london interview checklist

[mr and mrs 187]

I just am trying to make this the easiest for HIM, since I am assuming if I call the IRS for transcripts, my dad would need to call for his?

i requested my (possible) co-sponsor (my mother)'s (awesome punctuation, eh?) AND mine on the phone. you just need the SS# and the mailing address for each person. it was really pretty easy. so you can do it for your dad if you have that info.

[laura819 0]

I just am trying to make this the easiest for HIM, since I am assuming if I call the IRS for transcripts, my dad would need to call for his?

i requested my (possible) co-sponsor (my mother)'s (awesome punctuation, eh?) AND mine on the phone. you just need the SS# and the mailing address for each person. it was really pretty easy. so you can do it for your dad if you have that info.

OK now i have one more question...since my parents filed their taxes jointly, are they BOTH co-sponsors? if so, do they each fill out a I-134?

[MonkeyJuice 3]

As all the accountants are in the busy end of year season. What if for people who are probably gonna get an end of April interview & 2008 tax returns/W2's haven't arrived? I have the 2007 documents but I'm just really worried about the 2008 ones.

Would we have to re-schedule the interview?

It's that "toss-up" time of year about whether to call 2007 your latest return or 2008 which is due April 15. Shaz took a 2007 complete return as the latest from Todd, but also a copy of his 2008 W2 just to have something else that showed current income, kinda like showing a paystub. I don't think he had completed his 2008 return at the time she was preparing. So MJ are you saying all of your 2008 tax documents have been sent out to an accountant and they won't get them back to you until last minute? I do my own taxes on Turbo Tax so have all my stuff. I think technically the date the USC signs the I-134, it's the latest tax return at that time. So if the I-134 was signed before April 15, you could argue that 2007 was the latest return. If you've got two weeks, I would personally wait on 2008 documentation. One thing you really want to get right with the Embassy in London is the Affidavit of Support in my opinion. You can print pictures and chat logs and wear an engagement ring if you like, but London is going to look over you support documentation carefully, so that's the thing I would stress over getting done well.

Laura819, you mentioned your Dad needing to get his tax things copied..so I'm assuming he's going to be a co-sponsor. In that case, dont forget to send a photocopy proof of his legal status in the US with his I-134 (US passport bio page or US birth certificate, naturalization papers, green card.) That's for the co-sponsor only.

Yes, my fiance (USC) has sent his docs off to his accountant in Jan '09. They are busy & each day they say "we'll be sending them soon!" Urgh it's so frustrating. His taxes are really complicated because his job takes him all over the US for months at a time so he has taxes for different states....

Anyway.. Mike tells me that, by law, the accountants have to send the tax returns to him so he can sign them & send them off before April 15th.

He'll have his copy but we are worried that it'll be cutting it fine as it takes 5 working days for me to receive them by mail.

I'm sure it will be fine. I'm a worrier I think.

We'll prolly get an early May interview due to the Easter holiday.

[mr and mrs 187]

Mike tells me that, by law, the accountants have to send the tax returns to him so he can sign them & send them off before April 15th.

He'll have his copy but we are worried that it'll be cutting it fine as it takes 5 working days for me to receive them by mail.

I'm sure it will be fine. I'm a worrier I think.

We'll prolly get an early May interview due to the Easter holiday.

am i right in thinking that you can submit tax information (as supporting evidence for the I-134) in non-original form (read: photocopies)? if this is the case, which i do think it is, then you dont need to have anything but copies for the interview and those can be scanned and emailed the day that Mike receives them. i know not everybody has super-easy access to a scanner, but if it ends up being a time crunch, you at least would have that option.

and i dont know about filing jointly for taxes and how that works. maybe one of the few bright spots in my parents divorce is that i dont have to deal with that particular co-sponsor issue for this visa application. but i am certain other people can be of help!

edit: typo

Edited March 26, 2009 by mr and mrs

[MonkeyJuice 3]

Mike tells me that, by law, the accountants have to send the tax returns to him so he can sign them & send them off before April 15th.

He'll have his copy but we are worried that it'll be cutting it fine as it takes 5 working days for me to receive them by mail.

I'm sure it will be fine. I'm a worrier I think.

We'll prolly get an early May interview due to the Easter holiday.

am i right in thinking that you can submit tax information (as supporting evidence for the I-134) in non-original form (read: photocopies)? if this is the case, which i do think it is, then you dont need to have anything but copies for the interview and those can be scanned and emailed the day that Mike receives them. i know not everybody has super-easy access to a scanner, but if it ends up being a time crunch, you at least would have that option.

and i dont know about filing jointly for taxes and how that works. maybe one of the few bright spots in my parents divorce is that i dont have to deal with that particular co-sponsor issue for this visa application. but i am certain other people can be of help!

edit: typo

OH YEAH!!! Brilliant. Oh I'm so thick sometimes! you're totally correct! He can scan them & fax them to me! I'm thinking we need the originals.

Thanks so much!

[mr and mrs 187]

OH YEAH!!! Brilliant. Oh I'm so thick sometimes! you're totally correct! He can scan them & fax them to me! I'm thinking we need the originals.

