What documents to bring to a marriage-based green card interview?

[scifan]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

[Angelhashtag]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

Hey scifan, Me and my husband just came from our interview a day ago 04/24/2017. A lil background info, I?m a USC and he?s Jamaican. we got married 11/17/2017, PD date is 01/19/2018, biometrics was 02/20/2018 and we got notice for scheduled interview 03/24/2018 for 04/24/2018. Prior we didn?t not receive no EAD OR AP. And Because we both weren?t work we did have a Sponser. But our process went really quick our officer told us that he is going to recommend our case for aproval. We are just waiting for GC now. My lawyer advice us to make a copy of EVERYTHING and put in order with the originals. She also made us make a table of contents for every pile just Incase they wanted to keep something and label every picture which I do advise you to do as well because it was really helpful. Everything was organized and it just shows them that your on top of your **** and your bringing your A game . Bring a copy of everything you sent in just Incase rather be prepared than sorry. Remember you want no set backs or a ? I have to have this before I approve you? send in situation, it makes your process longer. Our officer was pretty nice and asked us basic questions about our wedding, why our family didn?t attend and what each other likes to eat. And also why it was a short engagement. I suggest you and spouse go over some questions and be on the same page just in case you have one of those separation interview. but good luck and DONT BE NERVOUS YOU GUYS GOT THIS.

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Hey scifan, Me and my husband just came from our interview a day ago 04/24/2017. A lil background info, I?m a USC and he?s Jamaican. we got married 11/17/2017, PD date is 01/19/2018, biometrics was 02/20/2018 and we got notice for scheduled interview 03/24/2018 for 04/24/2018. Prior we didn?t not receive no EAD OR AP. And Because we both weren?t work we did have a Sponser. But our process went really quick our officer told us that he is going to recommend our case for aproval. We are just waiting for GC now. My lawyer advice us to make a copy of EVERYTHING and put in order with the originals. She also made us make a table of contents for every pile just Incase they wanted to keep something and label every picture which I do advise you to do as well because it was really helpful. Everything was organized and it just shows them that your on top of your **** and your bringing your A game . Bring a copy of everything you sent in just Incase rather be prepared than sorry. Remember you want no set backs or a ? I have to have this before I approve you? send in situation, it makes your process longer. Our officer was pretty nice and asked us basic questions about our wedding, why our family didn?t attend and what each other likes to eat. And also why it was a short engagement. I suggest you and spouse go over some questions and be on the same page just in case you have one of those separation interview. but good luck and DONT BE NERVOUS YOU GUYS GOT THIS.

Can-do attitudes like yours get green cards approved. Congratulations!

[flyforever85]

Hey scifan, Me and my husband just came from our interview a day ago 04/24/2017. A lil background info, I?m a USC and he?s Jamaican. we got married 11/17/2017, PD date is 01/19/2018, biometrics was 02/20/2018 and we got notice for scheduled interview 03/24/2018 for 04/24/2018. Prior we didn?t not receive no EAD OR AP. And Because we both weren?t work we did have a Sponser. But our process went really quick our officer told us that he is going to recommend our case for aproval. We are just waiting for GC now. My lawyer advice us to make a copy of EVERYTHING and put in order with the originals. She also made us make a table of contents for every pile just Incase they wanted to keep something and label every picture which I do advise you to do as well because it was really helpful. Everything was organized and it just shows them that your on top of your **** and your bringing your A game . Bring a copy of everything you sent in just Incase rather be prepared than sorry. Remember you want no set backs or a ? I have to have this before I approve you? send in situation, it makes your process longer. Our officer was pretty nice and asked us basic questions about our wedding, why our family didn?t attend and what each other likes to eat. And also why it was a short engagement. I suggest you and spouse go over some questions and be on the same page just in case you have one of those separation interview. but good luck and DONT BE NERVOUS YOU GUYS GOT THIS.

Congrats!! Can I ask you where you did apply from?
Thanks!! it seems to me 2018 started in a really nice way for many immigrants!

[KRN]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

Bring all your original document you submitted to them and make a copy too. All the latest bank statement, pay stub bring your insurance copy and original, tax return, w2 start last 3 years. Bring everything proved your relationship. We?re just done with ours 24th April.

