About form i-944

[Kogane]

Hi! Did some of you already started working with the new form I-944?
It is now part of the process of the adjustment of status and has for goal to prove that one is not going to be a public charge.

I'm filling an AOS as a non resident alien, arrived with a K1, married since, now out of status but still lawfully staying.


Credit Report and Score

Nothing complicated if you already have one or the other, it's pretty tricky if you've just arrived from another country.

Option 1: Build a credit score in the next few months before sending my application - but how is one supposed to do this with no income and no SSN to open an account?

Option 2: Provide proof that one just doesn't have any record - but there's no info on how to do this online and they always ask for your SSN.

>> I was getting really desperate on this one but finally managed this morning to reach someone from TransUnion and got from them the process! One has to send them a request by mail with 2 proofs of address, copy of ID, if possible driver license too, and a short cover letter the representative dictated to me on the phone. Calling them also enabled me to get a file number, that I will add to the cover letter, enabling them to process the request more easily when they receive it.


Health Insurance

Again, no big deal if you already have a SSN, but another hurtle when you moved as a fiance and just got married...

Option 1: Enrolling and get a proof from the insurance company showing the start date and what is covered - but how can one enroll here with no possibility to get a SSN yet?

Option 2: "Provide information on how one plan to pay for reasonably anticipated medical costs"

>> International insurance wouldn't cover me because I'm not just traveling nor considered an expat since I don't have a work related visa. However from what i've read on other topics fo this forum we might be able to sign me up for my husband's health insurance with just my ITIN (as soon as I get it) and have my SSN pending untill I get my EAD. We'll see how it goes!


Diplomas and Skills

Listing all degrees and certifications you have in order to prove you can easily work and earn money is the easy part.
Now, you also have to provide evidences for these, as transcripts and diplomas.
As a reminder, any document submitted which original language isn't English has to be translated by a certified professional.
But also, any foreign education should include an evaluation of equivalency (through one of the organisations member of the NACES).

>> Fingers crossed I still have all these documents somewhere otherwise it's going to take forever to get them back from my college. Then I will have to get them all translated by a certified translator (I haven't even looked at them yet). Then send them all to one of the NACES members (most of them need certified translations to work on anyway). I don't even know yet which one I'll choose since they all have terrible reviews among reasonable ones. So far I'm between IERF, IEE and WES. Minimum 165$ for an evaluation of equivalency that will list my classes so I can also use it to prove the languages I've learned. There are good chances the NACES process will take months. Does anyone has had good experience with some certified translators and NACES members they could recommend?


Note: Certified translation is also needed for your submition of checking and savings account statements of the 12 last months if your bank account(s) is/are abroad.



I can't tell you how mad I am our case was first rejected in january, without retaining any filing date, and now we have to deal with all these brand new requirements...

[isafrias]

I have started filling it and its very confusing..mainly the multiple choice questions.. like Part 2 Item 1... do you live with yourself? is the person listed applying with you? Not sure what to answer here (Y/N) since I am the beneficiary... very silly question...
I am also on the same boat for the diploma evaluaiton... I am not confortable sending my original diploma through the mail to a horrible agency... also, it would take forever and I was basically ready to file it..

[Kogane]

I have started filling it and its very confusing..mainly the multiple choice questions.. like Part 2 Item 1... do you live with yourself? is the person listed applying with you? Not sure what to answer here (Y/N) since I am the beneficiary... very silly question...

Haha right I left it blank for now. I would say we should tick "yes" because we count as 1 of the members living in the household but honestly I think no matter whatit wouldn't be a big deal since we obviously live in our own household.

Check the different organisations, some of them do not require original diplomas! Spantran, IEE and IERF for sure don't need your original diplomas. With IERF, everything can be copies they don't mind. I find it quite weird though. Most companies will offer to send you back your originals no matter what.

And yes it's going to take forever, for myself I think it will add at least 3 to 6 months to the process! A good way to deter people from trying to stay. It would be easy if I was still in France and could work, right now I'm stuck forever unable to work and having to do all this...

