Advice Please: About to File I-130 am I missing anything

[Daneandkathy 53]

Hey All

I am about to file the I-130 for my husband (Macedonia), we met beginning of May on the cruise ship we were both working on and now we are currently living together in Macedonia. I will return to the states for the month of December and send in the application before returning to Macedonia to wait for the interview etc... Please let me know if it looks like I have everything:

I-130 application (filled out by me)

G-1145 email notification

G-325A Biometrics (one by me and one by my husband)

I-864 sponsorship (one by me and one by co-sponsor by my parents)

Copy of my US naturalization certificate (naturalized in 2008 after immigrating to the US from South Africa in 1996)

Copy of my US passport

Copy of our Marriage Certificate (it is an international one with translations of each section on the back)

Passport photo of each of us

Notification of my name on his car

Notification of my name on his house

Affidavits from 3 friends (2 who were our roommates on the cruise ship where we met, and another a friend who was the witness as the civil ceremony)

Photos of us together on the ship and in Macedonia with friends and family (10-20 pics)

Copies of envelopes with both our names addressed in Macedonia

Copy of passport stamps showing us in Serbia together and when he picked me up from the ship in Greece

Copy of our ship disembarkation notice (showing start and end dates proving our time overlapped)

Copy of the police card I must fill out stating I live at his house

Copy of my flights for this december showing I am returning to Macedonia afterwards

Am I missing anything, any other suggestions, thanks so much.... am hoping it doesn't take too long (I am my mother's caregiver at home, she has MS, so was thinking about getting letters from her neurologist and doctor stating that she needs help and that I am her helper when I am at home)

Thanks again

Kathy and Dane

[JFH 12,191]

You don't need the I-864 at this stage - that's for the NVC after the I-130 is approved. So take that out of the envelope. When the time comes to send that you will also need other financial evidence but that comes much later.

Other than that, looks like you've got everything. You didn't mention the payment (check or money order in US funds for $420.00 - if you can't get one in Macedonia, have a friend or relative in the US get one for you). You can't pay by credit card or with a check or money order in any other currency.

Have you written your names on the backs of the passport photos?

[JFH 12,191]

~*~*~moved from "case filing and progress reports" to "process and procedures"*~*~*

[Daneandkathy 53]

Great thanks,

Since I am going to send it in the states when I am home for December I will get a money order from my bank. So yes forgot to add the fee.

And just to confirm everything else is good but I hold onto the I-864's until they request it along with any other financial info??

And am writing our names on the photos as we speak... thanks again

[JFH 12,191]

Yes it all looks good.

If you are sending in December, the fee increases on December 23 so send it several days before that date, if you can. You don't want to pay any more than we already do for this! Currently it's $420 but after the 23rd of next month it's $535

[Daneandkathy 53]

Wow thanks for the advice, I am planning on sending it in the 1st week of December, now I will be sure to send it in.

I keep hearing things about how you send it to the lockbox and then it goes to other places like California or Nebraska. Is there a way to request it be expedited, due to my mom's health condition and me needing to get back to help care for her (should I enclose the letters from her doctors)???

Thanks again

[aleful 1,905]

hi

you only send one proof of citizenship, so you send the passport or the certificate

[JFH 12,191]

Wow thanks for the advice, I am planning on sending it in the 1st week of December, now I will be sure to send it in.

I keep hearing things about how you send it to the lockbox and then it goes to other places like California or Nebraska. Is there a way to request it be expedited, due to my mom's health condition and me needing to get back to help care for her (should I enclose the letters from her doctors)???

Thanks again

Yes you send to either Phoenix or Chicago, depending on your place of residence. Basically the western half of the country goes to Phoenix and the eastern half and people overseas goes to Chicago. These two places are just mail reception centres. They open the packages, check that the payment is enclosed, check that the correct version of the form is used and that it is signed. They don't read any correspondence or adjudicate anything. They then allocate the file to either Texas, Nebraska, Potomac, California (and in very rare cases Vermont) for adjudication. There is no rhyme or reason which place you will end up. Two files received at the same time from the same UPS driver can end up at different service centres. Nebraska has the highest numbers. Once it has been logged into the system and you are allocated a service centre, you can request an expedite. There's no guarantee it will be granted but you can certainly ask. My gut feeling is that they will decline it because there is nothing to stop you, as the USC, from returning to the country to care for your mother. You could go tomorrow if you wanted to. I have personal knowledge of a case where an expedite was granted as the USC petitioner needed to have a liver transplant and was in critical condition so an expedite was granted so that the immigrant could be with him faster.

But you never know.