I-130 Documents

[roseTX 0]

Hello to all VJ members - We will be sending the I-130 package soon please take a look if we missed something:

1. Cover letter

2. Completed and signed form G-1145

3. Completed and signed form I-130

4. Check for I-130 filing fee of $420

5. Completed and signed form G-325A and photograph (petitioner) --------> Question: How many copies of G-325A and photograph needed to be send?

6. Completed and signed form G-325A and photograph (beneficiary)--------> Question: How many copies of G-325A and photograph needed to be send?

7. Copy of U.S Passport to prove U.S citizenship

8. Copy of birth certificate to prove U.S. citizenship

9. Copy of our marriage certificate

10. Copy of divorce decrees of petitioner

11. Copy of beneficiary’s birth certificate

12. Copies of the bona fides of our marriage

includes: * emails (100 pages) and chat logs (100 pages)

* phone call logs

* Plane Tickets and Hotel Reservation

* Wedding Cards given from the wedding

* Greeting Cards send by each other

* Before and After Wedding Photos (100 pieces)

* Western Union

By the way this is not for me.. this is for my sister but we are the one preparing the documents.

Thank you in advance all.

[Dave and Kinnari 31]

Might want to tone is down on the e-mails and chat transcripts. Thats a huge amount. Just show period of time for the e-mails and transcripts. Like a few from each month so they can see and formulate a time frame.

Also 1 copy for G-325A forms. 1 picture as well. This is for both Petitioner and Beneficiary.

The pictures too. That quite a bit too many. Just have enough for before and after. Make sure either the timestamps are on the picture itself via the camera settings or write on the back the approx. date it was taken.

I would switch numbers 3 and 4 around. Put the money order before I-130 form.

Other than that, looks good to me.

Good Luck!

Edited May 12, 2011 by Dave and Kinnari

[roseTX 0]

A Big Thank You to you Dave and Kinnari for the fast response.

Might want to tone is down on the e-mails and chat transcripts. Thats a huge amount. Just show period of time for the e-mails and transcripts. Like a few from each month so they can see and formulate a time frame.

Also 1 copy for G-325A forms. 1 picture as well. This is for both Petitioner and Beneficiary.

The pictures too. That quite a bit too many. Just have enough for before and after. Make sure either the timestamps are on the picture itself via the camera settings or write on the back the approx. date it was taken.

I would switch numbers 3 and 4 around. Put the money order before I-130 form.

Other than that, looks good to me.

Good Luck!

[Dave and Kinnari 31]

A Big Thank You to you Dave and Kinnari for the fast response.

Anytime...

[Alex B 9]

Might want to tone is down on the e-mails and chat transcripts. Thats a huge amount. Just show period of time for the e-mails and transcripts. Like a few from each month so they can see and formulate a time frame.

Also 1 copy for G-325A forms. 1 picture as well. This is for both Petitioner and Beneficiary.

The pictures too. That quite a bit too many. Just have enough for before and after. Make sure either the timestamps are on the picture itself via the camera settings or write on the back the approx. date it was taken.

I would switch numbers 3 and 4 around. Put the money order before I-130 form.

Other than that, looks good to me.

Good Luck!

It looks like you've got a lot of additional evidence there.

Both my I-130s were approved earlier this week. I had 3 affidavits from friends who came to the wedding have known about us for a couple of years, and maybe 15 photographs. No other evidence at all. I agree on the brief notes with the pictures. I put in a selection which showed obviously different seasons and locations and a brief description of the place and date.

You just need 1x photo for you, 1x g-325a for you, 1x photo for your wife and 1x g-325a for your wife. Make sure both petitioner and beneficiary signs the right g-325a. Unsigned ones are quite the source of RFEs, and the signatures must be original so no copies.

Good luck.

[roseTX 0]

It looks like you've got a lot of additional evidence there.

Both my I-130s were approved earlier this week. I had 3 affidavits from friends who came to the wedding have known about us for a couple of years, and maybe 15 photographs. No other evidence at all. I agree on the brief notes with the pictures. I put in a selection which showed obviously different seasons and locations and a brief description of the place and date.

You just need 1x photo for you, 1x g-325a for you, 1x photo for your wife and 1x g-325a for your wife. Make sure both petitioner and beneficiary signs the right g-325a. Unsigned ones are quite the source of RFEs, and the signatures must be original so no copies.

Good luck.

Alex B, thank you very much for your response. I would like to ask about the affidavits. Please, can you share me of your affidavit format? Also, is it Ok if my sister and her husband would give an affidavit for us?

Thank you very much, once again.

[Done--Really 331]

Way overkill as already pointed out. We were also approved last week with no REF's and here is what we sent to demonstrate the validity of our relationship:

We went with a relatively short list:

1) Marriage certificate, of course !!

