Colombia Club

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Rent receipts? For rental of what? An apartment for the spouse/fiancee in Colombia? Never hear of this before. If there is anything "unique" to your facts and circumstances related to your case, you may want to bring along evidence.

Maybe your are talking about the "declaraciones de renta"...which is your 1040.

By the way, if you have the tax transcript, you don't need copies of your return....and vice versa.

Mike

Scott,

Although the I134 instructions states that you do not have to provide tax returns unless self-employed.

However, Packet 4 says the following

(12)Pruebas de sostenimiento. De su prometido(a) : “Affidavit of Support” –

(Forma I-134) carta de empleo y declaraciones de renta (1040) del último año.

Always provide more, never think that the minimum is sufficient. If they would ask for only 10 photos, give them 20.

I also qualified on income alone, no assets. This is what I provided with my I134.

I134

1) Employment letter

2) 3 months of paystubs

3) W2 & 1040 for 2004, 2005, 2006

4) Tax transcripts for 2004, 2005, 2006

Lucho,

Do we have to include rent receipts, too?

I saw that the CO asks Sam y Nydia for this.

Mike...I just realized that you have already answered my question (By the way, if you have the tax transcript, you don't need copies of your return....and vice versa.)

Thank you, Scott

[Mononoke28 135]

Tax returns must alwasy be accompanied by W2s since you need proof of the #s it contains. Tax transcripts on the other hand don't because they come directly from the IRS.

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Tax returns must alwasy be accompanied by W2s since you need proof of the #s it contains. Tax transcripts on the other hand don't because they come directly from the IRS.

Claro

[paisita411 0]

Byron, Start saving your payroll stubs now. You'll have all you need by the time the interview comes around. Also get a letter from your employer and bring your tax returns with W2 forms ....OR.... tax transcripts. As Mike said earlier, TAX Transcripst DO NOT need to be accompanied by W2 forms.

[Entonces... 0]

Rent receipts? For rental of what? An apartment for the spouse/fiancee in Colombia? Never hear of this before. If there is anything "unique" to your facts and circumstances related to your case, you may want to bring along evidence.

Maybe your are talking about the "declaraciones de renta"...which is your 1040.

By the way, if you have the tax transcript, you don't need copies of your return....and vice versa.

Mike

Scott,

Although the I134 instructions states that you do not have to provide tax returns unless self-employed.

However, Packet 4 says the following

(12)Pruebas de sostenimiento. De su prometido(a) : “Affidavit of Support” –

(Forma I-134) carta de empleo y declaraciones de renta (1040) del último año.

Always provide more, never think that the minimum is sufficient. If they would ask for only 10 photos, give them 20.

I also qualified on income alone, no assets. This is what I provided with my I134.

I134

1) Employment letter

2) 3 months of paystubs

3) W2 & 1040 for 2004, 2005, 2006

4) Tax transcripts for 2004, 2005, 2006

Lucho,

Do we have to include rent receipts, too?

I saw that the CO asks Sam y Nydia for this.

Mike,

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I was translating "Declaraciones de Renta" literally, as "declaration of rent". So by that I was under the impression we had to show proof of either rent receipts or mortgage statements.

Rafael

[Mike and Adriana 0]

Not that I have ever heard of before....unless something has changed since my wife's interview in January. Not sure what that would prove.....since I assume one person is in Colombia and the other is in the U.S. Perhaps is you are married and you want to use a rent receipt as proof of relationship (i.e., one spouse paid the rent in Colombia for the other spouse). But proof of relationahip evidence is not set in stone.

Rent receipts or a mortgage statement would likely be of more help in AOS, assuming both names were on the receipts or mortgage statement.

Mike

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I was translating "Declaraciones de Renta" literally, as "declaration of rent". So by that I was under the impression we had to show proof of either rent receipts or mortgage statements.

Rafael

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Hi everyone!!! Can someone tell me what's up with the NOA2s...a little sign of life would be muy bien!!!

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Buck...haven't heard from you for a while...how is Bogota and especially...how is Paola?

[BYRON-LEIDY 0]

I think that us May filers are getting closer!! I have seen May filers starting to get approved...we are almost there!! Thanks Dre for the advice about the pay stubbs!!

[lucho562 0]

Hang in there bros!

I bet you're thinking

"Yeah right Lucho, shut up, easy for you to say"

But honestly, hang in there and be patient. This is the slow and easy part. Once that NOA2 comes, everything will come and go lightning fast. Be patient and be prepared for the following steps.

[BYRON-LEIDY 0]

Bro, between you and everybody else on here...i HAVE learned patience!!..lol....I know i have to be getting close and i remember clearly in the beginning when you told me , read and prepare yourself, well thats what i did and time has flown by since that...feels like a couple days ago you told me this and its been about 2 and half months!!!!!!!

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Byron,

I feel ya on that...in fact I remember when we first submitted the petition...I was literally in a frenzy but quickly realized that all the calls to the USCIS were just working me up even worse. It has been an education reading the posts of others and learning to streamline the process. I have learned as many others have...that patience is the only way. I keep in mind how suportive Yenifer has been for me through this and the friends that we all have on VJ. Thank you and may God Bless all for the kind words and very helpful insight.

Scott

[TonyS 0]

Byron and Scott

I know how everyone feels. I was fortunate and my process went like clockwork. I used the time to prepare for my new familie's arrival and in hindsight, I didn't prepare enough. I have spoken with a few friends and we all were so focused on the visa approval and marriage that we were not ready for the AOS. I suggest using "free" time now to prepare. Check out english classes (ESL), physicians and driving classes for example. When you have the interview date and are ready, then shift your goal ahead a little and start looking at the AOS application. Look to see if there is anything that you should work on getting now. Look to see if there is anything she will need to get before she lives Colombia. Just my 2 cents.

