Guide for ROC RFE?

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Just received an RFE in the mail for our ROC not requesting anything more specific but general further documentation showing that we entered into the marriage in good faith.

There are no bills in his name at our address, my name is on the car title, and we have no shared health insurance (I work for a nonprofit and we can't afford the additional premium if I added him and he works part time and isn't offered insurance).

I had sent what I thought was a fair amount of evidence: tax forms (but will be requesting the official tax transcripts from the IRS this time around), vacation itineraries, photos, copies of our licenses showing the same address, a copy of the credit card for which he is an authorized user, and a page from the car insurance policy which shows he's an authorized driver, and a couple more things I can't remember right now.

Should I resubmit all of the evidence previously submitted with the additional documentation or should I just submit what I am adding as evidence? This is what I was thinking of adding:

affadavit from my employer stating that the cost of adding him to the insurance is prohibitive and that my employer doesn't offer a 401K to even add him to as well as her personal knowledge of our bonafide marriage; additional affadavits from family (only my mom did one); official tax transcripts; better proof that he's a registered driver from the car insurance company (for some weird reason, the policy only has his first name and it's not readily apparent that he's on there, though I highlighted his name); copies of our new drivers licenses shwoing our new address, and some more photos.

I apologize if there is a guide that addresses RFEs, but I couldn't find one!

[Otto 83]

There is no RFE guide, just a Lifting of Conditions Guide (presumably you've reviewed the items suggested on the list).

You don't mention home lease/mortgage - nor affidavits from family/friends etc.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Do you have additional pieces of mail that either one or both of you receive at your current address?

Tax transcripts are excellent , proving you've filed married each year - The drivers licenses or state id's that show your same address are good as well.

I guess the point for USCIS is: you're married, surely you have things that are shared? Tickets to events you've attended or trips taken together perhaps?

I believe they are only looking for you to send new evidence along with a copy of the letter they sent you and a coverletter detailing the new evidence. you don't need to send what you've already sent - they have it.

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Thanks for the responses! I wrote this at work while procrastinating, so the info that I did send was not mentioned very clearly.

My mother wrote an affadavit. I will include more than one this time. I also initially sent trip itineraries for the two trips we made back to Mexico, including both of our names and flight, as well as my mother's itinerary (she likes to make the trip with us, has twice, and also mentioned it in her affadavit. I also sent in all of our hotel reservations from those trips, as well as one to Niagara Falls, though my name was listed on the reservation, it did say two people and I also provided pictures that corresponded to each trip that we took. I will also see if I can't come up with the trip reservations we made for New Year's in Boston.

The unfortunate thing about the rental contract is that when I moved, I explicitly asked the landlord to provide me with a lease (though she didn't require one) because I knew that this was coming up. She gave me a generic, half-filled out one, though I requested that she fill it out completely. Anyone could have signed it. Though I will ask my upstairs neighbor to write a brief letter attesting to the fact that she's aware we live together. I avoid speaking with my landlord if at all possible.

We've filed married each year, so I'll get the transcripts from 2007 and 2008.

It's funny, we've been together for ten years and this immigration process has been fairly simple up until this point! Guess we're due for some speedbumps.

There is no RFE guide, just a Lifting of Conditions Guide (presumably you've reviewed the items suggested on the list).

You don't mention home lease/mortgage - nor affidavits from family/friends etc.

And yes, I did read the guide and initially provided all of the items that I could provide that pertained to us..i.e. since we can't afford health insurance for him through my employer and his doesn't offer it, I couldn't provide that piece of info.

[Anh map 2,098]

Did you send evidence of joint bank accounts? Comingling of finances is a big thing. Mail addressed to the both of you. Costco/BJ's/Sam's Club membership cards. Gym memberships. Anything showing a comingling of lives.

Trip intineraries/reservations don't prove much. Boarding passes, luggage tags, hotel receipts are much better evidence. Photos that sow the two of you together on those trips are good.

While you may not like your landlord, this is something important. Have your landlord write a letter stating the length of time you have been living there and stating when your husband began living there if that is a different time period.

Affidavits from parents and other family members don't mean that much.

[Otto 83]

And yes, I did read the guide and initially provided all of the items that I could provide that pertained to us..i.e. since we can't afford health insurance for him through my employer and his doesn't offer it, I couldn't provide that piece of info.

I figured you did cover the guide.

If it were me, I would focus on the lease - they need to see that you're living together. If need be, I'd get a pre-made lease from Office Depot (or similar) and get the landlord to fill it out and perhaps get an affidavit from him/her as well. That is where I'd be starting. The insurance and all that is fine if you have it (not everyone does and USCIS knows that) but from my perspective, the heavy hitting evidence starts with cohabitation.

Edited February 3, 2010 by Otto und Karin

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Thanks for the suggestion about having the landlord write a letter...I will also pull out the lease she started to do(a generic one from Staples) and have her actually complete the darn thing and just ask her to write a brief letter. I also see if the YMCA has anything that shows our family membership on our account...hopefully some sort of print out.

Unfortunately we have separate bank accounts, so that won't help, but we do each receive statements at the same address.

Here's what I originally submitted:

one affadavit

back up photos of things mentioned in affadavit (our families and us together, holidays, etc)

2008 tax return (will call for tax transcripts for both 2007 & 2008)

car insurance policy (as mentioned, he's on there but only his first name, which is weird, so I'll call them for something more substantive)

copies of our credit cards with same account #

drivers licenses with same address

AAA cards with same account #

airline itineraries for two trips to Mexico (showing tickets had been purchased)

pictures from that trip

Hotwire reservation for hotel in Niagara Falls and pictures of us together in front of the Falls

a seating arrangement tag from a wedding we went to and has both our names on it (dumb one, I know, but it was lying around)

[TracyTN 237]

No car loan documents (or car titles)? Just thinking out loud of other things you might be able to send.

We sent a statement from the Nashville Predators showing our joint season tickets.

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Interesting but random piece of evidence! And I'm sure that you have some fun pictures to back it up, TracyTN!

Unfortunately, we are still sharing a car that my family bought for me 13 years ago and because of its age, I didn't even have to show the title when registering it in RI. I saw something on the evidence list about car registration, but I thought a car could only be registered under one name.

Family cell phone plan bills? I added a line for him pretty much the month he got here, so I could get a couple of bills spanning the length of the marriage with both our phone calls logged.

[TracyTN 237]

Interesting but random piece of evidence! And I'm sure that you have some fun pictures to back it up, TracyTN!

Unfortunately, we are still sharing a car that my family bought for me 13 years ago and because of its age, I didn't even have to show the title when registering it in RI. I saw something on the evidence list about car registration, but I thought a car could only be registered under one name.

Family cell phone plan bills? I added a line for him pretty much the month he got here, so I could get a couple of bills spanning the length of the marriage with both our phone calls logged.

HA Yeah, I spared them piccys of us at hockey games with 'Red Wings sucks' signs.

YES family cell phone plan bills are a good idea - we included the same. We basically have a handful of bills in his name, and a handful in mine - we sent examples of both.