Deang6

25 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

I see.  That's why hijacking is not allowed.

I did not hijack. I merely asked one simple question to Family's suggestion about using Zillow.  My question was on-topic and relevant for the original poster as well as for anyone else reading that thread.  I did not ask questions about my case. My question was to Family regarding his suggestion to the OP to use Zillow. Using Zillow did not sound right because it is different from I-864 instructions. It might have been bad advice to the original poster and I was trying to confirm whether it was good advice for them or bad. 

I'm not the original poster. I'm a different person who saw Family's suggestion to use Zillow, was surprised by it, and wanted to know if Zillow is an acceptable way to show value.

1 hour ago, pushbrk said:

Since it's not liquid anyway, Zillow might work if combined with evidence of the mortgage balance.  Value is not enough.  The issue is "equity".  But still, wouldn't the solution I gave you solve the problem without bothering with assets?  Why pay for an appraisal and/or add an non-liquid asset, instead of doing it the right way, and reducing the household size from 3 to 2?

My household size is currently 2 -- me and my wife. I'm well aware that they need to know the mortgage balance, which is 0, and that it should not be my primary residence, which it is not. The reason I plan to include my investment property as an asset is because I'm self-employed and I want to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that I can support my wife.

1 hour ago, pushbrk said:

No, it is not adequate and value is not the issue.  The issue is equity, so you must disclose and document the mortgage balance.  The instructions are there for a reason.  Don't ignore the instructions that say that the assets that count must be liquid, and that a primary residence is NOT considered "liquid".

 

Literal interpretation is the key.   Don't engage in "convenient interpretation" in THIS process.  You were well advised already what to do to solve the problem.

 

Good to know. I was already planning to get an appraisal by a licensed appraiser, but when I saw that suggestion by Family to use Zillow I had to ask.

On 3/5/2024 at 10:10 PM, Family said:

You can update the I-864 A (your father in law) to show assets you mentioned . Show equity in house with copy of property tax statement, a Zillow market value print out ...

Is a Zillow market value printout adequate? The I-864 instructions say to get an appraisal by a licensed appraiser. 

==

"You may include the net value of your home as an asset.  The net value of the home is the appraised value of the home, minus the sum of any and all loans secured by a mortgage, trust deed, or other lien on the home.  If you wish to include the net value of your home, then you must include documentation demonstrating that you own it, a recent appraisal by a licensed appraiser, and evidence of the amount of any and all loans secured by a mortgage, trust deed, or other lien on the home. "

==

41 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Except you cannot type "Not Applicable" in that part of the form.  Actually, if she had no passport yet, the question is applicable and the answer is "NONE" or "No Passport".  You can type that in one of the later blanks.  If you cannot move forward without a passport number being entered, you enter all zeros.  Now THAT information is "Not Applicable" to YOUR circumstances, but it could be to other readers.

Got it. Thanks

4 minutes ago, JE57 said:

Good luck with you application and process..  I also applied recently for my wife using the online form.  I found that it helped to have a copy of the printed form and the instructions for that form while I filled in the online form as some things were not as clear in the online questions as in the context of the online form.  I also found that reviewing the 'generated' form before submission was a valuable activity some things like addresses and such had to be adjusted to fit properly. 

Thank you. I've spent the last couple of days studying Form I-130, Form I-130A, and Instructions over and over again. There are several questions that seemed redundant and unnecessary that I did not ask about here in this post because after careful reading I concluded it says what it says so give the answer it asks for. I figure they have their reasons so just answer it. But a few things on the form I wasn't sure about and I appreciate Mr pushbrk's advice.  I believe I now know how to answer all the questions correctly and am planning to start the online Form I-130 later today.

10 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Not an implication.  The form asks a direct question.  Answer it.

Just making sure. The answer could also be "Not Applicable". Thank you.

Form I-130 says:

==

Beneficiary's Entry Information 
Was the beneficiary EVER in the United States? 
45. Yes No (Answer is "No")

If the beneficiary is currently in the United States, complete Items Numbers 46.a. - 46.d. 

47. Passport Number

==

My spouse (beneficiary) has a passport but has never used it to travel anywhere and has never been in the US. Should I enter the passport number? The form implies that I should.
 

On Form I-130 it asks for the City/Town/Village of Residence of my parents. My parents are deceased. Should I put the city where they most recently were living?

