Tax Return with I129F package?

[S<3B 0]

Hi there, this is my first ever post here and im excited to be joining this amazing and supportive community. Basically, I am a British male and my fiancee is the US citizen. We are going to file for a K1 visa. We have just started gathering all the stuff we need to file and have done a lot of research, thats all at this stage.

We thought about using a lawyer and went to a consultation with one, but decided we could not justify the expense.

It was talking to the lawyer however that has prompted this question. Basically, from what I have gathered from my research, when sending in the I129F package, you do not include anything about finances or a tax return at this stage and only later when you get your NOA2 and do the I134. However the Lawyer was insistent on getting and including my fiancees tax return for the prior year in the initial package with the I129F. Now this Lawyer is also renowned as being one of the best, most experienced and is very highly respected (no not his own words) so I highly doubt he is simply mis-informed or can be accused of being a mickey mouse lawyer. I am just confused now, because having decided to do it ourselves, we want to follow the guidelines on this website to the letter and nowhere suggests including a tax return with the I129F, however I cant help this nagging doubt about why the Lawyer would insist we did and if I should include one with the I129F therefore?

We are also planning on using a co sponsor because I am not sure if they will see her income as stable enough and would rather be safe than sorry.

Anyone have any thoughts or explanations or advice on this?

Thanks so much and I look forward to many more conversations with you all to come!!

Now to make a timeline.

Edited December 31, 2012 by S<3B

[Tim/Mav 305]

It is OK for your possible Lawyer to ask about finances. but, not required for your Petition. I don't blame the Attorney for asking. It will come-up later but not now.

[Bumbero 130]

Welcome to Vj!

Unless it's UK specific, which I don't believe it is, then your lawyer is wrong. The returns and transcripts are asked for at the Embassy when you turn in your I-134. All that is required to send in the petition is you both are free to marry and you have met within the last 2 years. Some people "frontload" their petition as well with additional evidence of an ongoing relationship but I have never heard of sending in tax returns as well.

People have been following the guides here for a long long time and have been very successful at doing it themselves.

Good luck!

[melissa-n-alfredo 10]

Hi there, this is my first ever post here and im excited to be joining this amazing and supportive community. Basically, I am a British male and my fiancee is the US citizen. We are going to file for a K1 visa. We have just started gathering all the stuff we need to file and have done a lot of research, thats all at this stage.

We thought about using a lawyer and went to a consultation with one, but decided we could not justify the expense.

It was talking to the lawyer however that has prompted this question. Basically, from what I have gathered from my research, when sending in the I129F package, you do not include anything about finances or a tax return at this stage and only later when you get your NOA2 and do the I134. However the Lawyer was insistent on getting and including my fiancees tax return for the prior year in the initial package with the I129F. Now this Lawyer is also renowned as being one of the best, most experienced and is very highly respected (no not his own words) so I highly doubt he is simply mis-informed or can be accused of being a mickey mouse lawyer. I am just confused now, because having decided to do it ourselves, we want to follow the guidelines on this website to the letter and nowhere suggests including a tax return with the I129F, however I cant help this nagging doubt about why the Lawyer would insist we did and if I should include one with the I129F therefore?

We are also planning on using a co sponsor because I am not sure if they will see her income as stable enough and would rather be safe than sorry.

Anyone have any thoughts or explanations or advice on this?

Thanks so much and I look forward to many more conversations with you all to come!!

Now to make a timeline.

No, it is not required to submit any kind of tax documents or I-134 in the application. That is actually turned in at the consulate's office, during the interview. USCIS does not even base their decisions on income, but merely free to marry and have met within the 2 yr time frame. What some do, however, is send in added documents with their application to "front load". Basically, so the consulate officer will have viewed this to have more knowledge of circumstances BEFORE the interview. Which by the time the interview is scheduled, ANOTHER I-134 and proof of documents will need to take with you, making file more current. I have heard of instances when people send in financial documents and the I-134 then getting a RFE asking for more financial records and so forth, since it is in their file and possession now. I personally would not send this with my application, but that is more of a personal choice, I guess since it isn't required at this stage. Good luck!

[KayDeeCee 4,893]

No, no need to send the financial info with the I-129F petition. The USCIS will not care about that stuff and ignore it anyway. They are interested in the required documentation that proves you meet the requirements of the I-129F petition which are that you are both free to marry and that you have met in person within the 2 years prior to filing.

London is unique for financials. See this other recent post about documentation for the UK: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/406742-i-134/

[S<3B 0]

Thank you so much for all of your fast replies, it is comforting to see how responsive you guys are I can see im in safe hands!!

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Thanks again!

[Ismael&Blair 66]

I frontloaded with documents that wasn't required and I included my 3 years of taxes and the financial proof with my I130 application because I just didn't want anything to be delayed and for them to find a reason to send a RFE & question if I could support my spouse.

One thing that I didn't include for the I130 application was my husband's birth certificate (not required). It wasn't stated as a requirement but I read on the forum that one member had that requested in the beginning stages. So I would say if you can include it without a hassle, why not? Eventually they will ask for it anyways.

Anyways, good luck and best wishes!

[Ismael&Blair 66]

Thank you so much for all of your fast replies, it is comforting to see how responsive you guys are I can see im in safe hands!!

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Thanks again!

To add, YES,I had notarized statements from my best friend, sister, my spouse himself. The only one I didn't get notarized was the statement from MYSELF. I signed and dated it. My rationale was that they should believe me because I am the petitioner.

