Evidence of bona fide marriage.

[Indy90 21]

I did not send pictures or any of the things mentioned here for the I-130 petition I sent out on May 27th. I went by the USCIS (before I found this site of course) guidelines and sent them exactly what they asked for. They received package, cashed my check and got NOA1. So I guess it's ok. Also I am doing the CR1 not K3 maybe that is the difference?

Like I said, you do not have to send nearly as much as what I said you could use...I was just offering suggestions. However, if your loved one is from a high fraud country or a consulate that is nasty for whatever reason, it is better to overload the evidence than send just what is needed by USCIS. There are cases where people get their I 130 approved but then the consulate denies them the visa for "lack of evidence." By overloading, you can somewhat avoid this problem. Chile may be one of those consulates where relatively little evidence is required-I don't know.

[mamamimi 8]

Like I said, you do not have to send nearly as much as what I said you could use...I was just offering suggestions. However, if your loved one is from a high fraud country or a consulate that is nasty for whatever reason, it is better to overload the evidence than send just what is needed by USCIS. There are cases where people get their I 130 approved but then the consulate denies them the visa for "lack of evidence." By overloading, you can somewhat avoid this problem. Chile may be one of those consulates where relatively little evidence is required-I don't know.

I would think the Consulate would deny if I had no evidence provided to them by my husband at the time of interview . I have been to Chile 6x before marriage and 3x after marriage, planning another trip as we speak. Plenty of dated pictures of us with family from each visit. Money transfers emails hotel bills etc.

Just no bank accounts, or property because we do not live in the same country. I will look into a life insurance naming him as my beneficiary.

Not many people immigrate from Chile it's not really considered a high fraud country. I knew my hubby since we were kids I got pictures to prove it! I was born in Chile and I am a citizen of the US.

But hey every case is different and you need to be prepared for everything!! Good luck to you!

[Indy90 21]

I would think the Consulate would deny if I had no evidence provided to them by my husband at the time of interview . I have been to Chile 6x before marriage and 3x after marriage, planning another trip as we speak. Plenty of dated pictures of us with family from each visit. Money transfers emails hotel bills etc.

Just no bank accounts, or property because we do not live in the same country. I will look into a life insurance naming him as my beneficiary.

Not many people immigrate from Chile it's not really considered a high fraud country. I knew my hubby since we were kids I got pictures to prove it! I was born in Chile and I am a citizen of the US.

But hey every case is different and you need to be prepared for everything!! Good luck to you!

It sounds like you have quite a bit of evidence-I have about the same, except for two fewer trips (although I have spent about a year and a half in the country), but a joint bank account in Ecuador.

I don't want to compare Ecuador to Chile in terms of economy, but in the grand scheme of things, Ecuador I believe is considered to be a very low fraud country compared to others, yet the consulate is notorious for being one of the hardest. The reason is that one of the high administrators at the consulate has spent most of his career fighting human trafficking. Just because Chile seems like it will be easy does not mean that it will be. Do A LOT of research and if you find that they do deny people regularly, bring everything. In Ecuador, you get an automatic denial if the USC is not present at the interview with his or her fiancee/spouse. You literally have to bring a suitcase of evidence and it greatly helps to send a suitcase of evidence with the I 130.

[mamamimi 8]

It sounds like you have quite a bit of evidence-I have about the same, except for two fewer trips (although I have spent about a year and a half in the country), but a joint bank account in Ecuador.

I don't want to compare Ecuador to Chile in terms of economy, but in the grand scheme of things, Ecuador I believe is considered to be a very low fraud country compared to others, yet the consulate is notorious for being one of the hardest. The reason is that one of the high administrators at the consulate has spent most of his career fighting human trafficking. Just because Chile seems like it will be easy does not mean that it will be. Do A LOT of research and if you find that they do deny people regularly, bring everything. In Ecuador, you get an automatic denial if the USC is not present at the interview with his or her fiancee/spouse. You literally have to bring a suitcase of evidence and it greatly helps to send a suitcase of evidence with the I 130.

OMG they are so strict!! Thanks for the info, you know I have no clue wether I have to be there with him for the interview ( so glad you brought that up) How would I find out ? Maybe I will postpone the trip I got planned for September until I get all the info on the US embassy in Chile.

I cannot be leaving my job again to go for an interview!! LOL

Thanks again!

[Sweetcheeksss 91]

We didn't send extra evidence when we filed either, just what the I-130 instructions asked for. We're at the NVC stage now, but I'm in Canada so maybe it's considered a very low fraud country, I dunno.

