NVC Filers - March 2012

[Army wife 9]

DS3032 has been accepted!!!

Yay! me too!

I wonder how long before we get the bill to pay the application fee? hummm

In any case, wait until the 31st to fill it out as the current DS-230 form expires on Saturday! 03/31/2012

[Saylin 1,605]

Yay! me too!

I wonder how long before we get the bill to pay the application fee? hummm

In any case, wait until the 31st to fill it out as the current DS-230 form expires on Saturday! 03/31/2012

That's not an expiration date for the form! It's for the OMB! Please read post 2: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/80942-ds-230-is-expire-today/

[nica 5]

Yeah, I'd tell him to get on that. He'll have to do it this week or next to have any kind of chance of getting the transcripts in time for your interview. Paper processing takes awhile, especially near the tax deadline, when most people seem to submit their taxes.

All the tax talk is making me think of our tax situation... we were planning to get an ITIN, but US/UK stuff is a little messy (the US consulate won't take a copy of his passport signed by a UK notary, so we would've had to mail the passport to London to get it notarized by the embassy ($$$!!), then have that and the application mailed to the IRS. Ultimately it seemed like we wouldn't have any of that done by the time of the interview, so it'd just be a waste of money. Not to mention the upset caused if some department in the London consulate misplaces his passport and he doesn't have it for the interview!

Instead, I thought it made more sense to just file an extension and then file a joint return when he's here with his social security number.

Then my husband can bring our intended tax return to the interview (not yet filed, but complete except for his social security number) and the documentation (W2s, etc). I was also planning to send him with a copy of our tax extension forms.

Does that sound like a reasonable plan?

[Saylin 1,605]

All the tax talk is making me think of our tax situation... we were planning to get an ITIN, but US/UK stuff is a little messy (the US consulate won't take a copy of his passport signed by a UK notary, so we would've had to mail the passport to London to get it notarized by the embassy ($$!!), then have that and the application mailed to the IRS. Ultimately it seemed like we wouldn't have any of that done by the time of the interview, so it'd just be a waste of money. Not to mention the upset caused if some department in the London consulate misplaces his passport and he doesn't have it for the interview!

Instead, I thought it made more sense to just file an extension and then file a joint return when he's here with his social security number.

Then my husband can bring our intended tax return to the interview (not yet filed, but complete except for his social security number) and the documentation (W2s, etc). I was also planning to send him with a copy of our tax extension forms.

Does that sound like a reasonable plan?

Yup, that's a very reasonable plan!

Another option, instead of filing MFJ (married filing jointly), you can file MFS (married filing separately). You'd still have to do the process by paper (no online tax programs), but in the SSN field for him, you'd just write in 'NRA' for non-resident alien. That's it. But, MFJ tends to give out a higher refund, so if you want to wait, that's fine.

[dimples 9]

Yay! me too!

I wonder how long before we get the bill to pay the application fee? hummm

In any case, wait until the 31st to fill it out as the current DS-230 form expires on Saturday! 03/31/2012

Awesome!!!! Yea I got mine just before midnight last night!!! They must of heard me calling them bad names

I just got the invoice for the IV payment. Just payed that bill!!!! Never been so excited to pay a bill!!

So I will wait for that to show as PAID and for my AOS packet to be accepted. So look out for yours!!!

Still waiting on one document to be sent for my DS-230. Hopefully by the time it gets here the bill will show as paid!

[Gigli2008 70]

Just got the email and instructions for IV bill. Paid IV bill immediately.

[lizka 3]

Tax transcripts take 6 weeks to be generated post filing? I sure hope my husband doesn't wait till the filing deadline to submit D:

no, just got my return, my dad filed less than three weeks ago, and i already ordered my transcripts almost a week ago :-), so i would say no more than a month for the entire process (meaning transcripts in hand)

[Saylin 1,605]

Just got the email and instructions for IV bill. Paid IV bill immediately.

Grats!

[bahialove 3]

Yup, that's a very reasonable plan!

Another option, instead of filing MFJ (married filing jointly), you can file MFS (married filing separately). You'd still have to do the process by paper (no online tax programs), but in the SSN field for him, you'd just write in 'NRA' for non-resident alien. That's it. But, MFJ tends to give out a higher refund, so if you want to wait, that's fine.

