Going to the I 485 interview in March

[fathertime]

Recently we received paperwork for the I485 interview.  I have quite a few questions for the posters that have been through this. My lady has been grilling me and trying to get 'our answers' straight.  That seems unnecessary to me, since it is a legit relationship, but I'm going with the program since she is so concerned.

My questions:

1. I have kept EVERYTHING in my name, bills, bank accounts, etc.  There has been no need to add my wife's name to anything at this point.  I would rather keep it this way for the time being.  How important is this for the interview? Do I have to put utilities/bank accounts in her name too just to show the interviewer?

2.  I have submitted a complete packet already.  What would you suggest I bring along to this interview?  I already know that we are bringing updated pictures.

3.  By coincidence, we are scheduled to have our honeymoon cruise scheduled a couple weeks after the interview. My impression is that I need to ask the interviewer for a I-551 stamp for my wife's passport to leave the country.  How does this process work exactly? Do I need to go to a separate location to get this done or bring extra paperwork of some sort?

That's all for now.  Thanks in advance for any responses.

Fathertime!

[Ray]

1. I have kept EVERYTHING in my name, bills, bank accounts, etc.  There has been no need to add my wife's name to anything at this point.  I would rather keep it this way for the time being.  How important is this for the interview? Do I have to put utilities/bank accounts in her name too just to show the interviewer?

Why? What are you afraid of?

I would recommend a joint savings/checking account with an ATM card for her, and one credit card for her on a joint account. There doesn’t need to be any big bucks in the account but this would also show her you trust her and give you both a chance to start a family savings plan and make up a monthly budget together.

Other things for adding her name to could include auto insurance policies, medical insurance, club memberships, joint tax returns, etc.

Having her name on nothing does absolutely nothing to show evidence of a valid relationship.

Bring to the interview anything official-looking that shows her address as the same as yours. Also, try to get a couple of signed letters from friends or neighbors who know you both and can state that you appear to be a normal married couple living together in the same home. The letters should contain full name, address, phone contact, date of birth, place of birth, SSN, and citizenship or legal residence status of the author. They should explain their relationship to you, how long they have known each of you, and give a brief statement about your marital situation from their own experience.

By coincidence, we are scheduled to have our honeymoon cruise scheduled a couple weeks after the interview. My impression is that I need to ask the interviewer for a I-551 stamp for my wife's passport to leave the country.  How does this process work exactly? Do I need to go to a separate location to get this done or bring extra paperwork of some sort?

IF her adjustment is approved at the interview, you may certainly ask for an I-551 stamp in her passport. The adjudicator doing the interview can have it done right there before you leave. If the final decision on approval is still pending when you have the interview, you will have to wait for the Green Card. Or when you receive the approval notice in the mail, you can make an InfoPass appointment to get the passport stamp while you are waiting for the Green Card to arrive.

Ray

[fathertime]

Why? What are you afraid of?

I would recommend a joint savings/checking account with an ATM card for her, and one credit card for her on a joint account. There doesn’t need to be any big bucks in the account but this would also show her you trust her and give you both a chance to start a family savings plan and make up a monthly budget together.

Other things for adding her name to could include auto insurance policies, medical insurance, club memberships, joint tax returns, etc.

Having her name on nothing does absolutely nothing to show evidence of a valid relationship.

Bring to the interview anything official-looking that shows her address as the same as yours. Also, try to get a couple of signed letters from friends or neighbors who know you both and can state that you appear to be a normal married couple living together in the same home. The letters should contain full name, address, phone contact, date of birth, place of birth, SSN, and citizenship or legal residence status of the author. They should explain their relationship to you, how long they have known each of you, and give a brief statement about your marital situation from their own experience.

IF her adjustment is approved at the interview, you may certainly ask for an I-551 stamp in her passport. The adjudicator doing the interview can have it done right there before you leave. If the final decision on approval is still pending when you have the interview, you will have to wait for the Green Card. Or when you receive the approval notice in the mail, you can make an InfoPass appointment to get the passport stamp while you are waiting for the Green Card to arrive.

Ray

Hey Ray!
Thanks for the idea about neighbors writing a letter.

