HELP- How did you present your files to the Interview

[gmlm]

Our husband and I finally got the interview notice on the website. With that said, i have started to think what I need to bring for this interview... Quite nerve-wrecking by reading the posts and seeing what everyone is bringing to the interview.

When I met my husband, I had already my house, utility bills and my finances in place. Once his lease expired, he moved in with me and that was it. Because of not being able to work, then getting the work permit but working from home, we didn't open a joint bank account ( aside my parents have been married for 41 years and they don't have a joint bank account) , we split payments and he pays what he's able to at the moment.. things are finally turning around, he recently got a more reliable job so he will be able to bring more in and help me with the house expenses.

With that said, I do have 2 years worth of pictures. I didn't think I had to save airplane boarding tickets as we are very tech savvy and we had them on our phone app. I do have the bookings, we have a joint Costco card, added him to the AMEX and our Disney annual passes email confirmation with the contract. I do have him on my medical insurance and all the benefits.

So what else do I need to bring and how did you present all the documents? Did the copies go on a binder? Punched hole and all? or do you have folders for each? Any idea would be great.

Thank you!

[Plz]

Our husband and I finally got the interview notice on the website. With that said, i have started to think what I need to bring for this interview... Quite nerve-wrecking by reading the posts and seeing what everyone is bringing to the interview.

When I met my husband, I had already my house, utility bills and my finances in place. Once his lease expired, he moved in with me and that was it. Because of not being able to work, then getting the work permit but working from home, we didn't open a joint bank account ( aside my parents have been married for 41 years and they don't have a joint bank account) , we split payments and he pays what he's able to at the moment.. things are finally turning around, he recently got a more reliable job so he will be able to bring more in and help me with the house expenses.

With that said, I do have 2 years worth of pictures. I didn't think I had to save airplane boarding tickets as we are very tech savvy and we had them on our phone app. I do have the bookings, we have a joint Costco card, added him to the AMEX and our Disney annual passes email confirmation with the contract. I do have him on my medical insurance and all the benefits.

So what else do I need to bring and how did you present all the documents? Did the copies go on a binder? Punched hole and all? or do you have folders for each? Any idea would be great.

Thank you!

Add him to your utility bills as an authorized user. I don?t know when your interview date is but if you add him now you can request a monthly statement that shows his name as well on the bill. Does he have any mail that comes to the adress you both live? If so collect that mail and include it your evidence package. You have to get creative.

For example when I got my EAD and applied for my driver?s license online the DMV asked for emergency contact person. I put my husband and when I printed the DL online application to take to the DMV it showed my husband as an emergency contact. I made a photocopy to include in my interview package. Did the same for my son?s school emergency contact person.

[gmlm]

That's a good idea. He lives here so he does receive mail and junk mail home. We also file taxes together and I added added his name on what it was my side business ( now our business)

How did you present all the files? on a binder? or on separate folders? I'm so lost with all this.

[Plz]

That's a good idea. He lives here so he does receive mail and junk mail home. We also file taxes together and I added added his name on what it was my side business ( now our business)

How did you present all the files? on a binder? or on separate folders? I'm so lost with all this.

I haven?t had my interview scheduled yet. I?m still collecting evidence. I will have two binders. One for original documents and one for photocopies. And each binder will be organized the same according to the table of content. There is a thread here that shows how to organize evidence. If I come across it will post the link for you.

[Houston2016]

That's a good idea. He lives here so he does receive mail and junk mail home. We also file taxes together and I added added his name on what it was my side business ( now our business)

How did you present all the files? on a binder? or on separate folders? I'm so lost with all this.

That's a good idea. He lives here so he does receive mail and junk mail home. We also file taxes together and I added added his name on what it was my side business ( now our business)

How did you present all the files? on a binder? or on separate folders? I'm so lost with all this.

I think here you will find all answers:

https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showthread.php/239999-Links-Evidence-of-bona-fide-marriage-for-I-130-I-485-filing-amp-interview-tips/page6

The key is to make a cover letter with a detailed list of docs and what they for, for example:
1.Financial ties: 1.1 joint bank account, 1.2 joint property (business) ownership, 1.3 joint credit cards, 1.4....
2 Cohabitation: 2.1 utilities bills with both names, 2.2 mail to the same address, 2.3 property pictures, 2.4 credit card statement with charges to the same local shops...
All that organize to a folder with corresponding page tabs for easy navigation.

I wasn't think about but "UScitizenFilingforspouse" suggested to give that list to the IO and let her choose what she needs. She would see that you have all needed and beyond.

