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Please help me with my cover letter

By ktb in IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures

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ktb Contributor

ktb   15

Posted
Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: United Kingdom
 Timeline
Posted

Hello and thanks to anyone who responds to my plea for help!

I am getting ready to file the I-130 and am not sure what to put in the cover letter (besides the list of forms and evidence included). What are they looking for? Should we provide background information about us and our relationship or better to keep it short and sweet? We are both living abroad in Cyprus (he's english, i'm american) and he's working over here. We have proof of joint tenancy and bank account, among other evidence. We have been together for 4 years and were married last june.

We will have to send it to my mother in the states so she can then send off the packet with an american check since we cannot use DCF in Cyprus. How does this affect the process, if at all?

And lastly, does anyone know if they will reject the petition if we put a PO Box on all our forms? Not many people use a physical address out here and I don't even know what ours would be. I emailed the embassy in Cyprus but they are also not sure.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I think I am more nervous than I need to be but I don't want to make any mistakes. Thanks!

August 2008 - We met (Both living in Egypt)

October 2008 - Moved in together

Sept. 2010 - Engaged (Living together in Cyprus)

June 2011 - Married!

11 July 2012 - I-130 sent to Chicago Lockbox

20 July 2012 - NOA1 Received (via email)

29 July 2012 - NOA2 Received (I-797)

23 Aug 2012 - NVC Case Number assigned and AOS invoice received (via email)

27 Aug 2012 - AOS bill paid and DS-3032 sent via email

5 Oct 2012 - AOS packet sent

20 Nov 2012 - RFE on AOS packet received

16 Dec 2012 - IV bill paid

25 Jan 2013 - IV packet and AOS RFE response sent

22 Feb 2013 - Case Complete

6 March 2013 - Interview date rec'd

10 April 2013 - Medical Scheduled

12 April 2013 - Interview

01 Oct 2013 - Entered US

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grrrrreat Rising Star

grrrrreat   109

Posted
Filed: Timeline
Posted (edited)

Hello and thanks to anyone who responds to my plea for help!

I am getting ready to file the I-130 and am not sure what to put in the cover letter (besides the list of forms and evidence included). What are they looking for? Should we provide background information about us and our relationship or better to keep it short and sweet? We are both living abroad in Cyprus (he's english, i'm american) and he's working over here. We have proof of joint tenancy and bank account, among other evidence. We have been together for 4 years and were married last june.

We will have to send it to my mother in the states so she can then send off the packet with an american check since we cannot use DCF in Cyprus. How does this affect the process, if at all?

And lastly, does anyone know if they will reject the petition if we put a PO Box on all our forms? Not many people use a physical address out here and I don't even know what ours would be. I emailed the embassy in Cyprus but they are also not sure.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I think I am more nervous than I need to be but I don't want to make any mistakes. Thanks!

Cover letters aren't required and USCIS doesn't look for anything in particular. Just say that you are enclosing an I-130 petition and list the supporting documents you're including. You may also want to mention that you are a U.S. citizen filing from abroad, because USCIS unofficially has been expediting I-130s filed from abroad by U.S. citizens. Beyond that, people may use them to explain unique situations that require explanation.

They won't reject a petition with a P.O. Box--and if you make sure the I-130 contains only Cyprus addresses it may help you get auto-expedited.

Here's an example, although it's for a I-129F not an I-130 so make sure you change that part. http://www.visajourney.com/examples/Cover_Letter_for_I-129F.doc

Edited by grrrrreat
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Ryan H Grand Master

Ryan H   3,812

Posted
Filed: Lift. Cond. (apr) Country: China
 Timeline
Posted

I am getting ready to file the I-130 and am not sure what to put in the cover letter (besides the list of forms and evidence included). What are they looking for?

All you would need to put in a cover letter is what I placed in bold.

Should we provide background information about us and our relationship or better to keep it short and sweet? We are both living abroad in Cyprus (he's english, i'm american) and he's working over here. We have proof of joint tenancy and bank account, among other evidence. We have been together for 4 years and were married last june.

If you wish to include a letter about your relationship background (referred to as an Evolution of Relationship letter on VJ), such a letter would be separate from a cover letter. Such letters are not a requirement.

And lastly, does anyone know if they will reject the petition if we put a PO Box on all our forms?