I wasn't aware my woman could have a bank account without a SS number, which she should be getting shortly. She has money, but we just keep it in her purse.  I'd rather just leave the utilities and such the way they are, because I don't feel like making changes just to satisfy the interviewer!   Everything is in my name, because that is the choice we have made for now. 

I purchased separate health ins. for my wife and she doesn't drive, but we do have a family gym membership, so I guess I should whip that out. It seems to me that based on the fact that we will have 8 months living together at the point of the interview, we should be able to show our relationship to be legit based strictly on our unified answers and family photos.

ONE MORE QUESTION:
Do I need to supply an extra interpreter for her during this interview?  I can interpret what she says but obviously I have a bias.  Generally speaking, do these interviewers take into account that the applicants are not able to communicate so great in English?


Well it appears that our honeymoon cruise will be entirely dependent on whether we get approved at the first interview.  If a second interview is required, then I guess we will not go.


Fathertime!

[osteve]

     Fathertime,
           I'm going to be honest with you.Immigration does not care what your choices are.They want to see proof of relationship and that you are living together.They have seen plenty of scams and probably aren't going to take your word for anything.They want to see documentation and proof.Joint bank accounts,credit accounts,insurance, tax returns,etc...
 
           Alot does depend on the adjudicator of course.This is one of those times when you can end up with one that is helpful or one that will make your life difficult.In my opinion it is best to be prepared for one that is giong to make your life difficult so gather and take as much proof of relationship with you.

           Some people breeze right through and don't think it is a big deal just because they didn't have any problems while others have problems and understand the reality of the situation.You gotta love those that take a gamble, don't provide any proof of relationship and then whine about how unfair immigration is.The truth is this:It is what it is and it is best to be prepared.

         If you are approved and they decide to tell you there, then ask for the I551 stamp in your wife's passport ASAP.

         Good luck.

[Ray]

Do I need to supply an extra interpreter for her during this interview? I can interpret what she says but obviously I have a bias. Generally speaking, do these interviewers take into account that the applicants are not able to communicate so great in English?

If the Immigration offices up there in LA are anything like down here in San Diego, then the great majority of the workers there will be bilingual in English/Spanish. It will not be a problem and you won’t need an interpreter.

Well it appears that our honeymoon cruise will be entirely dependent on whether we get approved at the first interview. If a second interview is required, then I guess we will not go.

Didn’t you guys apply for Advance Parole along with the AOS? It’s free you know. There probably won’t be a second interview, but there is always the possibility of delays in a final judgement due to lack of documentation, security checks, etc…

For the documentation, I would file joint 2009 tax returns ASAP, if you haven’t already done so. Bring a photocopy of the complete returns to the interview.

On the SSN, you should have taken her down to SSA soon after her arrival to apply for the SS Card. Did you also apply for an Employment Authorization card (EAD) along with the AOS petition? It’s free you know. The EAD will help her get an SSN. The SSN is required for all sorts of stuff.

Ray

[fathertime]

A couple points here:

Yes I did apply for advanced parole, but I haven't heard back and don't know when I will.

I went to the bank today and it turns out I can open an account for my woman without a ss number or any US ID, I can also add her to my account.

I already did my taxes without my wife on them, since she had no SS number.  The reason I did this is that I had an enormous refund and wanted to get my money quickly.  I am not entirely certain we won't see IOU's from our pathetic state of CA.   I do plan on filing a modified return as soon as her SSN comes to us.  By adding her to my return I will get at least another 400 dollars and I want that money too!

OSteve:  I hear you about all the stuff I should be doing, I may begrudgingly do some of these suggested things.  I just dislike the idea of doing something strictly for the purpose of some examiner.  I have to get over that, play nice, and do what I'm told for once, for the benefit of the family.

Ray, thanks for the info about the likely interpreter situation.

Buttercup!

[Jason1]

     Osteve is giving you good advice here.Not having a SSN does not keep you from filing jointly.You can get a tax number to do so.Immigration may look at anything with suspicion.You are doing the right thing by being prepared.

[utopiacowboy]

"OSteve:  I hear you about all the stuff I should be doing, I may begrudgingly do some of these suggested things.  I just dislike the idea of doing something strictly for the purpose of some examiner.  I have to get over that, play nice, and do what I'm told for once, for the benefit of the family."

