If Your Tax Filing Is MFJ, Learn From My Mistake

[DutchNtheDutchess 3]

On 8/19/2023 at 5:45 PM, Jason and May said:

This is probably common knowledge to so many folks who have petitioned, but.... In the event you are about to make the mistake I did, here you go: 

 

I filed MFJ for 2022. When we hit the NVC stage, we were prepared, man. Ready to rock CEAC. I uploaded my tax return transcript and other required documents. We uploaded my wife's civil docs. 

 

10 days later, we get a message that says to please upload my W2(s) and any 1099s. 

 

Okay. We uploaded that. 

 

10 days later we get another message to please upload my tax schedules. 

 

I started getting irritated. If you provide your tax return transcript, you are not required to provide your tax returns or schedules. Right? Sort of. (I can see CCat, Mike E, etc., laughing about right now.)

 

Because I'm so busy during the week, I generally don't have time to make personal phone calls during the day. So, today, I was going to pop an inquiry off to NVC to ask some questions about why they keep asking for more documents, which is delaying the process for us. 

 

As I was looking up the exact USCIS language to quote, I realized.... Oops. My mistake.

 

AoS instructions state: "If you provide a photocopy of your Federal individual income tax returns, you must include a copy of each and every Form W-2 and Form 1099 that relates to your returns.  Do not include copies of these forms if you provide an IRS transcript of your Federal individual income tax returns rather than a photocopy unless you filed a joint income tax return with your spouse and are qualifying using only your income." ....Which is our exact situation. 

 

Read. Everything. Carefully. And then maybe read it again. I read those I864 instructions a dozen times, but I glazed right over that last part. So far, due to my error, we will have wasted at least a month's time in this process. At least it's not COVID timeframes each time we get bumped back to the beginning of the queue, but it's frustrating nonetheless. 

 

I hope this helps someone else avoid this mistake.

 

 

Thank you!! You definitely saved us some time bc I forgot to include my 10-99 from cashing out my retirement before I came to NL. And that's why the RFE for w-2 didn't make sense when I had already uploaded it. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I honestly don't think I would have thought of it any time soon. 

[Jason and May 79]

4 hours ago, DutchNtheDutchess said:

Thank you!! You definitely saved us some time bc I forgot to include my 10-99 from cashing out my retirement before I came to NL. And that's why the RFE for w-2 didn't make sense when I had already uploaded it. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I honestly don't think I would have thought of it any time soon. 

I'm really glad it was helpful for you.