Bryan and An

Case received July 5, USPS informed delivery shows a letter from USCIS arriving today - I'm guessing biometrics appointment. Nothing updated on the website since case received. Nebraska Service Center. 

Hello friends! I think we're finally ready to send in our packet for An's Removal of Conditions - a couple of weeks later than I was hoping, but still plenty early. Just wondered if anyone would mind looking over what we have, including the table of contents, to see what you think. I based the style on CookieCat's excellent submission that's pinned at the top of this forum (although not nearly as thick as hers!) All opinions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for looking!
 

Here's what I sent for ROC. I redacted info for privacy purposes:
 
PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON RESIDENCE                   ITEM # SUMMARY OF CONTENTS:   PAGE #                   1) FORM I-751           1-11                   2) COPY OF PERMANENT RESIDENT CARDS FOR:         - (redacted)             - (redacted)           - (redacted)       12                   3) COPY OF MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE       13                   4) COPY OF CERTIFICATION OF BIRTH FOR:           (redacted)           14                   5) COPY OF WARRANTY DEED FOR HOUSE       15-16   COPY OF MORTGAGE LOAN WITH (redacted) BANK,     17   COPY OF CLOSING DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT     18   COPY OF HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE       19-20                   6) COPY OF RETAIL INSTALLMENT SALE CONTRACT - TOYOTA RAV4 LE   21-23   COPY OF AUTO LOAN DETAILS         24   COPY OF DRIVER LICENSES          25   COPY OF AUTO INSURANCE POLICY AND CARDS     26-29                   7) COPY OF (redacted) JOINT SAVINGS ACCOUNT         (FIRST DATE JOINED AUG 2016 TO PRESENT)     30-31   COPY OF JOINT CREDIT CARDS WITH (redacted)     32-33                   😎 COPY OF TAX RETURN 2016 -MARRIED, FILING JOINTLY   34-40   COPY OF TAX RETURN 2017 -MARRIED, FILING JOINTLY   41-45                   9) COPY OF UTILITIES:                - XFINITY FROM COMCAST (TV & INTERNET)     46   - PALM BEACH COUNTY WATER        47   - FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT         48                   10)  COPY OF HEALTH INSURANCE (FAMILY COVERAGE):         - (redacted) (DENTAL PPO), POLICYHOLDER: (redacted)   49   - (redacted) (HEALTH), POLICYHOLDER: (redacted)   50                   11) SWORN STATEMENT OF (redacted) WITH PHOTO   51-52   SWORN STATEMENT OF (redacted) WITH PHOTO     53-54                   12) EVIDENCE OF FAMILY VACATIONS       55-56

Surely one can imagine other similar documents that have just one name but are good evidence for marriage bona fides. Like:
Cohabitation: Official correspondence (including the envelope) from government agencies (e.g., IRS, SSA) addressed separately to each spouse Co-mingled finances: Separately owned financial statements with every-day transactions that go to same address, show sharing of financial responsibilities, and are explained in a cover letter Shared life experiences: Hotel reservation, obviously in one spouse's name, that support other travel bookings for joint trips Respectfully, your blanket don't-bother-with-stuff-with-only-one-name advice was not well thought through, and could hinder creative thinking by petitioners who lack routinely cited documentation.

You have more than enough, just make sure those are 3 years worth of evidences. 

To be honest "tax transcripts, auto loan, auto insurance, bank statements, a credit card, maybe a few other things" is good enough, I would just recommend adding a lease or rental contract with both of your names on it. Good luck!

For your own info:  you can add her to the deed via a quit claim deed.  Usually ~$500 depending on state and county.  It’s absolutely not necessary, but just thought I’d share in the event you were unaware.  It doesn’t involve the bank at all, so no refi fees.  Any real estate attorney can draft up pretty quick.  When I worked on real estate transactions in NY, often we would have a couple where only one qualified for the mortgage, so we would wait until the original transaction was recorded, and then a month later do the quit claim deed for them.  

Absolutely !
 
My name was added to the deed and there is still a mortgage on the house (we didn't add me to a mortgage for the same reason - it would require a refinancing and extra cost) 
By the way - we are also in MO, and it did cost us around $180.0 to add my name to a Deed. 
 
