Here's what I've got

[RosaMystica7 0]

This is a huge freaking stack of papers! Dang. All I'm waiting is for my fiance's G-325A and letter of intent, which he'll be mailing out tomorrow. I left spaces for them in the packet.

I divided it up by cover letter, payment (it's still $170, right?), I-129F (with attachment for his middle name that doesn't fit and explaining how we met in person, signed and dated), G-325a's 4 pages (with 4 copies of an attachment for employment that didn't fit, signed and dated) and passport style photo (mine then his), copy of my birth certificate front and back, letters of intent (mine then his), and proof of meeting. Yeah everything's photocopies, no originals in here other than our signatures - which are in blue ink, not black, so they can't question if the signatures are original or not. Each sub-section has a cover page with a short identifying title in big letters and a tab at the bottom. Each sub-section is attached together with a paper clip.

As far as proof of meeting, is there such a thing as too much, as far as this is concerned? I know we only need to prove ONE visit and I don't want to overload them... but... I have this stuff readily available (I'm a pack rat) and don't want to leave any doubts in their minds. So I'm not sure what's best to do in this area - what do you think? This is what I've got:

Initial meeting

- Copy of his R1 visa that shows he was in the Bronx from 8/2002 - 12/2004 (the ending is still in the 2 year time frame) that shows how we initially met. I'm not sure if they'll care because we were friends and co-workers then, but it's only one page so... *shrug*

1st visit after we fell in love, 10/28/05 - 11/05/05

- Copy of his passport stamp

- Copies of his baggage stubs/stickers.

- Copy of his French flight itinerary e-mail translated into English with a letter certifying the translator's competency.

- 3 photos with our names as well as the date and location of each photo written on the back in ink.

2nd visit after we fell in love, 12/18/05 - 12/31/05

- Copy of his passport stamp

- Copies of all of his boarding passes

- Copies of his baggage stubs/stickers

- Train tickets/metrocards showing locations and dates, including from the AirTrain in JFK airport. Some receipts of these, too. No names on them, though.

- Copies of 2 hotel itineraries with my name only (not his ) showing the date(s), location, and 2 adults with 1 bed. Plus a receipt from one of those.

- 2 movie stubs from 12/22 but no location and no names.

- 2 photos with our names as well as the date and location of each photo written on the back in ink.

The 5 photos do not have time stamps, anywhere identifying in the background, or anything showing the date in the background. The 3 from the first visit are in 3 different places wearing different clothes, the 2 from the second visit are both in the AirTrain on the same day - we forgot to take pictures during his visit and snapped these two last minute. Oops.

We're not including proof of an ongoing relationship... as far as I understand it, that's only necessary for his interview anyway.

Edited November 13, 2006 by Angilla

[mybackpages 0]

Looks good. Did you write the names, location and date on the back of the photos?

I remember the paperwork felt overwhelming, Youwill feel better once it is in the mail finally! Good luck and keep updated about the progess!

[RosaMystica7 0]

Thanks! We first wanted to send it out in January but then I got sick and didn't recover til May. Then we wanted to put it out in July but realized my job didn't pay enough, so I quit it in August. After 2 months of interviewing I FINALLY got a new job that pays enough to support us both and have settled into it. Ei yai yai! People I met here back in January are married by now and our petition isn't even out the door yet. So yes, it will feel SO GOOD to have the thing finally in the mail!

And yup, both of our names plus the date and location is written on the back of each photo in ink.

[Intense 0]

I would suggest revising it down to perhaps your initial meeting and his first visit. I say this more so because of the time factor involved. When you both first met was almost 2 years ago and not knowing when the USCIS will review your petition it would look good by having a more current meeting. But with the information you posted about his first visit after the two of you fell in love should be sufficient enough evidence that you met in person.

keep it simple & best of luck on your journey.

[RosaMystica7 0]

Thanks! I have a few questions.

First visit, you mean the one in October? I don't think I have enough evidence for that visit alone. Passport stamp, translated e-mail flight itinerary, his baggage stickers/stubs, and 3 pictures... if I'm going to cut out a visit, I think I'd cut out that one. I know photos aren't too important, but the October visit has better pictures - 3 different ones in different places with us wearing different clothes. The December visit just has 2 pics of us in the JFK AirTrain on his last day.

