Sending in I-751! Organization tips?!

[Rearviewmirror 397]

21 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

I am unconventional and go with my own logic rather than sending masses of redundant paper because eager forum members suggest it. You’ll have to decide what makes sense to you. To me 500 pages is not going to be viewed and there is a greater chance they will 1) leave it sitting on the desk/shelf forever because it is going to be a drudgery to go through, 2) miss something important because it’s HUGE...

Your logic is absolutely sound - I also just recognize we're dealing with bored contractors/bureaucrats. I'd rather do what the majority of folks are doing and avoid the delay of an RFE vs go more lightweight. That said - I'll be very interested to see how you get on  I couldn't be more philosophically aligned with what you're trying to accomplish!

[chancecody 125]

41 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

I am unconventional and go with my own logic rather than sending masses of redundant paper because eager forum members suggest it. You’ll have to decide what makes sense to you. To me 500 pages is not going to be viewed and there is a greater chance they will 1) leave it sitting on the desk/shelf forever because it is going to be a drudgery to go through, 2) miss something important because it’s HUGE,
 

 

Thanks for the complete details! I agree with your logic above if I were a Field Officer. I wish USCIS would be more direct and specify if they want one statement per quarter instead of monthly etc. Our AOS packet was hundreds of pages because we sent monthly statements and our wait was 17 months without RFE nor interview. I wonder if the long wait is because of the overwhelming mountain of evidence we gave 🤨. I will never know.

 

 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, Rearviewmirror said:

That said - I'll be very interested to see how you get on  I couldn't be more philosophically aligned with what you're trying to accomplish!

I got on with no RFE, no interview, no issues. Everybody has to decided what they are most comfortable with. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

38 minutes ago, chancecody said:

Thanks for the complete details! I agree with your logic above if I were a Field Officer. I wish USCIS would be more direct and specify if they want one statement per quarter instead of monthly etc. Our AOS packet was hundreds of pages because we sent monthly statements and our wait was 17 months without RFE nor interview. I wonder if the long wait is because of the overwhelming mountain of evidence we gave 🤨. I will never know.

 

 

Times have just gotten bogged down over the years. My ROC was the most pages of any of my applications. I also did not have an adjustment of status RFE or interview. That had zero bank statements. We married and filed within a week after my entry into the US. We didn’t really have much to show at that point but a marriage certificate and a few very casual wedding photos with close friends. I did collect things as we went along in case we had an interview. 

[kjmaiwen 9]

Hi folks, 

In the process of completing the I-175 form in Acrobat, and wondering if people put n/a in any blank fields? It doesn't allow it for many i.e. form fields where it should only include numbers and/or many fields don't accept the forward slash symbol, so I'm assuming it's ok to leave them blank? Anyone able to confirm this? 

Thank you! 

[Rearviewmirror 397]

42 minutes ago, kjmaiwen said:

Hi folks, 

In the process of completing the I-175 form in Acrobat, and wondering if people put n/a in any blank fields? It doesn't allow it for many i.e. form fields where it should only include numbers and/or many fields don't accept the forward slash symbol, so I'm assuming it's ok to leave them blank? Anyone able to confirm this? 

Thank you! 

I left them all blank.

[kjmaiwen 9]

Hi there, 

when filing your joint tax returns, did people include the whole thing?! Ours run to 200+ pages!

[K.T 34]

23 minutes ago, kjmaiwen said:

Hi there, 

when filing your joint tax returns, did people include the whole thing?! Ours run to 200+ pages!

I would include tax transcript from IRS which is only couple of pages long. Also those are superior evidence that you actually filed your taxes.  

[Elena & Craig 80]

On 1/5/2023 at 7:13 AM, Rocio0010 said:

 This is how we organized it:

• Cover on top.
• Check
• Cover letter
• Form G-1145
• Form 751
• Evidence organized from newest to oldest. For example, most recent bank statement on top, followed by the older ones. 
• We hole punched on top (because the article that @Chancy posted was released after we filed) and held everything together with a 3" inch ACCO binder and a piece of cardboard at the back, for more stability.
• Used sticky dividers on the side
• We wrote the name of the documents with labels that we created using a DYMO label maker.
• Sent the package in a sturdy FedEx box.

