lizka

Well this escalated quickly, and into a random direction. Thank you first responder for the clear answer

i have two students here on an exchange program, from two very different countries, they are in love, and wish to get married. they have no plan, and just want to marry and plan the rest later. they have to return home to their countries this year. they only wish to know if their marriage is legal as j1 holders and if it will be recognized. any thoughts are appreciated!

Hi all

I had filled i751 for my wife on April 24 2014. We had sent in 2012 and 2013 IRS transcripts filing jointly, 2 years worth bank statements, pictures, affidavits, residential lease, hospital cards, ID with same address and couple of other stuff. Received an RFE on Nov 10 and responded on Dec 3. I thought we sent in enough evidence...we called them on Feb 4 to find out what's going on. Received a letter on Feb 10 stating they are awaiting to schedule an interview at local office.

Did that call somehow trigger that interview?? Sending a letter for interview after 10 months? Hmm we're a legit couple! ... I just don't understand.

Don't worry at all! They are required to bring a randomized sample in for interviews, i wouldn't worry about it and don't over prepare, just come in as the regular couple that you are and bring with you as much financial commingling as possible since the inception of your marriage.

I'm not really sure what that means

I know that I picked up the actual card from my mailbox and only checked USCIS yesterday which stated that:

On February 11, 2015, the Post Office delivered your new card for Receipt Number XXX, to the address that you gave us on February 11, 2015. The tracking number assigned is XXX

Congrats lizka.

Has your online status been updated for approval and then for the card production ?

CARD IS SITTING IN OUR MAILBOX!!!!

Congrats! What is the approval date on your letter? Thanks.

Congrats! What is the approval date on your letter? Thanks.

January 26, 2015

Just got our approval letter!!!!!!!! Finally!!! This four year nightmare is over!!!!

For those who submitted their RFE response, in my own opinion, if you responded early, you'll have to wait. My RFE was due February 7th, and We didn't rush, respondeding January 9th and we got the letter on January 31st. Unless you really messed up, it's likely your RFE was sent to buy Vermont time since they are so behind. They have until your deadline to start worrying about you. If your deadline has passed, I would contact your local USCIS office. Our letter was delivered from the office less than 5 miles from our house. If it keeps going, you can file a Writ of Mandamus against USCIS siting unreasonable waiting time. But I would recommend waiting and making an info pass appointment first.

Most probably an approval will come through next! When did you respond to your RFE?

We responded on the 9th of January, the received and signed on the 13th of January. We waited because we were collecting all the documentation and were gone for about 3 weeks on holiday. Wanted to ensure everything was there. Our deadline was February 7th, so we submitted with plenty of time to spare.

Fingers crossed that you are right...I hope they did this to us just to kill some time as Vermont is notoriously sloooooooooooooooooooooooow.

So, we got back from Spain, both families were there, took lots of pictures, kept all of the ticket stubs and submitted what I think has to be the longest list of proof in human history - 29 items ranging from official IRS tax transcripts to life insurance, all 24 months of our joint bank account (i had sent august 2012 and april 2014 and they said it only shows two months, how moronic) new lease, health insurance and retirement beneficiary information. I cannot fathom that we missed anything else in submitting for our RFE.

It was received and signed for on the 13th, so now we just wait? Anything we can do to get an update, or is the waiting game the only cure? Any similar situations out there? If so, how long did you wait until the next step?? What are the next steps...interview? What more could they possibly want????

If the reason for the RFE is for their own lack of ability to comply with a set timeline, that is pathetic.

With that being said, after an exhaustive search of everything we have, we have compiled an arsenal of documents. Thoughts? Will be sending after we return from Spain (fingers crossed that J can get back in the country with that letter)

Here goes...opinions as always appreciated and welcome:

· Copy IRS Tax Transcript for Year 2013, Married filing jointly

· Copy IRS Tax Transcripts for Year 2012 – Married filing separately based on tax professional advise (J came half way through 2012 and would have been taxed on worldwide income if filing jointly)

· Copy IRS Tax Transcript for Year 2011 for L – Married filing separately – J was in Spain until July 2012.

