I-130 Online Filers

[Nelly_M 7]

11 hours ago, seekingthetruth said:

Just to give you an idea of how it worked for me....

 

I created a Word document with 19 high quality photos in it, with text descriptions.  I then converted the Word doc to PDF, and then compressed it.  The final PDF is only 707 kb and the photos are still excellent quality.

 

Some of my larger files were those that contained scans of documents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.  However, my largest was just 3300 kb, 3.3 mb.

 

It is fine to use multiple uploads to accomplish a task.  I used them for clear organization.  Some places I wanted to have a master document, and in it I referred to other uploads, with logical names, in order.  Then I would upload them in the same order. I tried to make it as easy as possible for a reviewer to understand.

E.g.

Master Document  (includes references to....)

001 Attachment

002 Attachment

003 Attachment

etc.

The way I started working on my timeline is that I would provide description, insert picture and then compress it in a Word document itself so that it changes to “Web (150 ppi): good for webpages and projectors”. I hope this is acceptable for pictures and their quality ad I am really doing something like this for the first time. Once I am done I am planning to save it as a pdf. I am not sure if that is the best way to do it or if I still need pdf to compress it. So far, I managed to stay below 6 MB and I am half way through, so I will probably need to create one more file (timeline part 2). 

The problem that I am having is that I can only fit one picture per page so even if I crop it, I still have the same issue and I don’t want to make the images too small so I am not sure how to go about it. 

[seekingthetruth 1,248]

2 minutes ago, Nelly_M said:

The way I started working on my timeline is that I would provide description, insert picture and then compress it in a Word document itself so that it changes to “Web (150 ppi): good for webpages and projectors”. I hope this is acceptable for pictures and their quality ad I am really doing something like this for the first time. Once I am done I am planning to save it as a pdf. I am not sure if that is the best way to do it or if I still need pdf to compress it. So far, I managed to stay below 6 MB and I am half way through, so I will probably need to create one more file (timeline part 2). 

The problem that I am having is that I can only fit one picture per page so even if I crop it, I still have the same issue and I don’t want to make the images too small so I am not sure how to go about it. 

That should all be fine.  The reason for using PDF is that it can't be easily altered.

 

I put 6 pictures on most of my pages, and they are very clear and easily viewed.  Why are you limited to one?

[Nelly_M 7]

7 minutes ago, seekingthetruth said:

That should all be fine.  The reason for using PDF is that it can't be easily altered.

 

I put 6 pictures on most of my pages, and they are very clear and easily viewed.  Why are you limited to one?

Because they look too small if I crop them or try to make them look smaller. Maybe that is ok, but to me they just looked weird. 
Did you have to adjust the height and width of your pictures to fit 6 of them on one page? 
 

[seekingthetruth 1,248]

1 minute ago, Nelly_M said:

Because they look too small if I crop them or try to make them look smaller. Maybe that is ok, but to me they just looked weird. 
Did you have to adjust the height and width of your pictures to fit 6 of them on one page? 
 

Yes.  Inserted the full sized pictures in Word, then resized them.  The Word document is a huge size.  After changing to PDF and compressing, it is quite nice.

[Rusal 8]

I am thinking of going the Online route for submitting the I-130 and an additional document I wanted to include is the story of how I met my spouse, which might span about 2-3 pages. Is there a particular section available that will be suitable for this type of document? 

[isis375 105]

I don't understand how it's even possible but we received our interview date today!

 

The only problem is, it's only in 15 said so I'm worried he won't be able to get the medical done in time. 

[JKLSemicolon 414]

5 hours ago, isis375 said:

I don't understand how it's even possible but we received our interview date today!

 

The only problem is, it's only in 15 said so I'm worried he won't be able to get the medical done in time. 

I don't know how it works in Costa Rica, but in Ecuador (at least for the K-1 medical) they specifically ask for the visa interview confirmation details when scheduling the medical so they can accommodate people in time.

[Nelly_M 7]

When it comes to passport style photos, I received both the printed versions as well as digital file jpgs for my husband and I (one photo for each) which is easier to upload I assume. Has anyone uploaded digital jpgs or scanned versions? I was wondering how this works when I only have one jpg file photo for each of us and they are requiring two?

[JKLSemicolon 414]

1 hour ago, Nelly_M said:

When it comes to passport style photos, I received both the printed versions as well as digital file jpgs for my husband and I (one photo for each) which is easier to upload I assume. Has anyone uploaded digital jpgs or scanned versions? I was wondering how this works when I only have one jpg file photo for each of us and they are requiring two?

I submitted a single photo digital photo for myself (the USC) only since my wife is not in the US. I did not print and scan the photo but I did save it as a PDF, and added a second page to the PDF containing my (handwritten) name for the "back" of the photo.

 

I named the file "FirstName.LastName.2x2.photo.600.PPI.pdf", with my actual first and last name there. 600 PPI was the resolution I used for the digital photo, which I specified since that is the resolution needed in order for it to be 2x2 when printed.

 

Since they presumably can print as many copies as they want, I didn't think it was necessary to include more than one photo in the attachment, although I have seen others here do that. I have also seen people print, scan, and then upload their photos which I did not do either. I felt that a high resolution digital file would produce the best quality printed photo when it came to that step.

 

Just one data point but our case was approved recently with no issues around that.

[Katharinali 4]

Is it normal that it’s been 2 months since I submitted my REF and there is still no update on my I-130?

[Khatun 0]

Hello everyone,

 

I tried to re-check my evidence that I posted in the application online . When I clicked  to re-check it was showing an errors and I could not able to open up the evidences. Also, I have checked the format of the files and all looks fine . Anyone having the same issue like that ?

[Rusal 8]

Would anyone know if an affidavit of support letter from parents who were not able to physically attend our wedding due to corona travel restrictions, but instead joined virtually through a livestream link, would be beneficial to include at all?

[seekingthetruth 1,248]

39 minutes ago, Khatun said:

Hello everyone,

 

I tried to re-check my evidence that I posted in the application online . When I clicked  to re-check it was showing an errors and I could not able to open up the evidences. Also, I have checked the format of the files and all looks fine . Anyone having the same issue like that ?

I just checked and no problems for me.  All of my uploads are PDF files.  When you click on the documents, it actually downloads them before opening them.  If your internet is very slow, that might cause errors.

[seekingthetruth 1,248]

14 minutes ago, Rusal said:

Would anyone know if an affidavit of support letter from parents who were not able to physically attend our wedding due to corona travel restrictions, but instead joined virtually through a livestream link, would be beneficial to include at all?

"Support" as in financial support?  Attending a wedding has nothing to do with financial support.  It has more to do with establishing your relationship history.

[Rusal 8]

Just now, seekingthetruth said:

"Support" as in financial support?  Attending a wedding has nothing to do with financial support.  It has more to do with establishing your relationship history.

Actually I was alluding to the Third party affidavit to use as evidence in support of bona fide marriage. I'm unclear as to whether including this would be helpful or not..