I also had to fill out my taxes to send them in with my AOS packet. I ended up filing Married Filing Separate and put my husband SSN as NRA as Saylin mentioned. Since I live/ work abroad, my salary is below the limit where I have to pay taxes so it worked out easier than that whole ITIN stuff.

[Gigli2008 70]

Grats!

Thanks. Too bad I slept on the wheel and I don't have all my IV packet documents. Really it's just the Police Certificate that I don't have. Had issues with getting those from my country as the Criminal Investigative Department of my country says they issue Police Certificates ("certificate of good conduct" as they call it) only to those with a National ID. In Kenya you have to be 18 to have an ID/DL, so the CID is having a hard time issuing a police certificate to my 16 year old, because he is not in the national identification database. I have emailed the US Embassy in Kenya to see if they have a specific contact that they use to get police certificate for those under 18.

The Kenya forum on VJ does not have a precedent for this issue.

I didn't think the NVC process would be this fast for me and thought I had some time left to sort this matter out.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Gigli2008

[nica 5]

Yup, that's a very reasonable plan!

Another option, instead of filing MFJ (married filing jointly), you can file MFS (married filing separately). You'd still have to do the process by paper (no online tax programs), but in the SSN field for him, you'd just write in 'NRA' for non-resident alien. That's it. But, MFJ tends to give out a higher refund, so if you want to wait, that's fine.

Yep, as a grad student, I'll take every refund penny I can get!

[Darnell 8,478]

Ok Guys, NVC case number aquired and DS-3032 mail sent to NVC.

now i just have to wait until further instructions arrive? Are they sent by express courier or snail mail?

woot!

Knockse

Further instructions are in post #1 in this topic.

Good Luck !

Preparations for Semana Santa got me thinking...is NVC closed at all for Easter?

Unsure about the 'Good Friday' Holiday - but lets see, aye?

[lizka 3]

hey everyone, the tax docs wouldn't let me pass through wihtout and ITIN or SS number for my husbands, so i called irs. i filed my taxes as single, since i talked to the IRS and they said that definition of single includes if you and your husband don't live together, and haven't in the past 6 months. does nvc know this, or do i need to have my husband explain it with proof from IRS website that this is why i had to file as 'single' because my husband is not here, nor does he file taxes in the us??? PLEASE REPLY!

[Darnell 8,478]

I have been assembling the packages, just need to look for a way to proof my assets, in this case, the value of my house minus the mortgage.

I assume 2 estimations of the house done by realtors will be sufficient?

nope - not at all. they want to see an appraisal from a licensed appraiser

plus the current mortgage payment coupon thingie (which shows current equity, usually)

[lizka 3]

hey everyone, the tax docs wouldn't let me pass through wihtout and ITIN or SS number for my husbands, so i called irs. i filed my taxes as single, since i talked to the IRS and they said that definition of single includes if you and your husband don't live together, and haven't in the past 6 months. does nvc know this, or do i need to have my husband explain it with proof from IRS website that this is why i had to file as 'single' because my husband is not here, nor does he file taxes in the us??? PLEASE REPLY!

from IRS website:

Considered Unmarried

To qualify for head of household status, you must be either unmarried or considered unmarried on the last day of the year. You are considered unmarried on the last day of the tax year if you meet all the following tests.

You file a separate return (defined earlier under Joint Return After Separate Returns ).

You paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home for the tax year.

Your spouse did not live in your home during the last 6 months of the tax year. Your spouse is considered to live in your home even if he or she is temporarily absent due to special circumstances. See Temporary absences , later.

from IRS website:

Considered Unmarried

To qualify for head of household status, you must be either unmarried or considered unmarried on the last day of the year. You are considered unmarried on the last day of the tax year if you meet all the following tests.

You file a separate return (defined earlier under Joint Return After Separate Returns ).

You paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home for the tax year.

Your spouse did not live in your home during the last 6 months of the tax year. Your spouse is considered to live in your home even if he or she is temporarily absent due to special circumstances. See Temporary absences , later.

also

Nonresident alien spouse. You are considered unmarried for head of household purposes if your spouse was a nonresident alien at any time during the year and you do not choose to treat your nonresident spouse as a resident alien. However, your spouse is not a qualifying person for head of household purposes. You must have another qualifying person and meet the other tests to be eligible to file as a head of household.

just want to see if everyone did the same, those of you whose spouse is abroad and has been this entire process...