· Copy of joint Fifth Third Bank statements from October 2012-November 2014 – Originally submitted two months.

· Copy of J’s Citi Bank Account statements opened in August 2014 showing joint address

· Copy of L’s Citi Bank Account statements from August 2014 showing joint address

· Copy of L’s Life Insurance from Minnisota Life with J as the primary beneficiary (100%)

· Copy of L’s Fidelity Retirement Fund with Jose as the primary beneficiary (100%)

· Copy of Aetna Health Insurance ID card with both L and J

· Copy of Aetna account usage with both L and J

· Copy of First American Property & Casualty joint property insurance

· Original joint Washington Gas bill

· Copy of welcome letter to our new apartment

· Copy of lease agreement from our new apartment – because Jose does not have established credit, our joint application would have been denied due to the requirements of the apartment complex. L’s credit was used for the apartment; both L and J are listed on the lease.

· Copies of both of our Master’s Degree Diplomas showing graduation date.

· Copy of joint Costco membership card

· Copies of holiday cards addressed to both L and J

· Copy of Thank You note from a friend’s wedding

· Copy of ProFlowers order from J while studying in Providence to L while studying in Cleveland

· Copy of airfare paid for by J for L to come to Spain for the 2011 Christmas holiday during I-130 application period (other airfare can be found in the photo timeline)

· Copy of airfare for L to come to Spain in the summer of 2012. Purchased before approval of conditional residency. J purchased his return ticket from Spain for the same day as L’s return July 19^th upon approval.

· Copy of J’s ticket from Spain to the US, July 19^th, 2012 – with certified translation

· Copy of J’s ticket to Cleveland over Thanksgiving 2012 break for both universities with written sentiments in email

· Copy of J’s ticket to Cleveland for Valentine’s Day 2013 with written sentiments in email

· Ticket Stubs to Madrid, Spain for L’s parents, L and J for Christmas 2014. We flew separately due to work schedules and the fact that my father is ill and I wanted to spend some extra time with my family. - forthcoming

· Four (4) original signed and sworn affidavits of support letters

· Cumulative photo and airfare receipt timeline for duration of our marriage. From April 3^0th, 2011 to December 3^1st, 2014 holiday celebration with both of our families in Spain.

· Screen caps of Skype conversations

o J&L– maintaining communication during separation

o J&L & J’s family – maintaining communication

What do you think, will this be enough to shut them up?

Thank you!

I translated all documents myself and I am the petitioner. You just have to verify by writing " I_________ certify that I am competent in both English and Spanish and this is an accurate and complete translation of the original document. Then you sign it, date it, and write your address.

Hope this helps good luck

Hi all, we are currently composing additional information for our RFE and literally want to drown them with additional proof. One of the documents shows my husband traveling from Spain to the US, the document is in email format and is in Spanish, but the ticket information is just like any other ticket information with flight number, dates, etc. Do we need to translate it? If so, can we just translate it ourselves since we are both fluent in English and Spanish? This will be a part of about ten other tickets that we are sending all in English.

Thanks!

Question for all those approved. Did anyone who has not yet worked in the US receive their card? I fear that because my my husband went to school for two years on a scholarship (paid taxes on said scholarship) and has not yet been able to find work they see that as a red flag...

Thank you all. The last question is do you think/have you heard of an applicants work status keeping them from obtaining the green card? Should my husband work at a gas station just to show he's workimg?

I am thinking of everything possible - i was thinking maybe they saw that my husband hasn't worked since he arrived (he was on a fellowship- graduated in June). The job market is tough, and we recently moved for my new job, so it's even tougher. I will include this in the cover letter. I am just terrified they will kick him out of the country. We really cannot afford a lawyer at this time, any one ever heard of it going that far? Just so frustrating to have to share the most intimated details about our life including bank records, photos, etc when you've been with someone for 6 years and known them for 8. It's very upsetting. :-(

Thank you all so much. We are as legit as it gets. I don't mind going to the interview just feel it's demeaning when we've already been through so much. I will include everything!!