The person you refer to as "some examiner" has your future in his or her hands. You may not like it but that's the reality of the situation. I would make sure that I had done everything necessary to show them that my marriage is legit.

[Chris F]

As my wife and I walked back to the end cubicle for our I 485 interview back in January 2006, I overheard other couples getting grilled with questions about what color are his/her pajamas to the food that had together last night.

We sat down for our interview and our immigration officer had stated she had already seen our file. I showed her recent wedding pictures and she commented how beautiful we both looked.

Then it was time for the questions for my wife

1.Officer "How long have you now been here?"  Wife    "six months"

2. Officer "Do you do drugs?"     Wife     "no"


"Congratulations!" the officer stated.  "Your card will arrive in about three weeks."

Total interview time.....about 90 seconds.

[JR33]

  Osteve is right on target.My girl and I have a K1 interview coming up and I can't imagine showing up without much proof of relationship.We may get someone that isn't tough at all but why take the risk?

   You don't have to look any further than visajourney to see that some couples get grilled while others breeze through.It is best to be ready for either.

[Ray]

FT,

If I were an immigration officer reviewing your petition, I wound be suspicious of your marital situation.

The fact that you never helped her get an SSN, kept her off of your bank accounts, have separate health insurance polices, etc., would make me VERY suspicious.

And if you told me during the interview that you gave up an additional $400 tax refund to keep your wife off of your tax return, I would be EXTREMELY suspicious.

Like Jason mentioned, I thought everyone understood that you don’t need an SSN to file a return. It’s called an ITIN.

I wish you luck on your interview and hope for your sake that your interviewing officer got laid the night before.

I think your case can be used as a good example of how not to prepare for Adjustment of Status… 

Note: If you can’t get that I-551 stamp at the interview, at least ask for the Advance Parole Travel Document that should have come through by now.

Ray

[fathertime]

Well I still have some time to correct a couple of these things.   My wife is not eligible for an ITIN, since she is eligible for a SSN. [url]http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96287,00.html#who/url]
 The SSN number should be here shortly, the application was a part of the large packet I sent.

We have photos of everywhere and everything, and in addition we can likely answer about any question they throw at us (including pajamas questions), so I'm still not all that concerned. 

If I'm asked directly or indirectly why my wife is not on any household bills, I'm going to tell them the truth which is that there was no need for her to be and that I suppose I should have at least put her name on them strictly for this interview's purposes.   And I think my filing the tax return in order to receive my $6600 dollar return is perfectly understandable, although by the time of the interview I may have already filed for the amended tax return, for the additional $400, assuming her SSN makes it here by then.   Obviously my preparation example is not a good one to follow, even though I think we will be fine.  I plan on being calm.  I don't think we will have a hard time showing our relationship is a legit. marriage.  Hey if I'm mistaken, we will deal with the consequences and take the appropriate next step.

Fathertime!

[crash]

         I've been reading the archives and older threads on this forum but I can't find any reason not to put my bills and other things like bank account in both names.Is there any particular reason not to do so?

[harley]

         I've been reading the archives and older threads on this forum but I can't find any reason not to put my bills and other things like bank account in both names.Is there any particular reason not to do so?

  That's a good question Crash.I can't see marrying a woman that you can't trust enough to do that.

[Jeff S]

My interview was quite some time ago, but we were the only ones remotely nicely dressed. I had on a suit and tie and my wife business attire. The interviewer spoke to my wife separately, asked to look in her purse and the first thing he pulled out was a receipt from a big and tall man's shop for two suits - not not a popular store in the Japanese community. Our interview was just a couple minutes too. The officer was Hispanic and my wife spoke very little English.

I don't think you have much to worry about as far as language goes if your interview is in downtown LA. We were one of the very few non-Latinos in the building.

[fathertime]

         I've been reading the archives and older threads on this forum but I can't find any reason not to put my bills and other things like bank account in both names.Is there any particular reason not to do so?

I don't know if there is a reason not to either.  I really didn't think it was that important to put bills in both names, I was living here before my wife arrived and just haven't changed the name on the bills because I did not see reason to.  Now it is too late.  I recently found out that my wife can have a bank account.  Prior to yesterday, I thought it required a SSN which should be coming anytime now.  Turns out two forms of ID will do it.  Passport and Visa are fine. 
I guess we will just have to rely on our charm and outstanding good looks (particularly mine).  Maybe I'll dress a little nice like Jeff did as well, to show I am a serious person not to be denied!
Fathertime!