[isafrias]

Yeah I put "yes" on that too.. just very odd wording they use sicne they know the first ine there would be "self"... lol
Yeah I saw that those don't require offical docs..but some of them, like Spantran require an extra fee for a verification step.. Which may delay even more the process if they can't get a hold of my University back home. I cotnacted them and I am waiting on their answer.. I will let you know..
But to be honest, other than that every other document isn't hard to acquire. in 3 days I was able to get everything else online! So if not for these certification, I am again ready to send the package.
I am sure you can put it all toegether very quickly too!
For health insurance, just register in one today! I don't think all companies require SSN.
For the credit score just state that you don't have one because you just moved to the US. In the mean time get a pre-paid credit card and start building it for the time of the interview..

[isafrias]

Also, I have a question.. I have a MSc here in the US. Which would be the highest level of education. Do you think that I still would need to provide the evalution for high school and Bachelor degree? Seems to me that if I was admitted and completed the program in a very good University here in the US that would suffice...

[Kogane]

I am not sure I can get all my transcripts etc. online so easily and even less if it needs to be original, everything is in France and I'm afraid I haven't kept the transcripts since I never planned to move to USA back then lol

For health insurance you absolutely cannot get one without SSN in theory but you can enroll and leave the SSN as pending information you give as soon as you can. They're not found of it but most people seem to have made it work.

I doubt a simple letter I wrote myself stating I don't have a credit record would work and I don't want to take any risk so I'll get the official docs.

As for getting a pre-paid credit card I'll have to have a look at it. I can also get a secure credit card maybe. I don't know yet exactly how all this works and what's my best option.
In my family and in general in France credits/loans are a bad thing. We do not resort them. We avoid them as much as we can. We do not spend more than we have and banks trust us more. We get loans only for cars & houses mostly. I am very uncomfortable with the idea that I have to borrow money (and reimburse it) just to prove them... whatever. Not having to resort to credit or loan and having no debt should be a proof we can manage money lol.

I don't think you need a certified equivalent of your highschool diploma etc. if your MSc is what you go for. However if you tick "yes" when they ask you if you have a highschool diploma, you should at least send this diploma and a certified translation I think.

[Palmito]

Hello Kogane,

(je suis exactement dans le même cas que toi, je vais continuer en anglais pour les autres lecteurs mais ça fait plaisir de savoir que je suis pas le seul français dans le même pétrin)

Coming from a K1, I'm in the same situation as you trying to get this i-944 properly filed but there is barely no infos about how to file this new form for people with our status/visa type!

How has things worked out for you since your last reply on the Feb 26th?

I was also wondering if you could share with us the phone number, post address and cover letter you wrote to TransUnion for the proof of having no credit score.
I have read somewhere that even if you do open a bank account with a credit card (miraculously without a SSN) it still takes a few months (90 days) for your credit score to be generated. In addition, it would not play well for us since our score would be close to 350 (that's my personal guess, I'm not sure about that one) !

Some answers I've found in several website that could be helpful:

I have read somewhere that translation don't necessary have to be made by a certified translator, you can translate your diplomas yourself:

" “certified translation” does not mean the translator must have some sort of professional certification. It only means the person who translates the document must certify that he or she is A) fluent in both the original language and the English language and B) that the translator translated all pertinent information contained in the document. Translated documents do not have to be notarized for submission to USCIS with an adjustment application. Do not pay extra for anyone to “notarize” documents you submit to USCIS! "


Also, if it makes things easier, it is possibld to have a SSN as a K1 visa holder.

"K1 visa holders can get a social security number upon producing a valid, unexpired I-94. Apply two weeks after arrival in the U.S. so that Social Security Administration (SSA) can verify your information in the SAVE-ASVI database. If you apply too soon, they may have to do a manual verification by filing Form G-845 with the USCIS, which may add several weeks of delay. Also, do not wait too long, as many SSA offices will not allow you to file for a SSN if your I-94 is about to expire within 14 days. Of course, it is also possible to apply after you get EAD.DMV accepted the EAD"


Hope it helps,
Please let us know how things have worked out for you!

