Interview documents

[kd2008]

What is I-140 approval for?

Those were by previous employer. But dates were never current so no Aos based on those were filed. Now just a part of history.

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

As I am preparing my documents for our interview, I would like to present my list. Please let me know if this is enough. Thank you!

Civil documents list - original and copy
0. Original Interview Notice! (Duh! Forgot that one!)
1. Passports for both
2. Birth certificates for both - Person Y's is bilingual with English as one of the languages
3. Driver's license showing same address for both
4. Marriage license
5. Court issued certified copies of marriage license


Table of contents of Supporting Documents
1. Joint Financial Accounts - Checking, Savings and Credit card statements (Checking has plenty of billpay transactions including mortgage, utilities; Credit card has 4 yr history)
2. Joint Asset -Deed of joint ownership of Condo (not home)
3. Joint Utilities & Other Accounts - Gas has both names, Electric - Person Y manages online for home and condo, Internet- Person Y added as sub account to Person X?s, Sam's Club has both names
4. Joint Insurance - Autos 2x, Home, Umbrella, Condo, Health, Dental
5. Account Beneficiaries - Person X's 401k, Person Y's 401k, Person Y's Brokerage account, Person Y's Roth IRA, Person X's HSA, Person Y's HSA, Person X's Life Insurance
6. Joint donations - 2014, 2016, 2017 - these are all we kept -I wish we kept them all
7. Tax Transcripts: Person X - 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014 Person Y - 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014; no joint taxes yet as we got married this year
8. I-864 (Affidavit of Support) Documents
a. Paystubs - Person X, last 2 months
b. Paystubs - Person Y, last month (new job) plus old job since start of the year
c. Employment letter - Person X
d. Employment letter - Person Y
9. Immigration Documents Issued to Person Y
a. EAD/AP card copy
b. I-765 approval notice
c. I-131 approval notice
d. U.S. visa with passport stamp of last entry
e. I-94 printout
f. All I-140 approval notices
g. All H-1B approval notices
h. EAD card copy (OPT)
i. I-20s issued by University since ZZZY
10. Wedding program & cards received
11. Wedding photos - selected about 20 or so
12. Photos of 10 yr relationship and occasions - selected about 25 or so
13. I-693 (Medical report) Copy - original already submitted

It looks great. Clearly, you have plently, and you did not just meet. I would recommend:

1. Including a Relationship timeline: this piece should tie your personal history as a couple, as well as location, employment. It helps a complete stranger navigate your stash; especially, since you have been here on h1b for a while now. From the list, it is not obvious to me when you two met.

2. Having Paystubs from F-1 OPT employer(s) handy- it has come up. I doubt you will be asked for them. But, if we are leaving nothing to chance, then I would include them.

3. Placing Originals of civil documents in separate binder/folder.

4. Sort your financial documents by date; from Oldest to Newest. To be clear, place Oldest on top, Newest at the bottom. Starting to flip pages from 2014 does something to the brain.

5. Identifying the earliest document that ties you and your spouse, and makes you financially responsible for something. Point out that fact on your table of contents, and on the document. In my case, for example, I met my spouse in June 2016, and added my spouse's name to my auto insurance.

6. Explain how you own a condo as a married couple, but do not live in it. Does your spouse own the other home? Why isn't your name on that deed? Playing advocate's here. - Even as an investment, joint ownership of property is listed at the top of the list evidence of bona fide marriage on the I-130 instructions. Should be right at the top.

7. explaining any current ties to a previous spouse if any.

8. perusing your list with cynical eyes, look for gaps, and fill those in.

9. including Affidavits - I prefer notarized because that is "best evidence"

10. setting up Advance Health Care directives. They cost $20 dollars. It is an uncomfortable conversation to have, but it's a document that every couple should have. If anything ever happens, you do not want your spouse wondering what your last wishes were, or whether you would have opposed being on life support for longer than 30 days. If the marriage is new, often times you see parents or close relatives fighting for power of attorney, in order to make those health care decisions.

11. printing copies in color for a more authentic look. Include headers and footers in print settings. This will allow the URL and date printed to display at the top and bottom of the page.

As I've recommended to others, make sure you are able to draw your home's floor plan, identify rooms, and are able to tell where furniture items are. 0.0001% this will happen. Simply won't happen. I think you will be in & out.