I know it's awful to say, but I am so glad I'm not alone. I just talked to a Tier II guy and he alleviated my fears. Basically we will have to most likely come in for an interview, and I'm fine with that. I will submit the following in January (after Christmas, as my parents are going to Spain to be with his family and us!) The guy also told us the more affidavits the better - if you can even get someone like new neighbors that don't really know you to sign off, not sure how comfortable they are with that.

· Copy IRS Tax Transcript for Year 2013, Married filing jointly – Originally Submitted as Form 1040 only.

· Copy of joint bank statements from October 2012-November 2014 – Originally submitted two months.

· Copy of Health Insurance policy

· Copy of Retirement policy with petitioner as beneficiary

· Print screen of Aetna benefits showing we are using them together

· Copy of Joint Lease agreement from our new apartment in Northern Virginia.

· Copies of both of our Master’s Degrees showing graduation date.

· Four (4) original signed and sworn affidavits of support letters– supervisor, new neighbors, 2 friends.

· Tickets to Madrid, Spain for my parents, me and my husband. We will fly separately due to work schedules.

· Photos taken with friends and family – including Thanksgiving Holiday and Christmas Holiday.

I wish we could share in all the celebration.

We have had such a roller coaster with all of this since 2011, and I really really thought that shiny greencard would arrive. But when I touched the yellow letter today, I knew better.

Inside it says Notice of Action and indicates that what we submitted wasn't sufficient. Please see below:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reviewed your Petition and supporting evidence. Your supporting evidence does not sufficiently establish that you and your spouse entered the marriage in good faith and continue to share a life together.

You submitted:

Photocopy of identification documents

Joint 2013 tax documents with no proof that they were filed with IRS (i just submitted the 1040, my fault, will resubmit)

2012 Taxes were filed separately - my husband arrived in the middle of 2012, if we field jointly he would have to be taxed on his world income so we filed separately as many other couples do

Photocopy of joint bank account statements irregularly relating to only two months of your marriage - i printed the month we had the joint account until the present month (idiots) that is why it was two - it spanned for 2 years.

Photocopy of joint telephone bills

Your spouse's life insurance enrollment application with no proof of enrollment (this was an oversight, I will submit the new document)

Photocopy of joint lease

Electricity bills

Three affidavits

Photocopy of pictures

Although the evidence displays both names, it is not enough and does not sufficiently establish in detail, sharing of a common residence, joint ownership of assets, joint responsibility for liabilities, and/or an active commingling of finances throughout the span of your your marriage. Please submit further evidence illustrating a good faith marriage.

I am ready to cry. After all we have been through!! We called and the guy, like a robot, told me to get a lawyer. I asked to speak with a Tier I or II and they put me through. Wait time 143 minutes. We opted for the call back option and started working on putting together the information. Furthermore, I tried to schedule and infopass appointment but it wouldn't let me online, said at this time, no availability. Our due date is February 5th.

The uniqueness of our situation is as follows (and I would like to include this blurb in our letter to USCIS)