No

Our journey:

Spoiler

September 2007: Met online via social networking site (MySpace); began exchanging messages.
March 26, 2009: We become a couple!
September 10, 2009: Arrived for first meeting in-person!
June 17, 2010: Arrived for second in-person meeting and start of travel together to other areas of China!
June 21, 2010: Engaged!!!
September 1, 2010: Switched course from K1 to CR-1
December 8, 2010: Wedding date set; it will be on February 18, 2011!
February 9, 2011: Depart for China
February 11, 2011: Registered for marriage in Wuhan, officially married!!!
February 18, 2011: Wedding ceremony in Shiyan!!!
April 22, 2011: Mailed I-130 to Chicago
April 28, 2011: Received NOA1 via text/email, file routed to CSC (priority date April 25th)
April 29, 2011: Updated
May 3, 2011: Received NOA1 hardcopy in mail
July 26, 2011: Received NOA2 via text/email!!!
July 30, 2011: Received NOA2 hardcopy in mail
August 8, 2011: NVC received file
September 1, 2011: NVC case number assigned
September 2, 2011: AOS invoice received, OPTIN email for EP sent
September 7, 2011: Paid AOS bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 9, 2011)
September 8, 2011: OPTIN email accepted, GZO number assigned
September 10, 2011: Emailed AOS package
September 12, 2011: IV bill invoiced
September 13, 2011: Paid IV bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 14, 2011)
September 14, 2011: Emailed IV package
October 3, 2011: Emailed checklist response (checklist generated due to typo on Form DS-230)
October 6, 2011: Case complete at NVC
November 10, 2011: Interview - APPROVED!!!
December 7, 2011: POE - Sea-Tac Airport

September 17, 2013: Mailed I-751 to CSC

September 23, 2013: Received NOA1 in mail (receipt date September 19th)

October 16, 2013: Biometrics Appointment

January 28, 2014: Production of new Green Card ordered

February 3, 2014: New Green Card received; done with USCIS until fall of 2023*

December 18, 2023:  Filed I-90 to renew Green Card

December 21, 2023:  Production of new Green Card ordered - will be seeing USCIS again every 10 years for renewal

 

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cathy2904 Proficient

cathy2904   97

Posted
Filed: Citizen (pnd) Country: United Kingdom
 Timeline
Posted (edited)

As others have said, we didn't include anything in the cover letter apart from the list of documents we were enclosing. And we didn't enclose anything about the relationship apart from three affidavits - we had no financial commingling evidence at that stage so they were our evidence of a bona-fide relationship.

Edited by cathy2904

01/27/2011 - Trevor's N400 submitted
02/18/2011 - Married
04/02/2011 - NOA1 hard copy received - priority date 03/30/2011
07/08/2011 - Trevor is now a USC - called USCIS to request upgrade of the petition.
08/02/2011 - NOA2
09/08/2011 - LND case number received, medical booked
09/26/2011 - Case complete at NVC
09/30/2011 - Interview date assigned
11/08/2011 - Interview - approved!!
11/10/2011 - Visa in hand
12/04/2011 - POE in Atlanta
12/12/2011 - SSN number received in mail
12/12/2011 - Welcome notice received
01/06/2012 - Green card received
09/06/2013 - File for Removal of Conditions
10/01/2013 - Biometrics for ROC
02/03/2014 - Card production email received

02/17/2014 - 2nd card production email received

02/28/2014 - 10 year Green card received

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oyinko Rookie

oyinko   0

Posted
Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: France
 Timeline
Posted

You don't need a cover letter. Just write a letter that tell them what documents are included in the package.

Wedding 11/25/11

USCIS STAGE:

12/05/11: NOA1

01/03/11: NOA2! No expedite request but USC residing abroad.

NVC STAGE:

01/13/12: NVC received case

02/11/12: I-864 fee and DS3032 received by email

02/11/12: Paid AOS fee and DS3032 sent by email (auto response received immediately)

02/13/12: Choice of agent accepted

02/14/12: AOS fee PAID on payment portal

02/15/12: IV fee invoice received by email

01/15/12: Paid IV fee

04/11/12: Interview Scheduled

05/11/12: Interview at US Embassy in Paris

05/11/12: Got approved! :)

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