Additional Evidence for Marriage-Based Green Card Interview

[usadig 2]

I (U.S. citizen) filed a concurrent green card application for my wife in September 2024, after we got married in July 2024.

 

Supporting Documents Submitted as Proof of Marriage:

• Joint health insurance (from my employer)

• Joint auto insurance

• Photos with friends/family/events from past years (we met in 2017) and from our wedding (small ceremony)

• Photos of us celebrating our first home (taken at the title/lender’s office, with a caption that said “our first home”)

• My life insurance policy (employer-provided) listing my wife as beneficiary

• My wife’s Social Security card with her updated last name

• My wife’s driver’s license with her updated last name

• Joint tax return for 2023 (we haven’t filed 2024 yet)

• My wife pays for household utilities (electricity, gas, internet)

• Marriage certificate

 

Context:

• We have been together since 2017 but only moved in together after I purchased a home in August 2022.

• I am the sole owner of the house/mortgage.

• We don’t technically have a joint bank account because my wife has been unemployed since around the time we got married.

 

 

 

Interview Experience:

 

At today’s interview, the immigration officer did not ask any general questions about our relationship. Instead, she immediately asked:

 

Officer: “Who owns the mortgage on the home?”

Me: “I do.”

Officer: “Then why do you have pictures of both of you celebrating and calling it ‘our first home’?”

 

This question caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. The simple reason is that I make enough to afford the home on my own, so I didn’t add a joint owner (and we weren’t married at the time).

 

The officer focused entirely on the house and ignored most of our other evidence. She asked:

• Whether my wife was included in the deed or a will as a beneficiary of the house.

• Whether we had a joint bank account (I told her we have a joint HSA, but she didn’t seem interested).

• She said that things like a house, joint mortgage, and joint bank account are “significant” evidence, while things like utility bills can be easily made up since I own the house.

 

At the end of the interview, she did not make a decision or issue an RFE (Request for Evidence). Instead, she told us that we have four days to upload additional evidence online before she makes a final decision.

 

 

 

Questions:

1. What additional evidence can we provide?

2. Would adding my wife as a co-owner on my car title help? I went to City Hall today and updated the title to add her as a co-owner, but now I’m worried it might look like we did this just for the interview.

3. Should I add her to the house deed or create a will listing her as the beneficiary? I’m willing to do this, but I’m concerned about timing and whether it would raise a red flag.

4. I recently added my wife as an authorized user on my credit card and am working with the bank to obtain a statement showing this. Would this be useful evidence?

 

I’m feeling really confused about what to do next. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Lil bear 4,390]

4 minutes ago, usadig said:

I (U.S. citizen) filed a concurrent green card application for my wife in September 2024, after we got married in July 2024.

 

Supporting Documents Submitted as Proof of Marriage:

• Joint health insurance (from my employer)

• Joint auto insurance

• Photos with friends/family/events from past years (we met in 2017) and from our wedding (small ceremony)

• Photos of us celebrating our first home (taken at the title/lender’s office, with a caption that said “our first home”)

• My life insurance policy (employer-provided) listing my wife as beneficiary

• My wife’s Social Security card with her updated last name

• My wife’s driver’s license with her updated last name

• Joint tax return for 2023 (we haven’t filed 2024 yet)

• My wife pays for household utilities (electricity, gas, internet)

• Marriage certificate

 

Context:

• We have been together since 2017 but only moved in together after I purchased a home in August 2022.

• I am the sole owner of the house/mortgage.

• We don’t technically have a joint bank account because my wife has been unemployed since around the time we got married.

 

 

 

Interview Experience:

 

At today’s interview, the immigration officer did not ask any general questions about our relationship. Instead, she immediately asked:

 

Officer: “Who owns the mortgage on the home?”

Me: “I do.”

Officer: “Then why do you have pictures of both of you celebrating and calling it ‘our first home’?”

 

This question caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to respond. The simple reason is that I make enough to afford the home on my own, so I didn’t add a joint owner (and we weren’t married at the time).

 

The officer focused entirely on the house and ignored most of our other evidence. She asked:

• Whether my wife was included in the deed or a will as a beneficiary of the house.

• Whether we had a joint bank account (I told her we have a joint HSA, but she didn’t seem interested).

• She said that things like a house, joint mortgage, and joint bank account are “significant” evidence, while things like utility bills can be easily made up since I own the house.

 

At the end of the interview, she did not make a decision or issue an RFE (Request for Evidence). Instead, she told us that we have four days to upload additional evidence online before she makes a final decision.

 

 

 

Questions:

1. What additional evidence can we provide?

2. Would adding my wife as a co-owner on my car title help? I went to City Hall today and updated the title to add her as a co-owner, but now I’m worried it might look like we did this just for the interview.

3. Should I add her to the house deed or create a will listing her as the beneficiary? I’m willing to do this, but I’m concerned about timing and whether it would raise a red flag.

4. I recently added my wife as an authorized user on my credit card and am working with the bank to obtain a statement showing this. Would this be useful evidence?

