Need some help clarifying RFE

[siasimba 9]

Hello,

My wife submitted her ROC 7/2013 which was due by 9/2013. In September 2013, she did her biometrics.

Our application was transfer from Vermont to California. Does that mean anything?

Nov 20,2013, we received RFE.

It is requesting a copy of my Driver license and wife driver license.

It is requesting a copy of Permanent resident card. (I already submitted one, not sure why they want it again.)

It is requesting more evidence of martial bona fides. They want copy of bank and credit card statement with transaction and copy of current rental insurance

Documents I submitted with original I-751

1. Whole Life insurance policy

2. Citibank/Chase Statement page only

3. Medical insurance

4. Housing insurance

5. Car insurance

6. Lease agreement for our old address

How far back should the bank statement and credit card statement be from? I am assuming 1 year is enough? because my CC/Bank only goes back to 1 year.

Just need some opinion as our situation in terms of housing may be a bit different.

1. I have a very good full time job and medical practice in NYC so I live in NY still.

2. My wife has a 3 year contract for Family medicine residency in Oklahoma City.

3. I travel once a month for a week to visit my wife.

I am assuming that because of different addresses we have, that's why they gave us a RFE ? Our Driver License's will have different address on it since we do live in different states currently. Does that make a difference?

What if I submit all the documents they want and they still want more evidence? Do they send you a second RFE? or give you an Interview? or they just plain out Reject?

Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays!

Edited November 28, 2013 by siasimba

[Darnell 8,478]

re: financial stuff -

you should show a monthly journal from the month you were married until yesterday.

so, that's what, really?

monthly bank statements

monthly utility bills

[siasimba 9]

Should I send them any other additional items that they are not asking for such as Utility bills, income tax, etc. ? or just send them exactly what they are looking for ?

[Merrytooth 5,748]

BONAFIDE EVIDENCE Example list for ROC

1. Evidence of Joint Ownership of Assets and Shared Financial Responsibility

• Joint Federal / State Tax transcripts for 2 years
  
• Joint bank account statements, spanning over 2 years
  
• Proof of joint credit card use, spanning over 2 years
  
• Mortgage loan contract or lease contract with both partners’ names in it
  
• Power of Attorney
  
• Wills
  
• Utility / Cable TV / Cell phone / Pets visit / Membership / Joint purchase bills
  
• Life insurance policy showing spouse as beneficiary
  
• Health insurance / Dental / Medical Bills
  
• Car insurance
  
• 401(K) account information showing spouse as beneficiary
  

2. Photographic Evidence

• Photos of you two together
  
• Photos of you two with family (such as wedding, parties, kids’ graduation, etc.)
  
• Photos of you two in various locations and times
  

3. Other Evidence in Support of Bona Fide Marriage

• Birth certificates of any children born to you together
  
• Sworn affidavits of friends and/or family
  
• Letters/cards from friends and/or family
  
• Vacation / honeymoon photos / Boarding Passes showing both of you travelling together
  
• Hotel receipts with both your names
  
• Other Misc receipts with both partners’ names in shipping/billing address
  
• Joint Fishing or Hunting license
  
• List spouse as each other emergency contact from employers
  

Also, include a letter to explain your current living arrangement.

You can order online the tax transcripts from IRS

https://sa2.www4.irs...of-tra/start.do

Hope it will work out well for you.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You need to paint a picture of your married life, and if you live in two different states, then your picture is going to be different from most people. I would definitely send tax returns (that is the #1 thing you should initially send) and bank statements spanning your whole marriage. Since you don't have a current joint lease and in fact your wife lives elsewhere, I would explain this in the cover sheet and also include proof of your traveling to visit her (ie boarding passes).

[gildayjason 2]

My husband and I also work in different states. The big difference between your situation and mine is that I claim my home with him as my domicile: we have a joint lease, my driver's license and car registration are in that state, and all of my important mail, including that from our joint bank accounts, goes there (basically, all I get at my other apartment is junk mail and postcards from my husband). Our home is also where our beloved cat lives permanently. I go home as much as my work schedule permits and I have the flight receipts to prove it. This is all a function of my considering my home to be where my family (husband and kitty) is, and the place where I stay when I'm working a secondary residence, but it's also true that we also took care to have it reflected in all the official paperwork because of ROC. I took the opportunity to address it in the application when I added a list of all the addresses where we've lived for the past five years. (I know that you don't have all of this, but I'm mentioning it in case it helps other people facing this situation in the future.)

I haven't gotten an RFE and I don't know if I will, but I can tell you what we submitted in addition to having a joint lease, driver's licenses, and joint car insurance in the same address:

- Federal tax transcripts for the two years we've filed as married filing jointly (I also added state tax returns for good measure, but those are probably not really necessary)

- Quarterly statements for our joint checking and saving accounts from the date of marriage to the present

- Copies of our credit cards showing the same account number (I'm the only one on the statements)

- Printouts of our retirement beneficiary information, naming the other as beneficiary.

- Plane tickets for all the travel we've undertaken together since we got married (plus upcoming planned travel) AND all the tickets for my trips home

- Selection of correspondence addressed to both of us from the date of marriage to the present

- Pictures from wedding date to the present, although I did make a point of sending more pictures from since I've been working out of state, to show that our marriage is strong and genuine even though I have to work far away

- Affidavits from people who've known us since before we were married and who know of our current living arrangement and that our marriage is real

[Darnell 8,478]

Should I send them any other additional items that they are not asking for such as Utility bills, income tax, etc. ? or just send them exactly what they are looking for ?

In addition to what they are asking for,

you should present a pile of evidence

showing financial co-mingling,

from the date you married to yesterday.

Is best to show this as a monthly occurence - assuming 29 months since married, show 29 months of a monthly financial picture, both names on everything: bank statements, utility bills/statements, car insurance, life insurance.

I cannot stress enough just how important a monthly journal is. You did not submit it with the original ROC submittal, now you have ONE chance to compile all.

Your living arrangements are different than 99 percent of the filers, so practice writing letters of attestation about your living arrangements and your travel calendar.

[siasimba 9]

Thanks for all the information. I am going to take a few days to assemble all the documents instead of rushing to try to finish everything this very moment.

I might have forgotten to add, but I am pretty sure I sent in a copy of my IRS Tax forms for the last two years, I will send it in again just in case I really did forget.

I am going to include this time:

1. Detail Bank account with transaction for the last 1.5-2 years

2. Detail CC account with transaction for the last 2 years

3. Phone bill and call details

4. Receipt of trips and flights taken together

Do I need to send in any pictures?

On another note, My wife and I are traveling to Belize in 2 weeks. She has her Greencard, but its expired. They sent her a letter to extend for 1 year. Is that what she will need to bring in order to travel back to the US?

[EM_Vandaveer 2,387]

Yep, expired Green Card + ORIGINAL extension letter.