10 year green card application pointers?

[ConnerVT]

The more evidence you submit the better.

Allow me to disagree.

For a few months in 2009, I worked for USCIS.  I received K-1 Adjustment of Status application packages, sorted through the documentation provided, and keyed the information into the computer for review/approval.  Consider it the first step of processing an AoS.

The only documents that actually need to be submitted are:
-- A completed application form with original signatures;
-- A photocopy of the front and back of the applicants Conditional Resident Alien card;
-- Payment of the proper amount (Fee + Biometric Fee(s)) for the applicant(s), in either check or money order.

With what is stated above, the submitted application will be accepted, keyed into the system, and sent on to be processed.  Of course, you can certainly assume that you will be called in for an interview.

Submitting some *QUALITY* evidence will get you much farther, and get you there much faster.  Loading your application with several inches of *QUANTITY* evidence will make it an application that everyone will push aside to look at last.  Wouldn't you?

The workers who open and key applications for USCIS work for a subcontractor (Stanley).  They each have performance goals that they must obtain each night.  The number of envelopes opened, sorted, and assembled into file folders per hour.  Number of applications keyed per hour.  If they see the huge envelope in the box, next to 15 thinner ones, which do you think they'll grab first?  We made it a point to let everyone know when one took one of these big envelopes, as we could then put on our time sheet some "Administrative" time to offset it.  Honestly, some of these would take 25-30 minutes to sort through, while the expected rate is 11 applications/hour.

Some people would send photo albums (still in the album book).  Two years of cell phone bills, each month with 20+ pages showing the billing for each text message sent.  Entire magazines to show their mailing address.  Some of the stuff we saw just made us shake our heads.

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull$h!t.

So what is quality evidence?  Well, the best is the birth certificate of the child you created together.  That goes a LONG way.  Next is big ticket items you bought/borrowed together (home mortgage/lease agreement, automobile loans).  Health insurance showing joint coverage.  receipts for vacations that you took after you were married.  Credit card bills, but only if you can tie him/her together (bill is in husband’s name, but have copy of both cards with the same account number).

Take a yellow highlighter, and highlight the information that is important (names) so it is easy for people to find the things that made it important enough for you to send it in the first place.

Other things you can send as evidence include *a few* pictures (10 at the most, and leave them loose, as they will be put in a plastic file envelope anyway), and a letter or two from friends attesting to your lawful marriage.  In reality, these things really aren't evidence at all, as anyone can spend an hour or two to pose for some pictures.  Unless you have a sworn affidavit (way overkill, and may be a red flag in itself), the letters from friends could have been written by anyone.  But when submitted with a quality petition, they probably are a nice touch.

This post got a bit long.  But I figured I would share my few months of hell employment at USCIS.

[OlgaH]

Allow me to disagree.

Submitting some *QUALITY* evidence will get you much farther, and get you there much faster.  

Of course you can disagree   But did I say something otherwise?   All evidence that you should submit are written in the instruction. The more such evidence you submit the better. The government of the country with motto "In God we trust" trusts only in joint money regarding faithful marriage and you should to prove that you both have been living together.  

We sent our package with overnight mail and after we printed from the US post service website the paper with date and time when our package was received and with signature and name of the person who received our package. Our package was received by a center director.    

[Vaughn]

The more such evidence you submit the better.

Olga, I don't believe you read ConnerVT's post - or perhaps you misunderstood it.

We have two tax attorneys in our extended family. Their advice, when submitting
papers (of any sort) to any government agency is this:

Submit only what they need. Nothing more.

I believe ConnerVt's experience at USCIS tells why.

[ConnerVT]

I processed only this application (I-485), for only K-1 visa holders petitioning for Adjustment of Status.  I can say, without hesitation, that 90% of what they have in the instructions is incorrect.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-485instr.pdf

[OlgaH]

Submit only what they need. Nothing more.

And everything they need is written in the instruction under "Evidence of the Relationship".   And the more such evidence of the relationship that they need you submit the better   and also it is written in the instruction as additional "Other documents you consider relevant to establish your marriage was not entered into in order to evade the U.S. immigration laws". We also had a consultation at our local USCIS department and they said that along with all mentioned evidence it is also good to submit some additional evidence with both of your names on it and address  

[OlgaH]

And also with all the documents-evidence we enclosed the index page "According to the Instruction for I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on the Residence, we have submitted the following documents: ....." All our documents was numbered according to the index page.

[ConnerVT]

And everything they need is written in the instruction under "Evidence of the Relationship".   And the more such evidence of the relationship that they need you submit the better   and also it is written in the instruction as additional "Other documents you consider relevant to establish your marriage was not entered into in order to evade the U.S. immigration laws".

Could you point me to the page in the I-485 Instructions that say this?

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-485instr.pdf

[ConnerVT]

And also with all the documents-evidence we enclosed the index page "According to the Instruction for I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on the Residence, we have submitted the following documents: ....." All our documents was numbered according to the index page.

... and your petition, when opened, was pulled apart, reordered in the manner specified by USCIS (and Stanley) to facilitate the data entry.  Your cover letter was placed well under many other pages you submitted, and your numbered documents were rearranged.

[OlgaH]

Could you point me to the page in the I-485 Instructions that say this?

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-485instr.pdf

ConnerVT, I'm sorry if I missed something, but I thought we are talking about Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence (I-751) - 10 years GC  

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-751instr.pdf

[OlgaH]

... and your petition, when opened, was pulled apart, reordered in the manner specified by USCIS (and Stanley) to facilitate the data entry.  Your cover letter was placed well under many other pages you submitted, and your numbered documents were rearranged.

Sure they reorganized it  

[LEGAL]

Are we talking about I-751 or I 485?      There is a big difference!

[ConnerVT]

Uh... You are correct.  (I grabbed the wrong link from my forever growing bookmark file)   

My point was that submitting only a reasonable amount of quality evidence is vastly superior to the mindset of the more evidence you submit the better.

[OlgaH]

My point was that submitting only a reasonable amount of quality evidence is vastly superior to the mindset of the more evidence you submit the better.

ConnerVT, and my point is that all the quality evidence are in the instruction. And if you have all that evidence for submitting it is better to show them all. Additional evidence as, for example evidence of traveling together, are also a good display of your joint family activity. 

[Bruce]

Olga, appreciate the advice but it is hard to argue with a real "insider" liked Connor who actually worked for the BCINS on adjustment of status applications.   I followed Connor's instructions when I put together our ten year application.   Now, the ten year should be the most easy one but in our case it actually did get done within six months which as far as I am concerned based on our experience with the BCINS is a minor miracle  .

[OlgaH]

Bruce we also did not argue with an officer at the Department and did everything according to the instruction. But we sent our application less than month before my first GC date expiration. I think it would be better to send it earlier. And I received my GC after 7 months and also without an interview 

[OlgaH]

I processed only this application (I-485), for only K-1 visa holders petitioning for Adjustment of Status.  I can say, without hesitation, that 90% of what they have in the instructions is incorrect.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-485instr.pdf

ConnerVT, just out of curiosity what 90% of information is incorrect in I-485?

[Ronnie]

Conner has not replied and I too would like to know what, in the instructions to form I-485 is incorrect.  They are actually quite accurate in my experience and in accordance with law, especially the sections on who is eligible and who is not eligible.  Indeed, by case law, instructions on government forms has the same force and effect as law.