Preparing I-130 Packet + Questions

[GuruSikh 6]

Hello, my wife and I get recently got married on April 2, 2014 in India. I am a naturalized American citizen and she is from India, and is an Indian Citizen. I am still in India and will be staying a few more months with my wife. I have double checked everything, but needed someone to double check my checklist and had a few questions regarding the process and documents, which I had uncertainty.

I am have collected and gather all the documents and materials for the I-130. I will post the questions at the end.

Here is my checklist:

- International Money Order or Banker's Check from Indian Bank of $420. (I forgot my checkbook in US)

- I-130 Form

- I-130 Supplementary Attached Paper: Part D, Question 2.

- G-325A & Passport Style Photo (mine)

- G-325A & Passport Style Photo (my wife's)

- Photocopy of all pages of my American Passport

- My Wife's Documents: (Passport, Passport Clearance, Police Clearance certificate, & Ration card)

- Photocopy of Marriage Certificate

- Photocopy of Marriage Registry Certificate

- Photocopy of my father's citizenship certificate

- Photocopy of my mother's citizenship certificate

--Proof of Marriage & Ongoing relationship

- Photocopy of Marriage Certificate

- Photocopy of Marriage Registry Certificate

- Copy of E-mails between my wife and I (5-6 color pages)

- Photocopy of my father's, mother's and mine airplane boarding passes from US to India.

- Wedding Invitation Card

- Photocopy of Notarized Affidavits from my father and mother giving consent to our marriage and being present at marriage

- Photocopy of Notarized Affidavits from my wife's father and mother giving consent to our marriage and being present at marriage

- 40+ photos of my wife and I together - marriage and going out together

- Copy of my phone bill (5 months with important details highlighted)

- Receipt of Gifts (I bought for my wife, while here in India)

------ Questions --------

1.) This is the correct address to mail since I am outside of USA? I will being mailing the packet from India using DHL.

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS
Attn: I-130
131 South Dearborn-3^rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603-5517

2.) Will be an international money order or check from bank will be ok?

I forgot my US checkbook in US. Can my Indian bank issue a banker's check or money order in American dollars?

3.) My wife's mother and father's don't have their birth certificate. We don't know their exact birth date, only the year. We also don't know the location of their birth. Will be that be a problem or will be it ok?

4.) I-130 Form Question. Part C, Question 17. Information about your relative.

Do I have to list my wife's information only? or also my information also?

5.) 1-130 Form Question. Part D, Question 2. Have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien?

I wrote an attached paper and stapled with I-130 Form. I filed for my previous fiancee in 2012 who left me 2 months before marriage in 2012. I had sent a 129-F packet and received an NOA in 2012 but never replied or proceeded further because the marriage was called off and relationship ended.

That won't be a problem? The NOA expired in Dec. 2012.

Thanks for the feedback and help. If I missed anything, please let me know. A quick response would be really great, I wish to mail it by tomorrow.

-GuruSikh

[pushbrk 12,889]

Hello, my wife and I get recently got married on April 2, 2014 in India. I am a naturalized American citizen and she is from India, and is an Indian Citizen. I am still in India and will be staying a few more months with my wife. I have double checked everything, but needed someone to double check my checklist and had a few questions regarding the process and documents, which I had uncertainty.

I am have collected and gather all the documents and materials for the I-130. I will post the questions at the end.

Here is my checklist:

- International Money Order or Banker's Check from Indian Bank of $420. (I forgot my checkbook in US)

- I-130 Form

- I-130 Supplementary Attached Paper: Part D, Question 2.

- G-325A & Passport Style Photo (mine)

- G-325A & Passport Style Photo (my wife's)

- Photocopy of all pages of my American Passport

- My Wife's Documents: (Passport, Passport Clearance, Police Clearance certificate, & Ration card)

- Photocopy of Marriage Certificate

- Photocopy of Marriage Registry Certificate

- Photocopy of my father's citizenship certificate

- Photocopy of my mother's citizenship certificate

--Proof of Marriage & Ongoing relationship

- Photocopy of Marriage Certificate

- Photocopy of Marriage Registry Certificate

- Copy of E-mails between my wife and I (5-6 color pages)

- Photocopy of my father's, mother's and mine airplane boarding passes from US to India.

