Can My US Citizen wife use my Credit without Permission?

[quest 0]

I came to USA on k1, got married... She was totally different person then i knew.

She Had left her job before i came .. so i had to start looking for job the 1st week i arrived. one reason or an other she worked just 6 months in last 3 years i been here.

She tries to rip off money from me every possible way. i cant have a bank account because she signed some body else's checks and put n my account without my knowledge i was reported as fraudulent person.

Now before 6 months in the mail i received a Credit card offer.. she filled it out with my information and sent it back!, when i found out about it and wanted to cancel the card she said ok i will call Immigration too in the morning. so i stopped. she black mailed me so many times like this.

recently i found out she have all my credit cards numbers and number of my re loadable debit card.

she spent about 700$ without my permission and knowledge.. and i cant do any thing because she says 1st of all i m in the United states because of her and what ever is mine is her too(since she dont have anything).

she is waiting for her disability claim, she says as soon i get that money you will never see me..

i m still waiting for GC approval. i have no idea what to do. i been so loyal to her. she always does stuff on my back and black mails me

[quest 0]

i already owe so much money to credit cards and lawyer. but she does not care about my problems. even though i spent all that on her. i been working since i stepped in this country but seems like i am here just to pay for her ease of life and bills

[belinda63 3,045]

The first question would be how is it you have been here for 3 years and don't have a green card?

Legally she cannot use your accounts unless she is an assigned user on them. Make sure you document everything, get copies of the credit card application by requesting them in writing from the company to prove she signed your name, etc. Close all of your accounts, rent a Post Office Box and start using this. Make it clear on the application your wife is not to have access to your mail. Documentation is the key here, the more the better. The protect yourself from her.

You might, and I say might, have a case to apply for a green card as a crime victim but I know nothing of how to do this or if you even qualify.

[quest 0]

The first question would be how is it you have been here for 3 years and don't have a green card?

Legally she cannot use your accounts unless she is an assigned user on them. Make sure you document everything, get copies of the credit card application by requesting them in writing from the company to prove she signed your name, etc. Close all of your accounts, rent a Post Office Box and start using this. Make it clear on the application your wife is not to have access to your mail. Documentation is the key here, the more the better. The protect yourself from her.

You might, and I say might, have a case to apply for a green card as a crime victim but I know nothing of how to do this or if you even qualify.

seems like they dont believe in our relationship .. as their are flags in case.. she filed for 3 husbands before me.

we sent reply of NOID last year and i had my fingerprints done again before 3 months.. did not hear anything after that.

thank you for your advice.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

seems like they dont believe in our relationship .. as their are flags in case.. she filed for 3 husbands before me.

we sent reply of NOID last year and i had my fingerprints done again before 3 months.. did not hear anything after that.

thank you for your advice.

Sounds like she scammed you. Unfortunately, USCIS are not very sympathetic. They don't care who scammed who - if there was a scam involved then they'll deny the AOS. The three prior immigrant husbands would definitely raise some eyebrows. I'm actually kind of surprised that they approved your visa, given her prior history.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the credit debt. It might depend on what state you're in. My ex-wife signed up for a department store credit card in my name. I never personally signed the credit application. During the divorce I got stuck with the credit card bill. Apparently, in California a spouse can obtain credit in their spouses name. You could sign up for a credit monitoring service. You'll get notified every time anyone runs a credit check on you, or submits a credit application in your name.

If you get divorced then your green card application is pretty much dead (unless you live in the 9th circuit court district). As a K1 entrant, you don't likely have any other option for getting a green card, unless there's some way that her fraudulent credit activity could somehow be classified as "abuse". I've never heard of anyone trying a VAWA claim from that angle, and strongly suspect it wouldn't work.

