175-1

[jill 0]

When submitting evidence with 175-1 e.g. Utility Bills & Bank Statements, will copies be acceptable? What period of time must these cover, from date of marriage? As it may be a long period to cover is it acceptable to send a cross section of these documents e.g. Bills for every other month rather than every month?

I must say that this site has been so valuable to me from the date I applied for my K1

[lucyrich 20]

When submitting evidence with 175-1 e.g. Utility Bills & Bank Statements, will copies be acceptable? What period of time must these cover, from date of marriage? As it may be a long period to cover is it acceptable to send a cross section of these documents e.g. Bills for every other month rather than every month?

I assume you mean I-751, not 175-1?

Ordinary photocopies are acceptable. Keep originals in case they're needed later. But submit your I-751 with original signatures (preferably in blue ballpoint ink, to make it clear that the signatures are indeed original).

The instructions say that the evidence should cover the time since the beginning of the marriage, but most people concentrate on the time since the last time their relationship was scrutinized for the initial LPR approval.

As for what and how much, people vary. Once you've submitted one utility bill for each 6 months, ask yourself how much more useful info the intermediate bills will give the adjudicator. Personally, we didn't submit more than a single bill or statement of each type. You may choose to submit more, but know that there's no rule that says submitting one or a few bills of a certain type compels you to submit all similar bills covering the entire time frame.

Also, realize that the I-751 process is probably a little less crucial than earlier processes. Firstly, you're together during the process, so making the approval as speedy as possible isn't quite as important as it is for a visa. Second, note that the person adjudicating your I-751 will either decide either that it's approvable as is, or that an interview is required. A few random petitions that were intially judged approvable will also be selected for an interview for statistical quality control purposes. But they won't deny your I-751 outright -- they'll give you a chance at the interview. You can certainly bring all the intermediate bills to an interview if you have one, and if you think they'll make a difference.

The vast majority of people reporting here have reported success without an interview. A very few have reported interviews. I've never heard a report of a denial after an interview. I'm sure they happen, but I hope it's mostly to couples who should be denied because they're fraudulent.