[Mmesa]

Hi Kogane, hi Palmito, everyone...


Same case as you Kogane, I came in the US with a tourist visa/esta not K1, but ended up getting married, with an expired I-94. I sent my AOS application before 02/24 but it was rejected for an issue with form G1450 (payment) and my file was sent back to me a couple of days ago...

Trying not to get too emotional about it, am currently reprinting and refilling everything... I-944 as well!

Miraculously, I found copies of my diplomas in my hard drive (all my belongings are kept locked in a storage unit in France) but I am facing the same problems with health insurrance, and the very painful "proof of no credit record". I will contact TransUnion Monday first thing and let you know if anything needs to be added to Kogane's already pretty amazing tips.

Regarding the way to prove your level of English, I don't know what it's worth, but I passed an online standard English test that came with a certification. I am going to use that on top of my Bachelor and hope it works for them.

What about the supporting documents for your financial situation? I was hoping that my husband's salary slips / verification letter from his job and 3 latest tax return reports (basically what we used for his sponsorship with I864) would be enough... I mean, logically, am unemployed here, it's just the two of us, and we don't have a lot of charges (no mortgage/low rent/car payed)

Time is long when you can't even think about getting a job, and Adjustment of Status is a waiting game, good luck to everyone!




Marine

[Mmesa]

Hi everyone,

Little update on the credit record issue: I called TransUnions yesterday and spoke to an operator who at first did not understand what I needed, and then told me a letter is going to be sent to me by regular mail ( "in 5 to 7 working days") in which they tell me what documents I need to send back to get a proof of no credit record.

Basically, it's going to take forever to get done, and he refused to give me an email address to send it to. "It's done only by regular mail madam".

I looked on google and found two emails, the one from the customer service, and the one from the technical support, I tried them but both replied they are not able to help me with that.

Does anyone have a tip or an idea?
Many thx!!

[Linda241]

Omg,
I cannot believe that I am not going through this alone.
I am from France too and I am struggling quite a lot with this new i-944 form.

For the credit score, I contacted Experian and sent them a letter over a week ago and still nothing... It's stressful..

Concerning education, Mmesa , I was wondering, for your bachelor and high school diploma, did you get an evaluation of equivalency done?

I'm just freaking out about it. I have my french baccalaureate as well as some first year university transcripts ( I did not graduate, I only completed and validated 1 year) . Do I need an evaluation of equivalency for sure?

Help!

Also, I am still trying to pick a civil surgeon for the medical exam and I was wondering how your experiences were, as well as the costs.

And for the tax transcripts, what years did you submit?

Thank you everyone!

[Palmito]

Hi everyone,

We should rename this as a french page or something lol

Back to a serious matter.


Linda241 Depending on the visa you entered the US with, you may apply for an SSN at a Social Security Office, this is if your I944 expires in less than 14 days, it may make things easier to ask for a Credit report (and every other document Kogane mentioned on the very first post). In your shoes, I would either contact another credit establishment or just give a call back to Experian.

In my case, I'm only gonna submit my Master's degree for the I-944, I m using IERF (a member of NACES) in order to have a General Report of Equivalency, they do not require the original diploma to be sent to them, I did everything through scanning, however, you have to provide them with EVERY SINGLE releve de notes (transcripts) of your post-secondary years, it was a PAIN IN THE A$$ for me to get them all.

For proving my proficiency in English I'm using a certification from an English test I did online, you could also do like Kogane, who s using a NACES accredited organization to have a full report of proficiency that provides details of each class taken including the English classes, it's around $165 if I remember correctly.

If you did not graduate from university, forget about using it. You should just get a General Report of Equivalency of your Bacc, it costs $ 85.

We came with a K-1, so we are not required to file a form I-693, we had our US medical exam in France, I think I spent about 340 euros (lungs scan 40 euros, 60 euros for the blood and pee in a cup test, the US-approved doctor costs about 240 euros), those prices are very high compared to how much we usually pay in France, so I would suspect they're about the American price range.

