almost done putting together I-130 packet

[rkk1 34]

Hi all,

I am about to send out my I-130 packet for my husband in the next day or two, and I have some questions that I thought I'd ask before finalizing things.

1.) On the I-130 form, when it asks for 'Other Names Used', does this mean legally or unofficially? For instance, my husband has a nickname that is used by his family and is the name on his Skype profile. Should I mention his nickname in this section? I am printing out some of our Skype logs, and hope they visa people will realize that he is the same person despite using his nickname (as the lastname is the same).

2.) My husband is suggesting I include one of our wedding cards in the application. It is a beautiful card, but big and bulky (made of shiny puffy fabric etc, not your typical greeting card). We only have a few cards left as mementos of our wedding, so I don't want to unnecessarily put it in if it won't make a difference or if it will just get tossed in the trash. On the other hand, if it is useful then of course I'll put it in. I was just suggesting my husband, that he could bring it in to the interview with him. But he thought I was supposed to put it in the I-130 packet. So I told him I'd ask you guys what's best.

3.) My understanding is that the I-130 packet is supposed to have copies, and that my husband needs to bring the originals with him to his interview. I have our original marriage certificate with me, and have the other originals from our files. So my understanding is that I'm supposed to just copy things for the I-130 and then mail the originals to him overseas. This makes me a bit nervous as I had previously mailed a gift to him in India a few months ago, which never arrived as his place (I don't know if it got stuck in customs, or if it was just randomly lost somewhere). So for me to mail him our (only) original marriage certificate (though we have a few certified copies), makes me scared. I guess I could send it by guaranteed mail and pay the $70-80 or whatever they cost if neeeded. I wasn't sure how you all managed this. Due to my degree program, I won't have any further breaks to visit him before he comes to the US, so it's not like I can take it there with me.

4.) I am putting the certified copy of the marriage certificate in the file that I will send my husband overseas. In the file that I plan to send to USCIS, I have a COPY of the certified copy. Since it's a color copy, it looks just like the certified copy except that the sheet size is a bit smaller (as they use a different sheet size in India). I hope this won't cause any problems, since the certified copy has the certification stamp on it which says 'Photocopy Attested' and the notary's name, etc. Maybe I should just write 'photocopy' on my copy that I"m sending to USCIS...?

Thanks so much for your help!

Edited December 29, 2011 by rkk1

[rkk1 34]

In case my last post was a bit confusing, I just wanted to clarify that I have thus far made 3 files of our I-130. One that I'll be mailing to the USCIS, the 2nd copy for my husband with original affidavits and the certified copy of our marriage certificate, and the 3rd copy for my benefit to have as a backup at home. My copy and the USCIS copy are photocopies, while the one I saved for my husband have the original signatures. But because of things getting lost in the mail I'm not sure if I should mail the originals file to him, or keep that with me and mail him the photocopy version. Hope this makes sense.

Edited December 29, 2011 by rkk1

[Josie-Be-Happy 11]

USCIS only requires copies of documents requested. You can include your wedding invitation with your petition and any other documentation to show that you're in a bona fide relationship/marriage. I front loaded my I-130 petition and didn't have any problems.

Once your petition is approved, USCIS will send all of your documents to NVC. NVC will require original/certified copies of the required documentation. My husband is from Lebanon and the mailing system is not reliable. At the beginning of the NVC stage, he sent an email to NVC designating me as his agent so that NVC will contact me instead of my husband. My husband sent me all of the original documents and translations to me via surface mail and then I sent the entire packet to NVC. Here is a very handy guide to help you prepare for the NVC stage: LingChe NVC ShortCut

His interview was just a few days ago and his visa was approved.....Yeahhhh. The embassy is supposed to give the beneficiary all of the original documents back after the interview. There was one document that my husband asked for - our original marriage certificate. Our marriage certificate is something that has sentimental value and I wanted to frame it and put it on the wall in our house. The consular gave the original marriage certificate to my husband.

