RFE: "Commingling of finances" - Not enough bank statements?

[haleywynne 0]

Hi Everyone...

I got an RFE today basically telling me that I don't have enough proof that we are financially commingled (silly word). I understand that it may be my fault that I didn't send enough bank statements for the entire length of our marriage, but I honestly didn't think it was necessary to send ALL of them because I thought the rest of what I sent was pretty good.

The only thing I can think to do is send them all of our bank statements and loan statements for the 3 years of our marriage, but it seems like so little that I'm scared it won't be enough! Is there anything else anyone can advise? We don't have kids, own any kind of property, or have any joint credit cards (they're all in individual names).

Please note, this is what I sent them originally:

- joint tax return transcripts

- apartment lease with both names

- two utilities bills, one in his name and one in mine (they won't let us put two names), but with the same address

- our car title showing both our names

- 3 bank statements for one of our accounts spread out over 2 years

- 2 bank statements for our newer bank account spread out over 1 year

They did note twice on their list of what they have that "this statement covers a limited period of time during your marriage."

Thanks for all your help!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Yes, more bank statements will help, one every other month or every quarter, spanning the length of your marriage. But do you have nothing else to add to that? Health insurance? Boarding passes from trips together?

[haleywynne 0]

I'm trying to get something from his life insurance policy showing that I'm the beneficiary, but I'm not sure if I can dig up our old boarding passes. I really thought I sent those, but maybe I didn't. We're on separate health insurance policies at the moment.

I'm mostly frustrated because I spent so much time preparing evidence for his visa interview and they didn't even LOOK at it! Now all my work isn't enough

[jjbandero 39]

Other examples of financial co-mingling you might want to consider are:

• Do either of you have any life/disability insurance where the other person is the beneficiary?
• Do either of you have a pension/401K account where the other person is the beneficiary?
• Joint credit cards where one of you is the primary cardholder and the other is an authorized user?
• Perhaps explain that the second account was newly opened and thus did not span your the duration of your marriage
• Car insurance that has both of your names on it

[bigdog 376]

Try and getting a form letter from your bank showing the account when opened, average balance etc. Pull together any other financial stuff you can, insurance, 401k, life, health, medical, AAA, Costco, Credit Cards. Anything that needs an explanation do so i.e. home's in separate names, separate medical insurances (due to cost), I hear you on the ton of work for your AOS interview, I recommended to a buddy of mine to throw everying from AOS on in a box, sort it out about 60 days before applying and fill in the gaps. Affidavits from professionals and friends 3/4 of them.

[Sponge 0]

I just sent every bank statement I could get my hands on, plus CC statements. AmEx is great because they show the separate people purchases

[BMW4me 12]

lol after reading this I realized what I did was on the dot, lol I printed almost 300 pages of statements from March 2013 goes back to May 2011

although we do have separate checking accounts we do have one shared account that we pay utilities and bills etc. hope they wont complain why balance is low, they really have no rights to say this though

[silvermug 16]

Other examples of financial co-mingling you might want to consider are:

• Do either of you have any life/disability insurance where the other person is the beneficiary?
• Do either of you have a pension/401K account where the other person is the beneficiary?
• Joint credit cards where one of you is the primary cardholder and the other is an authorized user?
• Perhaps explain that the second account was newly opened and thus did not span your the duration of your marriage
• Car insurance that has both of your names on it

I think he mentioned the things I also sent. You may also include these, if you have them --

• Investments
• Renter's insurance
• Any loans you guys took? Car or maybe furniture or appliances?

[John and Camie 39]

Honey, throw them the KITCHEN SINK from K-1 to ROC. As much of it as you can. Let them sort it out, haha.

My husband and I got dinged for the same thing. Smooth sailing right up to ROC, then just when everyone else in our group was getting their approved letters in January, we went to the post and saw a blue paper in our USCIS envelope. I nearly died.

So, we collected every bill, bank statement, doctor's appointment, trip itinerary (tickets, etc.), car insurance statement and receipts from joint purchases that we could find, got our landlord to write a letter and sign it with his phone number and business card (which we attached to a copy of the same lease we'd already sent), printed out my husband's Facebook page with a post pleading to all our friends and family in the US and England to leave testimonial comments (we got dozens of replies), went to Walgreens and reprinted our photo collages from our K-1, AOS and ROC filings, and sent in the whole lot. I got my employer to draft a letter naming my husband as my beneficiary on benefits and life insurance. John also made a DVD with links to all of our YouTube videos (we do a video blog together) from all the years we've been together.