Thanks so much!

yay!! i helped!

and i am a HUGE proponent of scanning docs. they cant get lost in the mail and they arrive instantly! so i will keep suggesting it because it has made this whole process much more manageable for us.

[MonkeyJuice 3]

I'm not sure whether reading too much VJ is good for me. I keep reading things that get me all panicky!!

Ok, my fiance (USC) is divorced. We have his divorce certificate & copy which I'll take to the interview. Do we need his original marriage certificate as well? Or is that just for UKC that have been married before?

Also, he was in the military. Do I need to take his military records or is that just if UKC was in the military?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I'm not sure whether reading too much VJ is good for me. I keep reading things that get me all panicky!!

Ok, my fiance (USC) is divorced. We have his divorce certificate & copy which I'll take to the interview. Do we need his original marriage certificate as well? Or is that just for UKC that have been married before?

Also, he was in the military. Do I need to take his military records or is that just if UKC was in the military?

Only the UKC's documents are needed at the interview. You do not need your fiance's divorce certificate, original marriage certificate or military records for the interview -- they will not be asked for. MUCH safer to keep those at home if you don't need them.

[MonkeyJuice 3]

I'm not sure whether reading too much VJ is good for me. I keep reading things that get me all panicky!!

Ok, my fiance (USC) is divorced. We have his divorce certificate & copy which I'll take to the interview. Do we need his original marriage certificate as well? Or is that just for UKC that have been married before?

Also, he was in the military. Do I need to take his military records or is that just if UKC was in the military?

Only the UKC's documents are needed at the interview. You do not need your fiance's divorce certificate, original marriage certificate or military records for the interview -- they will not be asked for. MUCH safer to keep those at home if you don't need them.

Oh thanks so much for clearing that up. The bloody lawyer told us we needed his divorce cert! So I thought well if they want to see his divorce cert, they'll want to see the other stuff too!!

Why did we bother with the lawyer. Anyway, that's another thread!! ha ha

[Laura+Tom 2]

I'm not sure whether reading too much VJ is good for me. I keep reading things that get me all panicky!!

Ok, my fiance (USC) is divorced. We have his divorce certificate & copy which I'll take to the interview. Do we need his original marriage certificate as well? Or is that just for UKC that have been married before?

Also, he was in the military. Do I need to take his military records or is that just if UKC was in the military?

Only the UKC's documents are needed at the interview. You do not need your fiance's divorce certificate, original marriage certificate or military records for the interview -- they will not be asked for. MUCH safer to keep those at home if you don't need them.

Oh thanks so much for clearing that up. The bloody lawyer told us we needed his divorce cert! So I thought well if they want to see his divorce cert, they'll want to see the other stuff too!!

Why did we bother with the lawyer. Anyway, that's another thread!! ha ha

I'm taking Tom's divorce decree, mainly because I have a certified copy at home and because I submitted a photocopy with my original petition.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Seriously, they don't ask to see the USC's divorce decree at the interview. I know -- I'm the USC, I have a divorce decree from the UK and I attended the interview with my husband. I asked, "Do you want to see this?" They said no.

You would have submitted the copy with the initial petition, absolutely, but you don't need to bring it. I'm sure you'll bring it anyway -- heck, I brought mine even though it was not on the checklist, along with the marriage certificate from my first marriage and even my US birth certificate. Nope, no interest. It's all about the non-USC at the interview. But for people worried about what to bring, if it's not on the list of documents that you are told to bring, you don't need it.

[PB&JAM 1]

Do they need the USC's passport to be valid for over 6 months? Or is that just important for the bene.? Our interview will probly be in June and my passport expires in Dec '09.

[Talyss 0]

Do they need the USC's passport to be valid for over 6 months? Or is that just important for the bene.? Our interview will probly be in June and my passport expires in Dec '09.

Just the Beneficiary's passport.

The way I got my head around it was to see it this way. When the case gets to the embassy the petitioning part of the process is over and it moves onto the visa application part. The visa application is made by the non USC so the emphasis then is on them as the applicant. All documents to do with identification are to do with them. The petitioner's role seems mainly to supply the affidavit of support and financial documents.

[PB&JAM 1]

Do they need the USC's passport to be valid for over 6 months? Or is that just important for the bene.? Our interview will probly be in June and my passport expires in Dec '09.

Just the Beneficiary's passport.

The way I got my head around it was to see it this way. When the case gets to the embassy the petitioning part of the process is over and it moves onto the visa application part. The visa application is made by the non USC so the emphasis then is on them as the applicant. All documents to do with identification are to do with them. The petitioner's role seems mainly to supply the affidavit of support and financial documents.

got it! seems i'm doing so much cause i'm sending him all the evidence like our pics together, emails, cell bills, receipts, etc cause i keep all that and he's...well, a guy! just waits for instructions from me So i'm just going overboard. Poor guy...wait til he sees the files i'm sending him!

[Nik+Heather 121]

Lisabette,

Do you think you can remind me where you posted your post-interview checklist? The one with the things the actually asked for compared with what you had prepared in the end?

I was looking for it to hand off to Nik and to bookmark if I want to give it to another newbie as I thought it was especially well organized (with the originals, copies, not necessary, but security blanket marks). I'm having trouble finding it in our 120 page interview thread....

Thanks.