i129f approved in less than 1 month???

[crystal01 29]

wow! you are so lucky! congrats!

[PhilAmTx 14]

very lucky.. wowoweeeee!!!!!!

[Nigel&Meggie 40]

Wow, congrats, that is pretty cool

I'd call'em up and bit-h if I were you. I'd tell em I want my full 5 months

[lovelyjoy 13]

I could only pray it will happen to me/us as well. You are one blessed woman/couple!

[extremerecluse 32]

It happens where they find a case that is just really easy and really fast to get through and they are done!

Ours was approved 5 days after the NOA1 and I was freaking out too lol.

Congrats!

I don't think so. Chalk this up to total incompetence. If they were following their own guidelines. they would have noticed the date received stamped right on the top of the file. Someone was sleeping on this one. But congratulations anyways. Drug testing at USCIS is obviously not occurring now

[Damian&Kelly 16]

This happened in 2008, when we applied, same exact time of year. Maybe it will happen again, I know it's not fair, but We applied Feb 08 and were approved in a month, along with a few others, that was VSC that year.

Congratulations!!

[Messybrownhair 251]

Congrats!!!!!

[Ugly_American 11]

Thanks everyone for all the congratulations. It's such a slow process and resigned to it I know how frustrating it is. I had planned on visiting here every 3 months just for my own sanity. Those countdowns drive me crazy. I'm still counting down to mid-march when I visit her again. The June trip won't need to happen now. I can't wait to tell her the news. She's still at work.

Several were asking about the package I assembled. It was nothing out of the ordinary and was only what I could ascertain as best from various sources online. Beyond reading and re-reading the instructions I did multiple Google searches for i129f samples, completed forms, etc. I included quite a large assortment of photos. I didn't have the patience to send the photos off for printing and instead i used photoshop and MS Word. I added photos as jpegs to a word document and printed that. It was like two pages with perhaps a dozen of the strongest images of us together, along with a shot of the ring on her hand. I also printed most of those photos (redundantly) as full page prints. This was for a few reasons, mainly that I was concerned they might have required actual printed photos on photo paper, however in a post I read it wasn't required and that printing them on standard paper in color using a color printer was fine. Also I was concerned they might think the smaller prints were modified in photoshop so i printed many of them as full pages. I wanted each shot to be seen in greater detail so they wouldn't suspect foul play. Below each photo in my own hand writing (which is very poor) i printed a description of the place and the exact date. In all there was about a dozen pages of photos, two word docs with smaller prints and 10 pages with the larger prints. For other evidence I used a flatbed scanner to create word documents with jpeg images of things like boarding passes, receipts for anything i bought there, like the engagement ring, I also did have a receipt for the small head shot (passport-style) photos we had taken while i was there. I do think that was probably more than most people include. I brought a blank form with me to meet her because I felt great about our relationship. The instructions on the form assisted in terms of knowing what they needed while I was there. I probably had about four pages of receipt/boarding pass evidence. All of my supporting documents were printed on on side only and held together in sections by paper clips. The sections were in exact order to the cover page, which listed every component of the application. I stapled the electronic notification forms to the very first page of the i129f. I filed one e-form for her email address and one for mine. I believe it was the only time i used a staple. I preferred a paper clip in case they ever needed to make a photo copy, that way they wouldn't have to remove a staple to run everything through an automated copier. I did however place a staple in that first page.

Here are the contents I included and specified on the cover letter (exact wording):

- Payment in the amount of $340 (personal check)

- G-1145 (two, attached to first page of application, as instructed)

- I-129F Supplement: Part B, Question 18, explanation of meeting in person

- G-325A and passport-style photo (Petitioner)

- G-325A and passport-style photo (Beneficiary)

- Letter certifying intent to marry (Petitioner and Beneficiary)

- Proof of having met in person in the past two years

- Proof of ongoing relationship

I didn't have my birth certificate and so i phootcopied every single page of my passport as they instructed. It seemed absurd because there were like a dozen blank pages.

I did fill out the section about meeting using a service. At first I didn't complete that - but later i reread it and it dawned on me that the web site we met on was a paid service and so i just filled out that section. The wording made it sound like some sort of elaborate dating service.