And keep all originals in another folder. These days copies are so good you might accidentally give an original instead of copy. Personally i put a post it with "ORIG" on it on all originals what could be confused with copy, just in case, we were so nervous and messed up answers, but at list our files was in order.
During interview we were first asked to show all originals and when she finish verifying the submitted copies of them she moved asking about relationship.

Read the <Thread: Links: Evidence of bona fide marriage for I-130/I-485 filing & interview tip> very very useful !!!!

On the picture my working file with evidences and copies of documents.
later i cleaned a table of contents moved tubs to the bottom put a big folder clip on top... For originals I used 3 rings binder with clear pockets (sheet protector) and did also table of contents and tabs: petitioner (passport, birth certificate...); beneficiary (passport, birth certificate...), common (marriage certificate...)

[gmlm]

I think here you will find all answers:

https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showthread.php/239999-Links-Evidence-of-bona-fide-marriage-for-I-130-I-485-filing-amp-interview-tips/page6

The key is to make a cover letter with a detailed list of docs and what they for, for example:
1.Financial ties: 1.1 joint bank account, 1.2 joint property (business) ownership, 1.3 joint credit cards, 1.4....
2 Cohabitation: 2.1 utilities bills with both names, 2.2 mail to the same address, 2.3 property pictures, 2.4 credit card statement with charges to the same local shops...
All that organize to a folder with corresponding page tabs for easy navigation.

I wasn't think about but "UScitizenFilingforspouse" suggested to give that list to the IO and let her choose what she needs. She would see that you have all needed and beyond.

And keep all originals in another folder. These days copies are so good you might accidentally give an original instead of copy. Personally i put a post it with "ORIG" on it on all originals what could be confused with copy, just in case, we were so nervous and messed up answers, but at list our files was in order.
During interview we were first asked to show all originals and when she finish verifying the submitted copies of them she moved asking about relationship.

Read the <Thread: Links: Evidence of bona fide marriage for I-130/I-485 filing & interview tip> very very useful !!!!

On the picture my working file with evidences and copies of documents.
later i cleaned a table of contents moved tubs to the bottom put a big folder clip on top... For originals I used 3 rings binder with clear pockets (sheet protector) and did also table of contents and tabs: petitioner (passport, birth certificate...); beneficiary (passport, birth certificate...), common (marriage certificate...)

Thank you for the suggestions Houston2016! I appreciate it. It is definitely overwhelming when your turn is up lol

[tamarack]

Our husband and I finally got the interview notice on the website. With that said, i have started to think what I need to bring for this interview... Quite nerve-wrecking by reading the posts and seeing what everyone is bringing to the interview.

When I met my husband, I had already my house, utility bills and my finances in place. Once his lease expired, he moved in with me and that was it. Because of not being able to work, then getting the work permit but working from home, we didn't open a joint bank account ( aside my parents have been married for 41 years and they don't have a joint bank account) , we split payments and he pays what he's able to at the moment.. things are finally turning around, he recently got a more reliable job so he will be able to bring more in and help me with the house expenses.

I had my interview (AOS through marriage) yesterday and will update the August interviewees thread once I have a decision. It went well, and even though we don't have a decision notification yet, the IO called my evidence "excellent".

There has been a lot of discussion and good examples given for evidence packs and their tables of content. This has given me some opinions. I saw much of that JUST after sending in our pack. If I had seen it before, I'd have sent more evidence right away. It didn't harm us, but we added quite a bit (still, a lot less than those with 600 pages or multiple pounds of documents) at interview time. Everyone says that "no two cases are alike". But what does this mean? For evidence of bona fide marriage, in my view, there are three factors (other than officer idiosyncrasy) that influence what kind of evidence you should bring and how much of it:

• How long have you been married before adjusting status?
• How established are you in your life in general and as a couple?
• What (if any) potential obstacles do you have to overcome to show bona fides?

The third point could be things you my have done wrong (refused visas...), but also things that are perfectly normal: previous marriages, previously sponsored immigrants, financial ties to previous spouses or their relatives, large age, language or cultural differences with your spouse...

In our case, we're a very "vanilla" case with no special obstacles: We've been married for 4.5 years, are both very well established professionally (so if I wanted to immigrate, chances are I'd find another way than through a marriage), have never been married before, have no children, have never sponsored anyone or been sponsored by anyone, have never been arrested (let alone convicted). What we did in the pack, was to send our best evidence, which was three pieces: Income tax transcripts from 2013 and 2014 showing we were filing as "married, jointly" as soon as we were married; car loan & insurance showing we jointly own a car; and one very effusive affidavit of support from a friend, who's an officer in the US Navy. Altogether maybe 15 pages.