@Rocio0010 I used your lead and wanna say THANKS A BUNCH. I’m an Oct 2021 I-751 filer and I did not know about this VJ forum back then so I sent my I-751 all with loose papers to the best of my ability and judgment on which pages they may need. Well, it did not go well. October 2022 I got an RFE where they were stating they received only a several photographs + tax refund for 2020. Naturally it was insufficient evidence of a bona fide marriage and made me look like I’m not eligible for ROC. They just lost the whole stack of papers I sent them…so I had to treat my RFE just like another I-751. I finally sent out my 1.5incher dossier in the beginning of Jan. Literally everything but the kitchen sink they have from me. And I used your helpful guiding directions on how to organize all of it as I’m not giving them another chance to lose my papers. Enough is enough. Just my 5 cents, regardless of them NOT wanting hole punched docs. They got it anyways. This time I hope for a favorable response the sooner the better. 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Elena & Craig

[Elena & Craig 80]

1 hour ago, K.T said:

I would include tax transcript from IRS which is only couple of pages long. Also those are superior evidence that you actually filed your taxes.  

Second that. IRS tax transcripts only! USCIS even mentions that it’s what they prefer. Good luck! 

[Rocio0010 5,579]

13 minutes ago, Elena & Craig said:

@Rocio0010 I used your lead and wanna say THANKS A BUNCH. I’m an Oct 2021 I-751 filer and I did not know about this VJ forum back then so I sent my I-751 all with loose papers to the best of my ability and judgment on which pages they may need. Well, it did not go well. October 2022 I got an RFE where they were stating they received only a several photographs + tax refund for 2020. Naturally it was insufficient evidence of a bona fide marriage and made me look like I’m not eligible for ROC. They just lost the whole stack of papers I sent them…so I had to treat my RFE just like another I-751. I finally sent out my 1.5incher dossier in the beginning of Jan. Literally everything but the kitchen sink they have from me. And I used your helpful guiding directions on how to organize all of it as I’m not giving them another chance to lose my papers. Enough is enough. Just my 5 cents, regardless of them NOT wanting hole punched docs. They got it anyways. This time I hope for a favorable response the sooner the better. 

I’m glad I was of some help! And I sent my package right before they came up with the no hole punch thing!

[Rearviewmirror 397]

18 hours ago, Rocio0010 said:

I’m glad I was of some help! And I sent my package right before they came up with the no hole punch thing!

Fellow hole punchers unite!

[top_secret 2,404]

I think what USCIS probably most prefers these days is a big uniform stack of loose, single-sided, letter size paper that they can just plop down on a big industrial sized scanner and push the scan button one time without anything jamming up their document feeder or needing disassembled.by hand.

[Elena & Craig 80]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:14 AM, Rocio0010 said:

I’m glad I was of some help! And I sent my package right before they came up with the no hole punch thing!

Haha, my freaking dossier worked dealing with a pesky RFE. “New card is being produced” today. I’m certainly not encouraging people to send that much paper or hole punched documents under normal circumstances BUT if you have to deal with RFE where they lost your papers sending a substantial stack won’t hurt. They did not care whether it was loose or hole punched and organized. 

[Daniel Deit 0]

No hole punching if mailing to USCIS service center but I-751 should be mailed to a lockbox not service center so they recommend fasteners or heavy clip and sticky tabs.

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/tips-for-filing-forms-by-mail
 

• In preparing your packet, remember:
  • Do not use binders or folders that we cannot easily disassemble.
  • Do not use heavy-duty staples. Instead, use fasteners or heavy clips to hold together thick or bulky applications or petitions. Two-hole punching the top of the material for easy placement in the file is appreciated. Note: this is only applicable when submitting filings at a USCIS lockbox location. We recommend that you do not use fasteners, hole punch, staple, paper clip, binder clip, or otherwise attach documents to one another when filing directly with a USCIS service center as that may cause delays in scanning the documents into the electronic database systems.
  • Sticky tabs assist in locating items listed as attachments. For easy filing, place the tabs on the bottom of the page, not the side. Note: this is only applicable when submitting filing at a USCIS lockbox location. We recommend that you do not place sticky notes on documents when filing directly with a USCIS service center as that may cause delays in scanning the documents into the electronic database systems.