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Matt1968

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Posts posted by Matt1968

  1. Hello all,

    Just wanted to share what just happened when I called to check on my case with NVC. I called the number for NVC and get this recording "The NVC has reviewed your packet of forms and found information missing or incomplete on your financial information. The NVC sent a checklist letter on ... " friday, which was the 17th. I was confused because i mailed out I-864 for my wife and step-daughter on the 17th, so they shouldn't have received anything from me. I'm like "#######????" So i called back and pressed "5" to speak with a rep. After waiting for a few minutes, I speak to a rep and tell her the situation. She's silent after i'm finish I'm assuming she's reading my case file to see what happened. She comes back and says that they received a copy of my wife and daughter's passport and because they received that they wanted the rest of the documents. Long story short, I sent them copies of those passports because the names they had on file for both were wrong and needed to be corrected. They wanted copies of passports in order to make the change. They received the passports and made the change on the documents going forward(IV bill for both). The RFE was just an automatic response whenever they receive something and since they received the passports and nothnig else the computer generated the RFE. She said it didn't mean anything and I was all set. I thanked her and hung up. They should be receiving my I-864 today.

    Matt

  2. Hi guys,

    I have not filed my 2011 taxes yet. Will have an 6-month extension so that I can file it when my spouse is here. Question is, can I submit my 2008-2010 tax transcripts as the last 3 years and mention in the cover letter that I have not yet filed 2011 taxes? I do have W2's and 1099 for 2011, so should I just submit that?

    Please advise.

    Thanks!

    I submitted 08-10, because those were the ones I had done. I noted on my Cover letter I had not done my 2011 taxes yet(I have since then) but will have a copy of my return available if they need it in the future.

    Matt

  3. I think that bouerchithi case is more complicated. The word of termination is scary and they do not want to take the fee payment from him/her

    Matt pushbrk just replied to my post he said it is not gonna cause a problem because him and some members was in the same situation they just amend it once the spouse arrive the us which makes us happy :dance:

    Very nice! You're one step closer to being together! :thumbs:

    Matt

  4. Yes, that's it. The declaration letter is correct too, I typed one instead of using this one.

    It is a good idea to go back to the Tax Preparer that did your taxes, remember there are some "Acceptance Agents" too. You can look them up irs.gov that can help you.

    Yes, a acceptance agent looked at mine. But he told me that an Acceptance Agent cannot give an ITIN number. What an Acceptance agent does is basically what the person who receives your W-7 and other forms do. He reviews your file, looks over the ID and paperwork, and fills out a form saying everything is good, and whoever receives your Taxes in Austin can just go ahead and process without going over your file himself. You still have to send you forms to austin, even with an Acceptance agent. This was the info i got from the agent in Boston and he's the one who looked over my paperwork. I wrote his name on another post, but he is listed as an certified Acceptance agent on the list floating around on this site.

    Matt

  5. ITN is the Individual Tax ID number

    Regarding amending, i would like to know also. Maybe we just file 1040 w/ both spouses signature on it.

    I'm gonna go to my that Tax service place and ask them how to amend the single tax i filed with them last week.

    and follow this guide (which i read before doing this, just didn't know it has potential to cause issue during interview)

    Can someone verify the below steps to file Married Filing Jointly?

    Email 1, 2, 3 to spouse to get their signature, and mail back to me (USC)

    1) 1040 filing married jointly

    2) W-7

    3) declaration letter (6013(g) letter)?

    is this the letter name 6013(g)? just wanna know the template

    Also the spouse has to mail back:

    4) Notorised passport of NRA

    Once i get all 4 documents from my spouse, myself sign 1040 and

    Mail all 4 to :

    Internal Revenue Service

    ITIN Operation

    P.O. Box 149342

    Austin, TX 78714-9342

    All that is correct, but for the passport I brought it back with me and had a copy notarized in the states. It was easiest for me, instead of going all the way to Santo Domingo and have it notarized in the Consulate there. For the Declaration page, I just wrote a couple of lines saying i'm a usc and my wife was a non-resident for on the last day of 2011, and we would like her to be treated as a resident for tax purposes for the entire year. Something like that, and we both signed it. Don't know about any template. Someone else will have to tell you how to amend, not to clear on that process. I have an idea since I had past taxes looked at by other preparers but those were simple, this is something different and don't want to spread false info.

    Matt

  6. Hopefully that answer satisfies them. :)

    For the benefit of anyone else who reads this thread later... Never file taxes as Single if you're married and trying to get a visa for your spouse. It looks terrible to the VO.

    If someone else is preparing your taxes and they try and insist that you have to file single, tell them to pound sand and find someone else to do your taxes.

    The proper process is to file as either Married Jointly, or Married Separately, and attach a W-7 to get an ITIN.

    Completely agree. An agent told me that preparers don't understand how to file married,if the spouse is overseas. Most preparers don't know about the W-7, or ITIN number because they see it so infrequently. They're telling people to do that, because they don't want to say, "I don't know". But if you are married, and file single, like Foobaz said, it could look suspicious to the VO.

