melbell54

Don't forget the instructions say

Submit copies of as many documents as you wish to establish this fact and to demonstrate the circumstances of the relationship from the date of the marriage to the present date,

Do you have a two year old car Insurance form as well as the currrent? Bank statements from 2010', 2011, and 2012 or get the bank to write a letter saying how long the account has been held in both names. Does the account look like its used jointly or just one with $200 in it and no activity because your real money is held separately? And go get new driver's licenses. There's probably a state law requiring change of address within so many days of moving.

For whatever reason, they doubt you so dig for a two year string of evidence.

Good point...all of my copies were the most recent copy. I'm sure I can access copies of everything i sent dating back to 2010. And since we have 2 months to send the RFE back I guess we have time to change our driver's licenes addresses too.

Thanks for the help everyone!

You can't show a 2011 tax return? Did you file for an extension? If so, submit a copy of the extension letter. You don't have bank statements (joint or individual) covering the span of your marriage? D/L with separate addresses after 2 years will raise a flag. Joint utilities is just an example of things that a married couple will often have in place.

The rejection would come after an interview. You cannot create the past (unless you've got one of those cool DeLoreans) so gather up what you have that shows that you two live as a married couple and submit it.

The marriage certificate may have been lost/misplaced. Just submit another copy.

Yes sorry, I can submit 2011 tax returns...I didn't include them originally because it was February when we sent our information in. And we do have bank statements....I just hope that's enough. I do find the utilities thing a bit strange, why would a person go out of their way to add another person on their utility statement? Though saying that, if I had been smart I would have done it specifically for this purpose. I just find it hard to believe that that's the norm. Heck we don't even get utility statements anymore...we just do it all online.

Thanks for easing my mind though, I don't really mind if we have to do an interview!

Financial comingling is a biggie. Your list is a bit thin with regard to finances of daily/weekly life. The house is good, but you aren't showing much about actually living there together.

Include a transcript (or copy) of the 2011 federal tax return. Also Include a few bank and utility statements covering the last 2 years. Drivers licenses for both showing the same address. Credit card statements (joint or individual) showing common address.

This is what I'm concerned about...to some extent we don't comingle our finances as I'm a shareholder in a company that necessitates some things are kept separate. In addition, I can't show any of the stuff you mentioned...he doesn't have a credit card and mine is in my name only. Our driver's licenses still show different addresses as we haven't renewed since we bought a house together. Utilities are all in my name...as they were always all in one name before he moved...so why add another name? Just seems odd to me that people put 2 names on a utility statement. Anyway, I will certainly see what I can dig up. If I still can't satisfy them, will they outright reject us or would we just get an interview? Sorry if that's a silly question...

Any thoughts on the request for a marriage certificate?

Thanks for the comments.

February 2012 filer here who just received an RFE. They have asked for two things: A copy of our marriage certificate, and more evidence.

First, the marriage certificate. Is this a normal thing for them to request? I read through the guide many times before actually sending my packet in and I never saw a need to send this. Furthermore, if we never got married how would he even have gotten his green card in the first place? And surely they still have this on file from when we submitted his AOS? At any rate, this is easy enough to procure so I will give them what they want...just curious if I've missed something or if anyone has any insight on this.

Secondly, I was a little taken aback by the request for more proof as this is what I provided:

• Copy of the green card of Paul McDonnell

• Copy of deed transfer for the home we purchased together

• Copy of the closing statement for our home

• A complete copy of our 2009 and 2010 tax returns, which we filed jointly

• Original of a recent statement from our joint bank account at Bremer Bank

• Copy of our car insurance notice

• Copy of the title of our car, showing joint ownership

• A copy of our airline reservations for a vacation that we have planned in March of 2012

• A copy of our airline reservations for a trip we took to England over January of 2012

• Various photos showing vacations and events we’ve attended

• A copy of our wedding invitation

• Greeting cards sent to us by family and friends

I realize the more financial stuff I can send the better...so I plan to send the title of another car we have purchased since this time, and something to show my husband is on my health insurance plan. But other than that, I'm not sure that we have anything else to show financially that our marriage is legitimate. And I guess I was surprised because I felt like what I sent originally was more than enough. Not trying to sound like a victim, I just want to make sure that I cover my bases to avoid another RFE or a rejection. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all, I don't know how we'd ever have gotten through this process without Visajourney!

Yeah my NOA1 is also March 1st..... but I filed in February. I haven't heard back from my congressman yet... I'm gonna give them until this Thursday and then I will contact them again... hmm.. what do you plan to do?

I had the same RFE and went with option 3. Actually, all I did was include a copy of the original I-693 that I sent. It was signed by Dr Arnold back when he was still in practice, so I couldn't obtain another one easily. I included a letter that respectfully stated why he did not need a full medical exam.

