23 year old, spouse abroad, must pay taxes ! HELP

[eliu212 0]

Hello all.

I’m a US citizen that met a girl in the Dominican Republic around 3 years ago, married her this summer (July) and want to bring her to New York where I reside.

I filed for the documents to bring her over and received this approval notice

This is the status online

The person helping us in this matter mentioned that I have to seek help with my taxes as it can have an effect on the case decision.

I am a 23 year old, make around $12,000 a year on free lance computer repairs. However I have never reported taxes and am sure that will be an issue.

I rent a room in a house, have a vehicle, pay all my bills on time, have good credit.

My questions are the following:

-How would my tax issue affect this?

-Were can I get cheap or free help with filing?

-Should I file now, or tax season?

-I would have to declare a bit more than what I make to meet immigration requirements right? (~$18,000), or I'm not if my co-sponsor will cancel out the higher income requirement.. (sorry I know its off topic)

Well that's about it, I really appreciate your time, Thank you very much.

P.S. Had a seasonal job this summer in a retail store, I suppose that should help... ####### I don't know anything of taxes.

Edited November 5, 2009 by eliu212

[*JG* 2]

You have to prove income. File some back taxes.

Also, looks like you are going to need a co-sponsor.

[eliu212 0]

You have to prove income. File some back taxes.

Also, looks like you are going to need a co-sponsor.

Thanks for the response, I already have a co-sponsor, my question is about the tax issue...

[Chica Yeyé 41]

My questions are the following:

-How would my tax issue affect this?

You have to file your back taxes, since USCIS will require you provide 3 years of tax transcripts.

-Were can I get cheap or free help with filing?

If you are a student, most universities do this; but mainly during tax season. Check also charities in your area

-Should I file now, or tax season?

File as soon as possible; since you will need said transcripts come interview time

-I would have to declare a bit more than what I make to meet immigration requirements right? (~$18,000), or I'm not if my co-sponsor will cancel out the higher income requirement.. (sorry I know its off topic)

Do not lie about your income -I am not saying you intend to, ok?- Get a co-sponsor with enough income and you should be ok

Well that's about it, I really appreciate your time, Thank you very much.

P.S. Had a seasonal job this summer in a retail store, I suppose that should help... ####### I don't know anything of taxes.

[R de la R 2]

Hello all.

I’m a US citizen that met a girl in the Dominican Republic around 3 years ago, married her this summer (July) and want to bring her to New York where I reside.

I filed for the documents to bring her over and received this approval notice

This is the status online

The person helping us in this matter mentioned that I have to seek help with my taxes as it can have an effect on the case decision.

I am a 23 year old, make around $12,000 a year on free lance computer repairs. However I have never reported taxes and am sure that will be an issue.

I rent a room in a house, have a vehicle, pay all my bills on time, have good credit.

My questions are the following:

-How would my tax issue affect this?

-Were can I get cheap or free help with filing?

-Should I file now, or tax season?

-I would have to declare a bit more than what I make to meet immigration requirements right? (~$18,000), or I'm not if my co-sponsor will cancel out the higher income requirement.. (sorry I know its off topic)

Well that's about it, I really appreciate your time, Thank you very much.

P.S. Had a seasonal job this summer in a retail store, I suppose that should help... ####### I don't know anything of taxes.

Read the guides, at the National visa Center try to change for a IR1 visa, this way you don't have to pay for adj (US1,100)of status once she gets there, and she would get permission for work in 1 month.

[payxibka 10,045]

My questions are the following:

-How would my tax issue affect this?

You have to file your back taxes, since USCIS will require you provide 3 years of tax transcripts.

-Were can I get cheap or free help with filing?

If you are a student, most universities do this; but mainly during tax season. Check also charities in your area

-Should I file now, or tax season?

File as soon as possible; since you will need said transcripts come interview time

-I would have to declare a bit more than what I make to meet immigration requirements right? (~$18,000), or I'm not if my co-sponsor will cancel out the higher income requirement.. (sorry I know its off topic)

Do not lie about your income -I am not saying you intend to, ok?- Get a co-sponsor with enough income and you should be ok

Well that's about it, I really appreciate your time, Thank you very much.

P.S. Had a seasonal job this summer in a retail store, I suppose that should help... ####### I don't know anything of taxes.

Sister Len... transcripts might be better evidence but are NOT required.... paper forms with all schedules and attachments are fine as well... I have yet to provide tax transcripts in any of my immigration filings

[Terca 6]

I think all you have to do is go to your local Internal Revenue Service office, and get forms from them to declare your income. Tell them exactly what your situation is so that they can give you the right type of forms.

Fill one for every year that you didn't declare your income (they can do this for you based on how much you make a year for free)

Then you will have to pay taxes on the income you declared on those forms. What will most likely happen is that you will get a letter telling you how much taxes you owe for each year. You can pay in installments or upfront depending on what you work out with them.

One summer I got a check from a fellowship from my university for 10k no taxes where taken out. I had to pay about 900 dollars on that if i remember correctly.

