battsher

To file MFJ, you must be considered a resident alien (RA) for the entire year.
As a dual status alien married to a USC or LPR, you can elect to be treated as an RA for the entire year via the letter.
An RA must report their entire worldwide income.
 
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf
"Nonresident aliens and dual-status aliens. Generally, a married couple can't file a joint return if either spouse is a nonresident alien at any time during the year. However, if you were a nonresident alien or a dual-status alien and were married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien at the end of 2018, you can elect to be treated as a resident alien and file a joint return. See Pub. 519 for details"
 
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/aliens-which-income-to-report
"Resident Aliens report their entire worldwide income on Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ like U.S. Citizens."
(Ignore the dual status section as with the election statement you are choosing not to be considered a dual status alien)
 
FEIE (Form 2555/2555EZ) information :
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-earned-income-exclusion-can-i-claim-the-exclusion-or-deduction
Note #4 states "uninterrupted period that includes an entire tax year", NOT "the entire 2018 tax year". There is a difference...one can be a bona fide resident of country X from 1/1/2017 through 2/1/2018, which would meet this requirement as it covers the entire 2017 tax year. The amount of income that could be excluded for the 2018 tax year would be proportional to your time outside the US....which you will calculate on the 2555.

My husband and I were friends for 10 years before we started dating. When we applied for the K-1 Visa, we included all of our history. Blog posts and comments, email and chat transcripts, class pictures...you name it. Whatever we felt helped tell our story,we included in the package. Same thing when I applied to adjust my status.
 
During both interviews, the immigration officer took a look at our thick packet, and didn't really ask us a lot of questions anymore. Hope it helps.

Hi!
 
The main focus should be the proof of meeting at least once within the last two years. Your primary evidence will be the lease agreements and anything else you can show, such as receipts from vacations, boarding passes, etc. The pictures and facebook post are secondary evidence that will also support your primary. For example, if you provide receipts of the hotel bill in Paris where you both traveled together, a picture of the two of you at the Eiffel Tower will glue the pieces of the puzzle together. The secondary evidence doesn't necessarily have to back up the primary.
 
The best to go about it is to put yourself in the shoes of the person who received your application to process. If you were them, with all the evidence you are about to submit, can you establish a timeline showing that you both shared the same time and space, at least once, within the last 2 years prior to filing? Worse case scenario, they will ask you for more.
 
Good luck!