Help! Putting together evidence folder for AOS interview, marriage based.

[Nitaardzf]

Can I please get some opinions from those of you who have already gone through this, on how my folders looking.

This is how I have my folder set up right now..
Everything is separated in colored sections, in sheet protector pockets just to keep it organized.

?All USCIS notices I have gotten in the mail.
?All identifications: birth certificate, passport, B2 visa, I-94, social; my husbands citizenship certificate, his birth certificate and his social; both of our children?s socials, passports and birth certificates. (All of this in the same section, just separating everyone?s things in separate pockets.
?Marriage evidence: marriage certificate, receipt from when I paid and scheduled our wedding ceremony, husbands life insurance, joint bank account.
?2017, 2016, 2015 W2 and taxes.
?Home purchase documents, leases from places we rented before we bought our home, and I added renters insurance, auto insurance and water bills we got sent to every of those addresses, every address is in separate pockets.
?Purchases together, I added the bill of sale from when my husband purchased my car, it doesn?t state my name anywhere, but I also added a picture they took of us and the car at the dealership when we bought it. Also furniture and appliances, none under my name but all have addressed we have lived in.
?Husband was away for work a couple of months so I added hotel receipts, and tickets from a place we visited while we were there to see him. Also trying to get together emails from when he purchased plane tickets to come see us.
?Phone bills, only under my husbands name, but all have both our phone numbers on them, also added phone purchases.
?Miscellaneous mail we have gotten sent to my mother in laws, we moved so much we decided to have auto insurance policies sent there instead.
?Last thing I added was a receipt from when I bought him a birthday gift last year, and I?m wanting to add pictures of him opening his gift.


Is there anything else you guys would advice me to add, take out, or switch the order in which I have things at the moment?

Thanks in advance!

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Can I please get some opinions from those of you who have already gone through this, on how my folders looking.

This is how I have my folder set up right now..
Everything is separated in colored sections, in sheet protector pockets just to keep it organized.

?All USCIS notices I have gotten in the mail.
?All identifications: birth certificate, passport, B2 visa, I-94, social; my husbands citizenship certificate, his birth certificate and his social; both of our children?s socials, passports and birth certificates. (All of this in the same section, just separating everyone?s things in separate pockets.
?Marriage evidence: marriage certificate, receipt from when I paid and scheduled our wedding ceremony, husbands life insurance, joint bank account.
?2017, 2016, 2015 W2 and taxes.
?Home purchase documents, leases from places we rented before we bought our home, and I added renters insurance, auto insurance and water bills we got sent to every of those addresses, every address is in separate pockets.
?Purchases together, I added the bill of sale from when my husband purchased my car, it doesn?t state my name anywhere, but I also added a picture they took of us and the car at the dealership when we bought it. Also furniture and appliances, none under my name but all have addressed we have lived in.
?Husband was away for work a couple of months so I added hotel receipts, and tickets from a place we visited while we were there to see him. Also trying to get together emails from when he purchased plane tickets to come see us.
?Phone bills, only under my husbands name, but all have both our phone numbers on them, also added phone purchases.
?Miscellaneous mail we have gotten sent to my mother in laws, we moved so much we decided to have auto insurance policies sent there instead.
?Last thing I added was a receipt from when I bought him a birthday gift last year, and I?m wanting to add pictures of him opening his gift.


Is there anything else you guys would advice me to add, take out, or switch the order in which I have things at the moment?

Thanks in advance!

I strongly recommend that you review the contents of this thread. https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...iew-tips/page4

You will need a Table of Contents listing all your evidence. For each piece of evidence, you should include a brief explanation of what the evidence is proof of. You can find my Table of Contents here. https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...656#post564656

And you can find the table of contents I used as a guide here. https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...ocuments/page4

[Nitaardzf]

I actually have seen your posts but it doesn?t let me click on the ?attached images? for some reason.

I bought a customizable table of contents with dividers that are color coded and match it, I just haven?t written anything on the table of contents yet, I don?t want to ruin it.

[Nitaardzf]

I had to switch to full site to see te pictures! Thank you so much for your help and links!

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

I actually have seen your posts but it doesn?t let me click on the ?attached images? for some reason.

I bought a customizable table of contents with dividers that are color coded and match it, I just haven?t written anything on the table of contents yet, I don?t want to ruin it.

Cool! You definitely want to create a draft first. Definitely spend some time with those documents and use it as a guide to customize your own and to organize your evidence in a way that makes sense to you - in a way that tells your story.

It sounds like you've been married for a while and possibly for longer than 2 years. So you're looking at the 10 year green card?

The first link I sent you has several links to other useful experiences. Here is a link to Advanced Health Care Directives. https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/fina...ce-directives/

All the best!

USCFFS

[Nitaardzf]

Cool! You definitely want to create a draft first. Definitely spend some time with those documents and use it as a guide to customize your own and to organize your evidence in a way that makes sense to you - in a way that tells your story.

