AOS interview next week (document checklist, mitigating lack of cohabitation & joint finances etc) Help!

[strangefella 1]

Last month we got a letter saying we have got the AOS interview scheduled on Jan 15th in Baltimore. I did not expect to get an interview date within 6-7 months of submission of my application, but I am not gonna complain about it. Right now we are assembling a bunch of folders/documents to make the strongest possible case during the interview. I have gone though a bunch of threads that have discussed such documents/packages. So I wanted to get some feedback on what I have assembled so far. Additionally, I could really some suggestions on how to make a strong case in the light not living with my wife right now, and a lack of joint finances. Despite the fact that we have had a strong relationship for close to 7 years, these factors will very likely be detrimental to our case. So I need your help on how to mitigate these circumstances, if possible at all. 

1) My wife and I are living in different states since early December as I moved from MD to CA to start a new job. I just could not find any suitable job in my area, and this job was a once in a lifetime opportunity. My wife is from CA and her family lives there. I plan to move back to MD after a year or so as CA is just crazy expensive to buy a home. I am sure this will count against us in the interview. It seems like cohabitation is a big deal. Can anything be done to downplay this? My wife changed her last name to mine, and I got on her health insurance. 

2) We don't have any joint finances, no joint accounts or joint tax filing. Financially we have always been very independent. We are beneficiary's at each others work. When we were renting an apartment together, we have the leases to show for it. Since my wife purchased a house, I pay for part of the mortgage by transferring money to her bank account. I don't have any clue what to do about it. 

3) We did not keep photocopies of the submitted forms (I-485, I-130, I-131, I-765, I-864). I do have the saved PDFs of the filled out forms, which I plant to print out and bring to the interview. I do have a copy of I-693 that the doctor gave me. In hindsight I should have kept photocopies of submitted forms, I don't know if the interviewer expect me to bring them. What should I do in this case?

Thank you in advance!

List of documents/evidence supporting marriage:

Folder 0: AOS Related Forms
- Prints of forms submitted to USCIS
- Subfolder containing all I-797s

Folder 1: Petitioner's US Citizenship and Identity
- Birth certificate
- US passport
- Driver's license

Folder 2: Petitioner's Proof of Income
- W2 of last three years
- Pay stubs of last 3 months

Folder 3: Beneficiary's Identity 
- Birth Certificate
- Passport
- US Visa
- EAD combo card
- I20s from college (old)
- I94
- Social security card

Folder 4: Proof of Family Relationship Between Petitioner & Spouse Beneficiary
- Marriage certificate
- Social security card showing wife's change of last name

Folder 5: Proof of Cohabitation (past only)
- Title of car owned jointly by me & my wife (for last 6 years)
- W2s of me & my wife showing same address (for last 6 years)
- Health insurance cards
- Car insurance cards (both our cars under same insurance)
- Apartment lease with our names 2014-2016

Folder 6: Proof of Travels
- Copies of wife's visa to India, immigration stamps on passport in India
- Flight tickets from CA to MD during Christmas break to visit wife

Folder 7: Photographs (making it pretty extensive)
- Photographs of us over the years
- Photographs showing both of us in important events in wife's family (weddings & etc) 
- Photographs taken during Indian ceremony in India
- Photographs taken during wedding in USA

Folder 8: Screenshots of FB posts of important events
- Prints of screenshots of FB posts (with date & time) showing us over the last 6 years 
- Prints of screenshots of wife's communication on FB (with date & time) with my mother

[Lemonslice 4,858]

How often do you visit each other?

[Dashinka 24,514]

You can only take what you have.  One thing you could add is creating a Will and Living Will for each other.  You can do that fairly quickly at least for a simple one.

 

Good Luck!

[HonoraryCitizen 179]

7 hours ago, strangefella said:

.Additionally, I could really some suggestions on how to make a strong case in the light not living with my wife right now, and a lack of joint finances. Despite the fact that we have had a strong relationship for close to 7 years, these factors will very likely be detrimental to our case. So I need your help on how to mitigate these circumstances, if possible at all. 

1) My wife and I are living in different states since early December as I moved from MD to CA to start a new job. I just could not find any suitable job in my area, and this job was a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

2) We don't have any joint finances, no joint accounts or joint tax filing. Financially we have always been very independent. 
 

Seven years of marriage and you only recently moved to a different state for a new job only one month ago? No big deal! It happens a lot. I don’t expect it to be a problem. You have lived together for years.

 

The main problem is the lack of extensive commingling of finances and joint filing. Seven years of marriage is a long time not to be completely commingled. However there is nothing you can do about it now, it is what it is. Be ready to be grilled on that, particularly taxes.

 

That said 7 years is a long enough time for a sham marriage to collapse so from my experience you are in good shape. 

 

Just out of curiosity, did your wife just become a citizen? Why is she now petitioning for you?

Edited January 9, 2019 by HonoraryCitizen