I-130 Cover Letter Check

[reinsterling 1]

Hi, I've looked through the forums a bit for ideas on what to put in the cover letter for the I-130 packet, but I'd like to know what anybody thinks just in case there are suggestions out there. I'm not sure if I've included too much or too little in the way of evidence of a bona fide marriage. Anyway, here it is:

January 24, 2014

[Petitioner's name]

[Address in Japan]

USCIS

Attn: I-130

131 South Dearborn – 3rd Floor

Chicago, IL 60603-5517

To Whom It May Concern:

Enclosed, please find my Form I-130 Petition for Alien Relative on behalf of my wife, [Wife's Name]. Please note that I am currently living with my wife in Japan on a work visa that I renew every three years. However, I own a residence in the U.S. where we plan to live. A copy of the deed is included in this packet. The documents included are in the following order:

1. Personal check in the amount of $420
2. I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (2 pages)

Copy of Birth certificate (Petitioner) (1 page) Copy of Beneficiary’s Japanese Family Register and Translation (2 pages) Copy of California Marriage Certificate (1 page) G-325A (Petitioner) (2 pages) Passport Style Photo (Petitioner) G-325A (Beneficiary) (2 pages) Passport Style Photo (Beneficiary) Evidence of a bona fide marriage:

1. Affirmation letter from myself (Petitioner) explaining my relationship with my wife (Beneficiary)
2. Notarized affirmation letter from my mother, [Mother's Name], as a witness to the genuine nature of my relationship and marriage to [Wife's Name].

Notarized affirmation letter from a family friend, [Friend's Name], as a witness to the genuine nature of my relationship and marriage to [Wife's Name]. Our first holiday card as a married couple. Printed pages from our wedding website and honeymoon registry. Feel free to visit the indicated URLs to verify them. Pictures from our wedding in San Diego, wedding photo-shoot in Japan, and various other times in our relationships. Copies of pages from our passports to show entry to the U.S. and return to Japan every year for Christmas and New Year’s. A copy of the deed to my residence in La Mesa, CA as proof of a permanent domicile in the U.S.

Thank you very much for your prompt attention to this matter.

Respectfully,

Petitioner

[Okay 5]

Ooops, we didn`t submit a cover letter, and now I look at this topic and got worried a little bit. Is a cover letter a must, or is it optional?

[reinsterling 1]

I've read that it's not technically required, so you should be okay, but it's recommended I think as a kind of table of contents to help them sort out what's included. Anyway, I'm sure you should be fine.

[dewy39 2]

It is perfect! I did a cover letter too. And listed all contents so they know what is in the packet

[Ryan H 3,812]

Copy of Beneficiary’s Japanese Family Register and Translation (2 pages)

Why are you including this? It has nothing to do with your case.

[reinsterling 1]

Oh, for some reason I could have sworn I read somewhere they needed a copy of the beneficiary's birth certificate and the family register is pretty much the equivalent of that in Japan.

Now I've looked again at the list of documents in the I-130 instructions and the step by step guide on VJ and I guess it's not required. I just figured they would need it or something to verify her identity.

It lists our marriage as being registered in Japan, so maybe I'll include it down under the evidence of a bona fide marriage.

[awaywego 28]

What about showing that you live together in Japan? Add your joint lease, utility bills, city/police registration (if that's a thing there), or whatever shows this.

I worry about #5, as you're nearly a year from the wedding, and the webpages might be taken down by the time that USCIS gets to the petition. You can probably show the same information from a copy of your invitation and photos from your honeymoon. (A more experienced poster might have something better to say on this.)

Would it be useful to specify in #7 that the visits are to spend the holidays "with [your] family"?