At any rate, good luck with everything!

[Indy90 21]

OMG they are so strict!! Thanks for the info, you know I have no clue wether I have to be there with him for the interview ( so glad you brought that up) How would I find out ? Maybe I will postpone the trip I got planned for September until I get all the info on the US embassy in Chile.

I cannot be leaving my job again to go for an interview!! LOL

Thanks again!

It just depends the consulate. Do not email the consulate and ask...they will tell you that you do not have to be there, because technically you do not. In some countries, the USC is not even allowed to attend the interview (you might want to find this out), in some it is optional and in some it is an unofficial requirement. If you read the reviews for Ecuador, a number of people got blindsided by this requirement. I would read the reviews for the Chilean consulate to see what they say and I have pasted the link at the bottom.

In general, in Latin America the USC is allowed to attend and is usually a benefit, but not always a requirement (I believe that Colombia is a country where it is a benefit but not a requirement). I will warn you though that because consular officers rotate every couple of years, you could find that right now it is not necessary, but in a few months could be. In Ecuador, people have brought literally a suitcase of evidence, but because the USC is not present, the consular officer denies the visa after a very short interview due to "lack of evidence." Its weird, because before 2007, the reviews are much more positive than after, probably because different people were rotated in.

Really, when talking about consulate stuff, it is best to only listen to people that have gone through Chile, because each consulate is run differently. I am just giving you general information and sharing what happens at one of the region's most difficult consulates. I hope and doubt that Chile is so hard, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Here are the reviews for Chile. It does seem like you are in luck, because they are generally positive and some do mention that the USC is not really required to be there. Unfortunately, the sample size for Chile is quite small; reviews from 2008 may not be a good indicator of what it is like right now. http://www.visajourney.com/reviews/index.php?cnty=Chile&page=1&dfilter=5

[mamamimi 8]

You are right the reviews are not recent...I did read them before. I will most likely go with him, I was planning a trip there eventually so it will be ok. Thanks for all your input I really appreciate it.

Also I wanted to ask you something... I had someone help me fill out my I-130 form because I was so scared to make a mistake (it was before this website of course) she charged me almost $300.00 dollars for that, now she wants -$250.00 x2 to do my I-864 and I will need a joint sponsor... I work part-time and I come in under less that (900.00). I have assets, I own a home with my ex husband, but there is so much paper work involved I want to avoid any RFE's. I just need encouragement! I know that a lot of people did this on their own...did you do this on your own?

Thanks for your input!

Emily

[Married2009 32]

You are right the reviews are not recent...I did read them before. I will most likely go with him, I was planning a trip there eventually so it will be ok. Thanks for all your input I really appreciate it.

Also I wanted to ask you something... I had someone help me fill out my I-130 form because I was so scared to make a mistake (it was before this website of course) she charged me almost $300.00 dollars for that, now she wants -$250.00 x2 to do my I-864 and I will need a joint sponsor... I work part-time and I come in under less that (900.00). I have assets, I own a home with my ex husband, but there is so much paper work involved I want to avoid any RFE's. I just need encouragement! I know that a lot of people did this on their own...did you do this on your own?

Thanks for your input!

Emily

(I realize you weren't talking to me, but . . .) We did. There are people here willing to answer any questions you might have in regards to filling out the rest of your paperwork. There are also examples of how the paperwork should look, when complete. If you try on your own and look at the examples, and still don't feel comfortable with the paperwork, you can always go back to her - just my opinion.

Edited June 10, 2010 by Married2009

[mamamimi 8]

Thank you! the more I read the more comfortable I feel, I am going to do the rest of the process on my and with the help of you wonderful people. I also don't want to continue with her because she is totally against doing any forms in advance just to get ready for NVC, that was the final straw for me!

Thank you again

[Darnell 8,478]

where did TimnGrace Kohler go ?

[KBcrand1 1]

I also did not send any photos or anything outside of what was asked.... Here is a bit of info..... I sent a marriage certificate, 2 sworn statements, one from my mother in law and one from my sister in law, 2 I-130's, one for my wife and one for my now "step son". I failed to send $455.00 for each petition, I only sent a check for one. They sent me an Noa for my wife, but denied my step son. along with the I-797, "notice of denial" then Sent Back to me the 2 "sworn statements" that I had sent and had translated. So hopefully they will not ask for more at this level. I am in the process of gathering the documents needed for NVC, and will certainly send some photos along for the ride. Certainly, I will have photos for the interview and I am planning on attending the interview in Rio De Janero, BR.