Tony

[Scott n Yenifer 0]

Byron and Scott

I know how everyone feels. I was fortunate and my process went like clockwork. I used the time to prepare for my new familie's arrival and in hindsight, I didn't prepare enough. I have spoken with a few friends and we all were so focused on the visa approval and marriage that we were not ready for the AOS. I suggest using "free" time now to prepare. Check out english classes (ESL), physicians and driving classes for example. When you have the interview date and are ready, then shift your goal ahead a little and start looking at the AOS application. Look to see if there is anything that you should work on getting now. Look to see if there is anything she will need to get before she lives Colombia. Just my 2 cents.

Tony

Hi Tony,

Thank God Yenifer speaks fluent english because yo no hablo mucho espanol (I'm working on that)...As far as the driving...I was thinking to send her to driving school in Colombia for her to get her license there...would that have any benefit in the U S?

Scott

[Mike and Adriana 0]

You'll continue to need that patience through AOS. But the good thing will be that your Colombiana/Colombiano will be here with you instead of thousands of miles away.

AOS itself (the paperwork) is pretty easy...assuming you still have everything from the petition process (like translations of birth certificates and, if applicable, marriage certificates). I want to build on the list that Tony gave (below). This probably belongs in AOS, but it's better that many of you see it now.

1) Find a physician. Determine if there is a preference for male or female. Living in Central Florida, I thought it would be easy to find a physician on my insurance who spoke Spanish. Boy was I wrong! I finally found a doctor who is from Brazil and has a nurse who speaks Spanish. My wife really like her. We could NOT find a pediatrician....so I often bring my computer with translator program to the doctor's office just in case (because my Spanish is not advanced enough).

2) ESL classes....yes...important. Luckily, in the state of Florida, the local junior college provides ESL classes free and they offer them in the day or night....and you do not have to wait for the beginning of a new semester....she was pemitted to enroll mid-year (wish I had known that right away...we wasted about two months).

3) Driver's license. If you are lucky, your state has the driver's license manual in Spanish. Print it and give it to your spouse/fiancee ASAP if you intend on them driving. If he/she has never driven before, you may have to find a class. If they have driven before, it's a matter of you helping them to learn the "rules of the road" and to get comfortable driving around your town. We actually found the location where the driver's license office conducts the "road test" and I took my wife over there and practiced parallel parking and pulling into and backing out of angeled parking spots (my wife did not know how to do this as there really is no call for it in Bogota). Warning: Most Colombianos/as do not understand the concept of power steering and breaks and automatic transmission!

4) If there is a child involved, make sure you bring school records and immunization records. The school year is different in Colombia. My step-daughter finished 3rd grade in December. She moved to the U.S. in January. I had to convince the school to enter her into the 4th grade when the year was already more than 1/2 over. But I did not want her to have to go back to third grade. My advice is to get the child in school ASAP. My step-daughter was in school after one week here.

5) The sooner you file for EAD (K-3s only), the sooner she can get a social security card, if that's important.

6) Now the bad news. There are many limitations of a K visa. For example, they would only issue my wife a driver's license good for one year. The bank will not permit her (at least the banks we use) to open a bank account with her as the primary owner (even though she now has her social security card). [Note: they did let us put her on an account as a "second" owner after we showed our marriage license to link her social security card, in her married name, with her government ID, which was in her maiden name...see below] If you want to travel outside of the U.S., your spouse will probably need a visa. We wanted to go on a cruise that included Mexico and the Bahamas. We were informed (by their consultates) that she and my step-daughter would needs visas to visit both places, even for a day. The visa for the Bahamas cost $50/each; not worth it. Once they have a green card, no problems with foreign travel. These examples are why the CR-1/IR-1 is the superior visa, assuming you can marry in Colombia and assuming you don't mind waiting a little longer.

7) Name changes. If you have not already discussed this, do it now (assuming we are talking about a Colombiana). Will she keep her maiden name? Or take your last name? We changed her last name to mine during the AOS/EAD process. So, her social security card and EAD card are in her married name. Her cedula (which no one cares about in the U.S.), her passport, and her K-3 visa are still in her maiden name. Because her passport and visa are in her maiden name, they put her driver's license in her maiden name. This explains some of the problem with getting a bank account....the name on the social security number does not match with any other ID, other than her EAD. Once AOS occurs and the green card is issued in her married name, the driver's license can be changed to her married name and no more problems. We have used her married name on everything possible since we've been here....and haven't really had any trouble, other than at the bank. When we travel to Colombia, we still have to use her maiden name when making airline reservations (since that's what on her passport), but I can't think of any other issues we've had.

That's all I can think of now. If I can think of anything else, I'll let you know. AOS interview is on Tuesday, so off to review our documents.

Mike

Byron and Scott

I know how everyone feels. I was fortunate and my process went like clockwork. I used the time to prepare for my new familie's arrival and in hindsight, I didn't prepare enough. I have spoken with a few friends and we all were so focused on the visa approval and marriage that we were not ready for the AOS. I suggest using "free" time now to prepare. Check out english classes (ESL), physicians and driving classes for example. When you have the interview date and are ready, then shift your goal ahead a little and start looking at the AOS application. Look to see if there is anything that you should work on getting now. Look to see if there is anything she will need to get before she lives Colombia. Just my 2 cents.

Tony