Goodluck and Godbless

[MissTz1982]

Hey scifan, Me and my husband just came from our interview a day ago 04/24/2017. A lil background info, I?m a USC and he?s Jamaican. we got married 11/17/2017, PD date is 01/19/2018, biometrics was 02/20/2018 and we got notice for scheduled interview 03/24/2018 for 04/24/2018. Prior we didn?t not receive no EAD OR AP. And Because we both weren?t work we did have a Sponser. But our process went really quick our officer told us that he is going to recommend our case for aproval. We are just waiting for GC now. My lawyer advice us to make a copy of EVERYTHING and put in order with the originals. She also made us make a table of contents for every pile just Incase they wanted to keep something and label every picture which I do advise you to do as well because it was really helpful. Everything was organized and it just shows them that your on top of your **** and your bringing your A game . Bring a copy of everything you sent in just Incase rather be prepared than sorry. Remember you want no set backs or a ? I have to have this before I approve you? send in situation, it makes your process longer. Our officer was pretty nice and asked us basic questions about our wedding, why our family didn?t attend and what each other likes to eat. And also why it was a short engagement. I suggest you and spouse go over some questions and be on the same page just in case you have one of those separation interview. but good luck and DONT BE NERVOUS YOU GUYS GOT THIS.

Can I ask you a question. What evidence did you and your spouse present to prove bonafide marriage?

[Angelhashtag]

Congrats!! Can I ask you where you did apply from?
Thanks!! it seems to me 2018 started in a really nice way for many immigrants!

Thank you and Sorry for the late reply Flyforever85, I don?t necessarily understand when you ask ?where you applied from? but we do live in Miami, FL and it was with NBC. I hope that answers your question 🤗

[Angelhashtag]

Can I ask you a question. What evidence did you and your spouse present to prove bonafide marriage?

Hey MissTz1982, we didn?t really have a lot of time to gather as much evidence and the officer knew that. But we did try our best, we brought bank statements since before we got married for our joint account, i had recently obtained life insurance where he is listed as one of my beneficiary, we live with my in laws and to show proof of residency we had them type up a letter, print two, and got both notorized(one for officer and one for our records); and we also provided everything that was sent to us in the mail at our address just to show that we do live there and together plus I printed out every single picture we ever took together, blurry and intimate, ALL lol . We made copies of everything just Incase they wanted to keep some stuff. But like I said my husband isn?t working and I recently started a job a week before our interview so there wasn?t really much to go on and the officer knew that. He didn?t expect us to have any other proof beside our pictures and the questions he asked us, Which was also pretty basic. He honestly didn?t ask us for further evidence except if we have pictures in which I gave him the whole stack which was seperated in mini stacks due to major occasion like our wedding, mini honeymoon, special dates, and little activities we could afford lol and he picked a couple and asked if he could keep it. And then that was it.

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

My best non-legal advice to you is to ask yourself whether you followed the directions and sent evidence from all the categories listed on page 7/12 of the I-130 Instructions. Per page 3/12, "Evidence. At the time of filing, you must submit all evidence and supporting documentation listed in the General Requirements section of these Instructions. USCIS may issue a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) or a Denial Notice for petitions filed without the required supporting evidence."

Yes, many people will tell you that a cousin, or uncle or a friend didn't send anything and didn't bring much to the interview either; and that they were just fine. Well, 1. that doesn't change the directions. 2. if USCIS decides to play hard ball. And they often do so. Getting a Notice of Intent to Deny should not be a surprise. You want to avoid what happened in this case. https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...Intent-to-Deny

Don't try to predict the outcome of your case based on the experience of others. If something goes wrong, you can't turn around and say that others got by on sending less. Well, who? It's an anonymous forum. USCIS will chuckle at that.

Your best bet is to evaluate objectively what you sent in. Establish any deficiencies. For example: if you sent 300 pictures and 1 bank statement. Well, if that's all you had access to then, that's fine. The ISO will likely ask to see other proof of commingling of finances. If you choose not to commingle, and some couples stand by that, know that USCIS expects to see commingling. That's their stance on it. Thus, expect your relationship will be scrutinized further. In the absence of financial documents, that's when USCIS starts doubting and then, the personal questions start.

Keep in mind that the evidence you are gathering for your Adjustment of status lays the foundation for the I-751 Removal of Conditions. Page 5/10, "Submit copies of documents indicating that the marriage upon which you were granted conditional status was entered in ?good faith? and was not for the purpose of circumventing immigration laws. Submit copies of ***as many documents as you can*** to establish this fact, to demonstrate the circumstances of the relationship ***from the date of the marriage to the present date***, and to demonstrate any circumstances surrounding the end of the relationship (...).

