little RFE help here please

[jcg303 1]

well, we got the RFE in the mail today (finally!!). here's what we need to get -

evidence of meeting

- copies of passport pages that show the ID page and admission stamps

not a problem - just might take a little time through the mail. is a fax acceptable?

- airline ticket stubs and receipts

not so easy - not sure what she has kept as far as this goes.

- film dated photos of us together

we have lots of photos, and we sent in a bunch. unfortunately, they didn't have date stamps. anyone know how to get the date stamp added to the photo? photos were taken with an olympus sp-510 uz if that helps

- any evidence that will help the uscis to determine.......

any suggestions for things to submit other than what is listed here?

submit a birth certificate with certified English translation

don't remember this in the instructions, but again, not a problem - mail or fax?

we want to make sure there are NO questions, any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

[Nagishkaw 510]

You can use USPS overnight. That way it gets signed for and you can track it. Do not use Fax. Write in RED ink at the lower left corner of the envelope your case number and RFE.

Have you any hand written letters or cards that you sent each other through snail mail? Hotel receipts? Bus or train receipts? Receipts of the things you may have done together? If you don't have your airline ticket, maybe you have a luggage tag from the airlines?

As far as the photos, I recall I wrote a brief description on the back of each one, signed and dated them.

Send them your copied passport, all pages, even the cover and back.

Yes, all BC's that are not in English MUST be translated.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Nagishkaw

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

well, we got the RFE in the mail today (finally!!). here's what we need to get -

evidence of meeting

- copies of passport pages that show the ID page and admission stamps

not a problem - just might take a little time through the mail. is a fax acceptable?

Do not send anything by FAX. Send by mail or courier with delivery confirmation.

- airline ticket stubs and receipts

not so easy - not sure what she has kept as far as this goes.

If she doesn't have the boarding passes then there's not much you can do about that. Unless she paid cash for the tickets, it should be possible to get a copy of the payment; canceled check, credit card statement, etc.

- film dated photos of us together

we have lots of photos, and we sent in a bunch. unfortunately, they didn't have date stamps. anyone know how to get the date stamp added to the photo? photos were taken with an olympus sp-510 uz if that helps

"Film dated" is a ludicrous requirement that they do not enforce. Most people don't use film cameras anymore. Did you write anything at all on the photos? You should have written the date and location the photo was taken, who is in the photo, and maybe a brief description of what the photo depicts. Otherwise, they have no idea what they're looking at.

- any evidence that will help the uscis to determine.......

any suggestions for things to submit other than what is listed here?

Hotel receipts, credit card receipts, ATM receipts, anything else that proves travel. Anything with both names on it is a big bonus.

submit a birth certificate with certified English translation

don't remember this in the instructions, but again, not a problem - mail or fax?

Birth certificate is only required from the petitioner, and only if it's being used to prove US citizenship. It only needs to be translated if it's not in English, in which case it's from another country and doesn't prove citizenship. What was sent as proof of the petitioner's citizenship?

we want to make sure there are NO questions, any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

[Nagishkaw 510]

Birth certificate is only required from the petitioner, and only if it's being used to prove US citizenship.

If you have both, play it safe and send it. I have seen people get RFE's for not sending in the beneficiary's BC.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Birth certificate is only required from the petitioner, and only if it's being used to prove US citizenship.

If you have both, play it safe and send it. I have seen people get RFE's for not sending in the beneficiary's BC.

That's interesting. How do they justify it? I can't think of any requirement for an I-129F petition that would require a copy of the beneficiary's birth certificate.

[Nik+Heather 121]

Faxes (thinking of the crappy thermal paper type) may not be a good idea, but if you're going to submit photo copies, why wouldn't a good scanner/email/petitioner prints out be any different??

I agree, don't fax back to the USCIS, do that regular mail, but so long as the same quality is achieved, who cares how they get it between themselves?

Maybe I'm missing something.

Oh, I also see that she was here over 7 months (May - Dec at least) Was she enrolled in any programs/classes etc while here? That could also show presence in the US (and in your city?)