[nab 74]

seems like they dont believe in our relationship .. as their are flags in case.. she filed for 3 husbands before me.

we sent reply of NOID last year and i had my fingerprints done again before 3 months.. did not hear anything after that.

thank you for your advice.

i ditto the advice to get a post office box (do NOT tell her about it)... have your mail, including immigration documents, sent there. or if you have a trusted friend that would be even better so they could also help you with immigration paperwork. you need to take control of the immigration paperwork from now on and if you need help with forms or translations look in your closest city for some type of community help with legal work.

ditto also the advice of document document document... please keep a journal (probably online one would be best as she may find and destroy a notebook). document ALL tings, no matter how small. as time goes on and she does more things you will forget things you never thought you would forget!

i am so sorry you are going through this

did you know about her filing for 3 other husbands before you?

definiitely the 3yrs without a GC doesnt sound right but i have seen this before, with a dear friend's brother... his US wife kept his GC from him (SHE HAD IT!) for 6rs so he could not go back to his country and visit his wife and children there.

when i found that out i told my friend to have him change everything to my po box and i would help him with the paperwork (he barely speaks english and doesnt write it at all) but when he went to her and told her i would be taking care of all things she miracluously came up with his GC. she had always made excuse that she didnt know what to do with paperwork because her english is not so good but she is fluent.

i believe you should check with a lawyer who has experience with immigration as well as spousal abuse and even fraud, and explain your situation.

my heart goes out to you

[sachinky 465]

but i have seen this before, with a dear friend's brother... his US wife kept his GC from him (SHE HAD IT!) for 6rs so he could not go back to his country and visit his wife and children there.

Er, what?

[nab 74]

Sounds like she scammed you. Unfortunately, USCIS are not very sympathetic. They don't care who scammed who - if there was a scam involved then they'll deny the AOS. The three prior immigrant husbands would definitely raise some eyebrows. I'm actually kind of surprised that they approved your visa, given her prior history.

I'm not sure what to tell you about the credit debt. It might depend on what state you're in. My ex-wife signed up for a department store credit card in my name. I never personally signed the credit application. During the divorce I got stuck with the credit card bill. Apparently, in California a spouse can obtain credit in their spouses name. You could sign up for a credit monitoring service. You'll get notified every time anyone runs a credit check on you, or submits a credit application in your name.

If you get divorced then your green card application is pretty much dead (unless you live in the 9th circuit court district). As a K1 entrant, you don't likely have any other option for getting a green card, unless there's some way that her fraudulent credit activity could somehow be classified as "abuse". I've never heard of anyone trying a VAWA claim from that angle, and strongly suspect it wouldn't work.

this post gave me one other thought...

OP, you can put a victim's statement into your credit file. it will stay there i believe 7yrs. in it state this woman's name and that she is NOT to have access to credit on your accounts or to file for new credit. Also, insert a phone number to be called before ANY new credit is issued... i would suggest your cellphone # which you plan on keeping (remember the statement will be on there for many years so use a number you will have) because if you use a cellphone and YOU need credit you will be able to verify when they call right then.

a lawyer could definitely tell him where he stands on the abuse... this IS mental abuse he is going thru, living with someone who is using and blackmailing him.

sounds awful but this sounds like a no win situtaion. was she a love match? arranged? or something else?

do you love her? i know that sounds like a crazy question but the ex (we are friends) married a woman who wasnt a blackmailer like this but she had an insane need for spending and he had to learn to cope with that and cut her off after she got credit in his name and ran up a lot of bills.

you need to find out what your priorities are... will you stay with her? if so then learn quickly to cut off the funds and give her only what is necessary for household NEEDS and when there are WANTS she must save up whatever allowance you give to her or you must be with her so that you can buy.

will you leave her? then figure out quickly whether you want to go back to your country or stay... and find out out what path you need to take to do that if it is even possible.

you need a plan of action. and you need to work quickly to nip this in the bud! you are the man of the household without a supporting wife behind you which means you are going to have to take control of all things on your own.

another thing... are you on the lease or deed of the home? if so YOU do not have to leave the home if things get difficult (i.e. she cannt throw you out). time for you to lay down the law to her and tell HER how things will be.

[jujuswife 1]

Er, what?

Yeah, I caught that too. Specifically the part about visiting the wife and children. There can only be two explanations to this: first, maybe it was a typo and the ex- in ex-wife was omitted; second, this dear friend's brother is a polygamist. Just wondering...

[Darnell 8,479]

the credit card activity she is doing, is actually fraud, even in a 'community property state'.

as belinda mentioned - get a PO BOX - get it on Monday.

re: uscis -

1. call USCIS Monday, inquire for current casefile status

2. file an AR-11, change of address form - see http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=c1a94154d7b3d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD and have the address changed to that PO BOX. there may be notices that she's not showing you, that came in this year.

3. when/if the greencard arrives - bear in mind - this is YOUR FEDERAL ID - and it's a federal crime for her to with-hold it from you.

re: credit cards in your name -

1. call the companies that issued them, cancel the cards - tell the customer service rep that you never signed anything, and that someone else intercepted your mail and that your incoming mail is not secure.

