I130 Packet Check

[agripa 100]

Hey All,

I'm about to (FINALLY) send out my I-130 package. Just wanted to ping the community and see if I've missed anything or if people think my evidence of bonafide marriage is sufficient.

Required Items

1. G1145
2. Cover letter.
3. G-28 (for me and my spouse; we're using a lawyer).
4. G-325a (for me and my spouse).
5. Two passport photos EACH for me and my spouse. Each on in a bag with the words "Photo of XXX" written on the bag.
6. I-130 form.
7. Application fee (check).
8. A copy of all pages of my passport.
9. A copy of my birth certificate.
10. A copy of my spouse's birth certificate.
11. Joint sworn statement from both of us describing our relationship (how it started, what we plan to do in the future) [NOTARIZED]

Bonafide Evidence:

1. Letter from my brokerage firm showing I've added my spouse as beneficiary to my IRA and savings accounts.
2. Letter from my credit card company showing I've added my spouse as a cardholder. Also scans of both credit cards (mine + spouse).
3. Receipts and credit card statements showing I paid for my wife to take the CFA exam (a financial certification).
4. Copy of my benefits page from work showing I added my spouse to my health insurance plan and added her as my beneficiary for accidental death insurance.
5. Copy of life insurance bought by me showing my wife as beneficiary.
6. Copy of life insurance bought by my wife showing me as beneficiary.
7. Letter from a bank showing that I opened up a new bank account and made my wife mandate holder. Also, a copy of the ATM card issued to her.
8. Four sworn affidavits (notarized) from my dad, her mom, her cousin, and my best friend vouching for our relationship.
9. Boarding passes, passport stamps, and hotel receipts from a trip we took to Austria.
10. Boarding passes/passport stamps for when I travelled to India for the wedding.
11. Copies of invitations used for our wedding.
12. Copies of receipts for the venue used in the wedding.
13. Boarding passes/passport stamps for our honeymoon trip to the Andaman Islands.
14. 16 photographs of us with family/friends spanning our relationship (meeting in Austria, wedding, parties after the wedding, honeymoon, my birthday).
15. Select WhatsApp chat logs spanning our whole relationship.
16. Select Skype video logs spanning our whole relationship.
17. Copies of Facebook posts made by friends/families during our wedding. Facebook post from my wife announcing our engagement.
18. Google Voice logs showing calls made between us.
19. WhatsApp CALL logs showing calls made between us.
20. Copies of emails sent between us.

We haven't lived together, so I'm hoping some of the financial stuff makes up for it. What does everyone think?

Edited September 21, 2016 by agripa

[JFH 12,191]

That sounds very good to me.

We had less than that and were approved with no RFE.

Spouse's birth certificate is not required.

[fletto 0]

Wow: I think you have more than enough. Good luck!

[KierenHby 899]

USCIS understands the physical separation from an overseas spouse. You're not expected to obtain evidence such as joint accounts or joint home leases. How'd you get some of those without her SSN?

Nothing needs to be notarized. Notarization is a common misconception among Indian nationals.

[Ryan H 3,834]

Answers in bold and red:

Hey All,

I'm about to (FINALLY) send out my I-130 package. Just wanted to ping the community and see if I've missed anything or if people think my evidence of bonafide marriage is sufficient.

Required Items

1. G1145
2. Cover letter.
3. G-28 (for me and my spouse; we're using a lawyer).
4. G-325a (for me and my spouse).
5. Two passport photos EACH for me and my spouse. Each on in a bag with the words "Photo of XXX" written on the bag.
6. I-130 form.
7. Application fee (check).
8. A copy of all pages of my passport. Not needed if you include a copy of your birth certificate
9. A copy of my birth certificate. Not needed if you include a copy of all of your passport pages
10. A copy of my spouse's birth certificate.
11. Joint sworn statement from both of us describing our relationship (how it started, what we plan to do in the future) [NOTARIZED]

Bonafide Evidence:

1. Letter from my brokerage firm showing I've added my spouse as beneficiary to my IRA and savings accounts.
2. Letter from my credit card company showing I've added my spouse as a cardholder. Also scans of both credit cards (mine + spouse).
3. Receipts and credit card statements showing I paid for my wife to take the CFA exam (a financial certification).
4. Copy of my benefits page from work showing I added my spouse to my health insurance plan and added her as my beneficiary for accidental death insurance.
5. Copy of life insurance bought by me showing my wife as beneficiary.
6. Copy of life insurance bought by my wife showing me as beneficiary.
7. Letter from a bank showing that I opened up a new bank account and made my wife mandate holder. Also, a copy of the ATM card issued to her.
8. Four sworn affidavits (notarized) from my dad, her mom, her cousin, and my best friend vouching for our relationship.
9. Boarding passes, passport stamps, and hotel receipts from a trip we took to Austria.
10. Boarding passes/passport stamps for when I travelled to India for the wedding.
11. Copies of invitations used for our wedding.
12. Copies of receipts for the venue used in the wedding.
13. Boarding passes/passport stamps for our honeymoon trip to the Andaman Islands.
14. 16 photographs of us with family/friends spanning our relationship (meeting in Austria, wedding, parties after the wedding, honeymoon, my birthday).
15. Select WhatsApp chat logs spanning our whole relationship.
16. Select Skype video logs spanning our whole relationship.
17. Copies of Facebook posts made by friends/families during our wedding. Facebook post from my wife announcing our engagement.
18. Google Voice logs showing calls made between us.
19. WhatsApp CALL logs showing calls made between us.
20. Copies of emails sent between us.

We haven't lived together, so I'm hoping some of the financial stuff makes up for it. What does everyone think?

You have a good list. To expand on my bod/red answers above, the purpose of sending a copy of your birth certificate or a copy of all of your passport pages is to establish that you are a US Citizen. To that end, only one of those items is needed, not both.