What did we add at interview time? Well, we don't have a joint account, or the same name, and I'm not named on any utilities accounts for the house, which is owned solely by my US citizen spouse, so the usual high-quality evidence wasn't available. What we did is to present the additional evidence in four sections:

1. Wedding-related

• 4 wedding photos
• Correspondence with metalsmith who made our rings, plus ring order (via Etsy)
• ******** messenger conversation with friends about logistics of wedding venue, reception etc.
• ******** messenger conversation asking one of our friends to be a witness
• Announcement of wedding on ******** with a loooong string of congratulations

2. Additional financial documents

• Already submitted IRS and car-related documents
• Printout from petitioner's employer's HR system showing beneficiary is registered on the retirement and life insurance account as well as insured for health, dental and vision via the petitioner
• Copies of invoices from car mechanic showing the petitioner listed as the beneficiary's contact
• Sample statements from beneficiary's bank account highlighting: a) money transfers (regular) from the petitioner and b) expenses for household (grocery shopping, beverages, Home Depot, dog food, veterinary expenses)

3. Affidavits of support

• The original friend's
• The petitioner's mother
• Another mutual friend

4. Miscellaneous photographs etc. (12 pages, at 2/page = about 25)

• From an annual local event (3 different years)
• From a visit of the beneficiary's sibling
• From a visit of the petitioner's mother
• Celebrations
• Either of us with cute puppies, or going hiking/fishing etc.
• Screenshots of ******** posts made by either the petitioner or the beneficiary with a photo of the respective other person and a comment (many from live events like graduation)

I've retyped the list as otherwise I'd have had to anonymize a lot, but you get the idea. One thing I'd stress is not just to list in the table of context what you're submitting, but also what it is supposed to show (if it isn't obvious, like the visits from family).

This whole additional pack amounted to maybe 50 pages of documents, and was pronounced "excellent" by the IO. She did ask about some things we don't have ("have you ever considered changing your name?" "why didn't you open a joint bank account?") while at the same time saying it was by no means required. We just said the truth: that I'm kinda attached to my name, that at least one of us is quite set in her ways and we didn't see a great advantage of a joint account to us over separate accounts at the same credit union etc.

You can influence two things about your evidence: the quality and the quantity. I'd say: always send your strongest evidence, and if you have more obstacles to overcome, add more items and more explanation.

[paase]

This is an excellent, nuanced advice and clarification!
I went through the interview recently too and have nothing more to add.

I will emphasize that spelling out what each evidence shows is key like @tamarack advised. Do it in table of contents and if a section requires more than a sentence of explanation, include that with your actual evidence sheets as well. This is so in case the IO only keeps a few documents in place of the full file + table of contents, they will still have the explanation behind that particular evidence with them. We brought in a lot of evidence, but the IO stopped us after only a couple of things. So we didn't get a chance to leave the Table of Contents with her. And I was glad that I had a sheet explaining what our bank statements and scanned checks show .. which was a bit complicated.

P.S. @tamarack good to hear that your interview went well. Hope you receive your notifications soon.

I had my interview (AOS through marriage) yesterday and will update the August interviewees thread once I have a decision. It went well, and even though we don't have a decision notification yet, the IO called my evidence "excellent".

There has been a lot of discussion and good examples given for evidence packs and their tables of content. This has given me some opinions. I saw much of that JUST after sending in our pack. If I had seen it before, I'd have sent more evidence right away. It didn't harm us, but we added quite a bit (still, a lot less than those with 600 pages or multiple pounds of documents) at interview time. Everyone says that "no two cases are alike". But what does this mean? For evidence of bona fide marriage, in my view, there are three factors (other than officer idiosyncrasy) that influence what kind of evidence you should bring and how much of it:

• How long have you been married before adjusting status?
• How established are you in your life in general and as a couple?
• What (if any) potential obstacles do you have to overcome to show bona fides?

The third point could be things you my have done wrong (refused visas...), but also things that are perfectly normal: previous marriages, previously sponsored immigrants, financial ties to previous spouses or their relatives, large age, language or cultural differences with your spouse...

In our case, we're a very "vanilla" case with no special obstacles: We've been married for 4.5 years, are both very well established professionally (so if I wanted to immigrate, chances are I'd find another way than through a marriage), have never been married before, have no children, have never sponsored anyone or been sponsored by anyone, have never been arrested (let alone convicted). What we did in the pack, was to send our best evidence, which was three pieces: Income tax transcripts from 2013 and 2014 showing we were filing as "married, jointly" as soon as we were married; car loan & insurance showing we jointly own a car; and one very effusive affidavit of support from a friend, who's an officer in the US Navy. Altogether maybe 15 pages.