[Bob_S]

I've been reading the archives and older threads on this forum but I can't find any reason not to put my bills and other things like bank account in both names.Is there any particular reason not to do so?

Putting her on your bills can be an unnecessary hassle.  If you are already settled, why call the gas company, the electric company, cable company, & the phone company to put her on your bill?  A shared cell phone family plan would be good to show you are financially responsible for her.

She should be put as an alternate driver on your car insurance even if she doesn't drive right now.  She will eventually, and it shows connection.

You should have some blended finances.  She should have a shared credit account, and you should have a shared bank account.  But if you are marrying a girl from a 2nd or 3rd world country, you may not want her on your primary bank account or big savings account.  Because of the economics of those countries (rampant inflation and ever devaluation of the local currency), she may not really understand money.  As long as there is any money in the bank, it is to be spent quickly before it gets devalued to nothing or the bank collapses and steals all your savings.  That's a daily fact of life in many places where guys are looking for wives, and it creates habits in their women that are often incompatible with life here and your expectations of a responsible spouse.  If she shows she has a good head on her shoulders, you can later add her to the big accounts.

[Jason1]

    I think it is necessary to put her name on accounts,etc...Why? Because you don't know who you will get for your case.Hopefully it will be someone easy and your case will fly right through.If it doesn't the worst thing that will happen is a RFE,which really isn't that bad but will add more time to the process and cause inconvenience.If that happens, then you don't have the right to complain about how unfair the government is because of something YOU chose to do or not do.

[Ray]

    I think it is necessary to put her name on accounts,etc...Why? Because you don't know who you will get for your case.Hopefully it will be someone easy and your case will fly right through.If it doesn't the worst thing that will happen is a RFE,which really isn't that bad but will add more time to the process and cause inconvenience.If that happens, then you don't have the right to complain about how unfair the government is because of something YOU chose to do or not do.

Jason,

Actually, the worst thing that could happen is an outright denial of the AOS petition.

In that case, you are looking at huge attorney fees and a long process of appeals trying to fix it.

Ray

[Jason1]

      I disagree with you Ray.Given the information that Fathertime has provided, unless there is more to his case than meets the eye, I think an RFE is what will happen for not having enough proof of relationship.Then if enough proof isn't provided a denial could happen.I don't see anyone not cooperating at that point.You have to realize that the US Gov. holds all the cards but a RFE is what I think would probably happen at this point, unless Fathertime runs across an adjudicator that is a true blue "a" hole.That's a possibility.

[fathertime]

    I haven’t been through the process so I should just defer to those that have.  It seems the consensus is we are going to have a hard time getting through the interview, strictly because of me not putting my wife on the bills/bank accounts, tax return…etc…  The fact is that is just how we have chosen to live.  I imagine that if I were moving into a new residence we would both be on the bills.  When she drives she will be on the family auto Insurance.  Be that as it may, I am going to call the medical insurance company and see if I can merge our two policies and get some paperwork confirming that change ASAP.  I may also file an amended tax return before the interview, IF she has received the SSN by that point.

I appreciate the comments I’m receiving here, as I am now making a few changes that should strengthen the case for my wife and I.  I still think that when the interviewer sees the photos over a long timespan of my children, myself, and wife, together, he/she will realize this can not easily be faked, but I don’t need to give anybody an excuse to delay our process.  I have enough problems in my life and don’t need to create any more.

Fathertime!

[Capstone]

Let me first say that this post is not directed towards Fathertime and his situation, instead I figured that I could let others who may be about to go through the AOS or visa process know what I did and what I think is a good way to go.