As far as other names used, you should include all names that is/was used to include nicknames - any names that people know about.

Hope that helps. You are welcome to send me a PM if you have any other questions.

Good luck and best wishes.

[Ryan H 3,812]

1.) On the I-130 form, when it asks for 'Other Names Used', does this mean legally or unofficially? For instance, my husband has a nickname that is used by his family and is the name on his Skype profile. Should I mention his nickname in this section? I am printing out some of our Skype logs, and hope they visa people will realize that he is the same person despite using his nickname (as the lastname is the same).

It means legally. A good example of this would be someone whose name is Christopher but they go by Chris in their everyday life (such as signing checks with Chris, having it on their business cards, introducing themselves to others, etc.). As for screen nicknames that are used on Skype, Facebook, etc.; you would not put that on the form, however, I believe it is a good idea to write a statement that the evidence will show a screen name and what the screen name is.

2.) My husband is suggesting I include one of our wedding cards in the application. It is a beautiful card, but big and bulky (made of shiny puffy fabric etc, not your typical greeting card). We only have a few cards left as mementos of our wedding, so I don't want to unnecessarily put it in if it won't make a difference or if it will just get tossed in the trash. On the other hand, if it is useful then of course I'll put it in. I was just suggesting my husband, that he could bring it in to the interview with him. But he thought I was supposed to put it in the I-130 packet. So I told him I'd ask you guys what's best.

You are sending a petition, not an application. As for a the wedding card, don't send an original, send a copy. The original can be brought to the interview.

3.) My understanding is that the I-130 packet is supposed to have copies, and that my husband needs to bring the originals with him to his interview. I have our original marriage certificate with me, and have the other originals from our files. So my understanding is that I'm supposed to just copy things for the I-130 and then mail the originals to him overseas. This makes me a bit nervous as I had previously mailed a gift to him in India a few months ago, which never arrived as his place (I don't know if it got stuck in customs, or if it was just randomly lost somewhere). So for me to mail him our (only) original marriage certificate (though we have a few certified copies), makes me scared. I guess I could send it by guaranteed mail and pay the $70-80 or whatever they cost if neeeded. I wasn't sure how you all managed this. Due to my degree program, I won't have any further breaks to visit him before he comes to the US, so it's not like I can take it there with me.

4.) I am putting the certified copy of the marriage certificate in the file that I will send my husband overseas. In the file that I plan to send to USCIS, I have a COPY of the certified copy. Since it's a color copy, it looks just like the certified copy except that the sheet size is a bit smaller (as they use a different sheet size in India). I hope this won't cause any problems, since the certified copy has the certification stamp on it which says 'Photocopy Attested' and the notary's name, etc. Maybe I should just write 'photocopy' on my copy that I"m sending to USCIS...?

Thanks so much for your help!

Copies go to USCIS (and you don't need to write 'photocopy' on anything). Original documents along with copies go to the NVC.

[rkk1 34]

Thanks so much, Josie and Ryan, for your comments. I really appreciate it. And Josie, thanks so much for that NVC link! I think it will be really helpful as I move along the process.

So it looks like copies are ok for the present time. I'm not exactly sure when I'm supposed to send the originals to the NVC, but I guess that's a question for another time.

As far as the nickname goes, I think I will put his nickname in the other name's section, but I'll put '(nickname)' like this in parenthesis. His nickname is really different from his real name, not an abbreviation. For example, it's like someone with the real name Blaire Smith going by Jeff Smith on his Skype profile. So I'll probably just write it like this in the Other Names section: 'Jeff (nickname) Smith'. I hope that will be fine. I have told my husband to just change his Skype and Facebook profiles to reflect his real name, but he is a bit paranoid that someone with bad intentions might try to sabotauge his visa application; hence, he wants to keep the nickname there. His emails clearly show the link though, as it's like this: 'Blaire Smith <jeffsmith@gm***.com>' etc.

