RFE Letter - Two year meeting requirement

[blakezero 8]

Hi everyone,

I’m sorry for my long text but I need your help and advice in this matter.

I received a RFE letter (Yellow paper) one month after I sent the K-1 visa package (I-129F). The letter is about Request for evidence – Two year meeting Requirement. This is what the letter says:

Two year meeting requirement

Submit evidence that you and your fiancé(e) have met each other in person at some time during the two-year period from September 10, 2011 until September 10, 2013, the filing date of your petition. Evidence should include, but is not limited to:

• Letters written to each other after your meeting(s), referencing the specific date and place of your meeting(s).
• Photocopies of your passport and/or your fiancé(e)’s passport, (including biographical data pages and pages showing entry and exit stamps) showing that you have both been present in a given location at the same time.
• Affidavit of friends, neighbors, or other knowledgeable associates. All affidavits must conform to the guidelines cited below:

Written statements sworn to or affirmed by two persons, other than yourself and the person you are petitioning for, who were living at the time the events(s) occurred, and who have personal knowledge of the event you are trying to prove. The persons making the affidavits may be relatives and need not to be citizens of the United States. Each affidavit must contain the following information regarding the person making the affidavit: his or her full name and address; date and place of birth; relationship to you, if any; full information concerning the event; and complete details concerning how he or she acquired knowledge of the event.

I don’t understand what was wrong. For the “Proof of having met in person in the past two years”, I have sent the following:

• 20-24 pictures together including our trip to Egypt.
• Airlines tickets that I have been in Russia and Egypt, including my fiancée’s airline tickets to Egypt.
• Photocopies of my passport pages with visas and stamps showing entries and exits in Russia.
• Photocopies of train tickets (in Russian language) of both, me and her traveling to her town in Russia.
• History calls from Skype to her cell phone, Facetime and Viber.

I would like to know what I should send to the USCIS.

I travel to Russia to meet her and there aren't stamps on her passport. We also met in Egypt (May 2012) and recently in London (last week of October 2013). What we have are train tickets to her town in Russia which I already sent them. Should I include an English translation of the train tickets (train tickets are written in Russian) to her town?

About the affidavits, does anybody has an example that I can use? The only people that I can think about for the affidavit are her parents and her friend. Is this affidavit is mandatory for the USCIS?

Once again, I'm sorry for the long text and thanks in advance. I hope someone can help me with this.

Thanks,

[kmiami15 8]

Did you send copies of all pages of both of your passports including the demographics page??? I would send that in again together with the pictures and the tickets you mentioned.... also, please be sure that these trips took place within those dates specified in the letter.... did you stay at her house?? perhaps a statement from her parents that you guys met in person and that you stayed there with them if that´s the case... they probably lost it or couldn´t find this evidence you sent just put together a packet with all of this information again and send it to them.... I am sure other VJers have suggestions as well... good luck!!! you are lucky... it has not even been two months and they already looked at your petition.... usually after you respond (you should do so as soon as possible), they approve the petition within 2-3 weeks...

[TBoneTX 44,672]

In the left sidebar under your name, the flag shows as Ecuador, which is not Russia. Whoops?

[blakezero 8]

Did you send copies of all pages of both of your passports including the demographics page??? I would send that in again together with the pictures and the tickets you mentioned.... also, please be sure that these trips took place within those dates specified in the letter.... did you stay at her house?? perhaps a statement from her parents that you guys met in person and that you stayed there with them if that´s the case... they probably lost it or couldn´t find this evidence you sent just put together a packet with all of this information again and send it to them.... I am sure other VJers have suggestions as well... good luck!!! you are lucky... it has not even been two months and they already looked at your petition.... usually after you respond (you should do so as soon as possible), they approve the petition within 2-3 weeks...

Thank you kmiami for your response.

I did not send copies all pages of my two passports (Ecuadorian and American) neither the demographics pages. I think that was my big mistake. I only sent Russian visas and passport stamps from my Ecuadorian passport. I stayed at her apartment most of the time and 3 times at her parent's house. We have train tickets to her town where her parents live which I already sent to them but not translated, The tickets are written in Russian, Do you think that I should sent the train tickets again with the translation to proof that we met together during that event? If I include the affidavit from her parents and friend, Does the affidavit have to be notarized?

Thank you,

[blakezero 8]

In the left sidebar under your name, the flag shows as Ecuador, which is not Russia. Whoops?

Yes, I am from Ecuador and I became American by Naturalization on September 2012 My fiancee is from Russia.

[baron555 934]

For the “Proof of having met in person in the past two years”, I have sent the following:

• 20-24 pictures together including our trip to Egypt.
• Airlines tickets that I have been in Russia and Egypt, including my fiancée’s airline tickets to Egypt.
• Photocopies of my passport pages with visas and stamps showing entries and exits in Russia.
• Photocopies of train tickets (in Russian language) of both, me and her traveling to her town in Russia.
• History calls from Skype to her cell phone, Facetime and Viber.

