Interview on I-130 visa petition?

[ahlpo 0]

Dear Friends and VJ members,

I just received via post today a letter (Form G-56) from the USCIS London field office indicating that my wife and I need to attend an appointment in late January.

The reason says "Interview on your I-130 visa petition" and the letter requests that we bring passports and any evidence of a bona fide relationship.

I'm assuming this is not my wife's "official" visa interview, correct?

Has anyone ever received this or heard of it before? What exactly is the purpose and how can we prepare?

Since we're recently married, just a month ago, we don't have a joint lease (she moved in with me) nor do we have joint bank statements or bills. What types of things should we bring?

Thanks in advance for your explanations, suggestions, and help.

Best wishes for the New Year.

Edited December 30, 2008 by ahlpo

[Laura+Tom 2]

Sounds like your visa inteview.

[ahlpo 0]

I wish it was the visa interview but we never received any NOA forms and have not yet submitted our DS-230 or DS-2001.

Something therefore tells me it's something else.

Any other comments and help please?

[frali 2]

I think they want to confirm that your marriage is for real.

I would recommend you to open a joint bank account. Immediately add her to your lease. collect a few affidavits from friends and family members...get them notarized.

Also prepare a letter by the USC as to how you met and what led you to get married and get it notarized.

Good luck!

[ahlpo 0]

Thanks for the advice Frali.

We've done just that: I added her to one of my US bank accounts, we opened a UK current account, got a few notarized affidavits from my family members and friends, and I'm in the process of adding her to my lease.

We'll also plan on bringing photos of us together and with family during trips and nights out, etc...

Would you or anyone recommend that we also get affidavits from my wife's family and friends too?

Do you think it will be OK that we did all of this after receiving the letter from the US Embassy?

Please feel free to share any other advice...

[ahlpo 0]

Just a quick update: everything went really great in the end!

We were very well prepared with every possible piece of evidence we could think of: notarized affidavits, joint bank account letters, common lease, shared utility bills, life insurance with beneficiary, photos, etc...

We arrived a bit early and left our mobile phones at the nearby Gould Pharmacy which was really a great service for only £5.

Inside the Embassy, we waited about 20 minutes before being called right on time for our appointment. The Immigration Officer was really nice and said he just wanted to speak to us and verify our marriage was indeed bona fide.

He asked us to submit any documentation to support our case so I gave him a few things, then he told us to sit down and he'd call my wife first and me after to speak separately.

Nice simple questions about the relationship, where we met, did we know each other's families, where we've traveled together, etc...

After questioning me, he called my wife to join us, then said he was satisfied and would approve our I-130 petition.

The next step will be to prepare all the paperwork for the DS-230 application. We haven't received our case number yet but we got a letter confirming that the petition was approved.

Thanks for all your help!

[Talyss 0]

Just a quick update: everything went really great in the end!

We were very well prepared with every possible piece of evidence we could think of: notarized affidavits, joint bank account letters, common lease, shared utility bills, life insurance with beneficiary, photos, etc...

We arrived a bit early and left our mobile phones at the nearby Gould Pharmacy which was really a great service for only £5.

Inside the Embassy, we waited about 20 minutes before being called right on time for our appointment. The Immigration Officer was really nice and said he just wanted to speak to us and verify our marriage was indeed bona fide.

He asked us to submit any documentation to support our case so I gave him a few things, then he told us to sit down and he'd call my wife first and me after to speak separately.

Nice simple questions about the relationship, where we met, did we know each other's families, where we've traveled together, etc...

After questioning me, he called my wife to join us, then said he was satisfied and would approve our I-130 petition.

The next step will be to prepare all the paperwork for the DS-230 application. We haven't received our case number yet but we got a letter confirming that the petition was approved.

Thanks for all your help!

Congratulations! - its great that you have that part out of the way. Hopefully they will be speedy with the rest of the process for you.