[rkk1 34]

I have a few more questions though....

1.) On the I-130 form it asks if I have petitioned for this or any other relative. Since I had previously petitioned for him for the I-129F (fiance visa) before we got married, I had put 'yes'. I canceled the I-129F after I returned from our wedding in India back to the states. In the explanation section I wrote: "I-129F, (state), Aug 2011 - I canceled on (date) as we decided to marry & apply for this spousal visa". I hope that is okay as an explanation.

2.) Do you think it is worth to write a cover letter explaining our story, instead of merely having forms with our petition? I was thinking about writing to them about our relationship, how we met, etc, how much I love my husband etc. But I was worried that they might be concerned that we met online on a dating site last year. Considering that we spent some months together this year before getting engaged, I hope it won't be an issue.

Edited December 30, 2011 by rkk1

[rkk1 34]

It was NOT a marriage brokerage site (the kinds that apparently the USCIS is concerned about where people try to marry US citizens for visas). Instead this site was a large international dating/matrimonial site for people of our ethic community all over the world. So I don't think they should have any problem with this, but I don't want them to get strange ideas when we do have a genuine relationship.

[rkk1 34]

Bump. Please help anyone... I am working on this application tonight, hoping to send it out tomorrow. Thanks!!

[max+patricia 24]

I have a few more questions though....

1.) On the I-130 form it asks if I have petitioned for this or any other relative. Since I had previously petitioned for him for the I-129F (fiance visa) before we got married, I had put 'yes'. I canceled the I-129F after I returned from our wedding in India back to the states. In the explanation section I wrote: "I-129F, (state), Aug 2011 - I canceled on (date) as we decided to marry & apply for this spousal visa". I hope that is okay as an explanation.

2.) Do you think it is worth to write a cover letter explaining our story, instead of merely having forms with our petition? I was thinking about writing to them about our relationship, how we met, etc, how much I love my husband etc. But I was worried that they might be concerned that we met online on a dating site last year. Considering that we spent some months together this year before getting engaged, I hope it won't be an issue.

We wrote "(Name), I-129F for K-1, 12/15/2010 - Requested petitioned canceled at embassy" on our I-130. We didn't specify "where" but included copies of NOA1, NOA2 and all the paperwork from NVC and the embassy for our K-1.

A cover letter is a good idea, especially if you have previously filed a petition for the same person. Don't get into anything romantic - focus on specifics like dates and places. Our "letter" was 3 short paragraphs describing how we met, when and where, when we were engaged, when we were married. Adjudicators @ USCIS don't want to read a book about strangers romance - but a brief outline of your relationship can be beneficial to piece together who they're reviewing.

[Ryan H 3,812]

So it looks like copies are ok for the present time. I'm not exactly sure when I'm supposed to send the originals to the NVC, but I guess that's a question for another time.

Those documents are sent with the form DS-230. However, don't worry about that too much at this juncture.

1.) On the I-130 form it asks if I have petitioned for this or any other relative. Since I had previously petitioned for him for the I-129F (fiance visa) before we got married, I had put 'yes'. I canceled the I-129F after I returned from our wedding in India back to the states. In the explanation section I wrote: "I-129F, (state), Aug 2011 - I canceled on (date) as we decided to marry & apply for this spousal visa". I hope that is okay as an explanation.

Should be okay, it's describes exactly what happened.

2.) Do you think it is worth to write a cover letter explaining our story, instead of merely having forms with our petition? I was thinking about writing to them about our relationship, how we met, etc, how much I love my husband etc. But I was worried that they might be concerned that we met online on a dating site last year. Considering that we spent some months together this year before getting engaged, I hope it won't be an issue.

What you are describing is an Evolution of Relationship (EOR) letter. This type of letter is separate from the cover letter that goes on top of the file. A cover letter describes what the file is, an EOR letter is what you described above. I personally think an EOR letter is a good idea.

[rkk1 34]

Thanks M+P and Ryan for the advice! It helps!