Form I-751 Evidence Query – Sensitive Info Redaction?

[Dazzy 2]

My Husband & I are filing I-751 to remove conditions on my GC in 2 months and have questions regarding sensitive information on some of our documents. Wondering if anyone has had experience with these?

1. Joint Saving Account – Is it okay to "redact"/black out bank account number for safety reasons? Or that is a guaranteed RFE?

2. Joint Taxes – Do we need to send in the entire summary or just the first page showing both our  names, taxes paid and refunds received to fed and state government qualify?

 

Should we be highlighting our names when they appear together on all this evidence?

 

Other documents we will be submitting include:

• Lease Agreement 

• Car Title for 1 Car

• Car loan/dealership agreement for 1 car

• Car Registration for 2 cars

• State IDs with same address

• Joint Trips (x4) with pictures from each trip (picture of us + pictures with family & friends)

• Medical insurance for me (spouse) from his work

• Life Insurance listing me as his beneficiary

• Life insurance listing him as my beneficiary

• ROTH acc letter listing me as his beneficiary

• ROTH acc letter listing him as my beneficiary

• Joint Car Insurance

• Credit Card statements with both our names on it

 

Thank you in advance!

[Edward and Jaycel 988]

38 minutes ago, Dazzy said:

1. Joint Saving Account – Is it okay to "redact"/black out bank account number for safety reasons? Or that is a guaranteed RFE?

 

Guaranteed RFE - Do not redact anything. Everything in your file that is sensitive, PID, etc. is classified. 

 

39 minutes ago, Dazzy said:

2. Joint Taxes – Do we need to send in the entire summary or just the first page showing both our  names, taxes paid and refunds received to fed and state government qualify?

Send the entire Tax Return Transcript

[OldUser 8,267]

Concur with @Edward and Jaycel

Do not redact anything sensitive.

USCIS is a government agency.

 

You're dealing with government which in some instances knows more about yourself than you do.

 

All USCIS data is well protected.

Edited 23 hours ago by OldUser

[OldUser 8,267]

Send all pages of all documents or expect RFE

[Dazzy 2]

Thank you for the advice everyone!

 

Our concern was less about the government knowing our information (like you said, they know more about us that we do), and more about what could happen if by some stroke of bad luck our mail gets lost and lands in the wrong  person's hands.

 

But noted, thank you again!

[Dashinka 25,076]

Interesting, we redacted things like credit card numbers and bank account numbers and had no issues.  I guess YMMV.  If you have documents like bank statements, credit cards, 401k, etc., showing both names, USCIS does not need the account number(s) to see both names IMO.

 

Good Luck!

 

P.S.  Our bank account statements do not show the complete account numbers anyway, so do I add the remainder of the numbers, or leave it as is?  I chose the latter.

Edited 22 hours ago by Dashinka

[Dashinka 25,076]

A couple of similar threads asking the same question, and the answers vary.

 

 

 

[OldUser 8,267]

34 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

 

 

P.S.  Our bank account statements do not show the complete account numbers anyway, so do I add the remainder of the numbers, or leave it as is?  I chose the latter.

Editing and redacting is what's typically produces mixed results. If bank itself produces statements with account number partially masked, that's OK.

Alterations to doc can raise suspicion, whether these docs showing real data or were constructed too...

Edited 22 hours ago by OldUser

[Dashinka 25,076]

31 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Editing and redacting is what's typically produces mixed results. If bank itself produces statements with account number partially masked, that's OK.

Alterations to doc can raise suspicion, whether these docs showing real data or were constructed too...

I don’t disagree, but I highly doubt it is am immediate RFE unless it is the only evidence submitted.  And based on my simple search here, it appears it is definitely not a cut and dry issue.  Sure USCIS has access to a lot of sensitive personal information, but the OP has a valid concern about if the package falls into the wrong hands.  As I said, YMMV, and I would expect the IO would look at the package as a whole rather than an occasional redaction.  Also you could say the same thing about photos being captioned and dated by hand, or any document, redacted or not as fabricated.  I know, photos are secondary evidence, but it was my experience that IO’s do give them a little weight.  Our IO at my wife’s GC interview loved our wedding photos.

