Nelly_M

Congratulations! That’s awesome. 

State ID / DL only. Never show GC / passport on internal flights, these docs are inferior. 

I filed November 22 2023 and just got approval and the new card is being produced notification! I’m surprised but grateful at how quick this happened 🙏🏼

That’s awesome, congratulations! Which service center was your case at?

Sorry about late reply, I just didn’t catch this sooner. I think you should be fine considering you have already filed taxes for 2018 even though it hasn’t been processed yet. You can show the proof of filing taxes for that year. Are you required to bring the actual tax returns for the last five years for your interview? 

I bet it does. Online printout is not exactly the same as printed version in the mail. Still, you should attend the appointment even if you don't receive it in the mail. How long ago was the biometrics appointment scheduled? It can take 4-6 weeks to get the paper in the mail, especially during holidays.

1.  No.  Not at all.  
2.  I assume you didn't file the first year because you weren't required to file.  If you were not required to file, I don't see an issue that you didn't file.  Just explain it with that letter.  
Note:  Wife and I have filed jointly every year after 1st year.

Taxes the first year can be very complicated. Income of foreign spouse, tax treaties, etc. all come into play.  I always advise first year residents to consult a competent tax professional.  I'm glad you did.  I was just qualifying what you said.  But yes, all income for entire year must be properly reported if filing a joint return. Good luck. 
 
Note:  I have a very, very good CPA.  In 2017 (wife's 1st year), my wife and I filed Married-Filing Separately., thus the "entire year" wasn't applicable.

I got my PR on December 18th 2018, so I was technically a resident for 13 days. You still have to file a tax return even if you're a resident for 1 day (as I found out a few days prior to applying for citizenship). I had zero US income, but I had to declare my Canadian income and convert it into USD. I then attached a foreign income exclusion document and mailed it to the IRS. That was about 6 weeks ago, I'm going to call them in like 2 weeks to find out the status of my return. Tax returns don't really have any effect on I-751, but you need 5 years of tax returns for N-400 when you go for citizenship. I've also been waiting for my I-751 waiver since September 2020, at this point a combo interview is more likely than not. 

Up to you as long as it's consistent for all evidence

I did the previous two years and provided both the 1040 forms (with schedules, straight out of TurboTax) and IRS transcripts for both years (downloaded from irs.gov). 

I only included IRS tax return transcripts. Approved.

Hmmm very good point. This seems new. I filed 2 years ago. I'd follow instructions then.

Our I-751 was approved!  I never received a notice and got tired of checking every day.  I checked the mail and there was my wife's new card!  
 
October 21, 2023 Card Was Mailed To Me October 19, 2023 We approved your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. October 18, 2023 We ordered your new card. September 22, 2022 The fingerprints relating to your Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, were taken. March 24, 2022 We transferred your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, to another USCIS office that now has jurisdiction over your case. March 23, 2022 Your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, was transferred to another office for processing. March 2, 2022 The Post Office returned a notice we sent you for your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, because they could not deliver it. March 2, 2022 We mailed your document directly to the address you gave us. January 31, 2022 We received your Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with affidavits.  Personal affidavits are of very limited value.  A bona fide marriage of 2 years should have much, much stronger evidence.   Evidence showing financial mingling, sharing life together, and living at the same address together over the past 2 years is much more important than personal affidavits.

This is good evidence. Make sure to include copies of them in your packet.

No, it's not awkward.
Yes, you can still file.

@Nelly_M IMHO it's easier to file and move forward. If you ever want to naturalize, there's a question on N-400:
 
" Have you EVER not filed a Federal, state, or local tax return since you became a lawful permanent resident?"
 
If you don't file it, you'd have to say "Yes" and explain why you didn't file.
My personal choice would be to pick the path of least resistance and file. That way you can say "No".

He wouldn't usually have had to pay tax in the US, but all citizens and GC holders are required to submit a return every year. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/frequently-asked-questions-about-international-individual-tax-matters#green-card-holders

I personally don't have experience with this, maybe it's OK? Based on what I see, USCIS generally has higher standards for a lot of things that a regular US person has to deal with: tax filings, criminal records etc.
 
How can you prove to USCIS that you and your US spouse aren't evading taxes? Transcript from USCIS with 0 income is the best proof IMHO.
 
Also, AFAIK, GC holder is should have reported world wide taxes in 2021, even if they came to the US on December 31st, 2021 on CR-1 visa. Are you sure you didn't have to report your income from elsewhere?
 
I'm not a tax specialist or immigration lawyer, just throwing some ideas.
 

Yep we are in similar boats. I will let you know if the embassy gives me any instructions. For now, my wife has just signed up to get Sinovac in the meantime. We would have preferred to get a better vaccine after moving but we'll just have to do a booster unless we hear otherwise from the embassy.

That makes sense. Thanks David. 

We never asked the OP why they didn't file the tax return or returns but usually it's because the income was below the filing threshold.  This whole issue could have been avoided and can be avoided by others, by simply hand writing on the available space " See last page" or "Not required to file.  Income below threshold."  If you say see last page, type "Not required to file.  Income below threshold." in the available space for additional information.  Unless the reason for not filing is so complicated an actual letter is needed to explain it, my recommendation works every time it has been tried.  

You assets would have to be 3x the regular limit to qualify on your assets.   If the joint sponsor income is enough, i wouldn't bother with the assets.

Well, I am not a mod. The mods will move or merge things as they see fit. Its usually best to keep all your questions in one thread and only make a new thread if its for a new topic. I know some people worry their question will be buried but most of the frequent users browse the forums using the unread content feature, so your post will show up and it people will comment if they feel they have something to add. Anyway, the relationship of the joint sponsor to you is not required.
 
Just as people send the 864a 'just incase-to avoid delays' some people send a letter of explanation about the relationship between themselves and the joint sponsor to proactively address any questions the Officer might have about it. They may ask, they may not. If it is asked its most likely going to be in a casual who filled this out because the name is different then your family name or they live in a different (and far) state from you. Ive never heard of them demanding a letter of explanation from the person that filled it out confirming they did fill it out but I suppose they could ask for such if they suspect its been filled out fraudulently by you with out the persons knowledge. But that kind of fraud is rare as you need waaay too many documents to fill out the 864 than most fraudsters have access to. 
 
Moving on, it sounds like your tax return file contains lots of things that are not your actual tax return. I know when you file using turbo tax or hr block they give you a pdf that contains multiple pages that are not part of your actual tax return. Like a cover sheet, a receipt for your fees, etc. Your tax return is the 1040 form itself and then any schedules or worksheets. Basically if its an IRS form its part of your tax return. When you send the tax return you need to include all the schedules and worksheets along with the 1040 and then all the supporting w2s 1099s etc. Its much easier to obtain your transcripts as they have all the information needed. 
 
You need to send either the complete tax return +supporting documentation (so they can recreate the return and come out with the same totals as you did) or the transcripts (which is a printout of everything you submitted to IRS for that tax filing). So look through your 10mb file and see how much you can shrink it or obtain the transcripts. If its still over the 2mb limit you can search for posts on that topic as Im sure its come up before, Im just not sure how people handled it.