About "separated" documents, showing the same address.. I'd not worry about it. The process is not  just about quantity. It's about quality as well  . And you have a great stuff to submit with  I-751 - Tax Transcripts, Copy of driver lic... they show the same address already, so you are good. 
 
Good luck!

You’ll want to double check with an attorney in your county, but it should be doable, provided it’s been 30+ days since signing the mortgage.
 
I found it worked with our car title too.  That was in my name only bc he didn’t qualify for the car loan, but later on we applied for a joint title certificate and all was well.

You seem to have good info.  Don't bother with sending stuff with only one name.  Concentrate on those items with both names.
 
Also don't worry about only one name on the deed/mortgage, but DO include a note in your cover letter stating that you owned the house prior to the marriage, and because of credit considerations, only your name appears on the mortgage and deed.  This will prevent you from getting an RFE about why only one of you is on the deed/mortgage.  It's not unusual for only one half of the couple to do this - but do explain it up front.
 
Best of luck!
 
Sukie in NY

Uhm, I'm not sure about this. Driver's licenses with the same address are strong evidence of residence, but obviously bear only one name.
 
OP: Send whatever you have that shows 1) cohabitation, 2) co-mingled finances, 3) shared life experiences, and 4) planning for the future together, and that do so from marriage to the present. Those are the essential elements of a bona fide marital relationship. Use your cover letter or an "Evidence Guide" to explain any deviation from expectation. 

Hi, sorry I haven't been keeping up with the board as much lately
 
We contacted the agency that someone suggested...Indy Translations I think it was. Their website bragged about quotes in "2-3 hours," but it took days and days and multiple contacts to hear anything from them. Finally, despite supposedly having a branch in St. Louis, they said they were unable to find a Vietnamese-English interpreter for that day. All the while, An had been insisting that we didn't need one, and that it wouldn't be any problem. I finally agreed with her, figuring that she was probably right, and even if there was an issue, we would at least get another interview as opposed to an outright rejection or anything. 
 
The day of the interview, we arrived a little bit early, stuck our interview letter in this slot where they told us to, and sat down to wait. Someone called us back literally the minute of our appointment time. I had assumed we would be at one of the interview windows, of which they had several (like our visa interview in Vietnam), but he called us down a hall and into his office. The interview was way more casual and laid back than I could have imagined. He saw that we had several manila envelopes labeled "Copy of entire I-485 packet," "Original copies of all documents," "Additional copies of all documents," "Evidence of relationship," and a few others. He said all he really needed to see was the one labeled "evidence of relationship." I showed him what we had: Joint bank account, joint savings account, An as the beneficiary on my retirement plan, An on my employer-issued health insurance, her state ID which shows our address, and a number of medical bills and other things that had been mailed to her at our address. He asked us to put the stuff he could keep in one stack and the stuff we needed to keep back in the envelope. We also showed him our wedding album, photos from when me, my parents, and my brother went to Vietnam for an engagement party and to bring An here, and other random photos of her 5 months in America. He only asked her a few questions: her address, I don't even remember what else. Very little. How did we meet...when did we first meet in person...what made us decide to take the leap and get married. He did have to repeat himself a couple of times so that she fully understood, but he was very patient and seemed not to be in a hurry at all. 
 
At the end, he gave us a letter explaining the "outcome"...basically, it said that they had everything they needed, but if they should discover that they needed anything else, they would send us a notice. He said he had to review the evidence, and that we could expect a decision within 90 days...normally it's 30 days, but something about the fiscal year, delays, yada yada yada. I was feeling pretty discouraged about waiting that long for a decision, but then at the end, he said, "but in this case, I wouldn't be surprised if you get your result by the end of the day." I was thinking, oh...that's good...I think? Then he asked what our plans were for the day, and we said we were hoping to go out for dinner with my parents if we got good news, and he said, "Well I would say that you have every reason to celebrate." We thanked him and left. All in all, I think we were there for maybe 40 or 45 minutes...it was extremely relaxed and low-pressure the whole time. He would be typing periodically as we were answering questions or showing evidence. 
 
An was pretty disappointed when we left, because she just couldn't understand why we hadn't been approved even though our case was so strong. I told her maybe that's just how they do things - they don't make a decision right away, but want to double check the evidence and everything after we leave. I assured her that every indication he gave was that we would be approved. 
 