2) Statement from joint bank account

3) Statement from joint credit card account

4) Half a dozen pictures

5) One month's phone call log

6) One month's email log--just headers--not the actual emails

7) Visa stamps in each of our passports

Edited May 12, 2011 by magical

[Dave and Kinnari 31]

I was really a newlywed too as my marriage was an semi-arranged one. Only knew Kinnari for a month before we got married. Common process in India though.

I only could really send a few things. I know USCIS understands this especially India due to arranged marriage custom.

I only sent marriage certificate and wedding pictures and few pictures before and after marriage.

Hell, we didn't even have an phone records or anything since I came back and filed like 1 week after I came back.

Edited May 13, 2011 by Dave and Kinnari

[nickoxxy 2]

Hello to all VJ members - We will be sending the I-130 package soon please take a look if we missed something:

1. Cover letter

2. Completed and signed form G-1145

3. Completed and signed form I-130

4. Check for I-130 filing fee of $420

5. Completed and signed form G-325A and photograph (petitioner) --------> Question: How many copies of G-325A and photograph needed to be send?

6. Completed and signed form G-325A and photograph (beneficiary)--------> Question: How many copies of G-325A and photograph needed to be send?

7. Copy of U.S Passport to prove U.S citizenship

8. Copy of birth certificate to prove U.S. citizenship

9. Copy of our marriage certificate

10. Copy of divorce decrees of petitioner

11. Copy of beneficiary’s birth certificate

12. Copies of the bona fides of our marriage

includes: * emails (100 pages) and chat logs (100 pages)

* phone call logs

* Plane Tickets and Hotel Reservation

* Wedding Cards given from the wedding

* Greeting Cards send by each other

* Before and After Wedding Photos (100 pieces)

* Western Union

By the way this is not for me.. this is for my sister but we are the one preparing the documents.

Thank you in advance all.

Is #11 required at this stage? USCIS and VJ list don't have it.

Or it's optional? Like cover letter (personally I'm not sending any cover letters, like I did for my citizenship)

[Dave and Kinnari 31]

Is #11 required at this stage? USCIS and VJ list don't have it.

Nope not required. Not for the initial I-130 to USCIS documents.

[Done--Really 331]

A couple more things to think about. Several months ago USCIS and NVC started scanning all the documents, so please do not staple anything since it adds work at their end and possibly damages a document. Ditto to not using tabs--they have to be removed before scanning and can also cause damage. And highlighting is a no no now as well--many highlighted passages are simply a blur after being scanned, so underline or draw boxes if you must. And even the order doesn't matter to them since they will reassemble everything after it is scanned in the order they want. I do encourage using a cover letter however--for you--not for them since it forces you to be organized--they will pay no attention whatsoever.

[roseTX 0]

Way overkill as already pointed out. We were also approved last week with no REF's and here is what we sent to demonstrate the validity of our relationship:

We went with a relatively short list:

1) Marriage certificate, of course !!

2) Statement from joint bank account

3) Statement from joint credit card account

4) Half a dozen pictures

5) One month's phone call log

6) One month's email log--just headers--not the actual emails

7) Visa stamps in each of our passports

First of all, congratulations of your recent approval.

Thank you very much for sharing your short list to me, Magical. However, we cannot provide any joint bank account and credit card account because I am still in the Philippines. I don't have SSN yet. Also, I have notice in your short list that you did not include any sworn affidavits but yet you don't get an RFE. Is it really necessary to have a sworn affidavits?

Thank you.

[Dave and Kinnari 31]

First of all, congratulations of your recent approval.

Thank you very much for sharing your short list to me, Magical. However, we cannot provide any joint bank account and credit card account because I am still in the Philippines. I don't have SSN yet. Also, I have notice in your short list that you did not include any sworn affidavits but yet you don't get an RFE. Is it really necessary to have a sworn affidavits?

Thank you.

I did not send any sworn affidavits in.

My case is still going though...1.5 months in.

Just marriage cert and photos pre-marriage, marriage and after marriage.

[Done--Really 331]

I guess I am the camp that less is more. There was a tremendous interview on a different web site with a person who used to be an adjudicator at the VSC and he said that they literally spend 5 - 10 minutes maximum reviewing a case, and so long as there are no red flags, that's it. He said that they hate it when they get tons of paper, so I took him at his word and went with only a little bit of backup. Ditto at the Costa Rica embassy. They have told me they want just a few things, and not 100's of pictures, emails, etc. If all goes well, we will be at the interview in a couple of months, and we'll find out for sure.

[tripod 0]

my husband called to ask what are the needed papers he has to include esp at the proof he says the only thing they ask is marriage certificatre from NSO.