- Wedding Invitation Card

- Photocopy of Notarized Affidavits from my father and mother giving consent to our marriage and being present at marriage

- Photocopy of Notarized Affidavits from my wife's father and mother giving consent to our marriage and being present at marriage

- 40+ photos of my wife and I together - marriage and going out together

- Copy of my phone bill (5 months with important details highlighted)

- Receipt of Gifts (I bought for my wife, while here in India)

------ Questions --------

1.) This is the correct address to mail since I am outside of USA? I will being mailing the packet from India using DHL.

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS

Attn: I-130

131 South Dearborn-3^rd Floor

Chicago, IL 60603-5517

2.) Will be an international money order or check from bank will be ok?

I forgot my US checkbook in US. Can my Indian bank issue a banker's check or money order in American dollars?

3.) My wife's mother and father's don't have their birth certificate. We don't know their exact birth date, only the year. We also don't know the location of their birth. Will be that be a problem or will be it ok?

4.) I-130 Form Question. Part C, Question 17. Information about your relative.

Do I have to list my wife's information only? or also my information also?

5.) 1-130 Form Question. Part D, Question 2. Have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien?

I wrote an attached paper and stapled with I-130 Form. I filed for my previous fiancee in 2012 who left me 2 months before marriage in 2012. I had sent a 129-F packet and received an NOA in 2012 but never replied or proceeded further because the marriage was called off and relationship ended.

That won't be a problem? The NOA expired in Dec. 2012.

Thanks for the feedback and help. If I missed anything, please let me know. A quick response would be really great, I wish to mail it by tomorrow.

-GuruSikh

Your question indicates you have either failed to study the I-130 instructions or you have ignored the instruction for making payment. No, your form of payment will not be accepted and the package would be returned to you if you send this form of payment.

Neither of the items below are needed with the petition. Did you have a purpose for including them?

- Photocopy of my father's citizenship certificate

- Photocopy of my mother's citizenship certificate

For filing fee payment, a couple of solutions come to mind. You could transfer funds to a relative or close friend and ask the to either send you a check to use for payment, mail the package to them first so they can add their check.

Your other questions.

3. I would enter 00/00/YEAR. If the month and year of their birth is actually unknown. People without birth certificates often know their dates of birth. I never saw my birth certificate until after turning 40 but always know when and where I was born. Parents' birth certificates are not required in this process.

4. Your alien relative has a spouse, it is you. If she also has children, list her spouse, (you) and her children. Her information does not go in that section.

5. You appear to have responded correctly. Whether your previous petition will impact a Consular Officer's opinion about the bona fides of your current marriage is not possible to know for certain, but considering what you've explained about your current marriage, I wouldn't worry about it.

Edited April 28, 2014 by pushbrk

[GuruSikh 6]

Your question indicates you have either failed to study the I-130 instructions or you have ignored the instruction for making payment. No, your form of payment will not be accepted and the package would be returned to you if you send this form of payment.

Neither of the items below are needed with the petition. Did you have a purpose for including them?

- Photocopy of my father's citizenship certificate

- Photocopy of my mother's citizenship certificate

For filing fee payment, a couple of solutions come to mind. You could transfer funds to a relative or close friend and ask the to either send you a check to use for payment, mail the package to them first so they can add their check.

Your other questions.

3. I would enter 00/00/YEAR. If the month and year of their birth is actually unknown. People without birth certificates often know their dates of birth. I never saw my birth certificate until after turning 40 but always know when and where I was born. Parents' birth certificates are not required in this process.

4. Your alien relative has a spouse, it is you. If she also has children, list her spouse, (you) and her children. Her information does not go in that section.