Edited September 15, 2009 by Nik+Heather

[Minya's wife 25]

If you do no have the boarding passes for for a flight taken, you may contact the airline and have them issue something attesting that you did take the flight in question, on the date in question. I've had to do this for frequent flyer miles that I wanted added, but did not have the boarding passes. There was a charge, I think $35 for this, and it was with Lufthanza. I'm not sure if any other airlines offer this, but its worth a shot.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Faxes (thinking of the crappy thermal paper type) may not be a good idea, but if you're going to submit photo copies, why wouldn't a good scanner/email/petitioner prints out be any different??

I agree, don't fax back to the USCIS, do that regular mail, but so long as the same quality is achieved, who cares how they get it between themselves?

Maybe I'm missing something.

Actually, maybe it's me that's missing something. I got the impression the OP was talking about faxing the evidence to USCIS.

[Hannah+Vito 0]

We submitted photos without date stamps and they we originally digital. we just printed them off with explanations of date, and whereabouts and what trip it was, who it was of etc, using Microsoft word . we also chose photos that were in obvious and famous places that gave away what time of year or date it was...for instance. me and Vito in front of the giant Mickey Mouse Pumpkin statue at Disneyland for Halloween.

[Ted and Marina 0]

You can get the true date of your photos without a date stamp...

Open a photo, and right click...roll down to 'propeties'...click and look at the 'Created' date.

If your camera has correct date, this will match.

If you sized or edited photo...you will see this also.

[Bajih 4]

We had to provide birth certificates of both of us. Had to get his translated too. I am surprised that the requirements are different for different people. ?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

We had to provide birth certificates of both of us. Had to get his translated too. I am surprised that the requirements are different for different people. ?

For the initial petition, or the consulate stage? All visa applicants have to provide a birth certificate at the consulate stage, but at the petition stage only the USC has to provide a birth certificate, and only if it's being used to prove citizenship. The OP got an RFE for his initial petition asking for a birth certificate with translation. Unfortunately, he hasn't been back to tell us whether they wanted his birth certificate or hers.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure most of these requested items come from a checklist. The CO goes through the list on the computer, and clicks the items that he wants the petitioner to send. For example, if petitioner sent a "short form" birth certificate, then they'll click the birth certificate item. What ends up being printed out is a request for a birth certificate with certified English translation, leaving the petitioner scratching their head and thinking "But I already SENT that!", or "But the one I sent WAS in English!".

[jcg303 1]

THANKS SO MUCH

visa journey is such an asset, and it's because of the kindness and support of all of you!! well, we've been putting together our RFE stuff, so here's what we have -

32 photos taken between july '08 and december '08. each photo has a brief description with names and dates on the back. some of the photos have obvious landmarks in them - sears tower in chicago, gibson guitar factory in memphis. i even downloaded a program called snipclik, which is a photo editing program that can add a date stamp to a photo using the digital photo file's EXIF data. i also wrote a detailed letter explaining all the events in the photos and included credit card statements that verify purchases made in said locations with transaction dates that match the photos.

we have color scans of her passport showing the identification page and the point of entry stamps into the US. we also have the emailed itinerary from Orbitz.com showing her departure flight, which was purchased with my credit card. we have a copy of my credit card statement showing the ticket purchase, and we have the ticket stub from the departure flight.

in addition, i'm going to include phone records and emails dated between the time she left and the I-129F application date. i know they are not considered evidence by themselves, but as a part of the package i think they will help.

regarding the birth certificate, the RFE states explicitly to submit a copy with english translation for the beneficiary. luckily, israeli birth certificates include both hebrew and english information in side-by-side columns.

i checked and double checked the I-129F instructions and our application many times before submitting it. if they want 50 pictures that show us together, then they should state that. or at least state explicitly what is considered proof of meeting. same thing with the birth certificate. in fact, i didn't even use MY birth certificate for the application - i made a copy of my passport to prove citizenship.

oh well - there should be no question in their minds after reviewing the package we're about to send in. again, thanks to everyone for your advice and support!!!