Help with the I-130

[CristianAmour 1]

Well hello. We're new here!

Anyway! My wife is a born American citizen and I'm a Colombian. She'll be filling the I-130 about a month from now, but we have some questions (some of them might be rather silly and, for that, we apologize!).

First off, she wants to come to Colombia and spend about 4 months here, starting in May (she's gonna be here may through sept. or at least that's what we're planning to do). We called the USCIS and asked them if she could continue the process from here and they said "yes; she can still do everything she has to do by mail, so no prob" but, is this for real? The person who answered our questions seemed to be new at the job or something so we feel kinda uneasy about the info she provided.

Okay, now on to the really messy questions:

My wife is going to file a petition, on my behalf, to bring me to the states 'cause she can't afford to lose all the benefits that she has there by moving to my country. (She's on disability welfare)

On the instructions page for the I-130 form it says you should submit all possible evidence of the bona fides of your marriage.

Our questions are:

1- What can we show as co-mingling of financial resources? She has a debit card that gives her access to my bank account in my country and I have one that gives me access to hers but that's about as much as we can do because I don't have an SSN and she doesn't have and ID here, meaning that we can't really share a bank account, just the debit cards.

Would a photocopy of these cards be enough? They have our names on them (well at least mine does, 'cause the one she has, and that gives her access to my account, doesn't because of bank policies)

2- Pictures. We want to send pictures of our wedding and some others that we've taken during her time here (honeymoon, with my family and friends, etc).

Do we send those in with the initial I-130 form? Or do I only need to bring those to the interview?

3- About the letters ("Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship.").

We're thinking about sending letters written by our relatives and friends who have good knowledge of our relationship and everything.

But recently, it occurred to us that we could also have the waiter, maid and photographer that assisted our wedding write letters where they certify that they served us and all that, to show that it was a pretty well organized wedding.

Also, my wife's therapist could write us a letter stating that my wife has improved considerably (she suffers from BPD) thanks to my support and that it is very important for us to be reunited for the sake of her own health.

So, regarding the letters, what should we do? Which ones would be of help and which ones would be useless? We don't wanna waste time or seem like we're sending lots of unnecessary papers.

4- Do we have to include the affidavit(s) of support signed by the joint sponsor(s) with this form? And if so,

Would it be better to have 2 joint sponsors, since she is on welfare? Or just one?

And lastly, in case we decide to have 2 joint sponsors send in their affidavits of support, would we have to pay the processing fee for the affidavits twice?

We're very sorry for asking so many questions but we have called the USCIS countless times and their employees failed to provide the answers to them (of course, there were many other questions they were able to answer, and those aren't listed here).

We will appreciate any help you guys can provide. We figured, since many of you have some experience with the immigration laws and the process itself, you might be able to help us a whole bunch.

So thank you in advance,

Cristian and Amour Uribe.

P.S: Please help answering at least 1 of our questions, if you can... we're really nervous about the whole thing because, as it stands, we still have no idea what to expect from the process and we don't wanna end up delaying it by screwing up.

Again, thanks a bunch..

[CristianAmour 1]

Also, we promise to help other people with their processes as we gain more experience with our own!

[Mononoke28 135]

Hello Cristian and welcome to VJ.

First off, it may be a very good idea for you and your wife to read the Colombian threads we have here on VJ. Each page will have tons of info needed for people going through Bogotá which be very useful, so I recommend you both read them thoroughly.

Colombia Club Part I

Colombia Club Part II

The other suggestion I have for you is to consider filing for a CR1/IR1 visa instead of a K3. Some people will say that a K3 visa is faster than the other but not so for people going through Bogotá. Not only that, with a K3 visa you will have to file for AOS after you enter the US which is an additional 3-6 months and $1,010.

Ok, with that said here are some answers to your questions:

1. Yes, it's ok if your wife wants to go to Colombia for any amount of time as long as she has someone here in the US taking care of anything the USCIS or NVC may send her.

2. The only thing you really need as proof of a bona fide marriage is a copy of your marriage certificate that's all. You can also send a copy of any bankstatements or a copy of your bank cards showing you have access to each other's accounts (just cross out the account #). And you can also send in a couple of affidavits from friends and family. Pictures are not necessary so you can start collecting those for your interview.

Also, it's not a good idea to get affidavits from anyone who was only paid to help out with your wedding. Remember that these affidavits should be from people who know you both and who are fully aware of the legitimacy of your marriage and devotion to one another.

With our I-130 all I sent was a copy of our marriage certificate and 2 affidavits, one from my mom and one from my sister. That was all that was needed for approval.

As for the co-sponsor, you only need one as long as this person makes enough money according to the USCIS' Poverty Guidelines.

If you decide to file for a CR1/IR1 visa (I-130) you will need to submit this to the NVC after your petition has been approved. But if you decide to file for a K3 visa (I-130 & I-129F) you will need to take this with you to the interview at the embassy.

I hope that can help at least to get you started. And again, please make sure you read the Colombian threads as they are pretty much all you need to answer most of your questions.

Good luck!

Diana

[CristianAmour 1]

I hope that can help at least to get you started. And again, please make sure you read the Colombian threads as they are pretty much all you need to answer most of your questions.

Good luck!

Diana

Diana, you're awesome. Thank you very very much and I will make sure to read both threads thoroughly.

[Dakine 26]

For the initial I-130 submission USCIS doesn't require a lot of evidence of you guys having a bonafide marriage. That will come up at your interview later.

Weddings pictures and other pictures are important.

USCIS doesn't expect a bunch of joint accounts yet due to it's almost impossible to do. Life insurance will work.

Check into "Ling Che NVC shortcuts." Some people have made it thru the NVC part 19 days using them.

[CristianAmour 1]

For the initial I-130 submission USCIS doesn't require a lot of evidence of you guys having a bonafide marriage. That will come up at your interview later.

Weddings pictures and other pictures are important.

USCIS doesn't expect a bunch of joint accounts yet due to it's almost impossible to do. Life insurance will work.

Check into "Ling Che NVC shortcuts." Some people have made it thru the NVC part 19 days using them.

Thank you, good sir. Will look into the NVC shortcuts.

Is there a way to buy a life insurance policy even though I live in one country and she lives in another? I assume I should ask insurance policies but maybe you know something about this?

Thank you!

[Dakine 26]

I bought a policy for my wife and daughter whille they were still in the Philippines. Mainly to help show a bonafide marriage but also just to have. That was 3 years ago and I still have it.