Be able to tell a quirk of your spouse without having to think for 5 minutes.

With your relationship timeline, take a jog down memory lane with your spouse. The longer people are together, the more you end up having a general sense of things rather than keeping track of specific dates - especially true for male brained human beings.

None of the above is legal advice.

All the best.

[Justus Forever]

New here with a question or questions

I just signed up to this thread because it is very helpful and respectful to others. I have been reading so I wouldn't ask the same thing that was already asked. What I didn't see was anyone with kids that's abroad. I wanted to know how that would work filing for them 4 and 5. I am the USC the plan was not to leave them my husband daughters and they are with their grandmother but I want us to be a whole family especially with them so young. Can someone answer for me thank you in advance and I am so happy about this thread because I was nervous and upset ...Thank you

[Ericobaloni]

Hi. Congratulations on your organization. This is helping a lot of people, including me. I had a question and I will ask if you can respond, how did you create a joint account on Netflix? I do not know how I could do this, and what types of proof you did, screen prints, what the screens, etc. This left me very doubtful how to do. Thanks in advance

we are finally done putting everything together and counting hours for friday, praying for a possitive outcome, we have put together 3 separate folders, one containing the originals we will have with us, one containing the supporting evidence for bona fide marriage, and one last one containing copies of civil documents which we had already sent with our application plus the updated evidence for I-864, in addition we will of course have our I-693 in the sealed envelope, here is how the content looks like:
note: for additional formatting we added our receipt and alien number, petitioners name and applicants name on the header of each table of contents, we have organized the documents in the order stated in the table of contents putting sticky tabs in the bottom of the pages for each "tittle" and smaller post it bands with the letter of each exhibit for easier transition and location.

Subject: Supporting Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage
Table of Contents

Evidence of Cohabitation

a) Proof of joint lease information from **** * Living at current address
b) USPS individual and joint accounts for informed delivery
c) Proof of joint accounts for our TV services with Sling, Roku and Netflix
d) Proof of joint email account
e) Copy of mail delivered to both of us at the same address
f) Text messages matched with receipts of day to day shopping and travels as a married couple
g) Screenshots from Instagram account of pictures showing location

Evidence of commingling of financial resources

h) Proof of being each other?s beneficiary on life insurance and IRA.
i) Proof of money transfers for joint expenses like rent, utilities, etc from January to April (April account statement is not available yet, we are attaching the email confirmation as proof)
j) Joint checking accounts and proof of access to each other?s account on our online banking website.

Evidence of relationship

k) Sworn affidavits from family and friends as proof of bona fide marriage
l) Text messages matched with travel receipts and pictures from our travels when we were dating
m) Notes written on boarding passes from*** to *** from when we were dating
n) Amazon receipts from gifts bought from ***to *** and delivered at our address
o) Receipt of Christmas gift from to at **** Jewelers
p) Copy of wedding announcement in the paper
q) Text messages matched with receipt showing the organization of our wedding reception at **** **
r) Account statement showing checks deposited from wedding presents
s) Copy of checks received as wedding presents.
t) Copy of wedding pictures with friends and family

**** *** Civil Documets **** **
Table of Contents

Supporting evidence for I-864
a) Federal Income Tax Returns and W2s of 2017 (not presented with the original application as they were filled in April 2018)
b) Letters of employment for **** *
c) Pay stubs for the last 2 months
d) Copy of **** * passport

Proof of marriage
e) Copy of marriage license
f) Copy of marriage certificate

Travel and immigration documents for **** **
g) Copy of previous B1/B2 Visa
h) Copy of previous passport
i) Copy of current visa
j) Copy of current passport
k) Copy of updated I-94
l) Copy of travel history

Proof of citizenship and nationality
m) Copy of **** * birth certificate
n) Copy of **** * birth certificate
o) Translation of **** birth certificate


**** ** List of originals **** *
Originals
1. I-797- notice for Interview appointment
2. Passport ***
3. Old passport ***
4. Valid passport ***
5. Birth certificates *** and **
6. Birth Certificate certified translation ****
7. Marriage license
8. Marriage certificate
9. Employment letters
10. Evidence of mail sent to our address
11. Marriage announcement in the paper
12. Receipts
13. Wedding pictures
14. Vaccination records and translation
15. Tb skin test result
16. Letters on boarding passes
17. Checks (wedding presents)