When we got home, I checked the case number online, and it said "New card is being produced"! I called An in to see...and she looked at it for a minute before astutely pointing out that I had accidentally entered the EAD case number (which we had been waiting nearly 120 days for, but had stopped caring once we got the interview date). So that was kind of cool anyway...then, as we kept periodically checking (about every 5 minutes, actually), we saw "New card is being produced," and we double checked about 10 times to make sure we had actually entered the AOS number. At that point, we were both relieved and ecstatic. 
 
Due to the EAD being approved an hour before the AOS was approved, she received both cards in the mail...on the same day. This turned out to be very useful, because when we took the green card to the SS office to change her name (this was another issue that we had made a post about...her first and middle names being switched when she came to America, due to the order being reversed on all Vietnam documents), they said they could do it, but would need a second form of ID showing the new name order. We whipped out the EAD, she checked her computer to see if that would work as a second document, and said, "Bingo! That will do it." Once she got her new SS card in the mail just a few days later, we took that, her green card, her expired state ID (which had expired the date her I-94 expired), and a power bill with her name on it to the DMV and renewed her state ID. She also took the written test and received her driving  permit. Now, with a little more practice, she'll be taking her driver's license test very soon! 
 
One last footnote...and maybe this thread isn't the best place to put all of these different things, but oh well...another concern we had (and had made yet another post about) was that when she got her vaccinations in Vietnam, she didn't get Tdap because it was marked as "Not Routinely Available." This surprised me, given that so many immigrants must go through HCMC where she got the shots. Anyway, her DS-3025 was marked "Complete - blanket waiver requested," but I still worried because I know Tdap is a required vaccination...I figured just because it wasn't available in Vietnam wouldn't mean she could get by with not getting it once she got here. Getting it is no problem, it's free with our insurance (and she has gotten it), but I worried about having to deal with a civil surgeon and whatever they would try to tell me she needed to do and what that would all cost. We considered whether we should take care of all of that before we even applied for the green card, and when we asked in our post, most people said that since it's required, you're probably not going to get by without an RFE...but a couple of people said it couldn't hurt to go ahead and send it in and just deal with an RFE if it came, and that's what we decided to do. An RFE never came. I have read about RFEs even at the interview, and sometimes for this very thing - in fact, a review of the exact same office (St. Louis) said they were given one at the interview because of not having the Tdap vaccine. So I brought extra copies of her DS-3025, along with the paperwork from her TDAP vaccine, to the interview, in case I had to try to convince the officer to just accept that as evidence or to start calling civil surgeons from the parking lot immediately after the interview to get an I-693 transcribed right away. Thankfully, none of that was necessary. 
 
Anyway, all in all a wonderful experience, and thankfully no more stressing out about anything immigration-related for more than a year now. Sorry for such a long post Thanks for asking about us! 
 
Bryan

Hi, sorry I haven't been keeping up with the board as much lately
 
We contacted the agency that someone suggested...Indy Translations I think it was. Their website bragged about quotes in "2-3 hours," but it took days and days and multiple contacts to hear anything from them. Finally, despite supposedly having a branch in St. Louis, they said they were unable to find a Vietnamese-English interpreter for that day. All the while, An had been insisting that we didn't need one, and that it wouldn't be any problem. I finally agreed with her, figuring that she was probably right, and even if there was an issue, we would at least get another interview as opposed to an outright rejection or anything. 
 
The day of the interview, we arrived a little bit early, stuck our interview letter in this slot where they told us to, and sat down to wait. Someone called us back literally the minute of our appointment time. I had assumed we would be at one of the interview windows, of which they had several (like our visa interview in Vietnam), but he called us down a hall and into his office. The interview was way more casual and laid back than I could have imagined. He saw that we had several manila envelopes labeled "Copy of entire I-485 packet," "Original copies of all documents," "Additional copies of all documents," "Evidence of relationship," and a few others. He said all he really needed to see was the one labeled "evidence of relationship." I showed him what we had: Joint bank account, joint savings account, An as the beneficiary on my retirement plan, An on my employer-issued health insurance, her state ID which shows our address, and a number of medical bills and other things that had been mailed to her at our address. He asked us to put the stuff he could keep in one stack and the stuff we needed to keep back in the envelope. We also showed him our wedding album, photos from when me, my parents, and my brother went to Vietnam for an engagement party and to bring An here, and other random photos of her 5 months in America. He only asked her a few questions: her address, I don't even remember what else. Very little. How did we meet...when did we first meet in person...what made us decide to take the leap and get married. He did have to repeat himself a couple of times so that she fully understood, but he was very patient and seemed not to be in a hurry at all. 
 