Our RFE was accepted within 2 weeks, and his green card has been approved. I have heard caution against this option based on another situation where the individual did this and eventually had his AOS denied, but I believe it came out that he was actually denied for not properly filling out his I-485. I recommend at least trying this option, bearing in mind it is possible you could get another RFE and have to get a new medical and be set a few weeks back but I believe that this is the worst case scenario. If you are not in a huge hurry, I think this is the best option. I think that it comes down to the individuals sending out the RFEs not being aware of all the possible situations, and I think sending the letter can clear this up.

USCIS IS cracking down on the "Dr Arnold" vaccination records. That may be why you are getting an RFE, as they don't feel that Dr Arnold should be doing these documents for the entire country.

Yes, that's what we were afraid of, but after resubmitting our I-693 filled out by Dr. Arnold, our case was transferred to CSC, so it would seem that it was accepted. Hopefully EAD soon!

I know many people got an RFE for not having a properly filled out I-693, so I thought I would share our experiences. We were in the same boat, we submitted an I-693 that we had filled out from Dr. Arnold, only the vaccination portion. We got an RFE, and were worried we would have to redo the entire medical. Since the civil surgeons in our area were all very unwilling to see a new patient less than a month or 2 out, we decided to try other options first. We sent a letter back stating that as a K-1 he already had a full medical, and we also included a copy of the I-693 we originally sent.

On Friday (a week after we sent the RFE back), we received an update saying our case has been transferred to CSC! So this seemed to work for us, maybe it is worth a try for those who are in the same boat and do not want to pay to redo the entire medical.

The same thing happened to my husband, applying in Minnesota as well. Ugh, we can't even get another copy because we used Dr. Arnold and he is closed now. It is so frustrating! I think we will just end up having him get the full medical because we are just sick of dealing with it. Does anyone know if the EAD and AP will continue to process despite this RFE?

Add me to the list! We just went for our biometrics yesterday and it felt so good to get that out of the way. Get home and check the mail....RFE. We submitted a completed I-693 so I'm not sure what the problem is or where to go from here.

They should accept his EAD card. As that is what the DMV legal dept told me to bring when I called them to ask.

According to the MN DMV website they do accept the EAD (I-688 or I-766) but an I-797 is not a listed document

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/ID%20Requir.../IDframeset.htm

Thank you for your replies. I know that they will accept EAD, but as we only recently filed we hate to have to wait 2 months before he can drive again. It looks like Deanna was able to get hers renewed based on her NOA1, I will have him bring that in and give it a try. Thanks for the help!

but you are at the mercy of the licensing station.... who may or may not understand immigration documents and they may simply go by the "list".... the station in Arden Hills might, but I would not expect a remote station even such as in Stillwater or Hastings to... good luck though

That is exactly my concern. Guess all we can do is try!

They should accept his EAD card. As that is what the DMV legal dept told me to bring when I called them to ask.

According to the MN DMV website they do accept the EAD (I-688 or I-766) but an I-797 is not a listed document

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/ID%20Requir.../IDframeset.htm

Thank you for your replies. I know that they will accept EAD, but as we only recently filed we hate to have to wait 2 months before he can drive again. It looks like Deanna was able to get hers renewed based on her NOA1, I will have him bring that in and give it a try. Thanks for the help!

My husband entered on a K-1 over 90 days ago. We are now married and have filed our AOS. My question is about driver's license/permit requirements. He does NOT have a UK Driver's license or permit. When he came here, he was able to take the test and be issued a permit. However, the permit expired at the time of his K-1/I94. They told me at that time that he would not be able to drive anymore until he is able to prove he is here legally. They were a bit vague about what they would accept, I don't think they were very familiar with the situation. Does anyone have any experience with this? I seem to remember reading somewhere that he needs his EAD, but that seems a bit unnecessary to me. Any idea if they would accept a NOA from adjusting status?

I remember this article was posted awhile ago. It would be interesting to read a follow-up. I think that ultimately, the system will look different than the one described here. I suspect that it is simply a matter of them not considering all the factors when it was first laid out, I think they will have to find a way to accommodate dual citizens. Color me optimistic eh.

I think Nich is right in that they are just trying to accommodate people. Perhaps I give them too much credit, but it is probably pretty difficult to make everyone happy; I think that they do the best they can. I think the most important thing to remember is they can't accommodate what they don't know. For example, someone putting down a Sept travel date really means to them that there is no reason to rush your interview. As long as your interview happens by mid-late August, your plans will not be effected, from their perspective.

