I-751 RFE would love some input

[Pinkrlion 2,713]

I believe you go the RFE because of no proof of financial co-mingling. Bank statements, utility bills since you were married. Send copies of all of these, don't worry about amount or poundage, just send it.

[saphina 7]

Wow - I'm rather surprised you got an RFE with your list!

We sent our package in today - 3 pounds 12.7 ounces worth. We did send joint ownership documents for our cat, which we imported from Australia.

Bona fide is Latin for "good faith" - Bona = good, and "fide" (fee-day) is faith or steadfastness. It's the same root used in the English word "fidelity".

We sent in bank statements from the month we married (with my spouse's old surname), and the quarterly statements after that (after my spouse changed her surname to mine). I have read that it is important to send EVERY page of the statement (even though I know I killed several trees in the process).

We did not send affidavits.

Good luck. Your letter actually made my heart skip a beat or two....

Sukie in NY

Everybody seems to have a different opinion on either all pages or every three month or so. As I apparently didn't send enough I am going to send every page of everything now. My first package was already super heavy and it'll be even more now...

[saphina 7]

I believe you go the RFE because of no proof of financial co-mingling. Bank statements, utility bills since you were married. Send copies of all of these, don't worry about amount or poundage, just send it.

It's true I didn't sent bank statements but I sent credit card statements of our joint cards and mortgage statements of the mortgage we have on our house. How is that not commingling?

The utility companies don't care that I need the bill to be addressed to both of us and simply won't do it, therefore I will now send in the water bill with my husbands name and the electric in my name with the same address.

[bckaren 0]

I have the same question about the envelope.. I will have about 200 pages on my RFE, and of course it doesn't fit on that envelope that they sent. So, can I send another one? Should I glue that one on top? How did you guys do that?

[rysa 3]

We managed to cram ours (double-sided printing) into flat rate USPS priority mail envelope--we were going to use a larger envelope and just pay the non-flat rate if necessary (I think the non-flat rate priority mail envelopes are larger). You can use the same address printed on the tiny envelope they sent you. Adding signature confirmation is also good strategy (though I've read in some cases they still don't sign for the delivery).

[Pitaya 2,577]

What was the full text of your RFE notice?

And yes, that tiny envelope was a joke. We sent it back with our almost 4 additional pounds of marital bonafide evidence, that was after we initially had sent in 6 pounds of evidence with the initial filings. We sent in everything 'cept the kitchen sink with our RFE response. The adjudicators seem to want volume, not quality at this time.

This forum is littered with plenty of recent similar-themed RFE stories, including ours.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[NikLR 13,227]

I have an image in my head of a USCIS adjudicator going "MOAR!!!"

[saphina 7]

I have reached the kitchen sink now... I have about 180 pages printed on both sides with everything and anything I could think of.

I mean we literally have everything in both names neither of us owns anything that doesn't have the others name on it.

Love the picture! It's so true! In my mind that folder they have on us should take up a full drawer in a filing cabinet by itself.

But at the end of the day you do what you have to do....and I know there have been plenty others that have received an RFE similar or the same as ours. It still makes your heart skips beat when you receive a RFE.

[SM & EF 41]

I know there have been plenty others that have received an RFE similar or the same as ours. It still makes your heart skips beat when you receive a RFE.

No doubt about that heart skipping. I was a bit down after getting the dreaded blue letter, but obviously we didn't send enough information. Let's hope our response is sufficient. We got our RFE on April 8, 2016 and we just sent the response yesterday (May 3, 2016). It totaled about 500 pages (single sided).

The majority of the pages were bank statements with transaction pages (about 60 statements - 150 pages total) and credit card statements with transaction pages (about 80 statements - 200 pages total). We had only sent samples of these statements with the original petition, so hopefully we've addressed their concerns.

We were unable to get utilities in both names, so we never sent them with our original petition. We did send copies with the RFE response (at least as many copies as we could get). With each one we included a note explaining that we couldn't get them in both names; we also highlighted which joint accounts/credit cards to look at for payment.

Now the waiting begins again. What's a couple more months? Fingers crossed for all of us.

SM & EF

[SM & EF 41]

I have the same question about the envelope.. I will have about 200 pages on my RFE, and of course it doesn't fit on that envelope that they sent. So, can I send another one? Should I glue that one on top? How did you guys do that?

