Help me with my i-130 vj members!

[mrsgeorge1 43]

i have been here for years reading and getting as much information as i can, but now, i am finalizing filling out my i-130 petition and my i-130a..so this is my first time ever doing this petition.. i am a naturalized US citizen and my husband lives and works in South Africa.. we got married last year in aug in Zimbabwe because we both r originally from there..i filled out both applications on the computer and in some places i wrote in when i couldn't type in..eg.. i wrote in'PRESENT' and 'N/A' in some places in my i-130..1.does it matter that i have mixed typing and handwriting? 2. both our divorce decrees are stapled..should i remove all staples and just hold them with paperclips and binder clips like i plan to do with regard to all my documents?.3. i haven't done a cover letter and i desperately need a link to an i-130 one..i haven't seen one yet..please good people help me with that because am planning to mail this petition on Wednesday via UPS..Here is what am gonna include with my petition and please help me by checking if all my info is correct.

personal  check for $535 payable to us department of homeland security

our passport size pics in a zip loc bag(i wrote our names on the back of them)

i-130 petition(original submission)

i-130a

G-1145

copy of our marriage certificate

Copies of both of our divorce decrees

bio page of my US passport

copy of my naturalization certificate(in case my bio page is not enough)

chat logs..passport stamps of our visits..itineraries..emails over the years..phone records.. pics with family(printed them on regular paper)

wedding pics(should i put my wedding pics in an envelope)?..hotel receipts and bookings..marriage license receipt(wen we booked at the courthouse)

One more question guys.. we got married 5weeks after his divorce..woud that raise any red flags..we are high school sweethearts..we have a 2year age difference.. we speak the same language...I am kindly waiting for your responses tho am sure i have asked what others have in the past..i really just want to make sure i have the right stuff..

 

[JFH 12,191]

All looks good. 

 

For the photos (not the passport photos), I would just print them onto white copier paper and label them with the date, circumstances and who is in the picture, for example "Christmas 2017 at the beneficiary's home in South Africa. Petitioner, beneficiary and beneficiary's parents". If you want to send the actual photos, put them in a zip lock bag and attach it to the paperwork with a binder clip. Do not send albums, binders, folders, etc. 

 

Regarding the quick marriage after the divorce, it can go either way. We have seen both outcomes here. Was he separated from his wife a long time before his divorce was final? We married 14 months after my divorce was final but I had been separated from my first husband for a long time. 

[mrsgeorge1 43]

Thank u for ur response JFH..they were separated for at least a year.. his divorce almost took a year to finalize..i go home at least 2yrs or more..so we didn't know when his divorce was gonna be final.. so when i went home last year.. i went with all necessary documents for marriage in case his divorce was finalized while i was there..lucky enough it became finalized end of june and we got married in august.i have my wedding pics from the courthouse so i will put them in a Ziploc bag like u suggested.. thank u  and i will start writing some info about the pics  and who is in them hopefully this weekend..so am still missing the cover letter tho

[JFH 12,191]

6 hours ago, mrsgeorge1 said:

Thank u for ur response JFH..they were separated for at least a year.. his divorce almost took a year to finalize..i go home at least 2yrs or more..so we didn't know when his divorce was gonna be final.. so when i went home last year.. i went with all necessary documents for marriage in case his divorce was finalized while i was there..lucky enough it became finalized end of june and we got married in august.i have my wedding pics from the courthouse so i will put them in a Ziploc bag like u suggested.. thank u  and i will start writing some info about the pics  and who is in them hopefully this weekend..so am still missing the cover letter tho

Cover letter isn't required. It's just polite and helps to organize the package. No one has yet been denied for not having a cover letter. 

 

It's quite obvious to the lock box people what it is when they open the envelope. They spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week opening envelopes with petitions inside. It's not like yours will be the first one they've ever seen. 

[mrsgeorge1 43]

Thank u for clarifying that for me JFH..what  do u think about using sticky tabs?..also is it necessary when explaining who is in the pictures to write each and everyone's name?..

[pushbrk 13,268]

9 hours ago, mrsgeorge1 said:

Thank u for clarifying that for me JFH..what  do u think about using sticky tabs?..also is it necessary when explaining who is in the pictures to write each and everyone's name?..

Sticky tabs would just be removed.  They will build their own file placing things in the order they need them.  Add photo explanations based on what YOU think will be helpful.  "Us with his mom, dad, and three sisters" is far more helpful than seven names, but usually that is not necessary either.

[mrsgeorge1 43]

Thank u pushbrk for ur insight..i appreciate it very much..what do u think of my mixing typing and writing in on my petition..is it acceptable?

[pushbrk 13,268]

55 minutes ago, mrsgeorge1 said:

Thank u pushbrk for ur insight..i appreciate it very much..what do u think of my mixing typing and writing in on my petition..is it acceptable?

Absolutely acceptable.

[mrsgeorge1 43]

Fantastic..so i have bn going over my package now and i think i have everything i need to send this petition tomorrow via UPS.. i have dated and signed the i-130 petition.. the i-130a which is suppose to be signed by the beneficiary is not signed because he lives outside the US...am wondering if i didn't sign somewhere in this petition..is there any other place on all my documents i should sign my name and date besides signing and dating the i-130??..i am ready to mail the package tomorrow..i don't have a cover letter.. i decided to put sticky tabs anywhere even if they gonna get rid of them..