Sukie

Use the joint account. Put a note in your I-751 cover letter that the account is new, and that you did not have a joint account until recently because your wife wasn't working. Don't make THEM guess. Show All statements that you have since she was added. Sukie in NY

Have the people you are staying with write an affidavit stating that you live with them, and what you pay, and how it contributes to your living situation. That way you have a complete trail of cohabitation - parents, lease, parents, friends. Best of luck! Sukie in NY

Mention the no-mortgage fact in your cover letter. No need to prove it. You have homeowners insurance with both names. That's fine. Sukie in NY

The reason for single-sided documents is that your whole package is scanned when it gets there. There is a danger that whoever is loading it into the machine will not SEE that you have printed "duplex" and that may lead to questions later. Don't worry about color. Our packet was about 3 inches thick. I'm sorry we have to waste paper printing all of this (wouldn't it be nice to just upload electronic documents?), but I've always felt it is better to "idiot proof" your packet and not risk an RFE. Sukie in NY

Looks like you have ticked enough boxes!!! Best of luck on your journey! Sukie in NY

Salish Sea, not every utility will do this. It's a great idea, but I know we ran into the problem that the utility will only list ONE name on the account. So we put one utility in MY name, and one in HER name to get around that. Sukie in NY

Am I wrong in saying that the expiration of your Green Card is now 12/24/28? At least that is what is now in the system.... Sukie in NY

It is not a requirement. It is very nice to have. Best of luck in getting an answer! Wish I could help! Sukie in NY

Do write a cover letter explaining how you do your mortgage. That way, the officer reviewing does not have to guess at anything. Just say what you told us above: "My wife purchased the house before our marriage with the help of my father in law. My father in law is the co-sponsor of the mortgage. So I don't have my name on the mortgage but we are paying the payments from our joint bank accounts every month for mortgage and all the utilities." Best of luck on your journey! Sukie in NY

No need for that last bit. Sukie in NY

Looks good. Add a cover letter explaining why you are including bank statements from August 2023 (instead of from the time of marriage), as well as a statement explaining that you had already purchased the house and car and re-financing to add her name was not economically feasible. This way they won't ask you for info re: these things. Best of luck as you continue your journey! Sukie in NY

Unfortunately, some utilities will only allow one name on the account. So frustrating. Having a joint cellphone bill is good, though. Sukie in NY

Also - have your spouse listed as a claimant on your homeowner's insurance. You really want to do this regardless of immigration - if something should happen to you and there is house damage, if your spouse is not listed as a claimant they would not be able to file a claim to get things fixed. Sukie in NY

My spouse is not on my deed and I don't have a mortgage. Just write a cover letter explaining how you pay for things. Having your driver's licenses with the same physical address shows you live together. It is not practical to refinance just to add a spouse in most cases. Same with your car. Show that your spouse is on your home owner's insurance and car insurance. That's enough. Best of luck! Sukie in NY

Also, write a cover letter explaining how you manage expenses. State exactly what you told us: Spouse 1 handles xxxxx, Spouse 2 handles yyyy. Honestly, a lease with both your names will go a long way. Shows you live together! Best of luck! Sukie in NY

You might try clearing your browser history, cache, and cookies. Sukie in NY

I understand. If you have home owner's insurance, be sure to add him to the list of claimants. That way, if anything awful were to happen to you, he would be able to file a claim with the insurance company. Have a great journey! Sukie

Your list is good, and should be, for most officers, complete. I would ask you one question though...what is your living situation? Do you rent? Do you own? I would add a copy of a lease or a deed/mortgage. If you live with friends, or with family, then include an affidavit from them describing your agreement, and how the two of you contribute to the household. This is not a requirement - but might go a long way to add to your "co-habititation" paperwork. Best of luck to you both! Sukie in NY

My spouse got her 10-year card exactly one week before her Naturalization Ceremony! Sukie in NY

Here's the thing about starting to build a credit score... One of the first questions asked is how long you have lived at your current address. Most algorithms award partial points until you have lived at one address for at least a year. If the place you live is owned instead of rented, your score goes higher. If you don't have an income (and your UK job won't count), then you get no points. It takes being at a job at least six months to be considered "stable". Then they look at how much credit to you have, vs. how much credit you use. And, do you pay off the credit each month, or not? Some people take out a small installment loan (I did this when I bought appliances) and pay it off religiously - that garners a lot of points for your score. It's very hard to get credit if you don't have credit. That's why piggy-backing on your spouse will be critical over the first couple of years. Let us know what happens! Sukie in NY

It will take some time to build up your US Credit Score. 1. Get added as a secondary user on your spouse's card. 2. Get added on your spouse's bank account, or, if you can, open your own account. 3. Working with the bank where you are added or new, ask for the "pre-paid" credit card (as mentioned above). 4. Try to get added on utility bills. Even if you start with a very low credit amount ($1000), if you use it properly, you will build good credit. But it will take at least one year to truly build a score. Best of luck to you! Sukie in NY

Yep. Married a Gold Coast honey! Sukie in NY (in Oz)

Sorry, Captain Ewok - the "Block New Topics" was good for about 24 hours, but it's b-a-a-a-a-a-c-c-c-c-k-k-k.... 8:09 AM Brisbane Australia time on November 2...5:09 pm EDT on November 1 Sukie in NY

I used this outline for my data: 1. Required documents 2. Documents that proved we live together (lease, mortgage, utilities) 3. Documents that showed we combined our financial lives (not every couple does this) 4. Documents that show we do life together (joint gym memberships, for example) 5. Documents that show we have planned for the future together (wills, Powers-of-attorney) Sukie in NY

You may have ticked the box to have a Social Security Number assigned and sent to you, but historically, it only has worked about 50% of the time. If you do not have a SSN letter by October 15th, then head to your local Social Security Office to enquire. Don't go before the 14 days, as it does take some time to process the request, as the SS Administration is a separate entity from USCIS. If the officer who processed you through at your Point of Entry did not tick the box on his or her screen, then the request will not be generated. Happened to us, even though we specifically asked the officer about it. You were not nor will you be charged for a Social Security Number. Sukie in NY