While you may not have the same things, you just might have enough stuff saved up to help you out. Go through it, pull out anything that you think will help your case, and stuff it into an envelope, girl. Then, write the most heartfelt cover letter you ever wrote in your entire life. I practically begged USCIS to come to our home, call our employers, our doctor, our landlord. LOL. It worked. We got our approval last week. Miraculously, we did all of this without a joint bank account or joint tax transcripts.

Be strong. You will get through this, I swear! x

Edited April 30, 2013 by John and Camie

[audrynicolle 0]

This is really inspiring. Can you attached you're cover letter in here please. I have to file mine in July and i'm already freaking out ugh...Thank you.

[haleywynne 0]

Honey, throw them the KITCHEN SINK from K-1 to ROC. As much of it as you can. Let them sort it out, haha.

My husband and I got dinged for the same thing. Smooth sailing right up to ROC, then just when everyone else in our group was getting their approved letters in January, we went to the post and saw a blue paper in our USCIS envelope. I nearly died.

So, we collected every bill, bank statement, doctor's appointment, trip itinerary (tickets, etc.), car insurance statement and receipts from joint purchases that we could find, got our landlord to write a letter and sign it with his phone number and business card (which we attached to a copy of the same lease we'd already sent), printed out my husband's Facebook page with a post pleading to all our friends and family in the US and England to leave testimonial comments (we got dozens of replies), went to Walgreens and reprinted our photo collages from our K-1, AOS and ROC filings, and sent in the whole lot. I got my employer to draft a letter naming my husband as my beneficiary on benefits and life insurance. John also made a DVD with links to all of our YouTube videos (we do a video blog together) from all the years we've been together.

While you may not have the same things, you just might have enough stuff saved up to help you out. Go through it, pull out anything that you think will help your case, and stuff it into an envelope, girl. Then, write the most heartfelt cover letter you ever wrote in your entire life. I practically begged USCIS to come to our home, call our employers, our doctor, our landlord. LOL. It worked. We got our approval last week. Miraculously, we did all of this without a joint bank account or joint tax transcripts.

Be strong. You will get through this, I swear! x

THANK YOU!!! It really makes me feel better to hear this from someone else that went through the same thing - Especially from England, too! The Facebook thing sounds pretty incredible, I may try that. I just HATE that I even have to do this, you know?

Thanks again to everyone as all of these recommendations have been super helpful and have made me feel more at ease. I guess now I just have to work my butt off getting all this stuff together which I really am not looking forward to. USCIS will be getting a BOX of stuff from me

[Wishing on a Star 4]

I've posted this in another thread, but then I saw this one and it fits in here too...

How important really is the joint bank account? We've chosen so far not to have one. It's really easy for us to do that though because through our bank we can just email each other money. I pay most the bills and then he will email my checking account money for rent, and on my bank receipt it has his name, the amount of money and he'd type in "rent" for what the money is for. We have other things, such as car insurance, car loan, car title, credit cards in both our names, leases, utility bill etc that have our names on it together.

I'm just wanting to make sure that when we are getting to the point of ROC'ing we have proof of comingling!

[usagirl12 3]

Hey,

I think the only mistake you made was not sending all the statements. I was told clearly by the officer who interviewed us that we need to send all 2 years worth of statements. You can probably just send the first page which has the summary though but I think just to be safe, go ahead and send all of them. they want to see that you are using those accounts during the 2 years and not just opened them for green card purpose. For example, if you want to fake a marriage, u can open 2 accounts, put both of ur names on it. Make few purchases (during 3 random months) and send only those months statements. If ur marriage is real, then you will have lots of transactions and money going in and out throughout the two years.

[BMW4me 12]

Hey,

I think the only mistake you made was not sending all the statements. I was told clearly by the officer who interviewed us that we need to send all 2 years worth of statements. You can probably just send the first page which has the summary though but I think just to be safe, go ahead and send all of them. they want to see that you are using those accounts during the 2 years and not just opened them for green card purpose. For example, if you want to fake a marriage, u can open 2 accounts, put both of ur names on it. Make few purchases (during 3 random months) and send only those months statements. If ur marriage is real, then you will have lots of transactions and money going in and out throughout the two years.

lol, I sent statements from may 2011 to march 2013 almost 300 pages , hope they don't complain why balance is low, because we do have separate checking accounts for direct deposits and such but have one shared account for bills, rent etc. oh well let's wait and see, I don't really think they have a right to complain about that.

[bigdog 376]

I like the "Kitchen Sink" idea, we do not use our Joint Account much but it is there. I believe ROC is the accumulation of our life on paper for USCIS, at least over a (2/3 year period), if you give them everything it is hard to get a refusal. My wife hates using credit cards and has one but it is for "emergency" in her mind, and only just got brave enough to purchase on line something for her sister. I got the picture when she called me Obama, due to continued spending. Hang in there.