Rob&Jen

Hello. I'm hoping someone can help me here. 

I completed my biometrics a few months ago for my ROC based on marriage. Currently waiting for the next step. My marriage has ended in divorce in the meantime and I want to send an amended I-751 with request for divorce waiver along with the final decree.

First question: Does anyone know the best mailing address for the Nebraska Service Center? 

Second question: I included a lot of bona fide marriage evidence in the original packet. I'm going to send the form and decree along with a cover letter explaining why the marriage failed and why I want to remain in the States. Is there anything else I should send that might help my case?

I've read that the majority of waivers are approved but I'd like to cover all the bases.

Thank you.

Filed April 26th. Just received an email/text with my LINXXXXXXXXX number (Nebraska). Here's hoping it won't take over a year for them to process. 

On 4/20/2019 at 8:55 AM, Wuozopo said:

Do you have driver licenses showing the same address?

 

A note regarding other comments/ideas--

I highlighted on the photocopies of evidence. It says not to highlight or use correction fluid on the form.

 

I put my short explanation behind the form with the evidence pages, where the adjudicator would read it when looking at the evidence. It was titled --Evidence Not Included and Why Not.  I'm not convinced cover letters make it to the adjudicator when the file is organized in receiving center. I actually didn't use a cover letter.

 

 

Thanks. She has a driver license and I have a state ID card. I made colour photocopies of both including the address-change slip the DMV issued to the both of us, so that shouldn't be a problem. I included a primary cover letter listing what was included in the packet and I also broke the evidence down into five sections, each with their own brief cover letter explaining the contents and reasons for absence of certain documents (such as joint insurances etc). 

I agree that the form must not be altered in any way, and I haven't, but I don't see the harm in making slight highlights on my bank statements like you did with your copies of evidence. 

On 4/19/2019 at 10:25 PM, Sukie said:

You have a goodly number of things to send them. 

 

ONLY send the transcripts.  You do NOT need to send the returns and W2s.  The transcripts are more valuable than the returns.

 

The idea of explaining the lack of joint accounts is a VERY good one.  You don't need a huge explanation - just that you don't maintain a joint checking account, and that your wife keeps her own account.  The two of you agreed to do this as you have different approaches to handling money, and this way works for you both.  Expenses are paid through your account.

 

Good luck!

 

Sukie in NY

Thank you. Yes I did include a cover letter explaining our account situation. Regarding the Transcripts though, I am sending the returns and W2s because from personal experience with an RFE I received during my original GC application this was a requirement. 

My (beneficiary) ROC is due the beginning of July and I feel like I'm almost ready to submit but I wanted to run this by your helpful selves in case any of you have any suggestions for extra evidence.

Besides the basic requirements per the guide I have the following:

• Copies of IRS transcripts, returns and W2s for 2017/2018 showing a married joint filing.
• Copies of our apartment lease with email correspondence showing our arrangements/agreements prior to signing and a receipt for the moving truck showing both our names.
• Copies of statements for utilities including electric, TV/internet, Netflix, Xbox etc. Most are in my wife's name but are paid and billed to my account and/or debit card.
• Copies of motor and renters insurance in both names going all the way back to our original apartment (we've moved twice since I came here in 2016).
• Copies of bank statements dated from March 2019 back to March 2018. I carefully highlighted recurring utility payments, rent checks, transfers to wife's account etc.
• Misc. emails and receipts showing correspondence and gifts bought for one another, along with printouts of Facebook comments between us and family. 
• Copies of birthday, christmas and wedding cards between 2016 and present from friends, family and between ourselves.
• Photos of us together with family from overseas. Most of these are focused around 2016-2017 as 2018/2019 we were both working very hard towards improving our living situation so we only went out sparingly and we're not the kind of couple who takes pictures of everything we see and do (I know, hindsight and all that).