I would like to know what I should send to the USCIS.

I travel to Russia to meet her and there aren't stamps on her passport. We also met in Egypt (May 2012) and recently in London (last week of October 2013). What we have are train tickets to her town in Russia which I already sent them. Should I include an English translation of the train tickets (train tickets are written in Russian) to her town?

You only need to document one of the meetings. Choose the one that you have the best evidence (some are primary and others are secondary.).

[SparklePony 238]

You need to make it as clear as possible how it was that you have met in person. Use the passport stamps, highlight dates, prove by 1+1=2 that you were in the same place and at the same time. I think what might have gotten you the RFE was that you have too many countries going on, if that makes sense, and none of them are the US. So, in their eyes, there is no stamp on an American passport showing that you went to visit her in Russia, and she has no passport stamps showing she visited you in the US (which didn't even happen). So, most likely, in their eyes, you haven't met yet, you've just traveled - make sense?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You cannot use non-translated proof. Train tickets in Russian do you no good until you translate them.

[kmiami15 8]

Thank you kmiami for your response.

I did not send copies all pages of my two passports (Ecuadorian and American) neither the demographics pages. I think that was my big mistake. I only sent Russian visas and passport stamps from my Ecuadorian passport. I stayed at her apartment most of the time and 3 times at her parent's house. We have train tickets to her town where her parents live which I already sent to them but not translated, The tickets are written in Russian, Do you think that I should sent the train tickets again with the translation to proof that we met together during that event? If I include the affidavit from her parents and friend, Does the affidavit have to be notarized?

Thank you,

As Harpa said, I would translate everything that needs to be translated just in case.... Also, make sure you send copies of all pages of the passport and make sure you make a note which entry stamps were used for the trip you met within the last two years... make sure everything is in order and it makes sense to them... photos are secondary evidence that can be sent with it.... good luck and keep us posted... again, be happy that they looked at your application... I am still waiting :-(

[lierre 224]

When my husband filed the I-130 petition for my CR-1 visa application, I suggested that he include an "evolution of relationship" (EOR) letter. What is it? Read more here: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/441598-eor-letter-for-interview-at-guangzhou-consulate/

Our relationship prior to getting married was a long distance one. We were in two different countries, mainly communicating through emails and skype, and meeting each other halfway in different Asian countries. Before we got married, we have been in 5 countries together but have never shared the same mailing address. We had a ton of airline itineraries, hotel receipts and visa stamps to show we were in the same country together.

But, if you were the USCIS personnel looking over these files, wouldn't it confuse you? I helped my husband make the EOR letter so that it can assist the person looking over our petition package. Ours was inspired by this draft letter which I got off visajourney, too. I think this was Darnell's:

US citizen's name

His Address

City/State/Zip

USCIS

Chicago Lockbox address (if applicable)

Chicago, IL, zip

Date:

REF: Evolution of Relationship with LASTNAME, Firstname, (country) Passport #

Dear Sir/Madam:

I became acquainted with my wife on 2,1,2006 through our mutual membership in XYZ web portal. We exchanged a few emails there, then started talking every day via YIM and Telephone starting on 4,1,2006. (See Reference 1 and 2). We decided to become serious, and become engaged, on Dec 2, 2006. (See Reference 3)

On Dec 29th, 2006, I went to China for a month, spending time with her and her family (see Reference 4,5,6,7 and 8). We had an engagement party on Jan 17th, 2007 (See Reference 9). We travelled to Chengdu to visit her mother's family, from Jan 19 to Jan 27 (see Reference 10).

I returned to Texas on Jan 29th, and returned to China on March 11th, 2007, staying with my wife for 4 months (see Reference 10). We travelled together around Wuhan, two trips to Chengdu, a trip to BeiJing (see Reference 11, 12, 13 and 14).

Etc. etc.

So, the idea is you can use the letter as a guide to make the USCIS people understand what all those paperwork you sent in are for. Can you call and ask them if it is possible for you to respond to the RFE through an email? Snce you have already sent in the needed paperwork, you just want to send in this letter to make them understand everything else.

If they say yes to sending an email response to the RFE, best to scan all the paperwork (train logs, tickets, hotel receipts etc) and include it with your email.

Hope this helps!

Edited November 2, 2013 by ivyanddan

[blakezero 8]

Hi everyone,

Thank you guys for the help and for share the experience of your cases. I'm feel more confident now to submit detailed and clear evidence of having met in person within two years. I am gathering all the evidence available. I will travel to Russia by the end of this month (a already planed trip) and get the documents from my fiancee and send it to the USCIS.

Thank you everyone,