Have i-129 packet assembled, couple questions

[WhoNeedsaName 2]

Got my i-129f, circumstances of meeting, my passport and russian visa photos, birth certificate, her russian birth certificate and translation, her russian passport (untranslated because it has plenty of english wording on it) 

Letters of intent to marry, one signed and dated by her and one by myself, letter from a wedding officiant, itineraries and boarding passes from both trips, joint photos from both trips, purchase receipts from 2nd trip (including her engagement ring receipt) letters from siblings reaffirming relationship and marriage plans, signed and dated with contact info.

 

So my question, I've been getting help from a gentleman who has been helping people with immigration issues since 1987, he recommended to me to send in the I-864 form (which i understand to be needed on AoS, not for k-1 non immigrant) and a G-325A for both of us (she would need to sign her name on the form) 

I don't wanna argue with the guy, he has been in business for a long time but i think the majority of his career has been spent dealing with immigration from south america, so i don't know what to do here. I understand that the I-134 is the affadavit of support that the embassy will need, but I've read that it's to be taken to the interview, not sent to USCIS. 

What should i do? Has anybody here had to send in these extra forms?

[Greenbaum 12,259]

15 minutes ago, WhoNeedsaName said:

Got my i-129f, circumstances of meeting, my passport and russian visa photos, birth certificate, her russian birth certificate and translation, her russian passport (untranslated because it has plenty of english wording on it) 

Letters of intent to marry, one signed and dated by her and one by myself, letter from a wedding officiant, itineraries and boarding passes from both trips, joint photos from both trips, purchase receipts from 2nd trip (including her engagement ring receipt) letters from siblings reaffirming relationship and marriage plans, signed and dated with contact info.

 

So my question, I've been getting help from a gentleman who has been helping people with immigration issues since 1987, he recommended to me to send in the I-864 form (which i understand to be needed on AoS, not for k-1 non immigrant) and a G-325A for both of us (she would need to sign her name on the form) 

I don't wanna argue with the guy, he has been in business for a long time but i think the majority of his career has been spent dealing with immigration from south america, so i don't know what to do here. I understand that the I-134 is the affadavit of support that the embassy will need, but I've read that it's to be taken to the interview, not sent to USCIS. 

What should i do? Has anybody here had to send in these extra forms?

A lot of what you are submitting is overkill but it's not something that will get you denied. One very imporatant document that they will be looking for that carries a lot of weight is the passport stamps showing the dates the petitioner was in the country of the beneficiary for the meeting requirement of 2 years.

 

I-864, Affidavit of Support is not a requirement for the application process only for AOS after marriage. The I-134, Affidavit of Support is for the interview. Use the guide here on VJ to help in the required documents. 

Good luck and stay engaged. 

[WhoNeedsaName 2]

I've heard from an immigration lawyer and the guy I'm working with that Russian cases get scrutinized extra hard, i figured I'd throw in everything i could and have my bases covered, hopefully overkill doesn't come back to bite me in the ### 

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,092]

30 minutes ago, WhoNeedsaName said:

I've heard from an immigration lawyer and the guy I'm working with that Russian cases get scrutinized extra hard, i figured I'd throw in everything i could and have my bases covered, hopefully overkill doesn't come back to bite me in the ### 

This isn't true at all (at least for fiance(e) and spousal visas).

 

At times staffing levels vs demand for visas can make actually getting an interview difficult once your case gets to Moscow, but denials or even extended post-interview processing (more than a couple of weeks) aren't very common (not unheard of, but still pretty rare).

 

Also, unless you or your fiance(e) has a criminal record or other things in your background that require waivers, using a lawyer for a marriage-based visa is just wasting money.

 

Fiancee and spouse visa paperwork involves filling out lots of forms and gathering documents, but

• it's not actually hard
• most of what they need to complete the forms, they'll have to ask you or your fiance(e) for anyway
• no lawyer or prep service cares more about your case than you do
• immigration lawyers and prep services almost always concentrate on employment-based immigration (because there's more money there, and more points to argue about), and are less familiar with family-based immigration