Preparing for RFE possibilities while waiting for RFE reason in the mail

[juliana0618 2]

Hi everybody!

My fiancé and I had received NOA1 on Jan 23 from CSC and a few days ago, on May 3, we were notified of an RFE on the USCIS website.

 

We want to minimize the delay for sending back info after receiving the RFE in mail and so we are trying to prepare ourselves for all the possibilities in the meantime. 

So far, we have come up with the following possible reasons: 

 

1) Blank fields instead of N/A in our application forms. We will correct our forms accordingly.

2) We didn't notarize or provide wet signatures for our statements of intent to marry. We used digital signatures instead. This is also very easy to fix.

 

There are some other reasons that we thought of but we don't think they're likely -  

 

1) Further proof of our meetings. We submitted 5 photos, passport stamps, hotel bookings, plane tickets with our application. However, they are all from just one of our meetings - our most recent vacation together in December. Wondering if the RFE could be regarding proof about our initial meetings.

2) My fiancé's US passport is going to be expire in 4.5 years whereas the USCIS website says that the petitioner's passport should have atleast five years validity. We're unclear whether it means the passport should have a total validity of 5 years or at least 5 years left before it expires.

 

Are we missing any other possibilities?

 

Thanks,

Elvis and Juliana

 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by calculatingbimbo

[geowrian 22,337]

1) Possible, but unlikely.

2) It won't be this. Prints of scanned versions are allowed on the beneficiary's letter of intent to marry. Edit: Digital signatures are not permitted.

 

=====

1) The photos are secondary evidence, but it sounds like the other items submitted would be sufficient. Still possible.

2) What they mean is they have to have a 5 year or longer validity period on the passport....not that it won't expire within 5 years. Most (almost all) US passports are valid for 10 years, so it wouldn't be this. Exceptions are for like replacements abroad due to lost, theft, etc., or possibly those obtained for children.

 

Other possibilities:

1) How did you first meet? Did you provide any proof of how you met? Was it through a website? Did you show proof that said website was not an IMB?

2) Maybe you missed a checkbox or signature or something simple.

3) Have you ever been married in the past? Did you provide sufficient paperwork of the divorce?

4) Have you ever been arrested for a crime?

Edited May 8, 2017 by geowrian

[A'n'L 735]

Did you use the most recent forms directly from USCIS? Have you checked for any typos/inconsistencies? Were both of your passport photos US style and size? Did the petitioner include either copies of ALL passport pages or his/her birth certificate? Did you meet online, if so, how did you respond to question about meeting?

 

The only option you suggest that strikes me as likely is 2). Although wet signatures are not required (scanned/copied documents should be fine), digital signatures are not accepted. 

[geowrian 22,337]

1 minute ago, A'n'L said:

The only option you suggest that strikes me as likely is 2). Although wet signatures are not required (scanned/copied documents should be fine), digital signatures are not accepted. 

Darn...I missed the "digital signature" wording. Whoops. haha Yeah, digital signatures are not accepted. Scans of handwritten ones are allowed.

Edited May 8, 2017 by geowrian

[juliana0618 2]

10 minutes ago, geowrian said:

1) How did you first meet? Did you provide any proof of how you met? Was it through a website? Did you show proof that said website was not an IMB?

In the I-129F we wrote:

We'd met in a restaurant in Mumbai after being connected on the internet by a mutual friend.

 

We didn't give any other information about how we first met.

[geowrian 22,337]

Just now, calculatingbimbo said:

In the I-129F we wrote:

We'd met in a restaurant in Mumbai after being connected on the internet by a mutual friend.

 

We didn't give any other information about how we first met.

Thanks for the clarification. It's possible they ask more information about that...they could wonder if the "mutual friend" was compensated for arranging the meetup and acting as an IMB. It seems unlikely, but I've seen weirder. haha

[juliana0618 2]

3 minutes ago, geowrian said:

they could wonder if the "mutual friend" was compensated for arranging the meetup and acting as an IMB

Good point, it's a likely possibility.

 

Also, are facebook chats and skype logs in anyway helpful at this stage?

[juliana0618 2]

22 minutes ago, A'n'L said:

 

Did you use the most recent forms directly from USCIS? Have you checked for any typos/inconsistencies? Were both of your passport photos US style and size? Did the petitioner include either copies of ALL passport pages or his/her birth certificate? Did you meet online, if so, how did you respond to question about meeting?

 

 

Yes to all your questions.

Regarding the meeting we just said that we met at a restaurant in Mumbai after being connected on the internet by a mutual friend.

[geowrian 22,337]

1 minute ago, calculatingbimbo said:

Good point, it's a likely possibility.

 

Also, are facebook chats and skype logs in anyway helpful at this stage?

Only evidence of meeting within the past 2 years is considered for the I-129F (not relationship evidence). You can provide it early (front-loading), but it's not required. In general, Facebook chats and Skype logs would not be evidence of meeting in person (anybody can say they met in a chat without having actually done so).

[juliana0618 2]

My fiancé received the RFE in his mail yesterday.

It says:

----------------------

Signature

 

The I-129F you submitted is missing your signature. Therefore you must sign Part 4 on page 6 of the attached copy of Form I-129F.

 

Digital signatures aren't acceptable. You must manually sign the application.

------------------------

My fiancé had used Adobe Acrobat's feature for a digital signature which was basically a cursive font spelling out his name. I had scanned my handwritten signatures onto the G-325 form.

The RFE doesn't mention my signatures being a problem which was expected.

However, the ambiguity lies within the fact that although my fiancé used the same digital signature in other forms (G-325, cover letter and statement of intent to marry), the RFE doesn't mention problems with these forms.

 

Should we refill all forms and send anyway? 

Does it hurt our application if we do more than is stated in RFE?

 

Thanks,

Elvis & Juliana

[A'n'L 735]

2 hours ago, juliana0618 said:

My fiancé received the RFE in his mail yesterday.

It says:

----------------------

Signature

 

The I-129F you submitted is missing your signature. Therefore you must sign Part 4 on page 6 of the attached copy of Form I-129F.

 

Digital signatures aren't acceptable. You must manually sign the application.

------------------------

My fiancé had used Adobe Acrobat's feature for a digital signature which was basically a cursive font spelling out his name. I had scanned my handwritten signatures onto the G-325 form.

The RFE doesn't mention my signatures being a problem which was expected.

However, the ambiguity lies within the fact that although my fiancé used the same digital signature in other forms (G-325, cover letter and statement of intent to marry), the RFE doesn't mention problems with these forms.

 

Should we refill all forms and send anyway? 

Does it hurt our application if we do more than is stated in RFE?

 

Thanks,

Elvis & Juliana

Yes, I think you should replace all documents where you've used a digital "signature". They might've stopped reviewing the documents after seeing the initial error on the i129f. Write a cover letter explaining everything you send. It doesn't hurt your case at all.

[geowrian 22,337]

1 minute ago, A'n'L said:

Yes, I think you should replace all documents where you've used a digital "signature". They might've stopped reviewing the documents after seeing the initial error on the i129f. Write a cover letter explaining everything you send. It doesn't hurt your case at all.

Agreed. They probably only want it on the I-129F, but it won't hurt to send more in case they just didn't get that far along yet.