Request for evidence letter‏

[Hazzard65 0]

Hi everone,

I'm in the process of filing a DCF (I think) via the London Embassy for my wife, which we submitted in late October, about a week after we were married. We've been together for 12 years and I just recently got a job in the US, where I am now living. I'm an American citizen who had been living in the UK for 20 years as my father is retired airforce.

So the first stage was submitted and last night I received an email from US Citizenship and Immigration services in Athens, Greece. Here is what the pdf document attached to the email says:

This is in reference to the petition you filed on behalf of the above-named beneficiary. We are currently unable to continue processing your petition until you respond completely and fulfill the requirements indicated below. Please complete the following actions pertaining to the petition and return a copy of this letter with all of the required attachments to the address listed above.

Please note that documents provided in any language other than English must be accompanied by an accurate translation into English.

Additional Information:

Please submit evidence of the bona fides of your marital union to cover the time period from the date of your marriage through present. Evidence that could establish an existing relationship may take many forms, including, but not limited to, copies of the birth certificates of children you have in common, proof that the intended beneficiary has been listed as the petitioner's spouse on insurance policies, property records, or bank accounts; or other testimony and evidence regarding your courtship, wedding ceremony, shared residence, and shared experiences.

You have until February 23, 2015 to submit the required documents or your application/petition may be denied.

So a couple of questions:

They say

Please submit evidence of the bona fides of your marital union to cover the time period from the date of your marriage through present.

As I said we've been together for 12 years but only married for approximately 2 months... would evidence of our relationship prior to our marriage suffice?

We have a joint bank account that we established under her new married name after we were married - if we have a bank statement with both our names on it I suppose that would be considered evidence?

In terms of shared experiences, being together for 12 years we have a few photos of us on holiday together and various other occasions... though we weren't married at that time would that be considered evidence of 'courting'? If so will printed photos on copy paper from facebook albums suffice?

What would fall under the category of "Other Testimony"?

Would photos printed on copy paper from Facebook suffice as photographic evidence?

We have contracts from us living together over the past 12 years, would that be suitable even though we werent married at the time?

Thanks all for your help!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I would say anything establishing a relationship and commingling finances/addresses is better than nothing. You couldn't have much since the marriage because it was only a week. You could even explain such in a cover letter. Photos printed on plain paper are fine. Label who and when and maybe some with family so they see you've met or spent holidays together. Fraudsters wouldn't typically go to Christmas dinner at the fake in-laws.

I am puzzled by Athens.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Nich-Nick

[Hazzard65 0]

Thanks!

Yeah the Athens thing confused me as well. When I checked their jurisdiction it doesn't even cover the UK so it was strange.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Eh. Confused by Athens, too. I don't think I've ever seen that before. You filed the I-130 by sending it to the London USCIS office?

[Hazzard65 0]

Yep... sent to London, got this email with that PDF with all my details from Athens.

[lost_at_sea 995]

I wonder if it's got anything to do with London's email system being down? http://www.usembassy.org.uk/specialrelationshipmagazine/?p=1161

[Rosewellma 0]

Hi, I have just read your thread, and it sounds like we are on the same boat and on the same time scale! My wife and I received the same letter from Athens AFTER we received approval of our petition.

We have been together for over 3 years, but have not 'officially' lived together...

Here is my thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/523396-notice-of-additional-processing-requirments/

[lost_at_sea 995]

Hi, I have just read your thread, and it sounds like we are on the same boat and on the same time scale! My wife and I received the same letter from Athens AFTER we received approval of our petition.

We have been together for over 3 years, but have not 'officially' lived together...

Here is my thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/523396-notice-of-additional-processing-requirments/

What was the date of your NOA2 approval?

[Rosewellma 0]

Sorry, we have not had the NOA2..

We had "notice of receipt of relative immigrant visa" on 27 October 2014 that our I-130 petition has been 'properly filed' and payment taken on 22 October 2014.

The letter stated that we are to wait for 8 weeks to be contacted by the United States Consulate....

[lost_at_sea 995]

Also, just because this is interesting... Athen's I-130 checklist wants relationship evidence, which is the complete opposite of what London asks for (they explicitly ask that you don't send extra information about your relationship). http://photos.state.gov/libraries/greece/38517/USCIS/I-130-instructions-English-updated2014.pdf

[lost_at_sea 995]

Sorry, we have not had the NOA2..

We had "notice of receipt of relative immigrant visa" on 27 October 2014 that our I-130 petition has been 'properly filed' and payment taken on 22 October 2014.

The letter stated that we are to wait for 8 weeks to be contacted by the United States Consulate....

Right, so your I-130 petition is not yet approved. It's possible they routed it to another embassy, but that seems really peculiar. Now their email system is back up, it may be worth sending an email to the USCIS office in London. uscis.london@dhs.gov

Does your receipt tell you which office accepted your petition?

Also, London is not currently processing I-130s they got in October. They're still showing a September date. http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/i130filing.html(top right box)

Edited November 20, 2014 by lost_at_sea

[Rosewellma 0]

Thank you for this, I will email them now, and post back here when I eventually hear back..

On the second page of the letter it says, "Your petition ... has been forwarded to the US Consulate at London."

[lost_at_sea 995]

There's 3 things I can imagine could have happened:

1. London got busy and decided to spread the load to other embassies. I'd have expected someone in that situation to get a notice of the movement, however.

2. Your case got transferred because they thought you wanted to be processed in Athens (either clerical error or misunderstanding about some detail on the petition). But, again I'd expect some sort of notice about it.

3. Athens are confused and have been given some incorrect info and have mistakenly emailed out these notices to some people, and they don't actually want this info.

I've never personally known anyone here who's done a DCF petition transfer, so I don't actually know for sure that they'd tell anyone about such a transfer - I'm just making an assumption there.

If it turns out they accidentally transferred it, they should be able to transfer it back again so it's processed in the London USCIS office. That doesn't mean they won't hold you to the request for more information, though, nor that they won't just process it in Athens anyway and then transfer the case back to London when it's approved and handed over to the IV unit. Probably worth gathering up the documents they're asking for, anyway - it's handy stuff to have in a file for the visa interview.

Hopefully, an email to the USCIS office will clear up the confusion. Knowing exactly which office your petition is in is kind of important.

[Rosewellma 0]

UPDATE:

Ive heard back from London. They said that they transferred my I-130 case to Athens for adjudication as London is experiencing staff shortages.

What I don't understand is why. Because London wrote to me on 27 October 2014 saying "the visa petition you have filed has been approved"... but have now sent it for a second approval???

[lost_at_sea 995]

UPDATE:

Ive heard back from London. They said that they transferred my I-130 case to Athens for adjudication as London is experiencing staff shortages.

What I don't understand is why. Because London wrote to me on 27 October 2014 saying "the visa petition you have filed has been approved"... but have now sent it for a second approval???

Huh. Well. Mystery solved about Athens.

I thought you said you hadn't had approval (NOA2). It comes by mail.