My wife and I went through AOS several months ago but we were lucky enough to have our interview waived. I approached the I-485 submission just like I did with our initial K-1 I-129 Petition in that I front loaded it with a lot of evidence/documentation that isn't asked for. Two weeks after my wife's arrival to the US and before we were married we applied for her SSN and received her card in the mail 5 days later. Immediately after we were married I added her to several of my bank accounts, health & dental insurance, designated her as my beneficiary on my life insurance policy and 401(K) account as well as adding her name to all of our utility bills (which I was able to do almost exclusively online). I was not able to add her to my automobile insurance at that time because the state in which I live requires either an EAD or green card in order to get a drivers license and my insurance would not add her without a license from a US State - but otherwise I would have done that as well. I made photocopies of all of this evidence and sent it in with my I-485 application and my wife was approved and received her green card 9 weeks after I submitted everything and all without an interview.

I am a big proponent of front loading any and all immigration applications/petitions as it has worked out for me very nicely so far. I provided much more relationship evidence than what was required with my initial I-129F petition and my wife received her K-1 after only a quick 5 question interview which by the way is no easy task at the Guangzhou Consulate.

 

[raycjs]

FT

I spoke to a very good friend of mine who has been though this process, and it went very smooth for him. He set up a bank account with a few dollars in it and got his wife a ATM card. that along with her name on 2 utility bills plus all the photos and so forth seem to be enough. My only advice to you is to add her to a few items and let them know you are in the process of make other changes as well. I wish you the best of luck and my gut tells me you will be fine and fly though the interview.. true real love is hard to bull [snip] and photo's never lie.....

a little piece of advice from one Father to another.. i would go buy yourself a simple 20 year term life insurance policy for 100k or whatever you feel necessary. it will cost you 200.00 a year or less. make your wife the sole beneficiary. After you have the policy sit down and explain this to your wife and give her the copies for her to keep and know where to find them if god forbid something happens to you. this money will allow your wife to stay in this country and continue living or go back to her country and live. The last thing you want to happen is god forbed you pass away and she is broke and in the street. I am only saying this cause i believe everything you own right now is in a will and left to your children and that is the way it should be until you and your wife have been together long enough for you to make any changes.As a father i hope you understand what i am trying to say.. and once again this is only my opinion...

best of luck to you and yours

Ray

[robert angel]

I front loaded my K1-129, with a lot of 'back up info' and was pretty much proactive on the whole shebang. The initial interview at the embassy went better than we could have dreamed--the guy actually e mailed my wife (then my fiance) and congratulated her!

The only odd ball question was funny. I had told my wife in Yahoo Chat about some of the characters here on on Planet-Love and the embassy guy read our chat archives and off handedly asked her about a guy who I had told her was rather eccentric.

She was expecting maybe asking who my nieces and nephews were --something closer to home really and at first it caught her off guard, but she remembered. Even if she didn't the guy would have proably given her a hint or disregarded it--he was a real sweetie.

Despite what Capstone and Ray have said, (and they've probably forgotten more than I actually know about all this) I think that when you front load and with the process in general, time frames can vary--'your mileage may vary' according to the processing center and the persons who's desk your stuff sits on. Visajourney.com can be a good reference also.

I'd still err on the side of giving them more than less concrete evidence of you having faith in your marriage.

We had a joint bank account, other accounts, credit cards ASAP and I made her one of my insurance beneficiaries.

As the house is in my name and largely paid for, I kept it in my name--I think if I changed that,the local govt. could rework my tax assessment anyways.

My wife's really adapted well here. She loves her work and was just named instructional support person of the year person at the large school she works at in her first year of eligibility, and at a second job she insists on keeping so she can send more tuition and money for other things home, she took 13 exams in a year and became the fastest person they've ever had advance into management. Almost forgot-- she's also taking engineering classes to refresh her degree in that field and the house looks better than it ever has!

Our calendar clock went about as fast as I've ever heard one going in our area of the USA and largely so because she knew exactly how to do the paperwork and showed initiative in doing so, but not as fast as Capstone's, so again, maybe he's onto something there.

[fathertime]

I purchase my medical insurance separately.  I also purchase my wife's medical insurance separately.  I keep a low coverage for myself and a high coverage for my wife, since she is a woman and will have more expenses.

I talked to the insurance company today.  I CANNOT merge these two accounts together.  We have two separate policies and there is nothing I can do about it, unless I were to purchase the extensive coverage that my wife has.  CONCLUSION: I go to the interview with separate insurance policies.
Next step, trying to change a utility or two online like capstone mentioned.

BTW: Thanks Raycis, got what you are talking about covered in a different way.

Fathertime!