For the I-751, they don't want any gaps in leases, bank statements, bills. They want to see a continuum. In other words, whatever you submit for your 1-130/1-485 is expected for the I-751 again. Evidence gathering does not start from the day of your interview BUT from the date of marriage. So you might as well start now.

That's my opinion and I am basing that on the instructions - not on hearsay or rumors. Hopefully other future applicants run into these posts, too.

Tips:

- Bring originals of any civil document that you sent in. (Birth certificate, marriage certificate).

- Do yourself a favor and put together a table of contents that lists each piece of evidence. For each item, include a brief explanation of what the evidence is proof of. Some couples are approved on the spot, some aren't. Then, the ISO keeps some or none of the additional evidence you brought in. Since you won't be present when they review your file, the table of contents's purpose is to speak for you. Don't just throw documents at them.

Explain "this is evidence of this or that". They will not connect the dots for you. Sometimes they do, but they are not required to. That's not their job. If you read through the experience on that link "notice of intent to deny", you'll see the ISOs crossed their arms and didn't feel like connecting the dots for the applicant. Well, it's not very nice - true, BUT they don't have to.

- a relationship timeline is very helpful; especially, if not approved on the spot and again, you won't be present when the file is reviewed. It helps the ISO make sense of how your relationship develop, and it drives the - we are building a life together- message.

- Bring the next document in the sequence of whatever you sent in. The next bill. If there is a new account, bring that in, too.

- Take advantage of the headers and footers printing feature. If you click on it on print settings, that will make the URL and the date printed display. Why is the URL important? It's proof you didn't just fabricate the document on Adobe photoshop. Date printed - you want them to see you've been collecting evidence as it happens. Thus, the date printed should show a continuum.

I've included a sample table of contents for you below. Best of luck!

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

And part 2.

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

Part 3.

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Hi,

My spouse and I have a green card interview soon. When the application was filed, we also sent copies of supporting evidence like bank statements, marriage certificate, lease, etc to USCIS. Do we need to bring copies to the interview again or the immigration officer is going to have the copies of supporting evidence originally sent along with the application?

Thank you.

Part 4.

[Angelhashtag]

My best non-legal advice to you is to ask yourself whether you followed the directions and sent evidence from all the categories listed on page 7/12 of the I-130 Instructions. Per page 3/12, "Evidence. At the time of filing, you must submit all evidence and supporting documentation listed in the General Requirements section of these Instructions. USCIS may issue a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) or a Denial Notice for petitions filed without the required supporting evidence."

Yes, many people will tell you that a cousin, or uncle or a friend didn't send anything and didn't bring much to the interview either; and that they were just fine. Well, 1. that doesn't change the directions. 2. if USCIS decides to play hard ball. And they often do so. Getting a Notice of Intent to Deny should not be a surprise. You want to avoid what happened in this case. https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...Intent-to-Deny

Don't try to predict the outcome of your case based on the experience of others. If something goes wrong, you can't turn around and say that others got by on sending less. Well, who? It's an anonymous forum. USCIS will chuckle at that.

Your best bet is to evaluate objectively what you sent in. Establish any deficiencies. For example: if you sent 300 pictures and 1 bank statement. Well, if that's all you had access to then, that's fine. The ISO will likely ask to see other proof of commingling of finances. If you choose not to commingle, and some couples stand by that, know that USCIS expects to see commingling. That's their stance on it. Thus, expect your relationship will be scrutinized further. In the absence of financial documents, that's when USCIS starts doubting and then, the personal questions start.

Keep in mind that the evidence you are gathering for your Adjustment of status lays the foundation for the I-751 Removal of Conditions. Page 5/10, "Submit copies of documents indicating that the marriage upon which you were granted conditional status was entered in ?good faith? and was not for the purpose of circumventing immigration laws. Submit copies of ***as many documents as you can*** to establish this fact, to demonstrate the circumstances of the relationship ***from the date of the marriage to the present date***, and to demonstrate any circumstances surrounding the end of the relationship (...).

For the I-751, they don't want any gaps in leases, bank statements, bills. They want to see a continuum. In other words, whatever you submit for your 1-130/1-485 is expected for the I-751 again. Evidence gathering does not start from the day of your interview BUT from the date of marriage. So you might as well start now.

That's my opinion and I am basing that on the instructions - not on hearsay or rumors. Hopefully other future applicants run into these posts, too.

Tips:

- Bring originals of any civil document that you sent in. (Birth certificate, marriage certificate).

