USCIS held an informative session on Feb. 26, 2015 which went over common issues in a lawful source of funds analysis. Speaking from USCIS were three adjudication officers, two supervisors and Karen Harris, a division chief. USCIS stated its continued goal is to reduce I-526 petition processing times by streamlining adjudication.  To this end, the call was meant to provide information to the public about common issues that arise over the course of USCIS review that often leads to the issuance of requests for evidence. The following were areas of source of funds analysis that USCIS focused on during the call:

1. Earned Income

Typically, earned income will come from employment or investments. When earned income comes from employment, USCIS stated such employment income can be proven by including:

• resumes,
• month salary verification (i.e. paystubs),
• employment certificates,
• affidavits,
• tax receipts, and
• bank statements.

However, USCIS made clear that objective third party evidence carries more weight than first person or self-serving evidence. For instance, a bank statement demonstrating a deposit of salary of an employment certificate signed by an employer carries more weight than an affidavit from the petitioner. Furthermore, multiple pieces of evidence which demonstrate consistency in the information are also important.
Continue Reading Recap of the USCIS Lawful Source of Funds Public Engagement Feb. 26, 2015