stingg

Yes, we have joint tax returns and I'll be submitting the transcripts as well.

We live under the same roof and historically we have always just split utilities... our income levels are very similar and that was how we had done it when we were living together prior to marriage, and didn't see a need to change the way we are splitting our financial contribution after marriage.

Rent: The property is under my mother's name but he pays the HOA fees, I pay the property taxes... it approximately equals out every year. Also have correspondence between us and the HOA board for some repairs that had to be done around/outside of our unit. Both our driver's licenses reflect the same address.

Utilities: He pays gas/water/electric, I pay internet... we are NOT co-named on the accounts but the address is the same

Auto insurance: We are co-named on the car insurance, I also have correspondence between me and him regarding an auto accident/claim we had to submit recently

Insurance: We go through our individual employers' health insurance plans since they are both very good and we can't really be bothered to switch over one from the other given that the cost savings are minimal. However, I did switch to be on his dental and vision plan because the benefits were much better.

I am including letters/bills for all of the above and also a cover letter explaining the situation... does this sound odd? To us, it has always worked that way so we didn't see a reason to change it.

Additionally, we had known each other since college and lived together even before marriage as I was already on a work visa. Will it be helpful to provide this old joint lease/old evidence as proof that we've lived together since 2013, or any other evidence (e.g. old photos)? The I-751 says to provide information only from the date of marriage, which is why I am hesitant, but we've had a history of going on trips together and living together before marriage, which I feel like would help strengthen our application.

Hey lil2be,

His income is enough to support the both of us above the poverty line requirements. My main concern is
a) If his job only starts in July, will 3 months of pay stubs be enough proof?

b) Is it necessary/helpful at all to include my income in the AoS packet?

Thanks.

Hi all,

My husband and I are filling for the AoS and my main concern is that we both graduated from college Dec 2013 and will start working July 2014. We plan to file around October 2014, the latest. I'm adjusting from F-1 student visa.

So basically, on our past tax returns, we will have virtually no income (and I think he filed as a dependent with his parents for the past years). We did do some part time work while waiting for our jobs to start, but it was just supplementary income (like $1000/person per month).

Will just his pay stubs from July-Oct along with the employment letter be enough proof? Should I include mine as well? What else should we include/should we have a letter explaining the situation?

His parents barely make enough to support themselves, so we are trying to avoid going the joint sponsorship route unless we have to.

Thank you! So I should just show them the new lease/bank account and leave out any information about the old lease? I figured it would provide more evidence but given the roommate situation, I could see it doing more harm than good...

Hi all,

Quick background: I'm a F-1 student, graduated and on OPT which will expire on February 2015. My current boyfriend and I are planning to get married sometime around August because we don't want to deal with the hassle of my OPT/work eligibility expiring since we will both be employed.

The problem is - we have been living together, but the lease only has his + a apartment mate's name on it because he moved in first, and I joined them half a year later. I've just been making my checks out to him every month and he would pay the landlord. I do have the check stubs... but I don't know how USCIS will feel about the fact that we lived with a roommate. We are moving out into our own apartment in August, and will probably start a joint bank account when we both start work (also in August).

My question is:
a) How do we prove we have been living together without making it seem like a case of 'good friend helping me commit marriage fraud', or should I omit this information entirely?

b) Given that our lease/joint account will be opened right around the time of our marriage and application, would the timing/newness of our lease/bank account raise a red flag?

Also - if a joint sponsor is needed, does the joint sponsor have to be related to the sponsor (my boyfriend)? My sister is actually a permanent resident and she definitely meets income requirements.

Thanks for the reply and the heads up about not applying too close to my F-1 expiration date - I find out regarding H-1B in June. If H-1B is approved, then we'll probably hold out for a bit until next year, to collect more evidence and make sure we have a really strong case (e.g right now we are living together but only his name is on the lease, but once we start working we are going to move into a new apartment and we'll both be on the lease).

If it has not been approved, we are either going to do it ASAP (June) or wait until we start work (August/September). I think our best option right now would be September. It is still 5 months away from F-1 expiry, but we will have our first paycheck by then, as well as the offer letters which can help prove our claim about expected income?

Hey all,

My boyfriend and I are planning on getting married. We met in college and both just graduated this past December. I am still on F-1 visa, currently on OPT expiring Feb 2015, he is a US citizen. We have both found employment, my employer is willing to sponsor my H1-B but due to the lottery system, we want to get married regardless so I don't have to leave the US if my H1-B application did not get chosen.

Main question: Our combined income will be ~100K, 50K annual each but our employment does not start until August this year. We have our offer letters from our companies but no income yet. In such a situation, will we still need a co-sponsor? His family is not very well-off so I'm not even sure if his parents can act as co-sponsor in the first place.

Also as an aside...suppose my H1-B visa falls through, will the fact that I have applied for it affect the approval of the AoS in anyway? I guess I'm just worried that the officer/USCIS will think that I am filing for a green card through marriage as a 'last resort' because of my H1-B falling through, although we do have a bona fide relationship. Thanks!