Last minute jitters

[virola 4]

Hi world!

Well, this is my first post on the website, but after browsing it nearly a gazillion and a half times in the last month, I finally decided to join.

I am about to submit my I-129F (well, I'm waiting for original documents from Costa Rica to arrive, theoretically any time now....). I feel like I've dotted my "i"s and crossed my "t"s, but still want some feedback from the community at large of people who've gone through it.

What advice would you have wanted to hear (or were glad you heard) before submitting your I-129F?

How can I avoid that dreaded RFE?

I should say I have everything from the cover letter from the website all prepared. For evidence of meeting in the past 2 years, this includes passport stamps (some that were even shared between our two passports during an international vacation), airline ticket receipts, a handful of boarding passes (we've lost most of them along the way, or they have been completely electronic, but we have some). For evidence of ongoing relationship, we have photos, email exchanges, scanned copies of envelopes sent between the US and Costa Rica, letters from two colleagues (one a US citizen, one a Costa Rican citizen), legal documentation of a car I bought in Costa Rica with my name that also includes Daniel's address down there, and... well, that's probably about it.

I think we have everything together, but I still am terrified about calling it done! Any words of friendly advice?

Thanks!!

Laura (on behalf of Daniel too!)

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Do you have proof of citizenship for the USC?

[TBoneTX 45,299]

Welcome to VJ, si man!

Your list of items looks good. Some front-loading (with evidence of bona fide relationship) never hurts, and you're wisely including this. After the petition is submitted, make more visits as you can, of course collecting evidence, and be there in person for the eventual consular interview. This last is often important at certain Latin American consulates.

And, thank you for your refreshingly literate post, si man.

[virola 4]

Thanks, TBone!

Definitely planning on going back every opportunity I get, and we will go to the interview together. I didn't realize how important "collecting evidence" is until I began I applying. I don't know how many receipts and boarding passes, etc. I would have saved!

I'll try to keep the posts literate... but I feel like this crazy process can drop the level of anyone's writing!

Welcome to VJ, si man!

Your list of items looks good. Some front-loading (with evidence of bona fide relationship) never hurts, and you're wisely including this. After the petition is submitted, make more visits as you can, of course collecting evidence, and be there in person for the eventual consular interview. This last is often important at certain Latin American consulates.

And, thank you for your refreshingly literate post, si man.

[virola 4]

I have a copy of my (USC's) birth certificate (but it's a duplicate copy, we lost my original when I was a kid). In case they don't want a duplicate, I also have a copy of every page of my passport in there too.

We went ahead and through copies in of his "cédula" (Costa Rican ID) and passport (including US Visa) for good measure. At least it couldn't hurt!

Do you have proof of citizenship for the USC?

[Ashlyn&Grevin 0]

Any previous marriages? if so don't forget to include divorce decrees. copies of the birth cert is fine. VJ is pretty on the spot for all the paperwork you can except so if you followed what they told you to put in you should be perfect. One piece of advice is to make copies of all the stuff you sent in the I-129F to have on you for future reference. Good luck you are just at the starting line of a very long and stressful process but it will be totally worth it!!

[Sunny123 44]

Double and tripple check your list right before you send that everything is together before you mail it. I dound out the hard way!