Our RFE response had about 500 pages, so the envelope they provided remained with us as a memento.

We split the docs into 3 groups and clipped the pages together using ACCO clips. All three groups were then squeezed into a large envelope on which we wrote my husband's name, his A#, the WAC#, and "Attn: RFE". This was then sent via USPS Priority Mail in a medium-sized box.

Just to make it all alittle more exciting, after I left the post office I realized I forgot to write "Attn: RFE" on the outside of the box. I made a quick u-turn and ran back into the post office. There was a line of about 20 people but I caught the eye of the woman who had just helped me. I told her I forgot to add the ATTN info and luckily she still had the box at her station. I quickly added the info and was on my way. What a relief!

We'll keep you all posted on how it all works out. Hopefully we all get past this sooner rather than later.

SM&EF

[americanirish87 5]

Hey all - I am in the same boat with RFE now - can you all make me feel better and let me know how yours turned out (and that they turned out ok!!!!)

[Stephanillia 30]

On 4/22/2016 at 8:22 PM, Sukie said:

Wow - I'm rather surprised you got an RFE with your list!

We sent our package in today - 3 pounds 12.7 ounces worth. We did send joint ownership documents for our cat, which we imported from Australia.

Bona fide is Latin for "good faith" - Bona = good, and "fide" (fee-day) is faith or steadfastness. It's the same root used in the English word "fidelity".

We sent in bank statements from the month we married (with my spouse's old surname), and the quarterly statements after that (after my spouse changed her surname to mine). I have read that it is important to send EVERY page of the statement (even though I know I killed several trees in the process).

We did not send affidavits.

Good luck. Your letter actually made my heart skip a beat or two....

Sukie in NY

I am also surprised that they got an RFE.

[Hannah_NYC 14]

Hi Guys! 

 

So, today - 5/1/2020 -  I received the RFE letter. I wanted to share everything with you and see if you can help me with the preparation of the packet. I want to thank you in advance for your help. You guys are amazing!! 🏆

 

This is what I sent to USCIS on July 12, 2019. Vermont center. 

 

Evidence of our bona fide relationship:
• Copy of our Marriage Certificate
• Copies of our joint tax return for 2017 and 2018
• Copies of our tax transcripts for 2017 and 2018
• Copies of our W2's for 2017 and 2018 showing same address
• Copies of bank statements from our join bank account for the past 24 months
• Copy of our joint account debit cards
• Copy of our apartment renters insurance showing joint policy
• Copy of my spouse's life insurance policy showing my name as the beneficiary
• Copy of our original apartment rental contract showing joint cohabitation
• Copy of our renewed apartment rental contract showing joint cohabitation
• Notarized sworn affidavit letters of support from family and friends
• Letter from the Building Management Office confirming our tenancy and joint cohabitation
• Copies of electricity bills for the past 24 months showing joint account 
• Copy of our Costco joint membership
• Copies of checks that we have paid the apartment rent with from our joint bank account and the landlord's receipts.
• Copy of check that we have paid the IRS from our joint bank account
• Copies of medical records, phone bills, online orders, furniture deliveries, bank correspondence, IRS correspondence, Department of Motor Vehicles, USPS package deliveries, promotional materials and other showing same address
• Copy of an email from a real estate investor in regards to future investments addressed to both of us
• Copy of a reservation confirmation for a United Airlines client event that we attended in New York City showing both of our names
• Copies of Driver's Licence and State ID showing same address
• Copy of our airline tickets from our trip to Chicago, Illinois
• Copy of our hotel reservation confirmation letter in Chicago, Illinois
• Explanation to why we don’t have a joint health care insurance
• Explanation to why we don’t have a joint phone plan
• Pictures together from 2016 to 2019.

 

BELOW IS THE RFE LETTER. They are basically asking for the same things. I don't understand. Compared to other people that I know, who have gotten green cards, I think I have sent more than enough.

Unfortunately I don't have anything additional from what I sent 10 months ago. We don't have a kid, we don't have a car, we don't have a joint phone bill because his company pays for his bill and we don't have joint health insurance because we've been changing jobs frequently and we couldn't be on the same plan. 

Do you think if I send the same documents, but with new dates for the past 10 months it will be sufficient??? AWAITING FOR YOUR ADVICE :)) 

 

 

 

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

This thread is 18 months dead why keep posting offers of help in zombie posts?