When to begin preparing documents

[JasonS1 51]

Hi guys,

 

This may seem like a really basic question. We are going to be getting married 3 months from now after which I'll apply for AOS. When should I start preparing the forms and obtaining documents? Should I wait until a month out or can I start now? My only thought was if the information I am providing is 3 months old then I may have issues, such as my credit report for form I-944.

Thanks!

[Noname93 200]

I started collecting a few months before. You could start making a list of what exactly you need and then start with the not time sensitive things like your evidence of your relationship. I started collecting facebook posts, pictures, our old plane tickets, tickets for our upcoming cruise a few months before. Cross those things off your list and you'll only have a few things left later on. It's also a good idea to get anything that needs translating translated now (might not be an issue since your from Canada, unless you're from the french part). I'd definitely wait with any official paperwork until a bit closer, but that's just my opinion.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Noname93
added some stuff I forgot

[vanessanguyen083 13]

On 6/20/2020 at 4:26 PM, JasonS1 said:

Hi guys,

 

This may seem like a really basic question. We are going to be getting married 3 months from now after which I'll apply for AOS. When should I start preparing the forms and obtaining documents? Should I wait until a month out or can I start now? My only thought was if the information I am providing is 3 months old then I may have issues, such as my credit report for form I-944.

Thanks!

I prepared months before (I'll say it took up every weekend for about 5 months, but I'm the "everything but a kitchen sink" crew). I think it's important to list out what you need (let say paychecks, credit reports, joint bank statement, etc.) and start building up the load from there. It feels horrible finding that stuff in a weekend, and it opens up to mistakes. I'm telling you, I filled out the I-864 in August thinking I'll file in September. I found some silly mistakes that took forever to correct. So it's better to prepare early!

[Shauneeny 5]

There's no harm in going through the forms and making a list of all the documents you'll need. I found myself rushing to get everything done in time and wishing I had been more organized!

 

Good luck!