Does it matter when the USCIS reviews my petition or when my petition was recieved? I'm going through VSC so I should get my NOA1 in a fair amount of time. In that case, as long as I get my NOA1 before the end of December, the copy of his R1 visa will be juuuuuust within the 2 year time frame.

I'm guessing by time factor you mean that the more I submit, the more they have to evaluate, and the more time it'll take for my petition to be approved? In that case, maybe I should cut out his R1 AND the October visit and just send the stuff I have for his December visit. They probably won't care about how we were friends/co-workers in person and I don't have enough solid stuff to make a good case for the October visit.

I just wanted to paint a complete picture and leave no room for doubt in their mind. But maybe by showing the R1 as the only proof of us as friends and insufficient proof for his October visit would actually do more harm than good. Hmm.

Can you tell I'm confused?

[aussiewench 9]

They probably won't care about how we were friends/co-workers in person

That can be some of your strongest evidence so don't right it off as that will show how the relationship was established also.

I just wanted to paint a complete picture and leave no room for doubt in their mind. But maybe by showing the R1 as the only proof of us as friends and insufficient proof for his October visit would actually do more harm than good. Hmm.

Can you tell I'm confused?

No you are not confused. The correct thing to do is to try to paint a complete picture. How did you answer Q18? Does it describe how you met within the required two year period and whereby the evidence you are submitting supports those details?

[RosaMystica7 0]

Nope my answer for Q18 doesn't say what evidence I'll be submitting to prove it but I'll certainly edit it to say that - thanks!

If I don't show ENOUGH evidence of our initial meeting as friends, or of his October visit... would they send me a RFE for it even though I have enough evidence of his December visit?

I do have a picture of us together with him as a friar, but I'm not sure when the photo was taken, it could've been taken before 11/04 but I'm not sure. I've got a second picture taken of us when he was a friar but it's a digital photo and when I tried having it printed the quality was terrible.

This is what I have for my Q18 answer. I tried to keep it as short and concise as I could. If you think anything needs to be fixed/changed here too I'm totally open to suggestions:

Part B, Question 18, have my fiancé and I met in person within the last 2 years:

Yes. We originally met while he was in Bronx, NY as a friar on a R1 visa. I was a volunteer with the community. We worked side-by-side together as friends for approximately a year and a half. He left the friars (so he is eligible for marriage) and returned to France in 12/2004.

We kept in touch by phone and internet and fell in love in 08/2005. He came to visit me and my family from 10/28/05 – 11/05/05. He stayed in my house. We didn’t do much because I was sick for most of his visit, but we did visit a local port town and wore Halloween costumes. He came to visit again from 12/18/05 – 12/31/05. Again he stayed in my house, but we also had a few hotel stays, train rides, and went out to the movies. We also discussed marriage at that point and agreed that we are ready to be together for the rest of our lives.

[aussiewench 9]

Nope my answer for Q18 doesn't say what evidence I'll be submitting to prove it but I'll certainly edit it to say that - thanks!

You don't have to list your evidence so to speak......but the evidence you submit is in support of Q18. There has been RFE's for Q18 and many overlook the importance of it. Any and all evidence one submits is in support of questions asked on the I-129F.

If I don't show ENOUGH evidence of our initial meeting as friends, or of his October visit... would they send me a RFE for it even though I have enough evidence of his December visit?

No one can catagorically say that someone won't receive an RFE. It is up to the adjudicator. Whilst they do have guidelines to follow, they are individuals and what may satisfy one, may not satisfy another. I would include the evidence you have, including any that show you met when he was a friar. Do you have evidence of your volunteer work as well as his R-1?

[RosaMystica7 0]

I could get a letter from the friars stating that I volunteered from such and such time. I do have that one good quality picture of me working with him as a friar, but like I said I don't know the date it was taken.

Q18 is only really asking if we've met in person in the last 2 years... so... I could just say yes he visited from 12/18/05 - 12/31/05, blah blah blah and just submit evidence of his December visit, right? Or is proving that we met while he was a friar important? Plus I still don't like that I only have 2 pictures of us on the JFK AirTrain on his last day for the December visit, I like that we have 3 pictures from different days and places during his October visit... but I know that pictures aren't super important anyway, and I know I don't have enough to completely satisfy them as far as evidence for his October visit.