11 hours ago, Deang6 said:

I thought they might ask for more than just Tax Transcripts since sometimes they request W-2's, 1099's and employer letter for employees. 

I meant to say:

For the self-employed I thought they might require more than just a Tax Return Transcript, since for employees they often require additional paystubs, employer letter, W-2's, and 1099's.  For example the self-employed might be required to provide bank statements, letter from accountant, business invoices, etc.

I thought they might ask for more than just Tax Transcripts since sometimes they request W-2's, 1099's and employer letter for employees. 

Yes sir I will study it further. Thank you.

What documents are needed to show self-employed income with Form I-864?

Followup questions:

(1) When filing Form I-130 online do I upload passport size photos for each of us?

(2) On Form I-130A I'm wondering how best to complete the section for Employment History. My wife has worked full-time since college. She left her job just before we got married 5 years ago. Since then she helps manage her mother's store. It is not a paying job with paystubs but it is still work. How should Form I-130A be filled out for employment?  Unemployed? Or employed with her mother as employer?
 

Thank you very, very much for answering each of my questions. The task of gathering evidence seemed overwhelming at first but it's starting to look simple now. I will focus primarily on passport stamps, boarding passes, and photos together over time. I'm glad copies of communication are not necessary because I was not looking forward to scrolling through 7 years of facebook messenger to get screenshots. And it helps to not waste time gathering the optional documents. I decided to file online because it's more convenient than mailing a paper package.

I'm applying for the IR1 Spouse Visa to bring my wife from the Philippines to the US. We married in 2019 in the Philippines. I have some questions regarding how best to file the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Thank you in advance.

1. "Online filing vs mail"
Is it better to file online or by mail? I was planning to file paper copies by mail but the USCIS website says they are "transitioning to electronically processing", so maybe the process will go faster if I file online. The new fees are less for online filing which suggests they prefer online filing.

2. "Evidence of U.S. citizenship"
I have my U.S. birth certificate and U.S. passport.

3. "Evidence of permanent residence"
I have my Electric bill, Internet bill, Voting record, Bank account, Drivers license, Car registration.

4. "Evidence of family relationship"
I have a Marriage certificate from the Philippines. I have not yet registered our marriage in the US. Do I need to? 

5. "Evidence of the bona fides of the marriage":
What is the strongest evidence for proving our relationship is genuine, and how much is needed?

5a. "Combining finances"
I have 2 deeds with both our names on the deed showing we own 2 pieces of real estate in the Philippines. I also plan to send a copy of my 2023 federal tax return showing that we file "Married filing Jointly". (We do not have a joint bank account because the bank requires I be in the Philippines for at least 4 months.)

5b. "Affidavits"
I have 2 affidavits from friends attesting to the bona fides of the marriage. I understand affidavits don't carry much weight but I thought it might help to include them anyway.

5c. "Time together"
I've visited my wife 13 times over 7 years with a combined total of 17 months being together in person. I was planning to list each trip and for each trip to include:
* dates of travel
* purpose of visit
* 2-4 pictures from each trip
* copy of passport stamps
* flight itinerary, boarding pass if available 

5d. "Copies of communication"
While apart we communicated by Facebook messenger. I plan to provide several screenshots of our chats over the 7 years. Not sure how many. Maybe 2-4 screenshots per year? 

5e. "Receipts for money sent"
I send money for her monthly budget. I can provide receipts for moneys sent but I saw in another post that proof of my sending money is not helpful.

6. "Proof of legal name change"
I'm not sure if this applies to our situation. Neither of us were previously married so our names have remained the same since birth. My wife did change her last name to mine on several accounts after we got married (her national ID, her bank account, her TIN). I was planning to include copies of those to show she changed her name to mine, but I'm not sure if that's helpful or not.

7. "Church wedding"
We had a Catholic wedding at my wife's church. Catholic requirements for marriage are more strict than for civil weddings. I thought it might help to mention that in my petition, but on the other hand some people have an anti-Catholic bias so it might be better not to mention it.
 

I am applying for the IR-1 Spouse Visa to bring my wife from Philippines to US. Form I-864 Affidavit of Support has a section for income and a section for assets. I heard that they do not care about my assets, the only thing that matters is my income. Is this true? My income will only be about $5,000 above the minimum, so I'm hoping if I include assets it will help.