CR1 I-130 Filing Online - Questions and Concerns

[Jackie43 3]

 

Hello all.

My husband were just married last month he lives overseas and I live in USA. We are now in the process of collecting documents/evidence to file the I-130 form but are debating if we should file by mail or online. If anyone can help I just have a few questions that may help make this process a tiny bit easier (if possible) so here gos!

These questions are referring to Online Filing. 
1. Do I sign I-130a for husband not living in USA? 

2. Does overseas spouse need  2 passport size photo submitted with  I -130 form or are they only needed for interview phase? 

3. Do photos have to be named and dated on the back? 

4. Can you upload photos directly from your cell phone without being scanned? 

5. What documents need to be scanned on both sides? 

6. Do all documents need to be in PDF. Format? 

7. Which documents need to be notarized? 
8. Do I still need to submit a cover letter? 
Any other helpful information is much appreciated! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steffy Stef 123]

130 a can be left blank. It state in the instructions at the top of the form. If spouse lives overseas it doesn’t need to be signed.

 

Passport size pictures are needed 

 

Photo it would be nice to give a brief description. 
 

Notarizing is not required 

 

Cover letter is helpful. It’s a lot of sample if you google it that’s where I got mine and edited it.

 

I’m not sure about the online I mailed mine in. 

[Stacey Ann 519]

Agree with what Steffy Steff said. I preferred online tho because I could start, save and go back as needed to tripple check and the site is easy to understand and walks you thru each section. It also alerts you on misssing/incomplete info from what I recall.

 

No names on the passport pics and yes you will need to upload your passport pics.

 

No docs need to be printed front and back.

 

You can use PDF or Word for whichever docs you want. I would use PDF for multi-page docs. I used PDF for most things as it's easier to compress when you need (some files you will need to compress depending on size).

 

The site is mobile friendly so you can upload from your phone but I would put all the pics on a PDF and upload it as a single file rather than individually.

[Jackie43 3]

14 hours ago, Steffy Stef said:

130 a can be left blank. It state in the instructions at the top of the form. If spouse lives overseas it doesn’t need to be signed.

 

Passport size pictures are needed 

 

Photo it would be nice to give a brief description. 
 

Notarizing is not required 

 

Cover letter is helpful. It’s a lot of sample if you google it that’s where I got mine and edited it.

 

I’m not sure about the online I mailed mine in. 

Thank you for the information! 

[Jackie43 3]

17 hours ago, Jackie43 said:

 

Hello all.

My husband were just married last month he lives overseas and I live in USA. We are now in the process of collecting documents/evidence to file the I-130 form but are debating if we should file by mail or online. If anyone can help I just have a few questions that may help make this process a tiny bit easier (if possible) so here gos!

These questions are referring to Online Filing. 
1. Do I sign I-130a for husband not living in USA? 

2. Does overseas spouse need  2 passport size photo submitted with  I -130 form or are they only needed for interview phase? 

3. Do photos have to be named and dated on the back? 

4. Can you upload photos directly from your cell phone without being scanned? 

5. What documents need to be scanned on both sides? 

6. Do all documents need to be in PDF. Format? 

7. Which documents need to be notarized? 
8. Do I still need to submit a cover letter? 
Any other helpful information is much appreciated! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you! I appreciate you responding. This helps a lot. 

[Steffy Stef 123]

6 minutes ago, Jackie43 said:

Thank you for the information! 

You’re welcome any questions you have feel free to ask. I’m open to help if I can 🥰

[Babu Frik 1,162]

Have you read the instructions?