I-751 proof docs with some joint accounts

[shannen150 0]

Hey everyone!! I have a few questions that I hope someone can help me with regarding I-751 - Removing Conditions of 2 year Green Card.

 

1. My husband and I do not have a joint bank account, file joint taxes nor have bills in our name. He pays the bills mostly and I pay a few myself (he makes more money). Would it be acceptable to send copies of the bills we both pay individually since the bills are in our own names? This will also show we are both at the same address.

 

2. I saw a post online mentioning it could be a good idea to show W9’s and individual bank statements to prove I have been working and that they are sent to our address we live at, does anyone else have experience or info about that? 

 

3. Is there a limit to how many photos we should add, and should they begin from the day I moved here or the date of our wedding?

 

4. If anyone else has any info about documentation we can send when we don’t have joint accounts, that would be super helpful.

 

Thank you!! 

[Crazy Cat 41,887]

At this point (at least a few months until the 90 day window opens), I would IMMEDIATELY:

1.  Open a JOINT bank account and start paying household expenses from it!!!

2.  Amend your taxes

3.  Get personal affidavits

4.  Scrape up EVERYTHING showing both names at the same address.

5.  Accumulate anything showing a shared life together.

Insurance

Deliveries

Utilities

Driver license

Medical bills

This is not a drill!!!!   It is way, way past time for action.

Good luck.

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[JeanneAdil 6,510]

21 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

At this point (at least a few months until the 90 day window opens), I would IMMEDIATELY:

1.  Open a JOINT bank account and start paying household expenses from it!!!

2.  Amend your taxes

3.  Get personal affidavits

4.  Scrape up EVERYTHING showing both names at the same address.

5.  Accumulate anything showing a shared life together.

Insurance

Deliveries

Utilities

Driver license

Medical bills

This is not a drill!!!!   It is way, way past time for action.

Good luck.

 

agree 

amend the MFS to MFJ tax returns 

[shannen150 0]

24 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

At this point (at least a few months until the 90 day window opens), I would IMMEDIATELY:

1.  Open a JOINT bank account and start paying household expenses from it!!!

2.  Amend your taxes

3.  Get personal affidavits

4.  Scrape up EVERYTHING showing both names at the same address.

5.  Accumulate anything showing a shared life together.

Insurance

Deliveries

Utilities

Driver license

Medical bills

This is not a drill!!!!   It is way, way past time for action.

Good luck.

 

Thank you for your response. We are within the 90 days and we need to file by the beginning of September. We prefer to file our taxes separately and I think it would be expensive to adjust that. 
We have documents showing drivers licenses, green card, rental insurance, health insurance, car insurance, utilities in his name and utilities in my name. And we have at least 3 affidavits. 
We prefer to have our finances separate as it is easier to keep track of things that way but it looks like it makes it more difficult to prove to the USCIS (which is super frustrating).

 

Do you think we could open a joint bank account together and that would suffice or will payments needs to be made first of all and showing longer term?

[Crazy Cat 41,887]

8 minutes ago, shannen150 said:

We prefer to have our finances separate as it is easier to keep track of things that way but it looks like it makes it more difficult to prove to the USCIS (which is super frustrating).

My wife and I each have personal accounts, and we have a joint account.  Monthly, we each contribute to the joint account (from our personal accounts). We then pay for household expenses from the JOINT account.  It is quite easy, straight forward, and convenient.  

Edited July 20, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[Rocio0010 5,579]

14 minutes ago, shannen150 said:

We prefer to file our taxes separately and I think it would be expensive to adjust that. 

No, it’s not. The thing is, I don’t know that you’re on time to amend it since you’re Already on your 90 day window. 
 

Open a joint account now. Hubby and I each have a personal account, and we transfer from it monthly to our joint, to pay for household expenses. Easy peasy.

A few other documents you can include:

Joint lease

Joint vet invoices (if you have pets)

emergency patient contact info (from the doctor)

Flight tickets

Hotel reservations 

 

[Sukie 1,463]

Look - you're doing it the hard way - but that doesn't mean it is impossible.  Lots of couples do not co-mingle their finances - for many reasons - bad credit, different money management strategies and abilities, control issues, pre-nups, etc.

 

Your key thing will be to prove co-habitation with leases/mortgages in both names, home or renter's insurance in both names, at the same addresses.

 

Then, craft a very detailed paragraph in your cover letter explaining HOW you do your finances, WHY you have chosen to file separately (most couples find that MFJ is a smaller tax burden - but not all), where you do things jointly, and where you do them separately (like Spouse 1 pays these bills from this bank account, and Spouse 2 pays THESE bills from this other bank account).  Yes, send a couple of statements to show that bills go to the same address.  Your photocopies of your driver's licenses, and any other items (library cards, gym memberships) that show you "do life" together are good things.

 

You will have to get in front of USCIS' suspicions with a good up-front explanation for WHY you do WHAT you do.  Again - show that you have lived together since you married (and before, if applicable).