2. once the cards are cancelled, you may or may not be responsible for that debt - you can initiate a fraud investigation, and in the mean time, change the billing address to the PO BOX

do you have SSN and EAD ?

1. go to a bank on Monday, open new account, in your name. Deposit your paychecks there, from now on.

suggest you do all of this stuff, without telling her, without her involvement. IF you use a computer at the house/residence/apartment, GO TO a public library, change your passwords on all accounts (yahoo email, hotmail, gmail) and NEVER use the 'home computer' again. She might have some keylogger on the home computer, capture everything that you type on that keyboard.

[agynyame 2]

This post raises so many questions on a lot of levels. How were you approved by USCIS knowing that the woman had filed for three previous men? Where was their due diligence? I think getting a credit monitor is the best way to go. You can also call the credit reporting agencies and let them put a fraud alert on your account. The downside to that is sometimes if you qualify for credit and are applying you might be turned down.

I always believe there is always two sides to a story and before we make judgment all sides needs to be heard. Something just does not seem right.

For the other person who claimed the US citizen wife withheld his friend's card for six years so he could visit his wife and children in his country of origin, maybe your friend should be lucky she did not turn his butt in for fraud.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Yeah, I caught that too. Specifically the part about visiting the wife and children. There can only be two explanations to this: first, maybe it was a typo and the ex- in ex-wife was omitted; second, this dear friend's brother is a polygamist. Just wondering...

Polygamy is legal in Pakistan, as it is in many Islamic countries. Under Islamic law, a man can have up to four wives provided he treats each of them fairly. In modern society, this is viewed as practically impossible for all but the wealthiest of men, so there is a strong social taboo against polygamy, but it remains legal in spite of numerous restrictions.

The US government recognizes the validity and status of only the most recent marriage. If a Muslim man marries two women abroad then the US considers the first marriage to have been terminated by the second, and recognizes his marriage to the second wife only. If he divorces the second wife then the US considers him to be divorced. If the US recognizes any foreign marriage as valid then the man would not be eligible for a K1 visa. However, if the recognized marriage was to a US citizen then the man would be eligible for a spousal visa.

[jujuswife 1]

Polygamy is legal in Pakistan, as it is in many Islamic countries. Under Islamic law, a man can have up to four wives provided he treats each of them fairly. In modern society, this is viewed as practically impossible for all but the wealthiest of men, so there is a strong social taboo against polygamy, but it remains legal in spite of numerous restrictions.

The US government recognizes the validity and status of only the most recent marriage. If a Muslim man marries two women abroad then the US considers the first marriage to have been terminated by the second, and recognizes his marriage to the second wife only. If he divorces the second wife then the US considers him to be divorced. If the US recognizes any foreign marriage as valid then the man would not be eligible for a K1 visa. However, if the recognized marriage was to a US citizen then the man would be eligible for a spousal visa.

Thank you for the detailed explanation as it pertains to the Visa/Immigration process. I am aware that polygamy is legal in many Islamic countries. I also know that in Pakistan is not a prevalent practice because it has been seen as taboo especially in recent times. This is confirmed by a few Pakistani friends that have lived there until recently.

Anyway, the reason for my post was in response to someone that offered a similar story to what the original poster posted. Now, I cannot comment further on this since the poster did not comment on my post. I do not want to speculate further.

[Boiler 45,965]

Polygamy is legal in Pakistan, as it is in many Islamic countries. Under Islamic law, a man can have up to four wives provided he treats each of them fairly. In modern society, this is viewed as practically impossible for all but the wealthiest of men, so there is a strong social taboo against polygamy, but it remains legal in spite of numerous restrictions.

The US government recognizes the validity and status of only the most recent marriage. If a Muslim man marries two women abroad then the US considers the first marriage to have been terminated by the second, and recognizes his marriage to the second wife only. If he divorces the second wife then the US considers him to be divorced. If the US recognizes any foreign marriage as valid then the man would not be eligible for a K1 visa. However, if the recognized marriage was to a US citizen then the man would be eligible for a spousal visa.

The US government recognizes the validity and status of only the most recent marriage

That sounds back to front.

[Ihavequestions 419]

Then why does the visa application ask if the applicant intends to practice bigamy in the US?