Open joint bank account

[poh 139]

7 minutes ago, Ariel Pierini said:

I can't apply for SSN, that would be the straightforward solution... In your case you came with a K1 visa. I have a CC on my name since I'm an authorized user on my wife's CC, so that automatically gives me a CC on my name. But these kind of CC doesn't help you build credit history as far as I know

Being authorized user shows up in the foreign spouses' credit record.  It's worth something and better than nothing.  It shows you are sharing financial responsibility.  

Edited Wednesday at 07:54 PM by poh

[yuna628 9,978]

4 hours ago, Ariel Pierini said:

Hello folks,

My wife is a US Citizen, and I'm currently in the US, living together, and I'm gathering proofs to show financial comingling to file for AOS, but it is really hard since I don't have neither SSN or ITIN, thus I can't open any joint account, or add my name to the lease or utility bill.

She added me as an authorized user on a Chase CC, but the card only shows my name on it, not both names. She also put me as the main beneficiary (100%) on her retirement accout.

I was just wondering if these would be good proofs. The only point we "lack" proofs is in the financial aspect. Besides that, we  have plenty of pictures together, plane tickets, family gathering, witnesses, etc. to show this is a bona fide marriage, but we are short on the financial end.

 

Thank you in advance

 

Did Chase send a letter or some kind of confirmation correspondence confirming you being added as authorized user? Usually cards will just have the user's name on it, but we took photos of our cards and various account info showing that we are linked.

If I recall rightly, at the time I added my husband to my bank account, he did not yet have his SSN. They accepted his passport, marriage license, and other evidence.

 

Typically a K1 should try to obtain their SSN within two weeks of entering the US, and that opens up a lot of possibilities and ways of securing other items. If you've waited too late or you are adjusting from a different way (it sounds like you came a different way) then your next opportunity is going to be EAD if you're filing for that with AOS. That will also open up the ability to go back to the SSA and also to get state ID etc.

 

As far as other proofs goes.. health insurance, joint taxes, pension/insurance beneficiaries, life insurance, wills/POAs are all good. IIRC, we also had something like a Costco membership printed out where you could see him as a user on the account. We did the same with our phone plan.

 

In the future, once you've got your SSN, getting a credit card without credit history isn't as hard as one might think. Start with a secured credit card like through Discover, and within six months you'll be upgraded and should be good to go. 

Edited Wednesday at 07:57 PM by yuna628

[JeanneAdil 7,471]

1 hour ago, poh said:

typically you should have applied for SSN as soon as you arrived in US after 2 weeks or so which give time for you to be in their computer system.  My k-1 visa wife applied in 2 weeks after arriving US even before getting married.   Visa journey has a recommended guidelines available online. You should follow it. 

he came on tourist visa and needs to wait for the ITIN or the AOS to complete / both take time

[Ariel Pierini 2]

Hello everyone, thank yall for your help. I found a solution. Apparently BOA let you open a joint acc with just your passport and the SSN of your spouse. You just go open an acc online, fill out the form, upload two ID forms (mine was foreign passport and CC card that I got from being an authorized user), and then go to a branch and get them verified in person (can't thank enough to the personnel on the 1800 Macland Rd SW, Marietta, GA 30064 branch), and that's it. You just have to deposit a minimum amount of $25 and you are all set.

[TBoneTX 49,164]

That's great!

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Thread is shifted from the "AOS from WS&T Visas" Case Progress subforum to the main forum.

[Ontarkie 15,116]

~~Moved to Moving Here and Your New Life, from AOS from Work, Student and Tourist Visa- as the topic is not about the AOS process~~