Edited 21 hours ago by Dashinka

[mam521 2,321]

IMO you have a lot of supporting evidence that is much stronger than a joint bank account, anyway.  Basically anyone can get a joint bank account with another person.  Where as people won't typically list just anyone as a beneficiary on life insurance and retirement savings policies.  

 

Your list looks pretty comprehensive.  I suspect you'll have no issues.  

[OldUser 8,267]

39 minutes ago, mam521 said:

IMO you have a lot of supporting evidence that is much stronger than a joint bank account, anyway.  Basically anyone can get a joint bank account with another person. 

I don't think financial comingling can be understated. To share finances, you need to trust the person. If you open joint account with a random person, the funds can be depleted by that person without any repercussion... They're a joint holder thus have right to empty out account any moment.

 

Both parties contributing to account and sharing access to funds to each other is good evidence of bonafide marriage.

 

Your comment is akin to other comments I've seen on VJ about children born in marriage isn't good evidence because anybody can have a child.

 

I strongly disagree with these sentiments.

Yes, there are people who do silly things - add strangers to their accounts, have kids with random people. But it's not different from silly things like people signing I-864, sharing insurance or adding somebody on their house deed to only realize they were used.

Edited 19 hours ago by OldUser

[ineedadisplayname 505]

8 hours ago, OldUser said:

All USCIS data is well protected.

Until DOGE gets to it.

 

Anyway as others said don't redact it.

You can send in your IRS transcripts which you can download from https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

[TBoneTX 46,526]

Let's please reserve political statements for the Current Events forum.   

[mam521 2,321]

16 hours ago, OldUser said:

I don't think financial comingling can be understated. To share finances, you need to trust the person. If you open joint account with a random person, the funds can be depleted by that person without any repercussion... They're a joint holder thus have right to empty out account any moment.

 

Both parties contributing to account and sharing access to funds to each other is good evidence of bonafide marriage.

 

Your comment is akin to other comments I've seen on VJ about children born in marriage isn't good evidence because anybody can have a child.

 

I strongly disagree with these sentiments.

Yes, there are people who do silly things - add strangers to their accounts, have kids with random people. But it's not different from silly things like people signing I-864, sharing insurance or adding somebody on their house deed to only realize they were used.

My husband and I have been together for a decade, married for 7 years at the end of this month.  We do not have a shared bank account.  I have a shared bank account with my mom but that's only because the account is 40+ years old and it's convenient.  I don't lack trust in my husband, nor does he lack trust in me.  It's just a matter of how our lives were established pre-marriage.  This is the case for a number of people - they have reasons for not having shared bank accounts.  

 

Have you ever tried to change beneficiaries on certain investments or life insurance plans?  It's often not easy, especially pensions.  Additionally, payouts on things like life insurance are often quite high.  Most people aren't going to go through that effort of naming that beneficiary and essentially handing them potentially 7 figures unless they are in a serious relationship.  

 

Just because you have a baby doesn't mean a marriage is solid and there are just as many cases, especially those from certain countries, where DNA testing is required because claiming a child is, as awful as this is to say, too easy.  On the other hand, having no children doesn't automatically mean a marriage is in trouble, either.  So, not a single basis for determining the legitimacy of a marriage in either case.  

 

My point is simply there is PLENTY of comingling that the OP has demonstrated.  A joint bank account is low on the list of proofs, comparatively speaking, especially with a compiled list of a dozen or so items.  You may disagree, but you're thinking with your heart in assuming trust must prevail in the case of a bank account.  A CO has to look at the evidence, holistically, logically and without prejudice.  A bank account as a single item is not a strong evidence - more like a "list B or list C" equivalent for proof of status when you're filling out an I-9.  Is it helpful?  Yes.  Is it the be all, end all?  Nope.