At the end, he gave us a letter explaining the "outcome"...basically, it said that they had everything they needed, but if they should discover that they needed anything else, they would send us a notice. He said he had to review the evidence, and that we could expect a decision within 90 days...normally it's 30 days, but something about the fiscal year, delays, yada yada yada. I was feeling pretty discouraged about waiting that long for a decision, but then at the end, he said, "but in this case, I wouldn't be surprised if you get your result by the end of the day." I was thinking, oh...that's good...I think? Then he asked what our plans were for the day, and we said we were hoping to go out for dinner with my parents if we got good news, and he said, "Well I would say that you have every reason to celebrate." We thanked him and left. All in all, I think we were there for maybe 40 or 45 minutes...it was extremely relaxed and low-pressure the whole time. He would be typing periodically as we were answering questions or showing evidence. 
 
An was pretty disappointed when we left, because she just couldn't understand why we hadn't been approved even though our case was so strong. I told her maybe that's just how they do things - they don't make a decision right away, but want to double check the evidence and everything after we leave. I assured her that every indication he gave was that we would be approved. 
 
When we got home, I checked the case number online, and it said "New card is being produced"! I called An in to see...and she looked at it for a minute before astutely pointing out that I had accidentally entered the EAD case number (which we had been waiting nearly 120 days for, but had stopped caring once we got the interview date). So that was kind of cool anyway...then, as we kept periodically checking (about every 5 minutes, actually), we saw "New card is being produced," and we double checked about 10 times to make sure we had actually entered the AOS number. At that point, we were both relieved and ecstatic. 
 
Due to the EAD being approved an hour before the AOS was approved, she received both cards in the mail...on the same day. This turned out to be very useful, because when we took the green card to the SS office to change her name (this was another issue that we had made a post about...her first and middle names being switched when she came to America, due to the order being reversed on all Vietnam documents), they said they could do it, but would need a second form of ID showing the new name order. We whipped out the EAD, she checked her computer to see if that would work as a second document, and said, "Bingo! That will do it." Once she got her new SS card in the mail just a few days later, we took that, her green card, her expired state ID (which had expired the date her I-94 expired), and a power bill with her name on it to the DMV and renewed her state ID. She also took the written test and received her driving  permit. Now, with a little more practice, she'll be taking her driver's license test very soon! 
 
One last footnote...and maybe this thread isn't the best place to put all of these different things, but oh well...another concern we had (and had made yet another post about) was that when she got her vaccinations in Vietnam, she didn't get Tdap because it was marked as "Not Routinely Available." This surprised me, given that so many immigrants must go through HCMC where she got the shots. Anyway, her DS-3025 was marked "Complete - blanket waiver requested," but I still worried because I know Tdap is a required vaccination...I figured just because it wasn't available in Vietnam wouldn't mean she could get by with not getting it once she got here. Getting it is no problem, it's free with our insurance (and she has gotten it), but I worried about having to deal with a civil surgeon and whatever they would try to tell me she needed to do and what that would all cost. We considered whether we should take care of all of that before we even applied for the green card, and when we asked in our post, most people said that since it's required, you're probably not going to get by without an RFE...but a couple of people said it couldn't hurt to go ahead and send it in and just deal with an RFE if it came, and that's what we decided to do. An RFE never came. I have read about RFEs even at the interview, and sometimes for this very thing - in fact, a review of the exact same office (St. Louis) said they were given one at the interview because of not having the Tdap vaccine. So I brought extra copies of her DS-3025, along with the paperwork from her TDAP vaccine, to the interview, in case I had to try to convince the officer to just accept that as evidence or to start calling civil surgeons from the parking lot immediately after the interview to get an I-693 transcribed right away. Thankfully, none of that was necessary. 
 