My thing is that if we get a RFE for more evidence of meeting while he was a friar, or for his October visit... what're we gonna do? Meeting while he was a friar... well... it's been nearly 2 years since he was a friar. His October visit... that's all I've got.

[aussiewench 9]

Angilla

Go back to the beginning of this post. With the evidence you listed, you are on the right track. Also on the right track in wanting to paint a complete picture. It is when there is not a complete picture that one really risks an RFE for further evidence of having met and evidence of having met that established the relationship. I think you are getting yourself all strung out and second guessing the evidence you had already gotten together...understandably so, but....breathe. Yes it was a while back when you first met him as a friar but as some of that time frame falls within the two years, I would use it to your advantage to show how your relationship was established even if just friends initially. It puts you in the same place at the same time. There is nothing at all wrong either with submitting evidence from both the visits.

[RosaMystica7 0]

Sorry if I'm being annoying. I'm not trying to be. And thank you for all the help!

It's just that the requirement is to only prove 1 visit, right? So I only, really, and completely have to prove 1 visit, right? No RFE if I prove 1 visit well enough.

But okay, I'll go back to showing proof of 3 visits. Do you think the passport stamp, translated flight itinerary e-mail, baggage sticker thingies (you know, the green and white ones, they show Air France, his name, and the date without the year just 28 OCT), and 3 pictures of us together is enough evidence for His October visit? I don't think it is - with boarding passes I'd be comfy that it'd be satisfactory, but I don't have his boarding passes. The green/white baggage sticker thingies I have are from his connecting flight between Detroit and LGA, I don't have his Paris to Detroit ones, but they do say Air France on them.

That picture of us together in the Bronx while he was a friar... what would I do, just guess a date in November or December of 2004 and write it on the back? I don't know the date or even the month when it was taken. I could get a letter from one of the friars stating I was a volunteer between this date and that date, would it have to be notarized? Then I'd have a copy of his R1 visa, a letter stating I volunteered from this date to that date, and 1 photograph. That doesn't sound like a lot to me. I don't know what else I could get.

Thank you again, and I'm sorry if I sound like a pest, I just want to make sure I do this right.

Edited November 13, 2006 by Angilla

[aussiewench 9]

Sorry if I'm being annoying. I'm not trying to be. And thank you for all the help!

It's just that the requirement is to only prove 1 visit, right? So I only, really, and completely have to prove 1 visit, right? No RFE if I prove 1 visit well enough.

But okay, I'll go back to showing proof of 3 visits. Do you think the passport stamp, translated flight itinerary e-mail, baggage sticker thingies (you know, the green and white ones, they show Air France, his name, and the date without the year just 28 OCT), and 3 pictures of us together is enough evidence for His October visit? I don't think it is - with boarding passes I'd be comfy that it'd be satisfactory, but I don't have his boarding passes. The green/white baggage sticker thingies I have are from his connecting flight between Detroit and LGA, I don't have his Paris to Detroit ones, but they do say Air France on them.

That picture of us together in the Bronx while he was a friar... what would I do, just guess a date in November or December of 2004 and write it on the back? I don't know the date or even the month when it was taken. I could get a letter from one of the friars stating I was a volunteer between this date and that date, would it have to be notarized? Then I'd have a copy of his R1 visa, a letter stating I volunteered from this date to that date, and 1 photograph. That doesn't sound like a lot to me. I don't know what else I could get.

No its not only one visit proves it. What you have to prove is having met. Sometimes that can be accomplished from the evidence of one meeting, sometimes not.

You are looking at each individually instead of looking at the complete picture.

Breath breath breath

[RosaMystica7 0]

Okay, I was supposed to leave for work 5 minutes ago so I'll come back to this later.

That's a good point... they'll look at this as one big picture rather than individually? I thought they'd look at it as one big picture BUT still evaluate each meeting individually... i.e. she doesn't have sufficient evidence to prove his visit in October so let's send her a RFE so she can show us more solid stuff.

So back to the evidence while he was a friar. Do I just pick a random date and slap it on the back of the pic of us together while he was a friar? I have NO clue even of what time of year it was taken. Does the letter from a friar stating the time I was a volunteer need to be notarized?

Edited November 13, 2006 by Angilla