Proving domicile at the interview
 

Hi, folks

I am going for my CR1 interview in a few weeks and I'm wondering about proving domicile for my USC wife.

I know that it's a good idea to prove your intent to domicile there with things like lease agreements, kids in schools, bank accounts etc.

In my case my wife is flying back to the US shortly after my interview. I can prove that with the copy of the flight information when she booked her ticket. Her flight is one-way

I think that that make it pretty clear-cut that she's moving over there, but i wonder if anyone has any other advice?

Thanks

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Search nightmare in London by ginblossom, theres lots of stuff to look at in that thread.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

It is that "it is a good idea to prove your intent to re-establish your domicile" but mandatory.

Her having a flight back to the US might not be enough. Has she looked for a place to live for the both of you. Has she searched for employment? If you have kids are they registed for school?

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

I think the one way ticket can be just one piece of evidence, but I don't think it's enough all on its own. I think you should also go ahead and include all the other things you listed above, plus more, if you have it.

Rene

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

This was an important thing to submit so we prepared hard for it and submitted a very thick packet of stuff that included:

Proof that we were selling our house, the contract from the Estate Agent, the listings details

Emails and listings of properties we were looking at in the US

Registration details at school for the kids in the US

Correspondance regarding jobs and job offers,

Also, in the cover letter I actually constucted a sentence using THEIR words (can't find it at the moment) but the sentence stated along the lines of "I Frank intend to domicile etc etc"

Don't ignore this requirement, very important!

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Let's see...I provided emails documenting a job search, emails documenting an apartment search, a letter from our US realtor affirming that we have been working with her to find a property, a letter from my boss stating that he was aware of my intention to return to the US, emails of shipping quotes for our belongings from London to Oregon, a letter confirming the value of our UK house prior to putting it on the market (which we hadn't done yet at the time) ...can't remember what else.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Well done you have either proved intent or conspired to defraud. No more no less. Make sure that it is the first rather than the later. The first guarantees you nothing. The later guarantees you more trouble than you can begin to imagine. Wordplay is fun when doing a cross word. When dealing with US immigration not so much.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

How in the world is the OP conspiring to commit fraud? Please explain.

Rene

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Who are you replying to? You should probably explain yourself more fully in your posts or try the tactic of asking questions to elicit more information instead of being so definite about what you post.

Overall, your posts are trending in a bad direction; please think twice before hitting 'submit'.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Thanks, folks

I have my wife's resignation letter from her company, her flight information and am working on a lease and/or notarised letter from her mother saying we can stay in her's or her mother's house. Her mother is in assisted living so has handed over control to her children.

I have no evidence of job hunting as neither of us will be getting a job as soon as we land. We also have no kids and do not intend to rent a house in the usual way, so realtors are not applicable.

I have had house rental values in writing and am working on renting the place. Hopefully that will happen on time so i can use that as further evidence.

Cheers

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Your thinking is much too narrow.


Do you understand that getting (or not) a job as soon as you land is irrelevant? They like to see evidence that you're looking for a job. Get the evidence... yes, even if you have no intention of using it.


Again, it doesn't matter that you don't intent to rent. Get a realtor and use their services... even if you have no intention of using it, you should provide documentation that you are looking for a place.

Think about what they want to see... and give them what they want. You do want the visa, right?

Ian

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Two more thoughts...

1. How about a resignation letter from YOUR employment. I know she is the one that needs to prove domicile, but showing that you also intend to give up your job just goes to show cutting the ties to the UK.

2. Provide quotes and correspondence on shipping your stuff from UK to USA.

3. Do you have any pets you're bringing over?

Rene

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Good ideas!

I can get a letter from my company too. I plan to quit this week so that gives me room.

We are getting the post room at my wife's company to do the shipping, but i have a lot of quotes in email for that work so that would be a good one.

No pets, I'm afraid, but i do have an acquaintence in the US who has offered me part time IT work. I have asked him for a letter to that effect so that might help too. I have also asked my wife if she can get something similar as she will be doing some freelance publishing work.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

The visa people do recommend not to do anything drastic (like quitting your job, selling your house or booking a nonrefundable flight) until you have the visa approved. A letter from your employer affirming your intentions may be better than outright quitting, unless quitting early factors into your main plans. If you *are* quitting your job soon just make sure you have a backup plan in case your visa is delayed...

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

We just completed this interview process.

It is not so much YOUR intent to domicile in USA, its your wife's.

I submitted my bank account statements, voter registration card, car insurance there, car registration (I'd left much of my stuff in storage, but insured), storage unit there, anything I could get my hands on. Of course my IRS transcripts and 1040s had my US address on them.

We also provided all our realtor correspondence, and our solicitor paperwork here that showed our house on the market (it wasn't sold at that time.)