 

Best of luck.  Like I said, you are doing it the hard way, but if you explain, you may just sail through.

 

Sukie in NY

[shannen150 0]

3 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

My wife and I each have personal accounts, and we have a joint account.  Monthly, we each contribute to the joint account (from our personal accounts). We then pay for household expenses from the JOINT account.  It is quite easy, straight forward, and convenient.  

Thank you!!! That is super helpful. We have just opened 2 joint accounts, checking and saving. I know we don’t have a lot of time but we will be contributing to it and will show our statements when it is time to send 

[shannen150 0]

2 hours ago, Sukie said:

Look - you're doing it the hard way - but that doesn't mean it is impossible.  Lots of couples do not co-mingle their finances - for many reasons - bad credit, different money management strategies and abilities, control issues, pre-nups, etc.

 

Your key thing will be to prove co-habitation with leases/mortgages in both names, home or renter's insurance in both names, at the same addresses.

 

Then, craft a very detailed paragraph in your cover letter explaining HOW you do your finances, WHY you have chosen to file separately (most couples find that MFJ is a smaller tax burden - but not all), where you do things jointly, and where you do them separately (like Spouse 1 pays these bills from this bank account, and Spouse 2 pays THESE bills from this other bank account).  Yes, send a couple of statements to show that bills go to the same address.  Your photocopies of your driver's licenses, and any other items (library cards, gym memberships) that show you "do life" together are good things.

 

You will have to get in front of USCIS' suspicions with a good up-front explanation for WHY you do WHAT you do.  Again - show that you have lived together since you married (and before, if applicable).

 

Best of luck.  Like I said, you are doing it the hard way, but if you explain, you may just sail through.

 

Sukie in NY

Thank you so much!!! This information is extremely helpful. Me and my husband hasn’t joined finances as he was making more money and I was trying to find a job which was the right fit. Now I’m more stable and secure in my job, we are able to look into joining finances now. 
we just opened a joint checking and savings account and we will most definitely write a letter explaining our situation and why it has only now been opened

[SalishSea 17,836]

6 hours ago, shannen150 said:

Thank you for your response. We are within the 90 days and we need to file by the beginning of September. We prefer to file our taxes separately and I think it would be expensive to adjust that. 
We have documents showing drivers licenses, green card, rental insurance, health insurance, car insurance, utilities in his name and utilities in my name. And we have at least 3 affidavits. 
We prefer to have our finances separate as it is easier to keep track of things that way but it looks like it makes it more difficult to prove to the USCIS (which is super frustrating).

 

Do you think we could open a joint bank account together and that would suffice or will payments needs to be made first of all and showing longer term?

Affidavits are not useful.  
 

All  the evidence you have to support that you reside at the same address is overkill. That is only one component of what they are looking for.

 

You’ve gotten some good advice here.   Have you designated each other as beneficiaries of assets, POA, etc?   Do you own real estate or vehicles together?   Joint insurance policies, utilities, etc?

Edited July 20, 2022 by Jorgedig

[Daphne . 1,866]

I will just chime in as well.

 

My husband and I did not (and still don’t) have a joint bank account.
 

We sent our tax documents, copies of our DL with the same address, our T-Mobile plan, Proof of having each other added to health insurance, proof of having each other listed as beneficiaries of our 401k and life insurance, utility bills with both our names, some pictures of us together and of us with family members throughout our marriage. No mortgage on the house or a rental agreement.

 

I did not send a huge packet, just kept it to the ‘important’ proof. I sent 38 pages in total. 
 

No RFE and case is ready to be scheduled.

We have a very straightforward case, we’re a very boring couple, so that helped as well 😅 

Edited July 20, 2022 by Daphne K

[bakphx1 789]

I think cars, loans, insurance are all strong.  Having everything at the same address is key.  A little tip from our interviewing officer-they like to see you with family and friends.  Socializing together helps.

 

Trips together also help.  Credit card statements can show some indication you traveled together.  If you split expenses, write a letter explaining who pays what and have documentation to show that.  
 

Receipts or documents of anything else you do together (gym, clubs or something) can also be included.

 

Filing married is fine-people’s decision to do it jointly or not isn’t a reflection of their relationship.  It’s financial.  But, a joint account is very helpful.  

[JeanneAdil 6,510]

13 hours ago, shannen150 said:

Thank you for your response. We are within the 90 days and we need to file by the beginning of September. We prefer to file our taxes separately and I think it would be expensive to adjust that. 
We have documents showing drivers licenses, green card, rental insurance, health insurance, car insurance, utilities in his name and utilities in my name. And we have at least 3 affidavits. 
We prefer to have our finances separate as it is easier to keep track of things that way but it looks like it makes it more difficult to prove to the USCIS (which is super frustrating).

 

Do you think we could open a joint bank account together and that would suffice or will payments needs to be made first of all and showing longer term?

no expense to amend ,  u just file 1040x 

and if both taxes say Married and have same address  plus all the other u mention,  not so hard to prove to USCIS