We wanted to provide you with a quick background – we met in 2008 and got married on April 30^th, 2011 in Miami where my wife was living. I had to leave to go back to Spain to process our petition legally. This is why we did not share a domicile or finances for 2011. Meanwhile, my wife obtained a full scholarship for her master’s degree in Cleveland and left Miami in June 2011. We spent the summer in Spain, and then she returned to begin her program. I didn’t receive my conditional greencard until July of 2012. In the year that I was waiting, I was accepted to a master’s program in Rhode Island on a fellowship which forbade me to work for the duration of my program. My wife and I both wanted to continue our education. When I moved to the US in August of 2012, we spent two months in Cleveland, and I left for Rhode Island to begin my program while my wife finished the second and final year of her program. This is why we didn’t share a domicile or finances in 2012. In 2013 after she graduated with her MBA in June, we again spent the summer in Spain. Upon our return to Cleveland, we moved her to Rhode Island and signed our first lease together. We stayed in Rhode Island until August 2014, when my wife accepted a job in the D.C. area, which is where we are living now. I would consider us a very modern couple who has separate bank accounts and who don’t make enough money to have a joint savings account. We have one joint account, and will provide you a full detail which was left out before, but this account is mainly used by my wife. I am currently unemployed and searching for a job after graduating from my master’s program in Fine Arts in June 2014. My wife is therefore paying for our expenses. We have a joint lease, property insurance, joint health insurance and I am a beneficiary on my wife’s policies at work. All copies are provided. I don’t drive, so there is no joint car insurance. We do not have children, but are planning a family once we are financially stable. Aside from the financial commingling, we are in every word, a happily married couple who entered our marriage in good faith and who love each other very much. We hope the additional information we provide will be sufficient and will be happy to come in for an interview at your convenience to provide further proof of our marriage.

As you can see, we have been busy, but are now proud owners of two Master's Degrees. I got a job in DC and we moved - maybe the August change of address prompted all of this as it looks that my husband is moving away from me or something like that. When I re-read what I wrote, I started to cry at the very thought that they could deny us for not particular reason.

Please offer advise. Aside from fixing the mistakes we made - we will send IRS printed joint returns for 2013. Our new lease. Our property insurance policy. My medical policy that covers my husband and a snapshot of our Aetna account online, a print out of every single month of the past 2.5 years of our bank account - that I used mainly, both of our degree copies to show we were in school...anything else? We are not the type of couple that have a joint bank account, and that won't change. I am at a loss. I cannot believe that this is happening. I feel like I"m gonna have to give birth before they give us the greencard :-(

Help

Hi everyone,

We have had such a roller coaster with all of this since 2011, and I really really thought that shiny greencard would arrive. But when I touched the yellow letter today, I knew better.

Inside it says Notice of Action and indicates that what we submitted wasn't sufficient. Please see below:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reviewed your Petition and supporting evidence. Your supporting evidence does not sufficiently establish that you and your spouse entered the marriage in good faith and continue to share a life together.

You submitted:

Photocopy of identification documents

Joint 2013 tax documents with no proof that they were filed with IRS (i just submitted the 1040, my fault, will resubmit)

2012 Taxes were filed separately - my husband arrived in the middle of 2012, if we field jointly he would have to be taxed on his world income so we filed separately as many other couples do

Photocopy of joint bank account statements irregularly relating to only two months of your marriage - i printed the month we had the joint account until the present month (idiots) that is why it was two - it spanned for 2 years.

Photocopy of joint telephone bills

Your spouse's life insurance enrollment application with no proof of enrollment (this was an oversight, I will submit the new document)

Photocopy of joint lease

Electricity bills

Three affidavits

Photocopy of pictures

Although the evidence displays both names, it is not enough and does not sufficiently establish in detail, sharing of a common residence, joint ownership of assets, joint responsibility for liabilities, and/or an active commingling of finances throughout the span of your your marriage. Please submit further evidence illustrating a good faith marriage.

I am ready to cry. After all we have been through!! We called and the guy, like a robot, told me to get a lawyer. I asked to speak with a Tier I or II and they put me through. Wait time 143 minutes. We opted for the call back option and started working on putting together the information. Furthermore, I tried to schedule and infopass appointment but it wouldn't let me online, said at this time, no availability. Our due date is February 5th.

