DMandKM

We just left our interview with a recommendation for approval!! So glad it's all over for a while.

So there's 2 different things going on here...
1. If you marry any day within 2016, you are eligible to file Married Filing Jointly since you are considered married for the entire year even if you get married on the last day of the year.
2. She will be considered a "resident alien" from the day she crosses into the U.S., in this case from June 25-Dec 31 2016. From Jan 1-June 25 she will be considered a "nonresident alien". So, she will actually be considered a "dual status alien" for 2016.
You can file MFJ and elect to treat her as a resident alien for the entire year for tax purposes by including an election statement with your tax return.

I agree with the post above. My husband moved here 9/23/15 and we filed Married/Jointly for the 2015 tax period. We had our tax accountant prepare a statement that we were claiming him as a resident alien for the 2015 Tax Year.
If you file yourself online, that might be difficult to do, as I am not sure the software companies allow for that specific letter. I always use an accountant, so they were able to attach to my return.
Good Luck!
JB

All we sent for "proof of meeting" were two or three plane ticket stubs. I think only two, out of 8 total visits. We did include pictures of us together (only two pictures), but that's secondary evidence.


A lot of people front load their petitions because it'll be the first thing (or one of the first things) seen at the interview. Canada doesn't hammer to hard on bona fide relationship from what I can see unless you have some kind of crazy red flag.

With that said, chances are USCIS is going to just look at one or two pieces of what you send them and then just consider "proof of meeting" as met, and ignore the rest. 58 pages of proof of meeting is a bit extreme.

That's true, but there is always the risk that the person inspecting your application doesn't like the particular bit of evidence you provide (eg can't read the passport stamp). In my case I provided copies of my passport stamps, boarding passes and photos of us together (we had one of us at an attraction, with the attraction branding and date on it), and we also provided details of my wifes visit to the UK to see me. Better to have too much proof than insufficient.
I suspect if you are in Canada they aren't going to probe the evidence you supply as critically as they might for people who live much farther away.