We have very little in the way of joint assets or accounts. We did have a joint checking account for a while but ended up closing it as I'm the sole provider and handle all of the finances myself. My wife keeps her own checking account for when she finds work (plus she's terrible with money and closing the joint was mostly due to this). I am planning on digging out some more receipts but so far this is what I have. She also has her own insurance and coverage and I don't have a 401K so we can't use those as evidence.

Our car recently died and I'm currently saving to replace it so I would really REALLY like to avoid having to bus us both all the way to Philly for an interview in the future. I know I'll have to for biometrics but that at least I can do on my own (wife is recovering from muscle damage in her knee).

Please, any suggestions or ideas are welcome.

Thank you

Case updated yesterday to show they received our response. I hope they accept it and approve my EAD soon and don't take the full 90 days. 

On 12/01/2017 at 1:54 PM, MariaR323 said:

Although the form states you only need proof of the previous year's tax return... it also indicates that submitting the last 3 year's worth of taxes helps to establish ability to maintain income. They ask for the last 3 years info on the I-864 and IMO you might as well submit the docs to backup the numbers you're indicating on the form (especially when it's income coming from self-employment).

 

Good luck!

Visited my sponsor today. And let me get this out: SELF-EMPLOYMENT SUCKS. In this case anyway. 

We now have 2015 and 2014 transcripts along with the 1040s so they can see Line 22 for good measure. The website wouldn't load up his 2013 transcript so we took copies of his entire return, including Schedule C. 

2015 - over $31,000

2014 - over $130,000

2013 - over $200,000

His taxes for those years list the wife and 2 kids but this year he won't be legally allowed to as dependents. So they will go by the 5 person household. 

For 2016 we are providing his W-2 (he pays himself as an employee due to changing to LLC) and his W-3 which shows he earned $37,000 net. We also have an assessment from his accountant for Jan-Dec. He hasn't filed yet so we can't provide a complete 1040. 

For assets we're showing a life insurance policy worth over $42,000 and another with a cash loan option for $9,000.

My sponsor wrote and signed a letter on his company headed paper explaining the situation and how he can support me. 

So hopefully this should be enough this time. At least to satisfy an initial RFE. 

18 hours ago, Lemonslice said:

I hope the Infopass appointment will be a useful visit, but in my experience they are unable to advise much. 

Again, charities and legal association do offer assistance to fill the form (often with volunteer lawyers on site).  

 

Please come back to let us know how things went!

The meeting was pretty much a bust. 

We spoke to an actual adjudicator but he wasn't our case handler so he couldn't give us a specific reason for why the other agent wouldn't accept our evidence. He did say that when he does handle cases he normally likes to see evidence of the last 3 years taxes, even though the form states we only need proof of 1 year. 

He said the best thing we can do is submit as much evidence of income and taxes as possible along with a covering letter explaining our situation. 

So yeah... infopass is just for people who don't trust what they read on the internet apparently. 

1 hour ago, Damara said:

 Going to infopass will not help. They will not provide you with anymore assistance then simply reading the notice to you. They DO NOT help you fill out forms or explain forms.

I managed to book an appointment for early tomorrow morning so hopefully you're wrong about how useful they can be. 

Thanks for the income evidence suggestions though. I need as many of these as I can get. Especially if infopass turns out to be a bust. 

3 hours ago, aaron2020 said:

Once they find an ineligibility, they stop reviewing the file.  Why would you expect them to continue to examine an I-864 that is already inadequate for every error?  The responsibility for a correct submission so the US Government is not wasting time and resources is on the person submitting it.  If you can not DIY, then hire a lawyer.  It's not the US Government's responsibility to review an I-864 for every error when one inadequacy is enough to not meet the requirements.

By that logic they could look at a typing error and send me a notice asking to correct it, which I would then do, only for the agent to then turn a page and notice there's another discrepancy and what... send another RFE? 

That sounds like a bigger waste of time than providing a detailed list of the errors and how these should be rectified all at once. 

