i-751 Interview advice and evidence

[oceanborn 33]

Legal Permanent Resident - so that'd be you in this instance.

They are sticklers for the co-mingling of finances. An IO I spoke to once said that not providing any evidence of co-mingled finances, large purchases, bank accounts and the like is a 98% guaranteed interview --- but honestly, all the advice you've got above is spot on. At this stage, you just want to collect absolutely everything that documents your shared lives together and prepare well for the interview. Expect to answer the financial questions though.

[QueenComley 295]

I don't follow. We were never told by anyone that we had to have a joint account...

Its one of the most crucial piece of financial evidence that USCIS are looking for. The top 3 documentation required / expected would be jointly filed taxes, joint lease/mortgage agreements and joint bank account. From one brit to another I wish you a ton of luck during your interview.... Please keep us all posted... you will be fine Im sure. Your getting together everything else in order to support your marriage

Edited November 15, 2015 by QueenComley

[NikLR 13,227]

Legal permanent resident... you.

[feli114 65]

Tax returns?

[TBoneTX 44,690]

The following is meant as information to others who are reading.

The OP's pickle is what can happen to any couple who are not students of the process. Preparation is far easier than (often-hasty) damage control.

During our ROC stage, I followed the advice of others, which was to take any remotely relevant evidence that accrued after marriage and throw it all into a box. Sure enough -- when filing-time for ROC came, there was more than enough material from which to choose.

Keep the above in mind. In addition, even if you have few possessions, remember that creating wills can help in terms of ROC evidence. Wills are even more crucial to have in "life."

[Anh map 2,098]

Individual bank statements showing a common address would be good. Certainly the signature pages of the lease (just print the whole thing double sided) And any other "major" items showing the common address even if the accounts are separate. Driver's license, 401k, life insurance, and the like. Affidavits are almost worthless, no one submits a bad one. Wedding photos don't mean much at this stage. Evidence of traveling together, socializing together, time with family.

Gather up what you have. No need to manufacture a joint account if you don't live your life that way. A brand new account really doesn't add to your evidence. You should be ok with what you've talked about. The initial filing was probably a bit thin so you were picked.

Good luck.

[menina 50]

We submitted a ton of evidence and still got called for an interview. I brought copies and originals of everything we submitted the first time along with new affidavits from friends and updated copies of joint accouts, bills, etc. I also brought mail with both of our names, copies of joint gym membership, copies of credit cards with the same account number, etc. Showing you are on your wife's insurance plan or are the ememergancy contact for her work are also good proofs.

[earthwormgym 1]

Also, are we definitely supposed to have a lawyer for this?!

[earthwormgym 1]

Thanks to everyone's feedback also

And, yes we have added Tax returns...

Interview in 3 days!!

[earthwormgym 1]

Individual bank statements showing a common address would be good. Certainly the signature pages of the lease (just print the whole thing double sided) And any other "major" items showing the common address even if the accounts are separate. Driver's license, 401k, life insurance, and the like. Affidavits are almost worthless, no one submits a bad one. Wedding photos don't mean much at this stage. Evidence of traveling together, socializing together, time with family.

Gather up what you have. No need to manufacture a joint account if you don't live your life that way. A brand new account really doesn't add to your evidence. You should be ok with what you've talked about. The initial filing was probably a bit thin so you were picked.

Good luck.

With individual bank statements, we've just provided one month of each address we resided in, just to show address's are the same. Is that enough, or should we print more individual statements to show longevity of accounts?

[NikLR 13,227]

No a lawyer cannot help you with your interview. If your relationship is genuine, they can tell.

[Anh map 2,098]

With individual bank statements, we've just provided one month of each address we resided in, just to show address's are the same. Is that enough, or should we print more individual statements to show longevity of accounts?

Give them a longer time frame, it can't hurt. That helps the CO see the patterns that may be there (one spouse pays the rent, the other pays utilities, and so on). It's about showing a life lived as a couple during the past couple of years so routine is a good things. That's how the majority lives.

[oceanborn 33]

OP - keep us updated on the outcome!

[earthwormgym 1]

OP - keep us updated on the outcome!

Will do- Interview is tomorrow at 11am!

Give them a longer time frame, it can't hurt. That helps the CO see the patterns that may be there (one spouse pays the rent, the other pays utilities, and so on). It's about showing a life lived as a couple during the past couple of years so routine is a good things. That's how the majority lives.

Got it! Good point- we'll add another couple of months in there.

Thanks!

[earthwormgym 1]

Well, wife and I just got back from the interview.

Overall, experience for us was "easier" than we thought.

We arrived a good hour or so early, went through security which luckily had no line and went to the upper level where we got checked in. We sat in the large waiting room and assumed the long wait would start. There were a lot of other couples there with their lawyers. Now I know everyone's situation is different, but we began to wonder whether we should have hired some representation...

After about 20 minutes, we were called up! We were shocked! The fact that we'd arrived early clearly worked in our favour. The officer led us through to his office. The first thing did together was get sworn in/taking oath. Holding up our right hands, admitting that would would tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We both agreed. He then invited us to sit.

He began by going through our case file. In front of him was all the current evidence we had previously submitted, including the additional evidence that was requested subsequent to our first i-751 submission. He then went on to ask if we had additional information, such as tax returns and joint bank account info, that we previously did not submit. We provided pretty much everything we had at this point, talking through each one in detail. When it came to addressing the bank account, we discussed how we budget our finances together using an excel spreadsheet (printed our copies as evidence) and that we organise who pays what bills. We proved this showing our individual bank statements and indicated the spending patterns over the last few months. The officer seemed happy with this. We went on to say how we had JUST opened a joint bank account, with the plans to put all our finances into one place. Again, he agreed.

Taking all the other evidence, he confirmed previous addresses, asked if I had any previous criminal history and then went through our provided photos. In particular, he looked over the family gatherings and asked if we could indicate WHEN they were taken. We had a picture of my wife visiting family back in England. This seems to please him!

He concluded by saying that a decision would be made based on final background checks and green card mailed within 90 days! He seemed to suggest that we didn't have any problem but didn't GUARANTEE this. We feel like, based on background checks, everything should be in the clear!

Overall, we weren't as interrogated as we thought we were going to be. He asked the questions we assumed he would and we were prepared to give a confident answer. Yes, the build-up/anticipation was pretty nerve-wracking, but the experience was pretty comfortable.

Hope all this helps!