As a side note, when I worked at a restaurant the cleaning guy got in trouble with the IRS for claiming that he made 30k a year in order to have enough money to bring his sons. Long story short he is still paying those "taxes" on money he never really made, and he is an old guy. You have a co-sponsor, just declare your income and at least make payment arrangements!!! You will be ok =D

Edited November 6, 2009 by Terca

[eliu212 0]

Thanks for the responses, however what confuses me is the following...

I have a friend that wanted to file his taxes this past tax season, he went to a public helper and was told he wold pay in total with back taxes $11k !

He is self employed like me, then he told me he didnt go back to that "public helper" and filed his taxes online and received around $1-2K to his pocket.

Now why would one end try to charge him and the other put money on his pocket? I'm confused here since I'm needing to file for my situation.

[SunDrop 59]

Thanks for the responses, however what confuses me is the following...

I have a friend that wanted to file his taxes this past tax season, he went to a public helper and was told he wold pay in total with back taxes $11k !

He is self employed like me, then he told me he didnt go back to that "public helper" and filed his taxes online and received around $1-2K to his pocket.

Now why would one end try to charge him and the other put money on his pocket? I'm confused here since I'm needing to file for my situation.

I would guess because he only filed for this year and didn't file any back taxes? Off the top of my head, you have to file for income over $6,000 in a year.

I also think that if your wife is in the US before the end of this current tax year, you can claim her as a dependent/ file joint taxes for the entire year, so you're effetively getting 8 months (ish) of extra benefit for "nothing".

If you want to keep your nose clean, as we say here, and not encounter any problems, you're probably best off by just 'manning up' and getting those taxes filed and swallowing the back taxes until they're cleared.

I know that when immigration officials, the law and probably the IRS is concerned "ignorance is never an excuse".

I'm not a USC and haven't ever filed taxes in the States, so this isn't cast in stone or personal experience. I just have a good memory for stuff that I've read written by people far more knowledgeable than I.

[Dakine 26]

My questions are the following:

-How would my tax issue affect this?

You have to file your back taxes, since USCIS will require you provide 3 years of tax transcripts.

-Were can I get cheap or free help with filing?

If you are a student, most universities do this; but mainly during tax season. Check also charities in your area

-Should I file now, or tax season?

File as soon as possible; since you will need said transcripts come interview time

-I would have to declare a bit more than what I make to meet immigration requirements right? (~$18,000), or I'm not if my co-sponsor will cancel out the higher income requirement.. (sorry I know its off topic)

Do not lie about your income -I am not saying you intend to, ok?- Get a co-sponsor with enough income and you should be ok

Well that's about it, I really appreciate your time, Thank you very much.

P.S. Had a seasonal job this summer in a retail store, I suppose that should help... ####### I don't know anything of taxes.

Sister Len... transcripts might be better evidence but are NOT required.... paper forms with all schedules and attachments are fine as well... I have yet to provide tax transcripts in any of my immigration filings

Self employed are often required to submit tax transcripts if they don't have 1099s.

[Dakine 26]

Hello all.

I’m a US citizen that met a girl in the Dominican Republic around 3 years ago, married her this summer (July) and want to bring her to New York where I reside.

I filed for the documents to bring her over and received this approval notice

This is the status online

The person helping us in this matter mentioned that I have to seek help with my taxes as it can have an effect on the case decision.

I am a 23 year old, make around $12,000 a year on free lance computer repairs. However I have never reported taxes and am sure that will be an issue.

I rent a room in a house, have a vehicle, pay all my bills on time, have good credit.

My questions are the following:

-How would my tax issue affect this?

-Were can I get cheap or free help with filing?

-Should I file now, or tax season?

-I would have to declare a bit more than what I make to meet immigration requirements right? (~$18,000), or I'm not if my co-sponsor will cancel out the higher income requirement.. (sorry I know its off topic)

Well that's about it, I really appreciate your time, Thank you very much.

P.S. Had a seasonal job this summer in a retail store, I suppose that should help... ####### I don't know anything of taxes.

Read the guides, at the National visa Center try to change for a IR1 visa, this way you don't have to pay for adj (US1,100)of status once she gets there, and she would get permission for work in 1 month.

For one thing you have to be married for 2 years to get a IR visa.

[Married2aTico 0]

For one thing you have to be married for 2 years to get a IR visa.

Not true. If you have been married less than two years, you will receive a two-year GC and then have to switch that to a ten-year. If you have been married more than two years, you automatically receive the ten-year GC.

If your fiance receives a K3, she can immediately file for work permission on entry to the USA. It usually takes 2-3 months to receive and then she can apply for a SSN, which takes a few weeks to receive. In my recent personal experience, my husband had all he needed to work legally in about 2.5 months.

As for your TAX situation, not filing can cause major issues with immigation. In fact, I am somewhat surprised your petition/s were even approved in the first place. I'm guessing you can get a bit of free help from the IRS helpline. I'm sure your state probably has a state tax helpline also. Do it now, as this is a less busy time of year.

