I-129F Denied :(

[M J 11]

Worst part is that I do not know why yet. It's been almost 5 months and I received an email yesterday just telling it has been denied and I should receive a letter explaining why. So needless to say I'm freaking out. At first I had no clue why, but after looking through this site, I think I might know. I pretty much only filled out the I-129F form and mailed that in with the fee, nothing else. I figued once the backgroud checks were done they would ask for more info for the interviews. I called USCIS 3 different times and talked to 3 different people asking them what I needed to do, and they all said the only thing I need to do is fill out the I-129F form and mail it in. They also mentioned the requiremens to be eligable, but that was it. I talked to a couple lawyers also, but they wanted a few thousand dollars to handle it. I did not get the letter yet, but should in the next couple days. I don't know why I did not find this site before when searching online. It came up now in my google searces on what to do about a visa denial.

So what are my options? Should I get a lawyer?

My background... My Fiance is from the Philippines, and I have known her for 5 years now. I have been supporting her for the past 4, I helped her go back and finish highschool, and she is now in her 3rd year of college. Originally we were going to wait for her to finish college, but I figured it would be better for her to finish here (USA) and get used to the culture, language, and build a network through school. I have a lot of (daily) chat logs from Yahoo, Skype, and emails. I also have a lot of Western Union receipts and Xoom online history of me sending her money. I have visited her and met her family 2 times now and gave her an engagement ring. We are both eligieble to marry and have no criminal background. Also neither one of us have been married before, or have any kids.

I thought I might be asked for clarification or more info, but I did not expect to be denied. Would not providing enough info or documentation result in a denial? I guess worst case is that there is something in her background check that came up, but knowing her as long as I have, I would be very surprised. I feel foolish now if it is just because I did not provide enough info. I waited a few months before mailing the form while trying to make sure it was all I needed.

Thanks for any advise.

Sorry I did not introduce myself. My name is Mike... hello everyone.

[kimmie 2]

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

Please go to the link above to see what should have been included in your application. If you only sent the i-129f form and the fee and none of the other documentation, that seems to me like you got denied for not enough info. I am not sure if that means you can reapply with all the info, and I guess you will have to wait for the letter to get the official reason.

I am sorry. I hope it's nothing more serious that that.

[amykathleen2005 441]

Are you sure you were denied or was your petition rejected? Did they cash your check?

You really need to read the directions for the petition. It clearly states the items you need to include in your petition submission.

You don't need a lawyer. Just follow this guide:

http://www.visajourn...content/k1guide

Edited August 1, 2012 by amykathleen2005

[Andie 147]

Hi Mike,

Well, to answer one question ..

Would not providing enough information or documentation result in a denial ? Yes

Exactly the same thing happened to us. Also before we discovered this site we left out our documentation - not intentionally. We sent the rest of our documents off with a copy of the NOA1 (initial receipt) when we received it about a week later - but they didn't match up with the I-129F we had already sent. After 5 months we were denied. We tried to sort it out, but after every effort it came back to the same thing. We had to start again.

I know how you're feeling right now - Looking back, I wish we had just taken a deep breath and followed the Guides on this site and filed a completely new petition as if the first one didn't happen. Ultimately, that was the only answer for us, but we had long delays in between trying to patch things up. Lack of documents is enough of a reason and thats all it took for our denial, so hopefully it will take some of the stress out of the situation for you.

[nealxette 4]

I'm sorry to hear that. Aside from the I-129f form you should include evidences to prove your relationship. Read the guides for K1 visa.

[NY_BX 397]

Worst part is that I do not know why yet. It's been almost 5 months and I received an email yesterday just telling it has been denied and I should receive a letter explaining why. So needless to say I'm freaking out. At first I had no clue why, but after looking through this site, I think I might know. I pretty much only filled out the I-129F form and mailed that in with the fee, nothing else. I figued once the backgroud checks were done they would ask for more info for the interviews. I called USCIS 3 different times and talked to 3 different people asking them what I needed to do, and they all said the only thing I need to do is fill out the I-129F form and mail it in. They also mentioned the requiremens to be eligable, but that was it. I talked to a couple lawyers also, but they wanted a few thousand dollars to handle it. I did not get the letter yet, but should in the next couple days. I don't know why I did not find this site before when searching online. It came up now in my google searces on what to do about a visa denial.

So what are my options? Should I get a lawyer?

My background... My Fiance is from the Philippines, and I have known her for 5 years now. I have been supporting her for the past 4, I helped her go back and finish highschool, and she is now in her 3rd year of college. Originally we were going to wait for her to finish college, but I figured it would be better for her to finish here (USA) and get used to the culture, language, and build a network through school. I have a lot of (daily) chat logs from Yahoo, Skype, and emails. I also have a lot of Western Union receipts and Xoom online history of me sending her money. I have visited her and met her family 2 times now and gave her an engagement ring. We are both eligieble to marry and have no criminal background. Also neither one of us have been married before, or have any kids.

