I-29F, Question 18. Is this good enough?

[mimi&eddie 0]

Dear Sir or Madam,

M... O..., my fiancée, and I initially met in October 2007 at a birthday party of a mutual friend of ours in Philadelphia. We both attended Franklin & Marshall College, however, despite being on campus at the same time in 2005 & 2006, we never met at school. The birthday party was of a college friend of ours.

In the fall of 2007 I resided about an hour from Merve’s location in Lancaster, PA. We began dating each other after our initial meeting at the party. I invited Merve over to my parents house for Thanksgiving to introduce her to my family. After that we started seeing each other on a weekly basis as well as exchange daily emails. After a few weeks of courting we began to hold phone conversations on a daily basis and continued our weekend visits in Lancaster and Philadelphia. We did so through Christmas when Merve departed for Turkey during winter break. When she returned to the U.S. in late January, we continued dating until she left for Turkey in May. I went to visit her that summer (July 9-21, 2008), in Istanbul & Bodrum, Turkey. It was during this time I met her mother and father and asked for her hand in marriage. We decided to get married the year after my graduation.

Merve did not come back to the U.S. in September because she had a delay in renewing her student visa. She missed the first semester of her senior year. To see each other, we took a trip to Paris together in November 13-17, 2008. We heard back from the embassy in December that her renewal application had been denied because of her poor grades. She wasn't able to come back. This was when we decided to get married sooner than we had originally planned. Most recently I went to her hometown of Mersin, Turkey to visit her and her family in April 2-12, 2009. I also have a trip booked to Turkey in August 11-30, 2009. Merve and I are deeply in love and committed to spending the rest of our lives together. Please advise with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

E... P...

Edited June 13, 2009 by mimi&eddie

[baron555 934]

Uh, what is YOUR question?

It seems that you two have an ongoing relationship and have met in person within the last two years.

Read the Guides and start the filing process.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Dear Sir or Madam,

M... O..., my fiancée, and I initially met in October 2007 at a birthday party of a mutual friend of ours in Philadelphia. We both attended Franklin & Marshall College, however, despite being on campus at the same time in 2005 & 2006, we never met at school. The birthday party was of a college friend of ours.

In the fall of 2007 I resided about an hour from Merve’s location in Lancaster, PA. We began dating each other after our initial meeting at the party. I invited Merve over to my parents house for Thanksgiving to introduce her to my family. After that we started seeing each other on a weekly basis as well as exchange daily emails. After a few weeks of courting we began to hold phone conversations on a daily basis and continued our weekend visits in Lancaster and Philadelphia. We did so through Christmas when Merve departed for Turkey during winter break. When she returned to the U.S. in late January, we continued dating until she left for Turkey in May. I went to visit her that summer (July 9-21, 2008), in Istanbul & Bodrum, Turkey. It was during this time I met her mother and father and asked for her hand in marriage. We decided to get married the year after my graduation.

Merve did not come back to the U.S. in September because she had a delay in renewing her student visa. She missed the first semester of her senior year. To see each other, we took a trip to Paris together in November 13-17, 2008. We heard back from the embassy in December that her renewal application had been denied because of her poor grades. She wasn't able to come back. This was when we decided to get married sooner than we had originally planned. Most recently I went to her hometown of Mersin, Turkey to visit her and her family in April 2-12, 2009. I also have a trip booked to Turkey in August 11-30, 2009. Merve and I are deeply in love and committed to spending the rest of our lives together. Please advise with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

E... P...

I think it's fine, though it's not really necessary to write it in the format of a letter. At the top of the page should be your full name (as shown on the I-129F), the document the page is associated with (the I-129F), and the part of the document it addresses (question 18). Add your signature, and not just your printed name to the document.

Even more important than the explanation is the proof that the two of you actually met. Primary evidence is stuff like stamped passport pages and visa documents, as well as airline boarding passes, both hers to the US and yours to Turkey. Secondary evidence is stuff like photos of the two of you together. It wouldn't hurt to throw in a photo or two of her with your family, and you with hers. These come in handy later at the US consulate for showing a legitimate relationship, and getting them in your initial petition will help ensure that the consulate actually sees them. Don't bother sending emails or phone logs with the I-129F. These don't prove you actually met her, but they may be useful at the interview stage as part of a package of proof of an ongoing relationship.

I would also add to your letter a description of the evidence you are presenting.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Dear Sir or Madam,

M... O..., my fiancée, and I initially met in October 2007 at a birthday party of a mutual friend of ours in Philadelphia. We both attended Franklin & Marshall College, however, despite being on campus at the same time in 2005 & 2006, we never met at school. The birthday party was of a college friend of ours.

In the fall of 2007 I resided about an hour from Merve’s location in Lancaster, PA. We began dating each other after our initial meeting at the party. I invited Merve over to my parents house for Thanksgiving to introduce her to my family. After that we started seeing each other on a weekly basis as well as exchange daily emails. After a few weeks of courting we began to hold phone conversations on a daily basis and continued our weekend visits in Lancaster and Philadelphia. We did so through Christmas when Merve departed for Turkey during winter break. When she returned to the U.S. in late January, we continued dating until she left for Turkey in May. I went to visit her that summer (July 9-21, 2008), in Istanbul & Bodrum, Turkey. It was during this time I met her mother and father and asked for her hand in marriage. We decided to get married the year after my graduation.

Merve did not come back to the U.S. in September because she had a delay in renewing her student visa. She missed the first semester of her senior year. To see each other, we took a trip to Paris together in November 13-17, 2008. We heard back from the embassy in December that her renewal application had been denied because of her poor grades. She wasn't able to come back. This was when we decided to get married sooner than we had originally planned. Most recently I went to her hometown of Mersin, Turkey to visit her and her family in April 2-12, 2009. I also have a trip booked to Turkey in August 11-30, 2009. Merve and I are deeply in love and committed to spending the rest of our lives together. Please advise with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

E... P...

The first TWO LINES are enough. They do not want your love story, they want to know how you met in person. My description ALMOST fit in the space provided on the form. Gushing love sories will not disqualify you and give the USCIS employees something to giggle about over lunch. And NO, that is NOT a joke.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Agree with Gary - short and sweet.

Keep it simple

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Agree with Gary - short and sweet.

There is at least one strong exception: Anyone who will eventually be inflicted with the consulate in Guayaquil (Ecuador) had better write a novel in answer to the question on the I-129F. Even that might not be enough, at the consular stage, to convince them of a valid relationship.

[msu17 0]

We mainly wrote about when we met and the subsequent times we saw each other. At the USCIS stage they don't need to know all the intimate details of your relationship, just that you have met and have seen each other in the last 2 years.

[Ladylethal 12]

Yeah, mine was about 2 paragraphs, mostly because what I wrote in the letter was a chronological sequence of our meetings that was supporting the evidence of ongoing relationship sent. I painted a picture for USCIS.

(i.e. sent a picture of us at my graduation ceremony + a copy of my ceremony invitation, and wrote on the reply to Q18 that trip #4 dated XX was for attending my ceremony. So that along with the boarding passes for such a trip was to show that we did meet during said trip with factual evidence. The same way somebody else might send in receipts of hotel stays etc on both names, etc, which I didn't have since he stayed at my house on all but 2 trips, and in those we didn't save receipts from the hotel)

Edited June 15, 2009 by *Laura*

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Again: Much more than just two lines of text may be needed at the consular stage.