It sounds like you've been married for a while and possibly for longer than 2 years. So you're looking at the 10 year green card?

The first link I sent you has several links to other useful experiences. Here is a link to Advanced Health Care Directives. https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/fina...ce-directives/

All the best!

USCFFS

Yes, we have been married for 3 years actually. Just had our anniversary last month.
I?m just worried about the lack of documents with both our names on. The only bills I was able to get with both names on them, was our water bill, renters insurance, now home insurance and auto insurance. They wouldn?t let me have both of our names on Gas, cable, phone, etc.. but I did look at the links you sent me, and I guess I will have to get creative, we?re on fb a lot, tag each other on almost every post, lots of pictures with captions and dates, I was going to screenshot a few and also put them on my file. What do you think?

[UScitizenFilingforspouse]

Yes, we have been married for 3 years actually. Just had our anniversary last month.
I?m just worried about the lack of documents with both our names on. The only bills I was able to get with both names on them, was our water bill, renters insurance, now home insurance and auto insurance. They wouldn?t let me have both of our names on Gas, cable, phone, etc.. but I did look at the links you sent me, and I guess I will have to get creative, we?re on fb a lot, tag each other on almost every post, lots of pictures with captions and dates, I was going to screenshot a few and also put them on my file. What do you think?

Congrats on your 3 year anniversary! 10 year green card it is! That's fantastic.

I am sure that you have more evidence than you think you have. Every case is unique, and so is every marriage. Do not feel that you have to match your evidence to the one listed on those examples I gave you. We don't have a mortgage. My husband moved in 11-01-16 but I didn't add him to my lease until 01-08-18. However, my state issues a Certificate of Rent paid to every tenant. So I spoke to my landlord and he issued 2 CRPs. One was in my name and the second in my husband's name. You don't have that, and it does not matter. I was mostly trying to proof that YES, even though my husband

I would focus on concrete evidence of bona fide marriage:
- lease/mortgage; print ALL cancelled checks. Highlight on your bank statements the monthly rent payments AND now the monthly mortgage payment. (For those without a lease or mortgage - otherwise, a notarized affidavit of residence)

- find the earliest document that ties you financially. For example: I met my husband on 06-19-16. I added him to my auto insurance on 09-01-16. Note that on your table of contents. That speaks for the longevity of the relationship AND shows an intent to build a marriage together.

- renters insurance. home insurance. auto insurance. Life insurance. Print every statement. It seems repetitive. It does not matter. Make it easy for them to approve you. If there is a contract that you both signed, present that. You can present paystubs and highlight the biweekly deduction that goes towards paying for benefits. You want to show that you didn't JUST add your husband to your insurance or viceversa.

- If you have the option of creating online accounts for your home and auto insurance, definitely create them and print out stuff from there.

Do not just present the last 3 months of bills or statements. Bring everything in. Show longevity. The longer you've been married, the more they expect.

- I understand that you were not able to add both names to some bills. Well, you likely have online access to those accounts. You can add your husband as an authorized user, primary vs. secondary holder, etc. Then you can print screenshots of those pages on the online account that show who the authorized.

- You can also sign up for email/text notifications, payment reminders, payment confirmations. You can print those text messages.
This level of evidence is secondary evidence to show that even though the paper bill does not show both names, you both have access to the accounts and you both manage the accounts.

These are just ideas. You'll see that we created a "family" email account, and we have store receipts sent to it (say Home depot, Menards, etc), email notifications go to that acccount. When we email others we use that account.

I definitely recommend the Advanced health care directive. Here is a link. https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/fina...ce-directives/

Ask any questions you may have. Feel free to send me a private message. I don't always return to threads where I have posted.

All the best,

USCFFS

PS: Receipts + text messages + pictures = proof you were at a location together = alibi
PS2: I recommend printing in color. Up to you.

[Houston2016]

not a lot of financial evidence

We are married for 2 and half years, but moved together 2 years before got married.
We don't have much bills with both our names on. We have two mortgages, I paid one, he paid another one. Both name only on what he paid, I paid bills for on property he for another... we both well financially and we don't need to transfers money between each other, he has his credit cards, I have mine...

I have most of the pictures as screen prints from FB, as there a date, place, description and comments of our friends and family.
FB status change from single to "in relationship", "engaged" and "married"... me bragging about my engagement ring, postcards from overseas relatives and even from my ex-in-laws!
We are texting each other at list few times per day, like "good morning, you forgot your glasses", "what do you want for dinner", "Could you bring some milk"... So i print screen shots from them and will attached print outs from Phone bill, with highlighting texts and calls.

I think the problems with us who have been in relation for many years, in the beginning we weren't bother to collect evidence, even now, we are just leaving as happy couple with kids and everyday problems...

Recently i have badly scratched a wheel of my husband's car, he was joking - "make a picture of this and show it to IO, and that you are still alive! he/she believe that I really love you!"

I have posted on Houston thread my cover letter with list of documents.