What did we add at interview time? Well, we don't have a joint account, or the same name, and I'm not named on any utilities accounts for the house, which is owned solely by my US citizen spouse, so the usual high-quality evidence wasn't available. What we did is to present the additional evidence in four sections:

1. Wedding-related

• 4 wedding photos
• Correspondence with metalsmith who made our rings, plus ring order (via Etsy)
• ******** messenger conversation with friends about logistics of wedding venue, reception etc.
• ******** messenger conversation asking one of our friends to be a witness
• Announcement of wedding on ******** with a loooong string of congratulations

2. Additional financial documents

• Already submitted IRS and car-related documents
• Printout from petitioner's employer's HR system showing beneficiary is registered on the retirement and life insurance account as well as insured for health, dental and vision via the petitioner
• Copies of invoices from car mechanic showing the petitioner listed as the beneficiary's contact
• Sample statements from beneficiary's bank account highlighting: a) money transfers (regular) from the petitioner and b) expenses for household (grocery shopping, beverages, Home Depot, dog food, veterinary expenses)

3. Affidavits of support

• The original friend's
• The petitioner's mother
• Another mutual friend

4. Miscellaneous photographs etc. (12 pages, at 2/page = about 25)

• From an annual local event (3 different years)
• From a visit of the beneficiary's sibling
• From a visit of the petitioner's mother
• Celebrations
• Either of us with cute puppies, or going hiking/fishing etc.
• Screenshots of ******** posts made by either the petitioner or the beneficiary with a photo of the respective other person and a comment (many from live events like graduation)

I've retyped the list as otherwise I'd have had to anonymize a lot, but you get the idea. One thing I'd stress is not just to list in the table of context what you're submitting, but also what it is supposed to show (if it isn't obvious, like the visits from family).

This whole additional pack amounted to maybe 50 pages of documents, and was pronounced "excellent" by the IO. She did ask about some things we don't have ("have you ever considered changing your name?" "why didn't you open a joint bank account?") while at the same time saying it was by no means required. We just said the truth: that I'm kinda attached to my name, that at least one of us is quite set in her ways and we didn't see a great advantage of a joint account to us over separate accounts at the same credit union etc.

You can influence two things about your evidence: the quality and the quantity. I'd say: always send your strongest evidence, and if you have more obstacles to overcome, add more items and more explanation.

[tamarack]

This is an excellent, nuanced advice and clarification!
[...]

P.S. @tamarack good to hear that your interview went well. Hope you receive your notifications soon.

Thanks! My interview report is here: https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...958#post578958 . Looking forward to reading yours!

One thing I forgot to say is: Bring photocopies of the originals you want to keep (most of our documents were just printouts, so no photocopies needed since we had the PDFs). I put the photocopies right behind the originals, so I could hand them over and say "This is my XYZ, with a photocopy for you, if you'd like to keep it". Less fiddling with multiple folders than if you have a photocopies folder.

[gmlm]

Thanks! My interview report is here: https://www.immihelp.com/forum/showt...958#post578958 . Looking forward to reading yours!

One thing I forgot to say is: Bring photocopies of the originals you want to keep (most of our documents were just printouts, so no photocopies needed since we had the PDFs). I put the photocopies right behind the originals, so I could hand them over and say "This is my XYZ, with a photocopy for you, if you'd like to keep it". Less fiddling with multiple folders than if you have a photocopies folder.

Thank you Thank you! We finally got out letter and we are schedule for October, however, I just saw that we need to bring another form???! i-864??? We used an attorney to help us write all the forms as I wanted to be sure everything was filled out correctly, now how hard is this one? This is so overwhelming LOL

[tamarack]

Thank you Thank you! We finally got out letter and we are schedule for October, however, I just saw that we need to bring another form???! i-864??? We used an attorney to help us write all the forms as I wanted to be sure everything was filled out correctly, now how hard is this one? This is so overwhelming LOL

I-864 is the Affidavit of Support, so you've already sent that one. Only bring a new one if there's any change (eg, the sponsor's income has changed). (BTW, also bring photocopies of your entire pack - the one you mailed - just in case there's something that you need to refer to!) I'd also bring the most recent 2 pay stubs of the sponsor, but in our case the IO wasn't interested in seeing these.