What we did is what Nich said, we picked a travel date about a month after we wanted the interview. Then we wrote a cover letter, and in it requested the interview fall within a certain 2 week period. It took us what seemed like way too long to hear back, but in the end they did accommodate our request, though perhaps it didn't leave us much notice. I think you should write them a letter, because I really do think they honor as many requests as possible. Again, they just can't accommodate what they don't know.

My fiance has his medical exam on a Monday at 8:55 a.m., the day before his visa interview. The best part is that I will be visiting him during this time and get to attend with him! My question though, is if anyone has experience with the trains.

Since I will just be getting there, we don't want to head to London on Sunday. We found a train that gets to London Euston at 7:50 a.m. on Monday morning (1 hr 5 minutes before the medical). Do you think this would leave us enough time to make it to the medical? I am extremely nervous about cutting it so close, but if we could make it, it is certainly the best option. Any advice?

Thanks so much for all the help I have received on here!

Just a guess as to why you got a later date Gary. I think if you tell them you're not planning to travel until Oct. 3rd, they will give you a date further out there to allow for those who are traveling sooner to have their interviews in time. In addition, giving you a later date allows you more leeway in case your plans change. I don't think you have anything to worry about at all, if you're not traveling until Oct, I say just try not to think about it and go on July 31st.

I'm anxiously waiting for my interview date as I plan to go visit my fiance in 2 weeks and hopefully attend his interview then. Actually I'm on hold with DOS as we speak...crossing my fingers!

I'm in the same boat here and have a similar question. We sent packet 3 back to the embassy on May 26th, and included a cover letter requesting an interview within a specific 2 week window, beginning June 29th. Today I called DOS, and they said that packet 3 had been received by the embassy (today), but no interview date has been assigned. Is it normal for there to be a delay in receiving packet 3 and assigning an interview date? Does anyone know how long I can expect to wait? Thanks much.

Echoing the sentiments not to get too hung up on the photo. Just do the best you can. My fiance sent me UK passport sized photos, which are smaller than the US size. While it is important to have the proper size photos later on in the process, we knew that these photos are only used for identification purposes so we risked the RFE. While each situation is different and certainly they could decide to RFE for that, we got our NOA2 without any problems.

Just got our NOA2 in the mail yesterday! We were not expecting it as the website hasn't updated our status since December...what a happy surprise. We weren't expecting everything to go so quickly...Paul is still here visiting for another 2 months! Hopefully we can complete the next steps from here.

Good luck to the rest of you!

I'm curious about this too, as far as what information they can see. Could they also see if you changed your original return date, or any other tickets booked in your name?

a VWP visit AFAIK is not extendable like a B1/2 visit might be able to

Perhaps I should clarify, I think what I said is confusing. Suppose he plans to come for 2 weeks but it turns out he can stay for a month. Is there any problem with this? I am pretty sure that it typically would not be, but how often do they let you in on the VWP and not allow you to stay the whole 90 days, as in the case Penguin mentioned?

If my fiance comes to visit but then decides to extend his visit, is this likely to be a problem? I realize the generic answer is "as long as he doesn't over stay the date they give him," but my question is, is it a risk that they will stamp him for under 90 days if his original ticket says he will only be here for 10? I have heard that depending on the reasons you give for your visit, they don't necessarily stamp you for the full 90 days. How common of an occurance is this?

Thanks!

Thanks so much Nich, that is very useful information. Of course we always plan to be completely honest, but it is still useful to know what they're seeing on their end of things.

Changing his ticket is relatively inexpensive, we have done that in the past when he's decided to stay longer, and we didn't even think twice about it since he was still well under the 90 day limit. But I have read about officer's limiting people's entry to under the 90 days depending on their reasons for visiting. How common of an occurrence is this? Does anyone have any experience with this happening?

Thank you for all the helpful advice. Just 2 quick questions...

Has it been confirmed one way or another whether or not they have record of him having applied for a K-1 Visa? I have seen only conflicting information about this.

What I am most worried about is the length of his stay raising concern. If we change his ticket and shorten the stay to a more reasonable period of time, but he decides later he wants to stay longer, is there any problem with that?

Thanks again!

My fiance is planning to visit in 2 weeks, and he will be staying for 88 days. I just recently had a moment of extreme panic, thinking about what could happen if he is denied entry, as it would severely alter all of our carefully laid plans.

Obviously we don't want to think about that, but would rather try to plan as well as possible so that he is allowed entry as smoothly as possible. He has visited one other time so this is only his second visit. His first visit was for 6 weeks in October of '08. As far as ties to home, he can prove that he is a registered carer looking after his father, and get a letter from his employer stating when he is expected back. In addition, we have a trip to Orlando, FL planned, and he has that itinerary he can show as well, if it would be in his best interest. He also has relatives in Texas that we may try to visit.

Any advice on what is the best thing to say to the customs official? How much information should he reveal? Any advice is greatly appreciated!