Income Change: Form I-864

[Eric The Wait 40]

We have our AOS interview in Lawrence, Mass on Feb 16. My wife came on K1 Visa on May 26, 2016 and we were married on June 1, 2016. We applied for AOS in July of 2016. 

I have a few questions:

My income varies from year to year given the nature of my business. The firm (I am a shareholder and employee) usually pays me a base rate above 125% of Poverty Guidelines for our family size. This year I didn't get paid by the firm. I did some contract work for the Commonwealth of Mass (I can do as much as I want, and am taking more of that work each month now) and I also took some retirement money out. Between the state work and the retirement money (both of which I have 1099's for), my income was a few hundred bucks above the 125%.

My wife has very large cash assets which are here in savings accounts in two American banks. I listed those on the I-864 we sent in with the AOS. If my income was zilch that cash would still be well more than 5 times the 125%. I guess they call that self-sponsoring.

Question 1: Should I bring a new i-864 to the AOS interview? When I did the I-864 in July I had reasonable expectation that the firm would pay me the usual base rate in December like it usually does. But this year it didn't, and I don't want to be inaccurate on anything.

Question 2: What proof should I bring of bona fide marriage given this scenario: My wife and I are in our 50's. We are both professionals, although she no longer works. We have no joint accounts of any kind. For people our age, this seems appropriate. However, I see that "joint financial stuff" is the best proof of real relationship. Of course, we have a real marriage, but the only "joint stuff" is she is listed on is my auto insurance as a driver, and I pay for our health insurance so we have health insurance cards under the same account. But no bank accounts are joint and we don't want to mingle our money for many legit. reasons. She doesn't want to be put on the deed to my house (which we'll likely sell and get a new place she likes better in the coming years). She's not on any utility bills, phone bills, etc. We don't want to do anything "artificial", like running down to the Deed Registry to add her when that's not something she wants. There's no kids so if I bite the dust she gets the house anyway.

Question 3: I have a wedding band which she bought me. My wife has her engagement ring, which she wears on special occassions. She doesn't want a wedding band as she'll never wear it. Our wedding was Justice of The Peace with just the two of us there. We didn't exchange rings. Should she wear the engagement ring? (Is this a special occassion?)

Question 4: More serious....Her cash assets are in two local banks. We have the Bank Statements from her savings accounts, one statement is quarterly and the other is monthly. The accounts were opened in August of 2016 after we got her a social security number. I have the wire transfer slips when she sent the money from Japan to my firm client funds escrow account. She has the paperwork showing sale of real estate in Japan (about half her money) which is in Japanese and thick as a book. Should she translate that? What I couldn't get were letters from the banks. They are both huge banks and I called and they said: "What are you asking for? We send statements. We don't send letters." So, the only proof of the cash are the bank statements, the real estate sale in Japan, her old saving account bank books from Japan (the other half of her money) and the wire transfer receipts when she moved all the money here to the US. Are we good, or will the lack of these "letters" from the banks, which I couldn't get, be an issue? 

Honestly, I put so much blood, sweat and tears into getting the K1 Visa and lived in fear for years because we weren't together. I got perhaps complacent because once she was here I didn't feel any impending disaster. Now I feel like our AOS stuff is relatively thin. If anyone sees any glaring issues I would appreciate a heads up.