- Do yourself a favor and put together a table of contents that lists each piece of evidence. For each item, include a brief explanation of what the evidence is proof of. Some couples are approved on the spot, some aren't. Then, the ISO keeps some or none of the additional evidence you brought in. Since you won't be present when they review your file, the table of contents's purpose is to speak for you. Don't just throw documents at them.

Explain "this is evidence of this or that". They will not connect the dots for you. Sometimes they do, but they are not required to. That's not their job. If you read through the experience on that link "notice of intent to deny", you'll see the ISOs crossed their arms and didn't feel like connecting the dots for the applicant. Well, it's not very nice - true, BUT they don't have to.

- a relationship timeline is very helpful; especially, if not approved on the spot and again, you won't be present when the file is reviewed. It helps the ISO make sense of how your relationship develop, and it drives the - we are building a life together- message.

- Bring the next document in the sequence of whatever you sent in. The next bill. If there is a new account, bring that in, too.

- Take advantage of the headers and footers printing feature. If you click on it on print settings, that will make the URL and the date printed display. Why is the URL important? It's proof you didn't just fabricate the document on Adobe photoshop. Date printed - you want them to see you've been collecting evidence as it happens. Thus, the date printed should show a continuum.

I've included a sample table of contents for you below. Best of luck!

I 100% agree with you but these forms are to get a feel of what you need and the confidence to go through with these interviews. Everyone?s interview will be 100% different when we share experiences it?s not to just say oh well we didn?t do this or that so you don?t have to. it?s to say well if you have a similar situation don?t be startled or take my mistake and learn from it. I kinda felt like you are bashing people who give their experience and it?s not up to the protocol standard that?s on paper.

[kaylip]

I 100% agree with you but these forms are to get a feel of what you need and the confidence to go through with these interviews. Everyone?s interview will be 100% different when we share experiences it?s not to just say oh well we didn?t do this or that so you don?t have to. it?s to say well if you have a similar situation don?t be startled or take my mistake and learn from it. I kinda felt like you are bashing people who give their experience and it?s not up to the protocol standard that?s on paper.

At the end of the day if your relationship is really real and u have evidence of co-mingling there shouldn't be any trouble. If you were unable to gather certain documents due to circumstances then explain it to the Officer. I think once u gather as much as u can wether it's a little or alot it's ok. Just do your best. That's y some people would be successful.. it's because every case is unique.

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

I 100% agree with you but these forms are to get a feel of what you need and the confidence to go through with these interviews. Everyone?s interview will be 100% different when we share experiences it?s not to just say oh well we didn?t do this or that so you don?t have to. it?s to say well if you have a similar situation don?t be startled or take my mistake and learn from it. I kinda felt like you are bashing people who give their experience and it?s not up to the protocol standard that?s on paper.

Interesting. I have actually made it clear on my posts that I am not bashing anyone. Instead, I have invited others like "helpmylife" to share their experience so that others can avoid having a rough ride. On several occasions, I have given detailed accounts of my first Adjustment of status experience and how scary it was because I simply didn't have evidence. I didn't know I had to send it. I didn't have anyone to tell me what I needed to do.

Tone gets lost in forums. You can choose to focus on my delivery and not on the message. Our brains and experiences and our own bias pepper what we hear. Communication is tricky like that. I am reassuring you, though, that I am not bashing anyone. I don't come here expecting everyone to agree with me. Truth is all I am doing is voicing really loud what the instructions state and a little wisdom from my own mistakes.

My aim here is to empower everyone. My posts are proof of that. I am direct. That is true. Again, you can choose to focus on what you perceived as negative but clearly, if you set all that noise aside, you'll agree with helpmylife and katya7. For years, attorneys have perpetuated the misconception that you are not required to submit all evidence with your I-130 or I-130/I-485. People still argue even after reading the I-130 instructions, page 3/7. See below. Now we know that is not true.

Sugarcoating is overrated. If someone does not have enough evidence, or if it sounds like they're just going to submit a pile a disjointed documents that mean nothing to the ISO without a well crafted table of contents, you are doing them a disservice by not letting them know that. Most people do that. Most people let their friend leave the house wearing something they shouldn't be wearing. I am not that friend. If asked, I will share.

Here are some screenshots . Again, congratulations on your green card. You did everything right. Aren't you glad you weren't misinformed by information found on threads like these?

https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...928#post437928

https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...g-to-interview

Take a moment to think about that. It could have been you.

All the best.