If you were married at any time on '08, you can file married filing jointly for '08. That will save you some $. You will just need to submit a W-7 (tax ID request) along with your declaration. On the tax declaration, under her SSN, write "tax ID requested".

Make sure that your cosponsor is aware of his/her 40 quarter obligation, as the Officer may make a call to this person to verify that he/she truly understands what they are signing up for as a cosponsor. After all, it is a ten-year obligation!

Good luck and don't waste one minute. If you do something wrong, the IRS will get in touch with you, so don't let confusion slow you down any longer. Also, be aware that tax penalties are severe, so you may need to investigate a payment plan with them. Hope everything works out as well as possible for you!

[SunDrop 59]

If your fiance receives a K3, she can immediately file for work permission on entry to the USA. It usually takes 2-3 months to receive and then she can apply for a SSN, which takes a few weeks to receive. In my recent personal experience, my husband had all he needed to work legally in about 2.5 months.

She can apply for an SSN approximately 2 weeks after entering the country. This is the time it takes to get her entry record updated on the database they search. You can try before then, but if they can't' find you on the system, tell them you'll come back and don't let them submit an enquiry form because this adds time to the process!

Make sure that your cosponsor is aware of his/her 40 quarter obligation, as the Officer may make a call to this person to verify that he/she truly understands what they are signing up for as a cosponsor. After all, it is a ten-year obligation!

The 40 quarter obligation can be shared, can't it? Namely, if the beneficiary begins work in the second quarter after arriving and remains continuously employed, then the obligation period is reduced to 5 years and 1 quarter (where they would actually have 41 documented quarters as a couple). I'm not sure about this, so will need to research but interested in anyone else's input!

[pushbrk 12,883]

Not true. If you have been married less than two years, you will receive a two-year GC and then have to switch that to a ten-year. If you have been married more than two years, you automatically receive the ten-year GC.

If your fiance receives a K3, she can immediately file for work permission on entry to the USA. It usually takes 2-3 months to receive and then she can apply for a SSN, which takes a few weeks to receive. In my recent personal experience, my husband had all he needed to work legally in about 2.5 months.

As for your TAX situation, not filing can cause major issues with immigation. In fact, I am somewhat surprised your petition/s were even approved in the first place. I'm guessing you can get a bit of free help from the IRS helpline. I'm sure your state probably has a state tax helpline also. Do it now, as this is a less busy time of year.

If you were married at any time on '08, you can file married filing jointly for '08. That will save you some $. You will just need to submit a W-7 (tax ID request) along with your declaration. On the tax declaration, under her SSN, write "tax ID requested".

Make sure that your cosponsor is aware of his/her 40 quarter obligation, as the Officer may make a call to this person to verify that he/she truly understands what they are signing up for as a cosponsor. After all, it is a ten-year obligation!

Good luck and don't waste one minute. If you do something wrong, the IRS will get in touch with you, so don't let confusion slow you down any longer. Also, be aware that tax penalties are severe, so you may need to investigate a payment plan with them. Hope everything works out as well as possible for you!

Words and terms have meaning so be careful which ones you use. The IR1 spouse visa is only issued when the marriage has endured two years before the visa is issued. Immigrant spouse visas (the correct term for what you meant) for those married less than two years at visa issue are called CR1, not IR1.

Both CR1 and IR1 are also immigration status designations. CR1 status is what two-year green card holders have. IRI is the status ten-year green card holders have.

To the OP, you posted in the K3 forum but have only mentioned an I-130 petition. If you follow the I-130 petition through to a visa, it will be the CR1, not the K3.

[Married2aTico 0]

If your fiance receives a K3, she can immediately file for work permission on entry to the USA. It usually takes 2-3 months to receive and then she can apply for a SSN, which takes a few weeks to receive. In my recent personal experience, my husband had all he needed to work legally in about 2.5 months.

She can apply for an SSN approximately 2 weeks after entering the country. This is the time it takes to get her entry record updated on the database they search. You can try before then, but if they can't' find you on the system, tell them you'll come back and don't let them submit an enquiry form because this adds time to the process!

Make sure that your cosponsor is aware of his/her 40 quarter obligation, as the Officer may make a call to this person to verify that he/she truly understands what they are signing up for as a cosponsor. After all, it is a ten-year obligation!

The 40 quarter obligation can be shared, can't it? Namely, if the beneficiary begins work in the second quarter after arriving and remains continuously employed, then the obligation period is reduced to 5 years and 1 quarter (where they would actually have 41 documented quarters as a couple). I'm not sure about this, so will need to research but interested in anyone else's input!

Just a word of caution: While you may be allowed to apply for a SSN on entry with a K3 visa, that does not mean it will granted. Many K3 holders are turned down because the SSA does not feel that they require and/or are eligible for one. Once a spouse obtains work authorization, it is very unlikely that a SSN would not be issued, since there is a clear reason why one is needed.

Also, thanks PB for the clarification on the IR1/CR1. I knew the eligibilty requirements, just not which one was which. My husband and I are waiting until our two year anniversary to adjust status so that he will get the 10 year GC.