Petitioner out of country during I-130 process

[rarasantiago 3]

Hi Everyone,

I (US citizen) am applying for the I-130 for my husband (Danish citizen). Just finishing up the package and it will be sent out on Monday. I will be going to Denmark to be with my husband from June through September and wanted to know what paperwork will be sent to me, and roughly when. Given that I'll be out of the country for that time, I have to decide where I will have my mail sent while I'm out of the country (most likely to my mother's house) because of our application process. Does anyone know if I will be receiving items in the mail during that time in the process? If so, then should I list my mom's address as the mailing address somewhere in the package?

Thanks,

Rachel

Edited April 21, 2012 by rarasantiago

[grrrrreat 109]

Hi Everyone,

I (US citizen) am applying for the I-130 for my husband (Danish citizen). Just finishing up the package and it will be sent out on Monday. I will be going to Denmark from June through September and wanted to know what paperwork will be sent to me, and roughly when. Given that I'll be out of the country for that time, I have to decide where I will have my mail sent while I'm out of the country (most likely to my mother's house) because of our application process. Does anyone know if I will be receiving items in the mail during that time in the process? If so, then should I list my mom's address as the mailing address somewhere in the package?

Thanks,

Rachel

If you haven't read the guides, you should do that. You could receive anything from a request for evidence, which needs to be responded to within a particular amount of time, to a notice approving the petition and sending it to the National Visa Center. I wouldn't put her mailing address down if you aren't leaving until June--you'll get a notice showing that they received it, and you could get correspondence before then (such as a request for evidence). You can send them a signed letter when you move letting them know the new mailing address. You can also submit a request to forward your mail to your mom's house with the USPS to be sure, and you could ask someone who lives near you to check your mailbox to be extra sure.

There's a form to request electronic notification of items too, but you'll still need access to the actual correspondence they send.

Edited April 21, 2012 by grrrrreat

[rarasantiago 3]

Thanks for the quick reply and information, grrrrreat!

[jaycali 415]

If you're sending it out on Monday, only mail correspondence you'll likely receive before September is the NOA1 (basically the receipt saying it's been received by USCIS. If you fill out and attach a form G-1145 to the front of your packet, you'll be able to receive updates by email as well. You can also check your case status online from Denmark by going to the USCIS Case Status website and filling in your receipt number.

I would recommend getting your mail delivered to a place where someone you trust has access to it while you're gone.

[rarasantiago 3]

Thanks for the information jaejayC! Yes, I'll be sending the G-1145 form in too.

[grrrrreat 109]

If you're sending it out on Monday, only mail correspondence you'll likely receive before September is the NOA1 (basically the receipt saying it's been received by USCIS. If you fill out and attach a form G-1145 to the front of your packet, you'll be able to receive updates by email as well. You can also check your case status online from Denmark by going to the USCIS Case Status website and filling in your receipt number.

I would recommend getting your mail delivered to a place where someone you trust has access to it while you're gone.

Don't think this is true--you can get an RFE even before you're due to get a NOA2.

[jaycali 415]

Don't think this is true--you can get an RFE even before you're due to get a NOA2.

Very true. But REF's tend to come around the time you'd normally expect your NOA2. If the OP files this month, the NOA2/RFE will likely come around September. Which is why it's definitely a good thing to make sure someone can check on and collect the mail.

[trojam227 18]

If you are planning on returning to your same address in september, why not just have your mail forwarded to your mom's address temporarily? You can fill out a form at the post office for that, instead of changing your address with uscis. You can still check the status online and if they do issue an RFE or NOA2 before you come back home, you can find out about it that way. The G-1145 usually works pretty well for most, so you should also get the emails/texts like jaejayC said.

[rarasantiago 3]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I decided to leave my mailing address and have it forwarded when I leave in the summer. Sending out packet tomorrow, hopefully requests won't be asked for!