Now what happened on my UK husband's side, which the ConOff only seemed to really want to see - was paperwork from his company. Once they saw that he was already employed in the USA, they were absolutely fine. My husband also found out from them that job searching is not any indication of anything (anyone can make that stuff up), nor are job offers. However job acceptances are a different situation in their eyes (meaning, and offer is nothing, an acceptance and contract - its a done deal.)

We also gave our shipping quotes as well, receipts for our sold vehicles, some closed accounts (a few sundry banking accounts we didn't need open, for example.)

For the USC, its about intent to re-domicile (or already domiciled) and for you, its to prove you won't become a public charge.

If her company is paying for you both to move back/to the USA, then she can have them provide paperwork to that effect, which means intent to (re) domicile in USA is the easy part.

This was just our experience at the end of May.

Good luck!

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Thanks,

Some of that we can use, but unlike what seems like a large majority of people on the forum, we are not going to ready-made jobs nor are we being sent out by our companies. In fact, we are only going to be looking for part-time jobs in the first instance until we find our feet. thefore, job acceptances aren't an option.

I do have a joint sponsor who meets the requirements for the i864 and we have savings which we can prove, as well as a reasonable amount of equity in our UK property. I realise no single thing is definitive, but I hope there is sufficient weight of evidence that we're moving and that we are not going to become poor on the streets.

I will just gather as much as I can to prove that we're kosher and take it from there. There isn't much else i can do, i think.


Thanks

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Good thinking, Ian

I will work on that asap.

Cheers

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Agreed.

Hairball - standard lists of what has worked for others can give you some ideas, but every person's situation is different in some respects. Such lists are not restrictive - don't worry about what you haven't got, examine your own situation and determine what you have got.

Regards, JEff

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Since you're only going to look for part time jobs, how about registering ahead of time with a temp service? You can show that you've sent them your resume and get some correspondence going between you. I would do this for a few temp agencies, at least it shows you are job hunting in the USA, even if it's part time or temp jobs.

Rene

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Yes, that's good thinking. I have registered with three agencies in the area, and i will ask Steph to do the same so I hope that covers the base. I realise that a firm job is the best way to prove it, but with the best will in the world it's very hard to get a job when one is so far away, unless a company is moving me. Mine won't

I have read the official internal guide here: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86988.pdf and the emphasis seems to be on ensuring that the alien has an good i864 and that there are no medical or other reasons to think they will become a public charge. I also read Ian's helpful distillation of the guidelines and will follow them carefully.

I will take all of your's advice and try and see it from the persepctive of the conoff and gather all the evidence I can to prove that we're legit.

Thanks again.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Keep in mind that the ConOff doesn't care if you have a job or not in the USA. You, as the intending immigrant, don't need to prove anything except that you have a solid I-864 to show.

What the ConOff will want to see is proof that your USC wife is job hunting back in the USA, which will help prove her intent to domicile. So this is more about having your wife register for temp agencies and such, rather than you yourself.

I still feel like you're mixing up the two requirements. Although they are related, they have different forms of proof. You can have an excellent I-864 from a USC sponsor who has cash assets in the bank, but that still doesn't prove her intent to domicile in the USA. That needs a separate stack of evidence, which is what you're now working on.

Rene

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Thanks. That makes sense, I was just failing to describe it properly. She has signed up for agencies, I have asked her to dig out bank details and deposit some UK money in that account. We're also working on a formal lease for the property we intend to reside in when we arrive. I'll keep at it.


Cheers

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

General observation - this is a common occurance, and I think a benefit of participating in forums such as this one. Failing to describe one's situation properly here just generates more back and forth comments, failure to describe one's situation properly in a consular interview can result in delay, or even failure, to receive a visa.

People should use the forum experience to improve their delivery of information.

Regards, JEff

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Can I just double-confirm something regarding domicile? Heading for my interview soon and making sure all the documents are ready, and filed in A-Z order :huh:

Is the issue of domicile totally defunct if the USC has flown ahead to live in the US? Or would you still need to take proof?

Sorry to hijack your questions Hairball.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

You would provide evidence that the USC has domiciled in the US.. IE, lives there now.

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

So payslips, car registration docs and mobile phone number? He doesn't have a rental contract as with the parents - would a letter from them help?

Thanks!

ETA - he has a bank account too, and the UK bank accounts are registered to the US address? Will that be enough?

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Plus more if you can get it. Something with his US address on it, perhaps a copy of his drivers license? The mobile phone bill, bank account statements coming to the US address, car insurance bills coming to the US address, etc.

Only the ConOff knows for sure. Bring everything you can think of, and hope it's enough.

Rene

Re: Proving domicile at the interview
 

Super. Will hunt and gather. Thanks!