No joint bank account, not on lease, not many pictures together

[Rosalea 24]

Hey everyone! Quick question. I'm putting together my I-751 package rn - I got my green card on the basis of marriage, from a K1. I know part of your evidence should be pictures of you two together, but for me, we had some pretty major relationship/marriage problems for the last year or so, so I have zero pictures of us together from that time. We have also done almost no activities together that I could provide receipts for. How much will this matter? Should I write some kind of passage to explain it? I'm worried I won't have enough evidence otherwise; I'm not on the lease, and unfortunately have been unemployed for most of the time that we've been married, so I can't prove much in the way of shared financial matters. I know I can still show proof of cohabitation and joint taxes and being on the same health insurance etc.

I also know people often include testimonies from friends and/or family to confirm the relationship/marriage, but I'm not sure how to go about these either since everyone knows about the problems we've had. Obviously honesty is the best move but then I'm not sure how detailed anyone should be.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Not sure how to navigate the evidence-side of this when there have been tricky times and marriage counseling. I don't imagine it's that uncommon but I wanna play my cards right!

[TBoneTX 49,682]

Joint taxes and same health insurance are strong.  Receipts and photos are lesser evidence, but include what you have.

 

Go through everything that you can get your hands on, physically and digitally.  Take every piece of evidence physically coming in that indicates your shared life together (even some junk mail), and throw it into a box.  Do the same thing digitally in a computer folder.  You might surprise yourself with the amount of evidence to support the filing.

 

Notarized affidavits from people who know you are for when other evidence is weak; they don't need to say much except how they know you and for how long, and that they've observed and are attesting to your continuous marriage.  Omit details about problems.  Each affiant should list complete contact information and their relationship to you.  Statements from prominent people in the community (officials, pastors, et al.) carry good weight.

 

For most couples, I recommend shopping for a lawyer who can draft wills, medical & financial powers of attorney, and similar estate documents at reasonable cost.  These are superlative support for the I-751, and they're even more crucial to have in "life."  If you've had relationship trouble:  At minimum you should have medical powers of attorney and HIPAA releases, naming each other; these should be safe to have should your relationship crater otherwise.  Look on your state's website to see if state-compatible templates exist for you each to fill in and print out; if not, shop for a lawyer.  From observation, I do not recommend "doing it yourself" otherwise from random "legal" sites on the Internet.

 

With the above in mind, let us know how you choose to proceed, and keep us informed otherwise.

[Fr8dog 593]

I didn't have those 3 either but I did include anything and everything that showed living in the same house.

Apart from the advice already given by TboneTX my list included:

- listings showing spouse as emergency contact.

- copy drivers licenses.

- signed permission slips and report cards for stepchildren.

- authorized drivers on insurance card.

- Beneficiary on 401K

- both names on phone plan.

- being on the same insurance policy

- the joined tax filings.

We were asked about the bank account but after giving our explanation she moved right on with a simple "ah yeah, that makes sense".

You can't provide what you don't have but you can provide explanations. I did not bother with the affidavits.

 

 

[Edward and Jaycel 2,639]

3 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

For most couples, I recommend shopping for a lawyer who can draft wills, medical & financial powers of attorney, and similar estate documents at reasonable cost.  These are superlative support for the I-751, and they're even more crucial to have in "life."

 

Jaycel and I just got his done.... So happy to have this for our impending I-751 but I can't tell you the weight off of our shoulders knowing that we are legally covered should anything happen, God forbid. Literally we walked out of the signing meeting and got in our Jeep and we both just sighed. LOL

[TBoneTX 49,682]

30 minutes ago, Edward and Jaycel said:

the weight off of our shoulders knowing that we are legally covered should anything happen

THIS is the key element.

I know surviving spouses who have cursed aloud upon finding that the deceased died without a Will.

If the OP's marriage is strong enough, I recommend drafting all possible estate documents.

[Rosalea 24]

3 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

THIS is the key element.

I know surviving spouses who have cursed aloud upon finding that the deceased died without a Will.

If the OP's marriage is strong enough, I recommend drafting all possible estate documents.

Estate?? I don't even have an estate lmao.

[Edward and Jaycel 2,639]

29 minutes ago, Rosalea said:

Estate?? I don't even have an estate lmao.

 

HAHAHAHAHA neither do we.... but "Estate Planning" just means setting up your wills, Power of Attorney, Health Care Power of Attorney, Advance Directive, HIPPA release forms so that if anything should happen, your spouse isn't stuck fighting some God-awful probate process, can access what they need to access, make decisions, etc. A time of crisis or tragedy is not the time to be trying to figure this stuff out  A lot of employers offer a "Legal Assistance" benefit as part of your benefits package. Mine does and I'm glad I signed up for it. They just covered the entire cost of this and the legal assistance plan was honored by one of the best estate attorneys in Denver who bills at like $400/hr. 

[TBoneTX 49,682]

22 minutes ago, Edward and Jaycel said:

if anything should happen, your spouse isn't stuck fighting some God-awful probate process, can access what they need to access, make decisions, etc.

Peace of mind, foremost.

[wildbug100420 456]

10 hours ago, Rosalea said:

Hey everyone! Quick question. I'm putting together my I-751 package rn - I got my green card on the basis of marriage, from a K1. I know part of your evidence should be pictures of you two together, but for me, we had some pretty major relationship/marriage problems for the last year or so, so I have zero pictures of us together from that time. We have also done almost no activities together that I could provide receipts for. How much will this matter? Should I write some kind of passage to explain it? I'm worried I won't have enough evidence otherwise; I'm not on the lease, and unfortunately have been unemployed for most of the time that we've been married, so I can't prove much in the way of shared financial matters. I know I can still show proof of cohabitation and joint taxes and being on the same health insurance etc.

I also know people often include testimonies from friends and/or family to confirm the relationship/marriage, but I'm not sure how to go about these either since everyone knows about the problems we've had. Obviously honesty is the best move but then I'm not sure how detailed anyone should be.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Not sure how to navigate the evidence-side of this when there have been tricky times and marriage counseling. I don't imagine it's that uncommon but I wanna play my cards right!

If immigration wasn't an issue would you still be together? I think that's the issue other posters haven't mentioned. Never mind trying to put assemble stuff to appear together. You could try to file with divorce waiver if you feel that is where the relationship is headed. 

[Crazy Cat 46,545]

5 hours ago, Rosalea said:

Estate?? I don't even have an estate lmao.

You do......Everything you leave after death is part of your estate.

[FS1979 17]

2 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

You do......Everything you leave after death is part of your estate.

Including your debts!

[Coco8 1,076]

 so I can't prove much in the way of shared financial matters. 

 

How do you pay for things if you don't have at least a credit card extension from his account? 

 

Like others said, you could have wills done for each of you. 

 

If he has a 401k or bank account he can add you as a beneficiary. 

 

The iPhone also has a "legacy contact" and I'm sure other phones do as well. It's a bit "out there" option, but you could also do that and have screenshots with a note attach of what it is. Basically, if someone dies, their "legacy contact" access to your phone, passwords, etc.