required vaccinations at my medical in London last year and my medical was marked as complete so I just provided this and a cover letter explaining this as well), passport style colour photographs, Marriage Certificate, Marriage Proofs - (these can be for example pictures of you both and with family and friends, joint bank accounts, lease agreement, joint health insurance, etc) and SSN and I-94.

 

**PLEASE NOTE** - All of what we provided in terms of evidence in this filing apart from the passport style colour photographs were copies that were either printed off or scanned and then printed off.

 

There are also guides on VJ and online if you want to look into those and what you need as well.  

[Sam Burns 205]

There are lots of guides out there for what to do after getting married from K1. Don’t dawdle, get everything filed asap re AOS and work permit etc. You don’t need to send your life story, just some examples of what they ask for. I’ve never sent chats or phone records or anything like that. Definitely don’t overthink it.