With what it costs to adjust in the first place, on the back of a K1 no less, I don't think that's asking too much. 

Instead I have to guess and hope I don't shoot myself in the foot, because an infopass appointment is nowhere possible at my location. 

5 hours ago, Chardon Ne' said:

A 1040 is not evidence of having filed though. A tax transcript is.  Anyone can make a copy of a completed 1040, thats why they prefer the transcript.  From what I have seen, ppl who do not send a w2 or 1099 have gotten an RFIE or RFE. I dont know much but I know taxes and benefits.  if you are self employed a transcript is better evidence for self employed ppl as proof of having actually filed. All of that (schedules, etc) will be included on the transcript. It was already sent back once, so to be on the safe side i agree I would either do both if you can but definitely the transcript for sure....my opinion anyway. 

We sent the transcript originally. 

This time we'll be sending the transcript again along with the 1040 and any other documents we can gather. 

2 hours ago, DrEllaNJ said:

you don't want to hear comments on the "obvious about our initial household submission", but it seems to me that that's the problem.

His household size is 5 (as long as the divorce isn't finalized yet), according to these guidelines:

 

What I meant is I don't want a dozen posters pointing out that we filed with incorrect information and "this is what happens."

I was well aware of what might happen, however, I banked on USCIS being specific about our errors and responding accordingly.

1 hour ago, belinda63 said:

So how are you married if he is still married?

"He" is the joint sponsor I'm referring to. I am the immigrant husband and my wife the US citizen. 

Hi guys, 

My wife and I filed our I-485 application in mid-December and received a biometrics appointment followed by a request for IE. The IE concerns our joint sponsor and states the following:

1) Submit all supporting tax documentation (W-2s, 1099s, Form 2555, and all supporting tax schedules) submitted to the Internal Revenue Services for the most recent tax year. 

The joint sponsor must submit all supporting tax documents for the most recent tax year. 

2) Based on the documents submitted with Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, for the joint sponsor, the income did not meet 125% of the poverty guidelines for the joint sponsor's household size. 

It then goes on to list the same evidences and assets as the I-864 instructions. Our joint sponsor is self-employed. 

We submitted the form based on a household of 2 and a 2015 tax transcript showing an income of over $31,000 along with a statement from his accountant showing income to date of over $130,000 (gross) and $34,000 (net).

We noted down his 2014 amount which was over $130,000 (net) but left 2013 blank due to difficulties obtaining his figures for that year. 

After many arguments about the wording for the household size we agreed to submit based on just him and me. He is currently married but going through divorce and has 2 underage children living with the wife. The wife is mentioned on 2015's taxes but the children are not. 

Tried calling the helpline but they just told us to book an appointment with the local office, which has no availability for the next 14 days so we don't know exactly from which angle they're looking at this; whether they noticed the wife or did further digging. Other offices are too far away. 

Interestingly, they are not requesting that another form be filled in. They only want taxes and current financial evidence. 

Has anyone here heard of or encountered a similar situation and have any ideas? 

And please refrain from pointing out the obvious about our original household submission. I've already argued this to death with my wife and sponsor. 

Thank you. 

Hi,

Currently assembling my I-485 application for the Green Card and I received this email from RapidVisa:

https://rapidvisa.com/uscis-fee-increase-2016/?awt_l=OYN5M&awt_m=3Yt1pbv7HfNQqHN

which has been confirmed by USCIS:

https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-announces-final-rule-adjusting-immigration-benefit-application-and-petition-fees

This may have already been reported but I felt inclined to post in case as this was only announced yesterday.

The final filing date for the current fees is November 30th. Anything filed after this date will be charged at the new rate.

Regards,

Have you called DX and confirmed the location with them? An email could take some time to get a response, given that it's bank holiday here on Monday.

I received a response to my email this morning. The NR7 address is correct. Google Maps just hasn't been updated to show a DXS office there.

This thread can now be closed.