5. You appear to have responded correctly. Whether your previous petition will impact a Consular Officer's opinion about the bona fides of your current marriage is not possible to know for certain, but considering what you've explained about your current marriage, I wouldn't worry about it.

1. Ok thanks, I will mail the packet to my house in US, to my Dad. He can mail it from there after including the check.

2. I included the citizenship certificate of my parents just in case. I was 4 when I moved to the US so I became a naturalized citizen under my parents when they got their citizenship. When I had my passport made, I had to send my mother's passport to get mine made. I also never requested my own certificate of citizenship since I came to the US.

3. ok thanks for the tip. I will fill in what I know. Otherwise I will attached a supplementary paper explaining her parent's birth date.

4. ok thanks

5. ok. My previous finacee broke off the wedding because she liked someone else. I explained in detail in the supplementary paper along with I-130. I also don't think it will be a problem because I never contacted her or talked to her after the wedding was called off. Besides the NOA I received in 2012, it was suppose to expire in Dec. 2012 and I never replied or proceeded further after that due to her decision.

Thanks for the feedback and help. Also, thanks for the quick response.

- GuruSikh

[bkghosh 121]

Hello, my wife and I get recently got married on April 2, 2014 in India. I am a naturalized American citizen and she is from India, and is an Indian Citizen. I am still in India and will be staying a few more months with my wife. I have double checked everything, but needed someone to double check my checklist and had a few questions regarding the process and documents, which I had uncertainty.

I am have collected and gather all the documents and materials for the I-130. I will post the questions at the end.

Here is my checklist:

- International Money Order or Banker's Check from Indian Bank of $420. (I forgot my checkbook in US)

- I-130 Form

- I-130 Supplementary Attached Paper: Part D, Question 2.

- G-325A & Passport Style Photo (mine)

- G-325A & Passport Style Photo (my wife's)

- Photocopy of all pages of my American Passport

- My Wife's Documents: (Passport, Passport Clearance, Police Clearance certificate, & Ration card)

- Photocopy of Marriage Certificate

- Photocopy of Marriage Registry Certificate

- Photocopy of my father's citizenship certificate

- Photocopy of my mother's citizenship certificate

--Proof of Marriage & Ongoing relationship

- Photocopy of Marriage Certificate

- Photocopy of Marriage Registry Certificate

- Copy of E-mails between my wife and I (5-6 color pages)

- Photocopy of my father's, mother's and mine airplane boarding passes from US to India.

- Wedding Invitation Card

- Photocopy of Notarized Affidavits from my father and mother giving consent to our marriage and being present at marriage

- Photocopy of Notarized Affidavits from my wife's father and mother giving consent to our marriage and being present at marriage

- 40+ photos of my wife and I together - marriage and going out together

- Copy of my phone bill (5 months with important details highlighted)

- Receipt of Gifts (I bought for my wife, while here in India)

------ Questions --------

1.) This is the correct address to mail since I am outside of USA? I will being mailing the packet from India using DHL.

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS

Attn: I-130

131 South Dearborn-3^rd Floor

Chicago, IL 60603-5517

2.) Will be an international money order or check from bank will be ok?

I forgot my US checkbook in US. Can my Indian bank issue a banker's check or money order in American dollars?

3.) My wife's mother and father's don't have their birth certificate. We don't know their exact birth date, only the year. We also don't know the location of their birth. Will be that be a problem or will be it ok?

4.) I-130 Form Question. Part C, Question 17. Information about your relative.

Do I have to list my wife's information only? or also my information also?

5.) 1-130 Form Question. Part D, Question 2. Have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien?

I wrote an attached paper and stapled with I-130 Form. I filed for my previous fiancee in 2012 who left me 2 months before marriage in 2012. I had sent a 129-F packet and received an NOA in 2012 but never replied or proceeded further because the marriage was called off and relationship ended.

