Advice for I129F

[julitathomas0810 30]

Hello there and thank you for taking the time to read this posting . I want to be honest and hope for the best advice and help from the many here who have gone through this before .

I am currently in the process of a divorce in the courts of New Jersey . In the last year i met a woman from the Phillippines . My first wife was from the country as well , but lived in the United States when i met her . We filed a I130 and passed with flying colors .

Right now i am taking the time to prepare the I-129F a head of time . I have a few months before I will be able to file the forms , so i am doing some research and asking questions to make sure this one as well will pass with flying colors .

Here is what i have so far . I have the completed I-129F (except divorce date) G325 bio forms . Letter of intent will be done around time before sending in the I-129F . Also have the cover letter for this package .

I completed and added a cover letter named I-129F Proof of meeting within 2 Years . I added airline tickets , hotel receipts , Yahoo conversations , emails , engagement ring receipts , receipts from Philippines from stores , and six color pictures with names dates and places . This was put into a three hole folder with inserts with labels for each section .

I also made a file called On going relationship with such proof provided in the folder . Do i need to include this with the I-129f ? I know the form is for the meeting and filing , but will that help speed things or only slow it down with too much information ?

I am making an exact copy and sending it by mail for my girlfriend to have for her interview . Also i would like to be there for her interview . At what point can i leave the country to do this ? Should i wait until she has her date for the interview ? When do i need to buy her ticket ? I was planning on getting the ticket when she had her interview . I have no fear since i know she will get approved . God is on our side and He will provide for us and my fears and worries are kept with Him .

I am planning on staying in the Phillppines for about the time of her interview and to travel home with her . She is very excited and i told her it may take at least six to eight months before we can do this . She is a great woman willing to wait and an awesome rare find . I was very impressed with the country after visiting . I heard so many stories about the country and i am sure it has bad spots . Just like here I wouldn't go walking in the middle of the night in Camden (lol) , but the people and food in the country were great ! To be honest i was scared silly to travel there , but i let go of my fears and took the plunge and the rewards are amazing .

My first wife was a foolish mistake , but we it was needed to happen to be where i am now . I pray for her and wish her the best , but i have moved on from that stepping stone . Again thank you for taking the time to read this post and thanks in advance for any replies .

One note I am concerned about the proof of support . I have lost my job and i am waiting for an appeal with the union . I will be getting my job back in January or February . I have someone who can co support with me , but they own a small business . I also have a decent amount in my bank account . Will this be a problem ? Is it worth it to seek a lawyer to look over the papers ? Also i live in Florida now and once the final decree is sent i can remarry the next day (whew) in NJ it would be 60 days !

[Bumbero 130]

First of all GOOD LUCK in your journey! I am a week or two away from filing my I129F as well. Just returned last Wednesday from an amazing trip in the PI.

Everything I have read here you want to make SURE not to jump the gun. You may be living in Floriday but if there is a 60 waiting period in NJ, you may not be free to marry. Maybe someone else in this forum can clarify for you. The Philippines VJ members are awesome at answering questions.

You sound like you have everything all together and have a good idea of what needs to be turned in with your petition. The three ring binder isn't needed as the petition will be removed and placed in a USCIS folder. All posts have said paperclips seem to be appreciated by USCIS as it saves them time. Also, no staples are a plus as well.

The Manila Embassy allows the fiance(e)to attend the interview, I will be going to my fiancee's. All posts I have seen say to hold off on buying your fiancee a ticket until the interview is complete and you have been approved with the visa in hand. Too may variables can cause some delays. Things you may NOT even anticipate. So, hold off on her travel plans is my advice. Wait until she has an interview to make your plans to fly out as well, is my recommendation. You have a limited time that you can stay, 21 days, on a visa to the Philippines without paying to extend it with their Bureau of Immigration.

Hope that answers SOME of your questions and I'm sure others will add to this as well!

Good luck!!

[Lalo & Susana 50]

I bet you've looked into this already but make sure that your free to marry before you apply for the fiancé visa. Does ur free to marry status depend on Florida or NJ? I personally do not know the answer so I would doubt check with my lawyer if I were you. Also how long have you be separated? Some countries find it highly suspicious when someone divorced than files for a visa quickly after. I only mention this Bc I am in the same boat. My fiancé's divorce was finalized about 2-3 weeks before we sent the I-129F packet. But we are going to show his separation certificate which shows they had been separated for 6 months before we started dating and more than 2 years before they were divorced it just took so long because his ex kept showing up late to the hearings so they would reschedule them. That happened 3 times until she finally made it. Regarding the proof of support you show that at the time of her interview. If you are going to get ur job back and make enough money to support your fiancé, yourself and any children you or she may have your fine. If not than you can have a cosponsor who owns a small business just keep in mind you co-sponsor needs to be able to support himself and his dependents if any as well as your fiancé. Just make sure you meet the 125% of the poverty guidelines.