Anyway, all in all a wonderful experience, and thankfully no more stressing out about anything immigration-related for more than a year now. Sorry for such a long post Thanks for asking about us! 
 
Bryan

Wanted to share some good news! Applied for AOS, EAD, and AP together...PD was May 22, Biometrics June 15. On June 21, AOS changed to "Ready to be Scheduled for Interview," while EAD and AP were stuck on "Case Received." On day 76 (last week), I called to create a Service Request for the EAD. Today, we received a letter in the mail from USCIS. I figured it was saying that the EAD had been approved...nope! Interview date!! And soon - less than 3 weeks from now (Sept. 7). So excited! 

http://indytranslations.com/interpretation-stlouis.htm


 

I once had an interview with police in a foreign country and even though I was reasonably competent in the foreign language I asked for an interpreter. The interviewing officer even remarked that I clearly understood his questions before they were translated to me, and I replied through my interpreter that, although I probably could conduct this interview without an interpreter, I felt more comfortable knowing that there wasn't going to be a misunderstanding if I couldn't express myself how I wanted.
 
The point of my anecdote is that this is an important interview, and if your wife misspeaks or misunderstands a question her response could cause your interviewer to doubt your relationship. I would absolutely pay for an interpreter so that your wife can relax and answer her questions properly, without getting flustered. She could even explain at the beginning of the interview, in English, why she wants an interpreter. Speaking a foreign language under pressure is hard, so why not make it easier on yourselves?

I've always thought that the day one can call themselves 100% fluent is the day that they think and dream in said language.
 
I agree with the poster above, be safe and get a translator. If he/she isn't needed, great; but better to have and not need than to need one and not have it. The interviewer might make her nervous and less able to understand/communicate because of nerves. Has she mentioned if she prefers a translator or does she think she can manage?  
 
In any case, good luck to ya!

Personally, I'd get a translator. No offence but I don't think the officer has all day to repeat or explain things slowly to her, like you would with her at home. 

Wanted to share some good news! Applied for AOS, EAD, and AP together...PD was May 22, Biometrics June 15. On June 21, AOS changed to "Ready to be Scheduled for Interview," while EAD and AP were stuck on "Case Received." On day 76 (last week), I called to create a Service Request for the EAD. Today, we received a letter in the mail from USCIS. I figured it was saying that the EAD had been approved...nope! Interview date!! And soon - less than 3 weeks from now (Sept. 7). So excited! 

Below is a quick summary of today's trip to our local USCIS office in Philadelphia for an Infopass appointment. The main concern was my wife's EAD/AP card being past the usual 90 day processing time frame. I've collapsed the summary into a "spoiler" section since it's a little long and some people might not want to read the whole thing.
 
So, here goes:
 

My wife was able to by showing her I-94, along with the other required documents (passport, proof of residence). However, it expires on the I-94 expiration date. They said once it's expired, she can renew it once she gets the EAD. This is in Illinois, though. 

Thanks to you both. I do have a tendency to overthink things sometimes. 

There is no SSN on my wife's green card, just the USCIS #. You are over-thinking the issue. When we arrived in the U.S. (K-1), we went to the local SS office and they asked how we wanted her name to be. Vietnamese have a surname (last name). It's the first and middle that is confusing. We decided the order - regardless of her passport. The SS office was cool with that. Now her SS card and green card are the same. She does not use my last name. We will change that later - or maybe we won't. It does not matter. What does matter is being consistent.
 
Don't worry about the SSN. Go ahead and send in the paperwork. You'll be fine.
 
 

Hi there!
You are over-thinking this bit.  No the cards don't have the SSN on it. When they search for her at the SSO they input all other info as well - for example A-number and the card-number which is on the card. When you fill in the SS-5 application for new card, you will fill in the name she is applying in and also if she has had another card and what name was on that card. The USCIS will verify whatever is in their records: Name, A-number, etc. and the SSO will then make a new card in that name upon verification. The old name will be on record with the SSO, as a prior name used. No need for waiting for that SSC.

Some states just turn the marriage license into a marriage certificate after marriage, so even if it doesn't say certificate on it, it's perfectl fine to use.