For the tax return, if the 2019 tax return for this year was filed you can use it, otherwise as explained in the i944 instruction paper, the USCIS also accepts last year's return.

Mmesa the documents used on the affidavits of support from are enough if you meet 125% of the federal poverty guideline depending on your household size. As part of the i944 you can add extra assets to demonstrate that you are less likely to become I public charge, I recommend you do it.


I suggest to everyone to read the instruction paper of the I944 that gives extensive information. Alongside with some more detail in these pages: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/...11#footnote-25, feel feel to browse around the G section on the left banner.

I hope it helps,
Good luck!

[aniussia223]

Hello everyone,
Going through the same problem.. Came in K1, got married, now i-94 is expired.

Does any of you have an idea if we have to evaluate everything (high school, bachelor) if we have masters? or maybe only master and the rest just translated copies?
Does any of you evaluated post graduate diploma?
That is so confusing...

Also, what would be the best place to do evaluation ? (I have translations of my masters diploma here in us and that would be it) .. I wonder if that would be enough to get the evaluation ?

Also can anyone confirm the AOS documents we need to send?
As of now I have :

i-485
i-765
i-131
6 photographs
i-864 + income tax return + copy of my husband passport
money order (check) for 1225.00
g-1145
copy of birth certificate with translations
copy of marriage certificate
copy of i-797 + approved i-129
i-94
copy of passport page with picture
copy of the visa picture + parole stamp
and now working on that i-944... which is the most confusing... guess what we need for that is : proof of insurance, none credit proof, bank statements for last 12 months?, translations / evaluations of education) -> which ones are you translating and which ones are you evaluating?

thanks !

[rambava]

I too have a MSc from US university and planning to just send the transcripts of that and just list that as the university. Also regarding the English and other languages I am going to end up sending my 10th grade mark sheet. It lists all three languages with grades. I hope that should be enough as a certificate to prove my language efficiency. I took TOEFL before coming to USA but lost the certificate and dont have the scanned version of it. ETS website wont even keep the records as they delete it after 2 years.

[Promezclan]

From what I gather, you don't need a certified translator, just someone who certified that they are capable and that the translation is correct.

For me, the two things that seem most difficult are the credit report and the health insurance.

Since my wife came on a tourist visa waiver a month ago and got trapped by the coronavirus, she does not live here, so she does not have any evidence of her existence in the US (e.g. proofs of address) for the credit agency. This requirement seems truly silly - proving a negative.

As for health insurance, not being a resident here is also a problem. She has Spanish travel insurance which covers her for up to three months in a country, so she'll be covered for a couple more months, but obviously the process is likely to take longer, and maybe she needs primary insurance, rather than travel insurance. Does she have to buy some kind of post-dated long-term expat insurance to submit the application?

I don't know if it would be worth submitting it with just an explanation that she she has never lived here, and thus has no credit history, and an explanation of how she'll pay for medical costs and then buy insurance once she's a resident, and then only if they object and say the application is incomplete, try to correct it. Or will they just reject it outright without a chance to supplement?

[Kogane]

Wow, I haven't checked that page in a while... We're still waiting on our tax returns and on the official diplomas to arrive from France but everything is kinda on hold because of Covid-19.

It's a lot of info to catch up to but I'll add few things to what's already been said:


- Wether you need an ATA certified translation and original diplomas depend entirely on which member of NACES you choose. They each have different requirements.

- You can get an SSN only if your I-94 isn't expired, which is already the case in most cases. But you can get an ITIN by paying your taxes here. This also enables you to open a joint account.

- As for health insurance you can get some if you have an ITIN and tell them you'll give them your SSN as soon as you receive it.

- If you have a master's degree you don't need to certify your highschool diploma. In my case I want to do it because I want to prove them all the skills I have so I'll probably do a detailed equivalency certification and have them mention everything I studied. (Could be useful for later employment and I'd rather take no risk.)

- Your husband can be enough to prove your financial situation but it is highly recommended to add another supporter.

- You do have to get through regular postmail to ask for the proof of no record with one of the credit agencies.