I thought I might be asked for clarification or more info, but I did not expect to be denied. Would not providing enough info or documentation result in a denial? I guess worst case is that there is something in her background check that came up, but knowing her as long as I have, I would be very surprised. I feel foolish now if it is just because I did not provide enough info. I waited a few months before mailing the form while trying to make sure it was all I needed.

Thanks for any advise.

Sorry I did not introduce myself. My name is Mike... hello everyone.

I hate to be harsh, but, the instructions on the I-129F are clear. If you only sent that form and money, not only you wasted money, you wasted time. Yes, I can assure you that's why you're denied. You must fill out all the forms and send evidence of having met in person within 2 years. So, if you haven't seen her in 2 years prior to filing, you must return to her home country and gather evidence of meeting her within that timeframe. Becareful with using western union receipts as evidence as it may look like a business transaction.

You will have to refile and spend more money and wait more time.

[jameugiekaxavilon 25]

I'm so sorry to hear this happened to your case. Does your fiance already interviewed? Did she received a 221g form?

[Fight for Love 98]

are you sure it's not an RFE?? request for evidence?? i don't think they will deny your case without futher info that they need from you.

anyways nothing is sure this time until you received your letter from uscis...if your right your I-129F was deny i suggest calling your senator or congress office for help..goodluck

Edited August 1, 2012 by takis

[Andie 147]

I hate to be harsh, but, the instructions on the I-129F are clear. If you only sent that form and money, not only you wasted money, you wasted time. Yes, I can assure you that's why you're denied. You must fill out all the forms and send evidence of having met in person within 2 years.

You will have to refile and spend more money and wait more time.

Yea I love the way some people do this ... don't let it get to you Mike!

Just get all your paperwork together, follow the Guides for the K1 process - K1 Guide and K1 Flowchart (see Guides, top of this page) - read the site and ask on here about any questions you may have - people here can be really nice !

[M J 11]

I hate to be harsh, but, the instructions on the I-129F are clear. If you only sent that form and money, not only you wasted money, you wasted time. Yes, I can assure you that's why you're denied. You must fill out all the forms and send evidence of having met in person within 2 years. So, if you haven't seen her in 2 years prior to filing, you must return to her home country and gather evidence of meeting her within that timeframe. Becareful with using western union receipts as evidence as it may look like a business transaction.

You will have to refile and spend more money and wait more time.

That's OK, like I said I feel foolish now. The thing is, I downloaded the I-129F instructions, and also the Fiance help pdf. None of them say I need to submit evidence of anything with the I-129F form. I knew more would be required eventually, after the I-129F is approved and when going for the interview, but I did not know I needed to submit a whole packet with the initial form. I was just in the Philippines in May, and also last year, so I have met her 2 times in the last 2 years. I can easily prove everything. I mostly used Xoom to send her money, but they for some reason closed my account, so for a while I used Western Union, but I was eventually able to create a new account with Xoom and have mostly been using them for the last year.

[abner137 48]

Not good, lesson learned I guess.....you don't need a lawyer if your case is as straight forward as you make it sound.

You just need to address the issue when you get the letter....maybe a little more studying this time.

Sorry to hear that, good luck on the re-do...

[M J 11]

are you sure it's not an RFE?? request for evidence?? i don't think they will deny your case without futher info that they need from you.

anyways nothing is sure this time until you received your letter from uscis...if your right your I-129F was deny i suggest calling your senator or congress office for help..goodluck

Here is part of the email I received...

On July 30, 2012, we mailed you a denial decision notice for this case I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). The notice explains why the denial decision was made and the options that may be available to you. If you have not received this notice within 15 days of July 30, 2012, please call customer service at 1-800-375-5283 for further assistance.

During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.

[M J 11]

I'm so sorry to hear this happened to your case. Does your fiance already interviewed? Did she received a 221g form?

No she has not done anything yet. After I submitted the I-129F form I got the denial email, that is it so far.

Edited August 1, 2012 by M J

[cdneh 3,112]

are you sure it's not an RFE?? request for evidence?? i don't think they will deny your case without futher info that they need from you.

anyways nothing is sure this time until you received your letter from uscis...if your right your I-129F was deny i suggest calling your senator or congress office for help..goodluck

Calling a senator or congressman cannot help. USCIC are not answerable to elected officials.

If you get the letter from them, and you are indeed denied, your best option is to refile, following the guides and enclosing all the bits and pieces necessary to support your petition. Read the guide, you will find it is a valuable tool.

Welcome to Visa Journey. If you have questions, or need help, you have come to the right place. This website is the absolute best.

[M J 11]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I feel a little better, maybe I can sleep more than 2 hours tonight. I still don't know why I did not find this site before, it would have saved me a lot of worrying and now hassle. Like I said, it took me a couple months before I finally mailed the form because I did not know what to do. After talking to 3 different people at USCIS, and them all tell me I just needed to send in the form, I figured I was good and if needed they would just request more info.

Now, am I better off starting over and submitting a new I-129F form and all the info, following the guide on this site, or appealing the denial?

Maybe I am just jumping the gun and need to wait until I get the letter. I am just going crazy here and needed to sort of talk to someone or get some advise.