[BaBamSam 239]

Thank you so much for all of your fast replies, it is comforting to see how responsive you guys are I can see im in safe hands!!

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Thanks again!

Hey there! I did this just as extra "evidence" because I wanted to include everything. My fiance and I each wrote one on our relationship and my mother and his mother submitted one each. We had all of them notarized officially ^.^

[Bumbero 130]

Thank you so much for all of your fast replies, it is comforting to see how responsive you guys are I can see im in safe hands!!

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Thanks again!

Nope, it's not needed for the petition. It would be considered frontloading. They might be helpful at the embassy, if it's UK specific.

Follow the guidelines here on VJ and you'll do fine!

Edited December 31, 2012 by Bumbero

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

. I am just confused now, because having decided to do it ourselves, we want to follow the guidelines on this website to the letter and nowhere suggests including a tax return with the I129F, however I cant help this nagging doubt about why the Lawyer would insist we did and if I should include one with the I129F therefore?

We are also planning on using a co sponsor because I am not sure if they will see her income as stable enough and would rather be safe than sorry.

Anyone have any thoughts or explanations or advice on this?

I think the lawyer may just want to collect everything from you at once so they don't have to spend extra time with you later. They can build a file and have that info to prepare the Affidavit of Support when needed. Also they know up front that the support portion isn't going to be a problem. You'd be surprised how many go into this process with no clue they need to make a certain level of income.

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Absolutely not needed. You are from the UK, a low fraud country. Your process will go smoother than some others. Sometimes lawyers and websites, including this one, will use the greatest common denominator for a worldwide audience. For the petition, prove she's a USC, you met in person in the last two years, are free to marry, and intend to marry. Include a few photos but don't over-do it with emails, Facebook printouts, hundreds of phone logs, etc. USCIS doesn't really ask you to prove you are in love and Skype eight hours every day. You will read on here that you take to the interview photo albumns, Skype logs, receipts for engagement rings, letters from family, etc. Some consulates love that stuff. London won't even look at it. Really. London will want to know you're not a criminal or drug addict, and have someone who will provide an Affidavit of Support. They will allow you to self-support, or will accept a sponsor who is not your fiancé. The interview is like an easy chat...how did you meet, where does she work, have you met the parents, where are you going to live...very basic conversation.

For insight into London's process (after your NOA2), see this thread in the UK forum. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/350185-london-2012-k1s-from-noa2-to-interview-thread/ Each consulate has their own method of doing things.

Notarization--you can get through this entire process-- petition, visa, adjustment of status, removing conditions, and US citizenship without having anything notarized. We did. The only exception is if you are taking a child out of the UK, London likes to see a statement from the other parent, witnessed and signed by a solicitor, giving their permission.

[Ning 619]

Thank you so much for all of your fast replies, it is comforting to see how responsive you guys are I can see im in safe hands!!

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Thanks again!

Lawyers serve as information filters. You supply them with the same exact info you need only to have them fill out the same forms then submit to you for signatures. The more info they filter they more money they make.

There are reasons the process is designed in the manner it is. USCIS expects people to follow those procedures. Anyone sending in the support docs in advance of the need is subject to rejection of those docs as being out of date. Thats exactly why the submission of the 134 is just prior to the interview. The request for it is part of the P 3 not the original petition. It is at the embassy level the support is checked. Sending that info early simply slows the process down because someone has to deal with useless docs. Of course the lawyer gets paid to collect all these useless docs to forward to USCIS.

These statements dont help but they dont hurt either. Keep in mind anyone can say anything about any subject. Notaries verify signatures on documents and have nothing to do with the content.

[Greg n Veronica 17]

The lawyer could possibly be insuring that your fiancee met the minimum income requirement for the embassy portion of the process and if she didn't to let you all know that up front before starting the process. Sounds like he/she is one that is proactive and not reactive is all.

[Ning 619]

I frontloaded with documents that wasn't required and I included my 3 years of taxes and the financial proof with my I130 application because I just didn't want anything to be delayed and for them to find a reason to send a RFE & question if I could support my spouse.

One thing that I didn't include for the I130 application was my husband's birth certificate (not required). It wasn't stated as a requirement but I read on the forum that one member had that requested in the beginning stages. So I would say if you can include it without a hassle, why not? Eventually they will ask for it anyways.

Anyways, good luck and best wishes!

Your support and tax info will be outdated by the time its reviewed.You have just submitted your petition. This means your info will be at least 6 months old or more by the time it gets to NVC. Dont be suprised when you recieve an RFE to correct it. You are dealing with one of the most difficult embassies so it would be a good idea to follow the procedures exactly to avoid problems. Find the flow chart here on VJ to see when these docs are required in the process. You will see that the 864 is submitted to NVC not USCIS.

Prepare yourself for the inherent problems associated with Morroco. Most cases there are sent into the blackhole of AP. Do the best you can to understand and follow the procedures for the best outcome.

[Mike & Mila 5]

Thank you so much for all of your fast replies, it is comforting to see how responsive you guys are I can see im in safe hands!!

He also suggested getting statements from family and friends about our relationship. Do you guys have any opinions on this? If you do include them should they be officially notarized, or just signed and dated??

Thanks again!

Mila and I, in response to an RFE sent in six (6) Affidavits from s frinds etc. Each affidaivit needs the Birthday and place of the Afiiant. There signatures need to be notorized. Also, on several on then we "pasted" into the body of their letter a photograph of all of us together (marking th ID od=f ecah on the photo. I rthink that helped.

good luck