That won't be a problem? The NOA expired in Dec. 2012.

Thanks for the feedback and help. If I missed anything, please let me know. A quick response would be really great, I wish to mail it by tomorrow.

-GuruSikh.

A photocopy of your US passport should be included with your I-130 to prove your US citizenship. Then when you get back to USA you should order your Naturalization Certificate. Do not include copies of your parent's citizenship certificate. No need to confuse them

You mentioned two types of Marriage Certificate. The one that has the Marriage Registrar's signature and seal at the bottom should be included.

For the proof of marriage and relationship send only some sample pictures (40 is fine but insert them in a Word document 2 or 3 per page, then print them in color on plane white page, write some caption on each pic), sample emails (various dates), sample phone calls etc. Boarding passes are not important as you passport would show the dates of travel. The wedding card is good to include.

[pushbrk 12,889]

A photocopy of your US passport should be included with your I-130 to prove your US citizenship. Then when you get back to USA you should order your Naturalization Certificate.

This person cannot obtain a Naturalization Certificate because they did not Naturalize. He obtained citizenship through parents, who did not opt to obtain a certificate of citizenship for their child. This certificate is NEVER needed and so there is no need for him to obtain it. His US Passport is all the evidence of US Citizenship he will ever need.

[bkghosh 121]

This person cannot obtain a Naturalization Certificate because they did not Naturalize. He obtained citizenship through parents, who did not opt to obtain a certificate of citizenship for their child. This certificate is NEVER needed and so there is no need for him to obtain it. His US Passport is all the evidence of US Citizenship he will ever need.

Completely agree that he will not need to have the Naturalization Certificate and his US Passport is good evidence of citizenship. But he can obtain a Naturalization Certificate using N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship if he wants to. This is specifically for citizens who were born abroad and obtained their citizenship thru' a US citizen parent. The application fee is very steep though - $600 (ouch!!). I got my citizenship exactly this way when I was around 12 yr. old.

[Ryan H 3,812]

- My Wife's Documents: (Passport, Passport Clearance, Police Clearance certificate, & Ration card)

None of this is included in an I-130 filing.

[pushbrk 12,889]

Completely agree that he will not need to have the Naturalization Certificate and his US Passport is good evidence of citizenship. But he can obtain a Naturalization Certificate using N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship if he wants to. This is specifically for citizens who were born abroad and obtained their citizenship thru' a US citizen parent. The application fee is very steep though - $600 (ouch!!). I got my citizenship exactly this way when I was around 12 yr. old.

Let's not confuse the issue further as it has nothing to do with this case. However, he CAN apply for but there is no NEED for a "Certificate of Citizenship" if he wants. But he CANNOT obtain a "Naturalization Certificate", because he didn't naturalize. Naturalization and citizenship through parents who Naturalized are NOT the same thing. Attention to detail is important here. Without it, you hurt, not help people.

Edited April 29, 2014 by pushbrk

[GuruSikh 6]

None of this is included in an I-130 filing.

ok thanks Ryan, I will remove it from the packet.

@bkghosh

Thx for the reminder. I had printed out all pages of my passport, but forgot to include it in my post.

ok thanks everyone for the feedback and help.

- GuruSikh

[GuruSikh 6]

@bkghosh

Yes, One is the marriage certificate which we signed at our place of worship when we got married.

Other one is the actual certificate for registering our marriage (The one with the Indian seal and everything).

- Guru Sikh

[GuruSikh 6]

Question:

I-130 Form Section C, Question 22

Do I need to fill in 2nd part of this question? I know the first one is not valid for my wife since she lives in India and has never gone to the US.

Thanks.

-Guru Sikh

[Ryan H 3,812]

Question:

I-130 Form Section C, Question 22

Do I need to fill in 2nd part of this question? I know the first one is not valid for my wife since she lives in India and has never gone to the US.

Thanks.

-Guru Sikh

Yes

[GuruSikh 6]

Yes

ok thanks