Regarding the proof of relationship you do not need to send it with your I-129F petition but some do. They only requirements need to be met are that you are both free to marry and have met within the last 2 years immediately prior to your filing date.

Good luck and you'll love this site it's amazing.

Edited November 19, 2012 by Lalo & Susana

[Hank_ 9,174]

Hello there and thank you for taking the time to read this posting . I want to be honest and hope for the best advice and help from the many here who have gone through this before .

I am currently in the process of a divorce in the courts of New Jersey . In the last year i met a woman from the Phillippines . My first wife was from the country as well , but lived in the United States when i met her . We filed a I130 and passed with flying colors .

Right now i am taking the time to prepare the I-129F a head of time . I have a few months before I will be able to file the forms , so i am doing some research and asking questions to make sure this one as well will pass with flying colors . For sure don't start the process until you have your divorce decree in your hands.

Here is what i have so far . I have the completed I-129F (except divorce date) G325 bio forms . Letter of intent will be done around time before sending in the I-129F . Also have the cover letter for this package .

I completed and added a cover letter named I-129F Proof of meeting within 2 Years . I added airline tickets , hotel receipts , Yahoo conversations , emails , engagement ring receipts , receipts from Philippines from stores , and six color pictures with names dates and places . This was put into a three hole folder with inserts with labels for each section . - USCIS will take all the documentation and put it into one of their folders so you putting it in a special folder is a waste of time at your end and adding frustration at the USCIS end as they will have to pull your folder apart, just get one of those big industrial size paper clips.

I also made a file called On going relationship with such proof provided in the folder . Do i need to include this with the I-129f ? I know the form is for the meeting and filing , but will that help speed things or only slow it down with too much information ? Ongoing relationship documents are not needed until the embassy, for the 129f you ONLY need proof of meeting in person within 2 years of filing the petition.

I am making an exact copy and sending it by mail for my girlfriend to have for her interview (truly not needed for the interview, but nice for your fiancee to have) . Also i would like to be there for her interview . At what point can i leave the country to do this ? Up to you as to how long you want to be there. Should i wait until she has her date for the interview ? If you want to be there for the interview it would be a good idea. When do i need to buy her ticket ? I was planning on getting the ticket when she had her interview . I have no fear since i know she will get approved . God is on our side and He will provide for us and my fears and worries are kept with Him . Buying tickets for the flight to the USA before receiving the visa is not recommended, but if you do I would do it a good month ++ out from the interview date

I am planning on staying in the Phillppines for about the time of her interview and to travel home with her . She is very excited and i told her it may take at least six to eight months before we can do this . She is a great woman willing to wait and an awesome rare find . I was very impressed with the country after visiting . I heard so many stories about the country and i am sure it has bad spots . Just like here I wouldn't go walking in the middle of the night in Camden (lol) , but the people and food in the country were great ! To be honest i was scared silly to travel there , but i let go of my fears and took the plunge and the rewards are amazing .

My first wife was a foolish mistake Yup - lots of us have made the "foolish" mistakes , but we it was needed to happen to be where i am now . I pray for her and wish her the best , but i have moved on from that stepping stone . Again thank you for taking the time to read this post and thanks in advance for any replies .

One note I am concerned about the proof of support . I have lost my job and i am waiting for an appeal with the union . I will be getting my job back in January or February . I have someone who can co support with me , but they own a small business . I also have a decent amount in my bank account . Will this be a problem ? Is it worth it to seek a lawyer to look over the papers ? Also i live in Florida now and once the final decree is sent i can remarry the next day (whew) in NJ it would be 60 days ! Proof of support, I-134, is needed for the embassy interview, so if you have a job before the interview you should be OK. Co-sponsors can be iffy at best with USEM.

Read the GUIDES here on VJ as they will help also.

[LSnBigBear 61]

You may want to wait an period of time after your divorce is final as it may look like you started this relationship in exchange for your ex wives. You do not want any reasons for denial or delay as you will be going through Vermont SC which is behind and slow to date.

Second is your employment situation. Her that worked out first. Unless you have in excess of 60k USD in savings or assets.

Good luck

Shawn aka big bear

I tried to say have your employment worked out first. Getting use to my new tablet lol