How do you deal with these massive packages due to paper clips?

[Dongbei 22]

As you can see in the pics below, I'm running into this issue with my package. The package (not yet complete) is already like 5 inches thick on one corner and way uneven due to paperclips. My package, when completed, is going to have 47 items, not including the form itself. That's a lot of paperclips, especially since some of the items have a ton of sub-items (e.g. quarterly records from bank accounts, brokerage accounts, credit cards, etc.). 

 

My potential solution would be to remove any of the paper-clips between the sub-items. That is, all of the quarterly statements for one joint brokerage account would be held together by a binder clip instead of a bunch of paper clips separating each monthly statement and then all held together by a binder clip.

 

Would that work to combine monthly statements with a big binder clip? Anyone else run into this issue? How'd you solve it?

 

 

[RamonGomez 272]

Split up the paper clips so about 1/3 are on the left side, 1/3 are in the middle of the document, and 1/3 and towards the right side of the page. Your idea of using binder clips to do bigger sections would work as well. TBH 5 inches seems really, really thicc. Our packet was 1.5" and even at that point I thought it was excessive. And that included deeds to our jointly owned homes, kids' birth certs, auto titles, bank accounts etc.

 

BTW what is that first document? For ROC you basically just need the I751 form + copy of green card + copy of marriage certificate + evidence. I don't recall sending in any "white book" natatorial docs. Unless it's a Chinese marriage cert, I don't think you need to send in any other white books.

Edited May 6, 2021 by RamonGomez

[Dongbei 22]

13 minutes ago, RamonGomez said:

Split up the paper clips so about 1/3 are on the left side, 1/3 are in the middle of the document, and 1/3 and towards the right side of the page. Your idea of using binder clips to do bigger sections would work as well. TBH 5 inches seems really, really thicc. Our packet was 1.5" and even at that point I thought it was excessive. And that included deeds to our jointly owned homes, kids' birth certs, auto titles, bank accounts etc.

 

BTW what is that first document? For ROC you basically just need the I751 form + copy of green card + copy of marriage certificate + evidence. I don't recall sending in any "white book" natatorial docs. Unless it's a Chinese marriage cert, I don't think you need to send in any other white books.

Good idea on splitting them up! Yes it’s a Chinese marriage certificate. Still waiting to finish the I-751 form until after our child is born this month. 
 

It ended up being super thick because of the nature of the evidence. One month statement from our brokerage is 22 pages. We have several joint accounts, so even quarterly statement pushes those sections to 200+ pages. Without the paper clip craziness it should probably be like 2” when finished. 

[RamonGomez 272]

4 minutes ago, Dongbei said:

Good idea on splitting them up! Yes it’s a Chinese marriage certificate. Still waiting to finish the I-751 form until after our child is born this month. 
 

It ended up being super thick because of the nature of the evidence. One month statement from our brokerage is 22 pages. We have several joint accounts, so even quarterly statement pushes those sections to 200+ pages. Without the paper clip craziness it should probably be like 2” when finished. 

Nice. We filed in Feb 2021. We only sent in Jan 2021, 2020, 2019... statements. That really helped to trim the fat. Fortunately we have everything at Fidelity so we have a single consolidated statement each month.

 

Congratulations on the soon-to-arrive baby BTW! 😀

[mindthegap 2,594]

These are great and inexpensive

 https://www.staples.com/pendaflex-expanding-file-folder-pocket-manila-letter-size-8-1-2-x-11-3-4-expansion-150-sheet-capacity-10-pk/product_831297

 

 

[Brittani 484]

On 5/5/2021 at 10:43 PM, Dongbei said:

As you can see in the pics below, I'm running into this issue with my package. The package (not yet complete) is already like 5 inches thick on one corner and way uneven due to paperclips. My package, when completed, is going to have 47 items, not including the form itself. That's a lot of paperclips, especially since some of the items have a ton of sub-items (e.g. quarterly records from bank accounts, brokerage accounts, credit cards, etc.). 

 

My potential solution would be to remove any of the paper-clips between the sub-items. That is, all of the quarterly statements for one joint brokerage account would be held together by a binder clip instead of a bunch of paper clips separating each monthly statement and then all held together by a binder clip.

 

Would that work to combine monthly statements with a big binder clip? Anyone else run into this issue? How'd you solve it?

 

 

Ours looked similar because I sent in basically everything that could help prove we are a bonafide married couple. 2018, 2019, and 2020 tax returns (entire packets), bank statements dating back a year, the deed to our home showing me as the buyer but listing us both as the owners, his truck loan with both our names, his car tag registration showing both of us registered, a year of water bills with both our names, life insurance showing him as my beneficiary, medical insurance, car insurance, cards mailed to both of us, pictures from the last two years of different trips, all our airline tickets from when we traveled, airbnb receipts, etc. I totally front loaded but I'd rather send to much than not enough. I used paper clips to divide everything then I used those big alligator clips to hold it together (it ended up breaking into two big packets), then I put two rubber bands around each packet. I had to mail it in an actual box instead of an envelope. I was really worried they wouldn't accept it or something but they cashed our check about six weeks later and sent a NOA1 letter shortly after then a few weeks after that we got a letter to show biometrics have been waived so they must be ok with the large packet.