Many thanks

My visa has been issued and is due to be delivered to my local DXS depot in Norwich at:

19A Broadlands Business Park
Memorial Way
Postwick
Norwich, NR7 0WH

However when looking up this location on Google Maps all it shows is an old business called 'City Link' which has since closed and I can't find any information on the DXS website or anywhere else to say if this is a new location. The only other DXS depot I can find is at:

Units 16/17B/18A

Alston Road
Norwich

NR6 5DS

I imagine the US embassy website would have the most up to date locations but I'm a little concerned that my visa/passport might be heading to the wrong place. Since the DX tracker doesn't say exactly where my visa is being delivered, I don't know if they will take it to one location or the other, despite my selection with the embassy. I've emailed DX and hopefully should have an answer soon, but I was hoping someone on here might have dealt with the Norwich branch recently and might know.

Thanks

I passed my interview in London today.

Was a total breeze after all that nail-biting and preparation.

I almost feel cheated that I didn't have to fight a dragon or something just to get approved. Hey-ho.

Can't you just order the tax transcripts online and print them yourself?

If you're just rolling with the tax return, might want to take a W2 and a few other bits of proof to be safe.

He's self-employed, and frankly, being a complete pain at the moment.

He won't post or email me copies of his bank statements for fear of them being intercepted or hacked. My fiance and I have asked him to order the transcripts on multiple occasions but it never arrives and he hasn't tried online. Will have to push him a little. So far I only have his 1040 and business licence as proof of income.

Quick update, The embassy was fine with using someone else. They just asked who it was and asked for the most recent tax transcript.

All the best.

Excellent.

I have his 1040. I hope that's enough. We keep ordering them but the transcripts never arrive for some reason.

Thanks for sharing experience Rob/Jen!

Did everything go ok with using another person as your sponsor? Did they ask any questions about this?

I'll be using my fiancee's father as my I-134.

I'll let you know when I have my interview. It's not until August 18th.

Congrats on making it. If you can swing it, bring copies/originals of all documents submitted. It might be overly cautious, but it might save you some hassle. For the embassy interview and the AOS interview, we brought everything and needed far less. For the POE, we brought everything, and lo and behold, the border patrol officer noticed that one of the items in the packet wasn't there (gone missing?). Luckily we had everything in near triplicate and were able to produce it on the spot.

Thanks.

I'll be sure to do that. You never know what can happen at the POE.

Yeah they didn't ask anything about my docs at the second window - it was all about us and my plans for the future! Also I had copies for everything but they just took the originals and scanned them in. Same with pic, website says bring 2 but they just took mine, scanned it in, and then returned it to me! I stressed about the pix, signed the back and stopped breathing while cutting them SUPER STRAIGHT all for nothing! hah

I totally get the paranoia to stay busy thing! I totally did that. You should have seen my file, everything was paperclipped by section, and then super paperclipped altogether. And then I had colour coded post-its for each section. The guy at the first window looked a little amused as I had to peel all the post-its off and take out the paper clips haha

Ha,

Well my folder isn't quite as creative. I just have a ring binder with the docs in plastic wallets and pages stapled together.

Yep! You get called to the window twice. Totally threw me off as I was expecting to have my interview at the first screen!

Please don't worry, you sound more than prepared. Everyone was really nice to me and my interview was such an anti-climax after months of worry/nervousness.

Yeah I hear you.

As hard as I try though I still can't stop my head from overthinking and overpreparing. Once it's over I'll laugh but until then I have paranoia to keep me busy. :|

• I-134, 2015 tax return (1040), Who is this? Not fiancé?

Thanks Nich.

That's the co-sponsor, or rather the primary sponsor, since my fiancee doesn't meet the requirements. We got everything squared away after my fiasco with the last sponsor. He's self-employed, hence the lack of W2s or pay stubs in my evidence.

I hand this to the first agent and then if there are any issues or info that needs clarifying, they'll give me a chance to sort this out at the second window, right?