    Matt

  7. Ooohhh okay. Well... honestly I couldn't tell you. It does bring your marriage into question if she's filing single when you're trying to say she's married to you but I don't know if they'd deny you outright for it. I can't say I've ever seen anyone file a single return when they're married and then file for a spousal visa. Someone else might be able to tell you.

    I personally would amend it. She might get more money back if she files married.

    I agree. If she already filed, the best bet is probably try to amend it. I'm not entirely sure how that process works, but i'm sure someone else will inform you. V&T is right, Unmarried is different than single. People have been misinterpreting that for awhile now. But since your wife already filed and got her refund, an amendment looks like the way to go.

    Matt

  8. Well i have never seen any debate about it before. There are hundreds of topics here. i Can not read them all and be aware of everything.

    Don't misunderstand me, I was not telling you you need to look around. I'm not that rude..lol. I was only saying alot of us have had to deal with this dilema now, that's all. Wasn't trying to offend you. My point was, if you are married, I don't think that person should have told your wife to file single.

    Matt

  9. Greetings,

    My wife filed her tax of 2011 as single. She was advised to do so by the local office. The guy give as reason: your husband is not yet in the US. Will that cause a problem people?

    Thank you in advance for your opinions.

    Sup Rujby,

    This topic has just been debated over and over again. I, and many others, were told if you are married you cannot file as single, it doesn't matter where your spouse is. I spoke with an acceptance agent who used to work at H/R block and specialized in these situations. He told me that nobody who worked with him knew anything about how to handle situations such as yours and mine(Spouse living overseas). He said that instead of telling the person, "I don't know" they would just give out bad information(i.e. filing single when you are married). Im guessing the person who told your wife to do that, didn't know what he was talking about and didn't want to admit he didn't know what to do. However, he doesn't have to worry about if your wife has issues later on, your wife does. I filed married/jointly and so did many others. Also, many others filed married/seperately. You didn't need a SS# to file, you could have filled out a W-7 and applied for an ITIN number and that could have been used so that your wife could've filed married/jointly(you get more money if you file jointly as oppose to seperately). I think pshbrk said something about filing single and amending later when spouse is here. Hopefully, you won't have any issues.

    Matt

  10. Sup All,

    I'm a Feb. filer as well. Sent of A.O.S, and just paid the IV bill. Now i'm just waiting. I'm impressed with the speed that they're doing things in NVC. I've heard horror stories. I have the DS-230 ready to go. I also did my Taxes "Married/jointly". I think i'm wait a week or two before I send the ds-230 in. i want to make sure i have my refund before i get scheduled for an interview.

    Matt

  11. I really think they generally go by filing dates, but then, to keep their average processing time lower, they'll pick some «new arrivals» and just process them. That could explain why some people wait months on end, and some fly through in less than 90 days.

    For the filters who get approved in weeks, those are either expedites or cases where the petitioner resides in the beneficiary's country. I've seen some of those process in 10 - 14 days.

    I heard the rumor that it might be because of the size of the file. I sent in two I-130's and i kept it simple. They both were approved in 52 days. I've heard of people sending in mounds of paperwork and evidence, but I didn't do that. Who knows, it could be as simple as they look through all the files and try to choose ones that aren't that big or detailed. Then do that. The person who did mine must've been happy because they did two petitions rapidly, so i'm sure it kept their average time down. Someone told me to keep it simple and not give the person to much to look through. So i guess it worked for me, and i'm sure plenty of others.

    Matt

  12. We got out NOA1 email today, 3 days after sending off the I-130 packet off from the Caribbean. After much hoping and praying, we got the word that our case has been sent to VSC. I've read and read and think that VSC looks like the safer bet. Sorry CSC filers! I know we have a good 5-6 months of waiting but I'm feeling encouraged for the moment.

    Wishing everyone speedy processing!

    Talia

    5-6 months??? I thought the same until I saw my NOA2 after 52 days, and many other's have received theirs faster. Count your blessings, I think you'll be hearing something alot sooner than 5-6 months.

    Matt

  13. Did you already mail the return. Can you try to re-file it by sending it e-filed. That way it can be sent directly to your checking account. Also if you filed it manually, did you both sign the return?

    I already mailed it a few days ago, and yes we both signed it.

    Matt

    Yes that is correct - you can get direct deposit by direct mailing as long as the banking account number and the routing number has been provided.

    Ah, ok. That's good to know. Thanks

    Matt

  14. If you file your taxes there are some things you can get tax credits for (this makes you pay less tax). The education credit should not affect your scholarship - it is just a tax break that you could get for any out of pocket education expense.

    To anyone filing "Married Filing Joint" - be very aware that you need to report you total INTERNATIONAL income. If your spouse is making any money this need to be reflected on your tax return. You can re-claim any international taxes paid. "Married Filing Joint" almost always results in less taxes paid. So if possible - do the extra work and file this way.