The uniqueness of our situation is as follows (and I would like to include this blurb in our letter to USCIS)

We wanted to provide you with a quick background – we met in 2008 and got married on April 30^th, 2011 in Miami where my wife was living. I had to leave to go back to Spain to process our petition legally. This is why we did not share a domicile or finances for 2011. Meanwhile, my wife obtained a full scholarship for her master’s degree in Cleveland and left Miami in June 2011. We spent the summer in Spain, and then she returned to begin her program. I didn’t receive my conditional greencard until July of 2012. In the year that I was waiting, I was accepted to a master’s program in Rhode Island on a fellowship which forbade me to work for the duration of my program. My wife and I both wanted to continue our education. When I moved to the US in August of 2012, we spent two months in Cleveland, and I left for Rhode Island to begin my program while my wife finished the second and final year of her program. This is why we didn’t share a domicile or finances in 2012. In 2013 after she graduated with her MBA in June, we again spent the summer in Spain. Upon our return to Cleveland, we moved her to Rhode Island and signed our first lease together. We stayed in Rhode Island until August 2014, when my wife accepted a job in the D.C. area, which is where we are living now. I would consider us a very modern couple who has separate bank accounts and who don’t make enough money to have a joint savings account. We have one joint account, and will provide you a full detail which was left out before, but this account is mainly used by my wife. I am currently unemployed and searching for a job after graduating from my master’s program in Fine Arts in June 2014. My wife is therefore paying for our expenses. We have a joint lease, property insurance, joint health insurance and I am a beneficiary on my wife’s policies at work. All copies are provided. I don’t drive, so there is no joint car insurance. We do not have children, but are planning a family once we are financially stable. Aside from the financial commingling, we are in every word, a happily married couple who entered our marriage in good faith and who love each other very much. We hope the additional information we provide will be sufficient and will be happy to come in for an interview at your convenience to provide further proof of our marriage.

As you can see, we have been busy, but are now proud owners of two Master's Degrees. I got a job in DC and we moved - maybe the August change of address prompted all of this as it looks that my husband is moving away from me or something like that. When I re-read what I wrote, I started to cry at the very thought that they could deny us for not particular reason.

Please offer advise. Aside from fixing the mistakes we made - we will send IRS printed joint returns for 2013. Our new lease. Our property insurance policy. My medical policy that covers my husband and a snapshot of our Aetna account online, a print out of every single month of the past 2.5 years of our bank account - that I used mainly, both of our degree copies to show we were in school...anything else? We are not the type of couple that have a joint bank account, and that won't change. I am at a loss. I cannot believe that this is happening. I feel like I"m gonna have to give birth before they give us the greencard :-(

Help

So I just want to confirm that with the extension letter, can my husband travel out of the country? What about renew his state ID? The DMV can be so dense when it comes to dealing with these issues, we had a problem getting his ID with a greencard, so renewing it I'm sure will be an even bigger ordeal if at all possible.

Does anyone know what is happening in Vermont? This is ridiculous! 0%

(apologies if this has been previously answered and i missed it)

If you have time-call. I wish I can call for my husband, but No, USCIS will not talk to me.

Yes, this is very unfortunate, at this stage, you are irrelevant in the process, you are no longer the petitioner, he is. Same story with me. He is able to grant you access, and then you can talk to them.

Yes, read the NOA1 and you'll see its also the extension letter.

The immigrant is always supposed to have a valid address where they are residing on file. But your parents address sounds like your safe bet now with needing the receive the green card.

Great, thank you, we temporarily changed it to our current address, but both of our driver's licences say my parents address for continuity and stability. :-)

If you change your address before you can receive mail there, its gonna bounce back to them. You need to wait until you're actually moving. Not a good time to be moving, but I'm sure you knew that.

I would give my parents address, that is my permanent address anyhow, since we have been moving around a lot. If his greencard expires before the time the new one is sent, he just has to show it along with the letter for proof of work authorization and travel ability?

Currently January filers are reporting getting their 10 year cards.

I'm actually seeing that many February filers are receiving it, looks like it is taking about 3 months from biometrics date, to the day even. I will be moving in 2 months, should I change the my address now, or wait until a few weeks before we move?? (my confidence may just score me a required interview)