Need some RFE advice

[thedooky 0]

I just got sent an RFE, and I want to make sure I'm doing things right before I send the new stuff in.

As evidence of our relationship, I sent photos, our joint apartment lease, a utility bill, our 2013 tax return and some bank statements from our joint checking account. The problem was with the latter two. In the case of the tax return, it's my fault: I didn't realize W-2s had to be included. As for the bank statements, they want evidence going further back than what I sent.

What's the best form of evidence for the bank account? Our situation is a bit weird. We've had a joint savings account going right back to the month we got married, and we've always had a joint checking account, but it's not always been the same account. At first, I was put on my wife's checking account. Then more recently we opened up a new account (with the same bank) and that became our joint account, and I removed myself from the first one.

In a situation like this, should we just ask the bank for a letter explaining all of this? Is the joint savings account enough by itself?

[thedooky 0]

How many bank statements did you send in your original I-751 application? Now that you have an RFE, I would send a copy of every statement beginning with the one where you opened your bank account together. You can also send one copy statement of the older now-closed checking account if you wish to show that your wife and you go back a long way and then explain that you've changed accounts since. My husband and I were in a very similar situation where we were in each other's accounts, then he took himself out and we ultimately closed that account and started another one. I gave one statement of that old account for my adjustment of status. Now for the I-751, you are not required to show documents outside of the two year timeframe, but given that you have an RFE, I don't think it would hurt to enclose one older bank statement from an account that doesn't exist anymore just to show that your relationship has been bonafide way beyond two years.

Instead of submitting tax returns and W2s, you could enclose tax transcripts - less paper to print and less hassle in looking for several W2s. Tax transcripts are the favorite evidence of USCIS and they're freely accessible on the IRS website. Attach tax transcripts for the last two or three years, not just 2013.

I would also attach other forms of joint evidence such as joint utility bills or joint health/auto/life insurance whatever you may have. USCIS is always happier with more co-mingling of finance/assets so the more, the merrier. You could also add secondary form of evidence such as greeting cards and letters addressed to you both. Good luck!

Thanks so much for your advice! I wasn't aware of the tax transcript thing, though I'm having some trouble registering at the website: it keeps saying my information doesn't match what's on file, and now I'm locked out from trying again for a while. As it happens, we have our tax returns for 2011 and 2013, but one of the W-2s is missing for the 2012 return, and my wife no longer works at that company, so getting a copy might be difficult.

The bank account that I used to be joint on does still exist; we just changed it back so that it's solely my wife's account, and we made a different joint account instead. We don't receive paper bank statements, and our bank's website is telling us that we can get statements going back three years from them, but only statements for the last 12 months seem to be displaying, so I expect we'll have to pay them a visit.

[twinspits 2]

Most banks have the last year on line but if you go in they have previous years in their archive

[akihon 129]

USCIS loves tax transcripts because it's a record that the IRS received your return

[jjbandero 39]

You don't have to bring every bank statement, my husband and I just pulled four per year, rather than 12. You might also be able to get your bank to write a letter stating when the account was opened if it's hard to get all the statements together. Other documents we submitted are ones that we considered more "formal" that had our address on it, for example, social security statement, any letter from the local government, jury summons.

Cheers

[J e n n y 26]

Also regarding bank statements, remember to include the entire statement (all pages). I know I've read that some people only sent like the first page of each statement and they got an RFE because of that.

And with tax transcripts, have you tried calling 1-800-829-1040 to request a transcript over the phone?

[akihon 129]

Also regarding bank statements, remember to include the entire statement (all pages). I know I've read that some people only sent like the first page of each statement and they got an RFE because of that.

And with tax transcripts, have you tried calling 1-800-829-1040 to request a transcript over the phone?

Not necessarily the entire statement, but enough of the statement to show transactions on the accounts. The first page doesn't do that, therefore they received the RFEs