    Agreed. I think the extra legwork is worth it to file "married filing Jointly". My return with MFJ was double what I would have gotten if i filed MFS, and the extra money can definately come in handy with the new wife and daughter. You can claim your spouses wages(if they made anything) on the form 2555. I think the max exclusionary amount was 92,600 or somewhere around there. My wife made no where near that, but I still put it on my 1040 or I should say Turbo tax did, and then it subtracted the same amount. What I sent in, and was reviewed by an acceptance agent was:

    -Completed 1040, signed by me and my spouse

    -Declaration letter, saying she wanted to be treated as a resident alien for the entire year for tax purposes, signed by me and my spouse.

    -Form 2555 (turbo tax did this automatically)

    -Form W-7 signed by my wife and the acceptance agent.

    -notarized passport bio page of my spouse.

    -The agent also included a letter with my forms. The letter was signed by him and basically stated he checked all the paperwork and my spouse's ID and everything was good to go. Meaning whoever receives my packet doesn't have to check it, they can just process it.

    Quick note, if you're confused about the 2555 form, like I was, Turbo tax does it automatically for you when you select other income, and then follow the prompts.

    Matt

  15. Hello,

    Quick question for those who've filed "married jointly" and their spouse lived overseas or anyone who knows the answer. I just filed "Married Jointly" and my question is when you receive the check is both spouse's name on it, and if so did anyone have a problem depositing it into their bank because their spouse is in another country. I cannot add my wife to my bank account because she doesn't have SS# and isn't here and I'm not sure what will happen if i try to deposit the check. After I did my taxes on Turbo tax, I noticed the X's in the box for routing and account number. I thought it was an error and whited them out and put my info into those boxes manually. However, after looking it up,it looks like you cannot use direct deposit if you don't efile. Unless i misunderstood, this is what I got from it. Any info would be appreciated and I'm sure help others who are doing this as well. Thanks.

    Matt

  16. Just so so - he speaks to me in Spanish, I respond in English. That's what we did in the interview. The CO saw that we communicated very well in English/Spanish. She questioned him if he speaks English...I answered for him and said yes, a little, but his first language is Spanish so he needs his interview in Spanish.

    He understands very well but his speaking skills are not 100%. I understand perfectly so him speaking to me was fine.

    Ah, ok. That sounds like my situation exactly. Thank you!

    Matt

  17. November filers, NVC receive my case Jan 31st. I called today, they gave me my case number, IIN ( Invoice Identification Number ) and gave them both my email and my wife's one

    Very nice, my friend! glad things are going along great for you!

    Matt

    Congrats to Matt1968 and Rujby!!!! That´s great news! Hope i can hear from CSC soon too! :thumbs:

    thank you! I hope you hear from them soon, as well.

    Matt

  18. Just curious which additional money people talk about receiving as positive for filing jointly.

    Thanks

    Sup,

    When I did the turbo tax, I did it as married, seperately and then married, jointly. From what I understand, because I filed jointly i can claim my wife as an exemption and I was taxed at a lower rate because I filed jointly. I'm assuming that's why I got back more money. I'm not a tax expert, but comparing the two returns I did(seperatly vs jointly) this is what I noticed.

    Matt

  19. I am preparing DS-230 for my husband. I am the petitioner. Got a couple questions.

    1. Should I include a cover letter? I included one with my I-130 for uscis but I don't know if this is helpful for NVC.

    2. Should I staple anything?

    3. Is the current address where I will be sending DS-230 to:

    National Visa Center

    Attn: DR

    31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100

    Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914

    4. I am sending my DS-230 now but I won't be sending AOS till mid march so my case won't be completed till then. However, does NVC send a notification saying everything is okay with the DS-230 after looking over it? Or should I assume if nothing is sent that I have no RFE's for the DS-230.

    Thanks VJ!! :star:

    Steph, I pretty sure the AOS has to be sent before the DS-230.

  20. matt1968, it is me again. I am trying to file our taxes, so i got to the place on turbo tax that says we do not qualify for EIC because of the lacking SSN/ITIN number.

    Were you able to get this credit, or you have to wait for the ITIN to be processed before IRS will recalculate the credit?

    Thanks

    Sup 1love,

    No, I couldn't get the credit. My wife doesn't have SS number, and If you filed a form 2555 you can't get the credit. I filed one to exclude her earnings.

    Matt

  21. Hello,

    Just wanted to update people doing taxes for the first time with a foreign spouse. We all know that you have to fill out W-7 form for the ITIN number and mail it to austin,tx. I just spoke with a cerfied acceptance agent and this is what he told me. He said that what he and other acceptance agents do is review the documents that must be sent in to Austin, and make sure they're all correct. He then gives you a form that you send in with your tax return, w-7 form, declaration page, and form 2555. He stated that the form he gives you lets austin know that all forms are done correctly and saves them time and allows them to process right away. He also told me that if he checks the documents and see the copy of Proof of ID(ie. passport page) then you don't need to send it with the documents to austin. So basically he does the beginning part of the process for them and they do the rest. You still have to send it to Austin, according to him. His name is Jean burnell Dumel, and got his information from the link that Mr2fyre posted about acceptance agents. He is listed under Massachusetts.

    Matt

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