In addition to the cover letter i believe there were only three other things i included which weren't required: 1). a photo of her birth certificate, which I forgot to get but had her send me the photo and i printed it large in color. 2). Signed statements from each of us stating that during the 90 day period here that we do intend to marry. (For this i did have to cheat somewhat, because I didn't obtain here signature on this statement while i was there as I didn't know to include it at the time. Instead I scanned her signature from the i129f (which she filled out by hand while i was in the Philippines), and placed it as a jpeg onto the word document which I also used as a template for my own signed/dated statement. I did of course inform her of this form - it's wording, and ask her if she agreed to it, because legally I am not clear on the details of electronic signatures, but she agreed to it and so I produced that document which appeared as an authentic signature, I even ran across her signature with a black pen just to give the paper an indented appearance and also to flare it slightly so as to not have it match identically the other real signature in case it appeared too similar. 3) I did also include a cover letter briefly describing my life and why I wanted to marry her, and why I wanted for us to live in the US (better able to support us and our family here). The letter was only 2 paragraphs, and it seemed to hint at being too personal, but at least it also conveyed a real situation and probably smacked of deep feelings for her and our future together.

For proof of existing relationship i mentioned that we use texts and Skype daily, but those are not saved or with time stamps, so I included two brief email correspondences on a single page and didn't edit out some things which may have seemed personal. Nothing graphic, but some silliness was in there, like how we call each other "dummy" - I did hand write a note on the side of the paper explaining that "dummy" was a term of endearment we used for each other. (It arose because during my visit i missed the flight, then the next day i forgot my camera in a cab, and the next day after that my iphone fell from my pocket while we were on a hammock. Luckily an honest hotel staff person found it and i got it returned. I blame her for making me so stupid. I didn't explain this part anywhere in the application.)

Apart from the above I followed every instruction exactly. Even the part about including the city names without the state abbreviations. That was something that bugged me, because my mother was born in a city, let's call it Springfield, which could be located in any state. These, i believe, were on the bio forms. I did it with the state abbreviations, then thought the better of it and reprinted it filling out the form as they specified, without the state abbreviations. That part of the form irritated me.

For the passport-style photos i placed them separately in clear plastic bags and taped each bag to a piece of paper, behind each of our respective bio forms. I held those pages together with a paper clip.

All together the paperwork took me about 12 hours to complete. Much of it was re-reading and reprinting things. Even after i was done, I'd re-read everything and invariably change or correct something. I did that until it was perfect (and by then it was late at night). Of the 12 hours I'm including her filling out her portion of the form while we were in Phil. I'm also including the reading of the instructions over and over again. The actual assembly time was probably around 6-7 hours. I know these are simple forms and I was slow, but I didn't want there to be a single mistake because every day apart from her is difficult. I didn't want to be a dummy this time.

One other thing that helped was that I completed everything as soon as I could upon returning to the US. All the dates were fresh in my mind and all the documents were with me.

Having detailed what I did I'm certain there is nothing magic or special and that all of you will have success. Also I tend to agree with what someone said, that I was just lucky and probably mine was randomly grabbed by someone during a training exercise. At any rate, hope this helps anyone who's currently working on their papers. It wasn't difficult or daunting, just do your best and do go over everything several times before you mail it, rereading the instructions carefully and often. It's a 5-month wait - you don't want to screw up and lay awake at night (alone) wondering if it will be rejected.

[Lari & Jhona 0]

omggggggggggggggggggg..

congratzzzz.hpe the rest of your journey goes great..

ps..hatinggggg badly on a good way though...

:dance:

[kutakendra 3]

Don't question the "gods" at the USCIS, just be thrilled and plan wedding I did see that on Igor's list and wondered if you were military and tried to figure out what box you had checked that I had not.

Time for a lovely bouquet of flowers for your betrothed.

Congrats. Enjoy.

[curvebell 29]

what wonderful news for you both! congratulations! x

[Ugly_American 11]

I'm not military, but my grandfather died near the Philippines during WW2. Maybe some long-deserved good karma for his sacrifice.

The application was probably easy to approve in that neither of us have any children or prior marriages.

I bought a lottery ticket last night shortly after making this initial post.

[Barbara J 115]

I'm not military, but my grandfather died near the Philippines during WW2. Maybe some long-deserved good karma for his sacrifice.

The application was probably easy to approve in that neither of us have any children or prior marriages.

I bought a lottery ticket last night shortly after making this initial post.

Well done you deserve it and a very thorough application. All the very best for the future.

[~happyndinlove~ 540]

Does the NOA2 get sent automatically to the NVC (Manila?) I'm way behind the research curve. I thought I'd have 5 months to prepare for the next step.

You are indeed lucky! Congratz!!!

We wanted ours to be aprroved in 15 days but unfortunately our wish weren't granted coz we were approved in 6.5 months. LOL!

[Mariye & Ky 172]

I'm not military, but my grandfather died near the Philippines during WW2. Maybe some long-deserved good karma for his sacrifice.

The application was probably easy to approve in that neither of us have any children or prior marriages.

I bought a lottery ticket last night shortly after making this initial post.

Wow congratulations!!!! I'm very happy for you two!! However, if you win the lottery too after this? I will slap you! LOL LOL LOL LOL

Best to you both!

Mari & Kadir