Question about I-130

[ahlpo 0]

Dear friends and board members,

My wife and I both live in London and recently got married at the end of last month. Call us old-fashioned, but she did not move in with me until the night of our wedding, at which point my home then became her primary address too.

Several days later, we submitted the I-130 petition for her visa via Direct Consular Filing (DCF) with the US Embassy in London. Unfortunately it was rejected; we were told that since the employers I listed in my G-325A are foreign, they did not consider my principal residence to be England.

I sent an email to the London USCIS and explained that I worked from my home in London for foreign companies but have been living here permanently for over 2 years. I was told that I needed to provide a copy of my lease and utility bills to show when I started living at my address in London and send that in with the whole application. No problem, I have all this documentation.

My question, however, is the following:

What do I put in Item 21 of form I-130 relating to where/when we last lived together? During my email exchange with the London USCIS they mentioned that there was some confusion because, in my G-325A, I entered my address in London (most recent) as having started in 2006, when I moved here, yet in Item 21 of form I-130, I entered November 2008 for the date when we started living together. I understood this as the date my wife moved in with me, which I entered as November 2008, but now I'm not sure and have not heard back from the London USCIS.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[MargotDarko 0]

Dear friends and board members,

My wife and I both live in London and recently got married at the end of last month. Call us old-fashioned, but she did not move in with me until the night of our wedding, at which point my home then became her primary address too.

Several days later, we submitted the I-130 petition for her visa via Direct Consular Filing (DCF) with the US Embassy in London. Unfortunately it was rejected; we were told that since the employers I listed in my G-325A are foreign, they did not consider my principal residence to be England.

I sent an email to the London USCIS and explained that I worked from my home in London for foreign companies but have been living here permanently for over 2 years. I was told that I needed to provide a copy of my lease and utility bills to show when I started living at my address in London and send that in with the whole application. No problem, I have all this documentation.

My question, however, is the following:

What do I put in Item 21 of form I-130 relating to where/when we last lived together? During my email exchange with the London USCIS they mentioned that there was some confusion because, in my G-325A, I entered my address in London (most recent) as having started in 2006, when I moved here, yet in Item 21 of form I-130, I entered November 2008 for the date when we started living together. I understood this as the date my wife moved in with me, which I entered as November 2008, but now I'm not sure and have not heard back from the London USCIS.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I would include a letter explaining that you have been at that address since 2006 (which is supported by the bills/lease you're sending along) and that the date in Item 21 is when your wife moved to that address to live with you after your wedding. You answered it correctly - they're just confused because it's kind of unusual and they don't take a couple of minutes to think about it.

[ahlpo 0]

Thanks for your advice, Margot.

To everyone:

On Monday I sent off the amended I-130 application again and, just yesterday, noticed a pending charge to my online credit card account from the US Embassy. I imagine that this is a positive step, correct?

I haven't yet received anything in the post though. Should I expect the self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) this time with a note indicating that my application will be processed? Is that what the SASE is usually for?

Also, what's the NOA that I keep reading about and when should I expect that?

If possible, please advise on the next steps and how to prepare.

Thanks for your help.

[MargotDarko 0]

Yep - the credit card charge is a very good sign. I have never heard of anyone being charged and not having their I-130 processed.

You may or may not get a postcard with your filing date - that would be NOA1. The SASE for NOA2, which is approval of the I-130, and 3 months is the average time for approval. I think it's been faster lately though.

The next step won't happen until you have the I-130 approval. In the meantime though, you could start gathering things you need for the checklist. Search here for London Packet 3 checklist. It's things like the police certificate and I-864 form that you bring to the interview.