Supporting Documents for Re-establishing Domicile (AOS packet)

[elvenshadow 19]

I have been getting some documents ready for when I send the AOS packet. I live in Japan with my wife so I need to show that I will re-establish domicile in the US. This is what I plan to include on the cover letter and the documents I plan to send. Please tell me if this seems like enough to convince them and also please let me know if there is anything that seems like it would be a waste of time or pointless to include. Thank you!

Steps I have taken to maintain US Domicile:

• Maintained my Illinois voter registration

• Maintained my CitiCards Mastercard credit card registered in the US with a US address

• Maintained my checking and savings bank accounts at US Bank

• Maintained my Illinois state drivers license

• Maintained my US investment account with XXXX

• Have not re-contracted with my current job in Japan

• Have visited family and friends in the US every year (sometimes more than once) to maintain relationships in the US.

Supporting Documents for the above steps I have taken:

• Copy of voter registration card showing permanent US address

• Copy of CitiCards Mastercard credit card statement showing US billing address

• Copy of US Bank statement showing permanent US address

• Copy of current and valid Illinois state drivers license showing permanent US address

• Mutual fund statement showing permanent US address

• Certificate showing the end date of my current job contract.

• Copy of my complete passport showing dates that I visited the US since moving to Japan. (07/19/2008, 12/23/2008, 07/16/2009, 12/24/2009, 12/21/2010, 07/21/2011, 12/22/2011, 12/22/2012, 07/10/2013, 12/17/2013) Average length of each stay was about 2 weeks.

Steps I have taken to return to the US to take up residence:

• Made arrangements to stay at my parents’ house until we find an apartment

• Interviewed on Skype with US consulting agencies to find a new job in the US.

• Am actively looking for and applying for jobs in Illinois using Careerbuilder.com

• Contacted shipping company for estimate of costs to ship belongings

• Began preparing documents involved in receiving the lump-sum withdrawal pension refund from Japan Pension Services

Supporting documents for the above steps I have taken:

• Letter from my parents stating that we will stay with them while I find an apartment and job

• Emails from recruiting agency showing evidence that I am looking for a new job in the US.

• Careerbuilder.com profile page showing “Desired Location for Jobs” as Chicago and pages showing jobs in Illinois that I have applied for.

• Email from XXXX with estimate and correspondence regarding shipping our belongings

• Copy of “Declaration Naming a Person to Administer the Taxpayer's Tax Affairs” (nozei kanrinin no todokesho) filled out and signed. (For naming my father-in-law as my tax rep so that I can receive the full amount of the lump-sum withdraw refund. It can only be received if living outside of Japan.)

[asafrommaui 1]

All this looks good to me. You've covered all the bases with solid evidence.

[Dani&Juli_VE 1]

You've done your homework!

I'm in the same situation, but we are in Venezuela and will re-stablish domicile in USA.

I have pretty much the same you got there, and now you gave me some new ideas that I will include when the time comes!

You mentioned you got letters from your parents making arrangements... are these emails or actual old-school letters?

Some ideas:

1. My wife is not a very good english speaker, so I got her in an intensive english speaking course in the British Council. We will include her certificate to show our interest in the language.

2. We also want to take the TOEFL, IELTS and APTIS tests and include them. That would mean we are interested in studying and working in the US.

3. I am selling my car and motorcycle here in Venezuela, and I will include the notarized sale documents too.

We got an apartment here in Caracas, but we are not selling it until we are settled and comfortable in the US. If we were to sell it, I've read it is a good idea to include the sale documents.

Hope it helps!

Edited May 9, 2014 by dobleclickve

[elvenshadow 19]

@dobleclickve

I actually haven't gotten the letter from my parents yet. We are still waiting for NoA2 but I am just in the process of trying to get the NVC stuff ready early. I could ask them for either an email or a hand written one but the hand written one will just take longer. They need to send their I-864s to me anyway because my dad is our joint sponsor. Do you think hand-written is a better choice instead of them just printing out a typed letter and signing the bottom?

[NikLR 13,232]

You've done some homework and that's a good list!

[elvenshadow 19]

So, I looked everywhere for my voter registration card but I can’t seem to find it.

I went on the Illinois Cook County Clerk website and searched for my personal voter information. I got to a page where it shows my full name, registered US address and birth year and next to it, it says the voting precinct and lists the status as “Active”. If I was to send a full print out of this page instead of the voter registration card, do you think NVC would still be able to consider it as legit evidence for re-establishing domicile?

[Dani&Juli_VE 1]

@dobleclickve

I actually haven't gotten the letter from my parents yet. We are still waiting for NoA2 but I am just in the process of trying to get the NVC stuff ready early. I could ask them for either an email or a hand written one but the hand written one will just take longer. They need to send their I-864s to me anyway because my dad is our joint sponsor. Do you think hand-written is a better choice instead of them just printing out a typed letter and signing the bottom?

I think a printed and signed letter is much better as evidence.

Just for curiosity, did you put your Japan address in the I-130 "Information about you" field or did you put a US address?

Edited May 13, 2014 by dobleclickve