 

I’m feeling really confused about what to do next. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

All of the above.Plus… Wills with each other as beneficially   Beneficiary of retirement funds etc. joint bank accounts even if new .. obviously you have to get these things m now as you didn’t have them before .. you cant change the timing.    Hopefully they will be enough 

[JeanneAdil 6,777]

to help with our visa , I added Adil onto house with a quick claim deed at cost here in TN of $15 filing at clerk's office (typed it myself by copying the deed from when i closed on the house)/  did not add him to mortgage as that can only be done with remortgage steps and i didn't want to pay new closing costs.

 

do all the above and add giving each other POA in case one is unable to function 

 

BTW

quitclaim deeds are generally valid and used in all 50 states for transferring property ownership, but the specific requirements and procedures can vary by state

Edited March 18 by JeanneAdil

[TBoneTX 46,647]

Thread is moved from the K-1 Case Progress subforum to the "AOS from K Visas" main forum.

2 hours ago, usadig said:

Questions:  [...]

Again, all of the above.  The instant you married, you should have drafted estate documents.  If it's too difficult to draft Wills in a short time, look on your state's website for valid templates* for Powers of Attorney (durable and medical).  Reciprocal HIPAA releases are also good to have -- not just for AOS, but in "life."

 

*This is not legal advice, but in chatting with estate/probate attorneys, they say that they make the most money straightening out messes from people who downloaded generic estate templates from random or general websites and tried to do their estate documents themselves.  If valid templates aren't available on your state's website, it's VERY well worth retaining an attorney to draft all these documents and to do it right.  Remember that if you have children or move to another state, it's prudent to review and re-draft your relevant estate documents.

[TS26cam 6]

Hi there, hope it went well? Myheart dropped when I read your messages as I m in a similar pickle. I have no SSN and cannot apply for drivers license, bank, car insurance, car ownership. The house is owned by my husband before marriage and the mortgage rates changes if you add a name? 

[Lil bear 4,390]

9 hours ago, TS26cam said:

Hi there, hope it went well? Myheart dropped when I read your messages as I m in a similar pickle. I have no SSN and cannot apply for drivers license, bank, car insurance, car ownership. The house is owned by my husband before marriage and the mortgage rates changes if you add a name? 

You can be added to bank accounts   

[TS26cam 6]

8 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

You can be added to bank accounts   

Thanks my hb says I can't. Not sure if thats true or not, I don't want to argue on that. He gave me a supplementary credit card.

[MalloryCat 467]

6 minutes ago, TS26cam said:

Thanks my hb says I can't. Not sure if thats true or not, I don't want to argue on that. He gave me a supplementary credit card.

it depends a lot on the bank

some will allow joint accounts where 1 person doesnt have an SSN

others wont.

[usadig 2]

13 hours ago, TS26cam said:

Hi there, hope it went well? Myheart dropped when I read your messages as I m in a similar pickle. I have no SSN and cannot apply for drivers license, bank, car insurance, car ownership. The house is owned by my husband before marriage and the mortgage rates changes if you add a name? 

Fortunately, it got approved today. 

 

I sent additional evidence such as: 
 

- sworn affidavit 

- spouse listed as beneficiary in life insurance, 401k accounts etc

- and added her as a joint owner in one of my main checking accounts. 

good luck!

[TS26cam 6]

Congrats!! Great news! Fingers crossed for me as I'm nervous and my husband has no reaction and say I'm overreacting. 

[hplusj 285]

On 3/17/2025 at 11:34 PM, TBoneTX said:

Reciprocal HIPAA releases are also good to have

We will be working towards estate documents ASAP but in the meantime as we expect a pending interview, can you clarify how one obtains HIPAA releases?  I know I have one on file as I had to go in for a bit of preventative medicine last month and had to be put under, and I signed one that included my husband.

 

Is this something the clinic/hospital can release should you call them?  Maybe their medical records department?  Or our insurance?  The whole medical/healthcare industry is a ball of confusion.  All I know is that we're on a plan together and have proof of that.  Looking to boost our supporting docs with HIPAA if we can.

[MalloryCat 467]

6 hours ago, hplusj said:

We will be working towards estate documents ASAP but in the meantime as we expect a pending interview, can you clarify how one obtains HIPAA releases?  I know I have one on file as I had to go in for a bit of preventative medicine last month and had to be put under, and I signed one that included my husband.

 

Is this something the clinic/hospital can release should you call them?  Maybe their medical records department?  Or our insurance?  The whole medical/healthcare industry is a ball of confusion.  All I know is that we're on a plan together and have proof of that.  Looking to boost our supporting docs with HIPAA if we can.

You should be able to contact the facility and request a copy. You can pretty much get a copy of anything from your doctor's if it pertains to you.

Especially something like a HIPAA release

[hplusj 285]

On 3/26/2025 at 4:53 AM, MalloryCat said:

You should be able to contact the facility and request a copy. You can pretty much get a copy of anything from your doctor's if it pertains to you.

Especially something like a HIPAA release

Fun fact: I got ahold of our clinic's medical records department as we tried to request the HIPAA releases through their online system, and just got our most recent appointment notes.

 

Medical records lady Barb, upon hearing what document I actually needed: "Well this is highly unusual."

 

I thanked her for her opinion and asked her firmly but politely to email the document which releases my care to my husband in a medical emergency, unusual or not, immediately.  I had it in my inbox two minutes later.

 

Thanks Barb 😂

Edited 20 hours ago by hplusj