Getting ready to file I-130, a few questions

[Simplytex 387]

So, I've been a lurker/relatively passive user here (except maybe for the Russia/Ukraine/Belarus specific forums), but I've tried to absorb as much knowledge and research as heavily as possible before posting. But still, I do always get the jitters before submitting any official form, I really want to avoid the dreaded RFE at any stage so here goes:

 

1. About You - Address History Page - So on this page, it asks for 5 yrs of address history. I've seen other forum posts having this issue - I can't leave the 'to' date empty, so I'm just putting the current date (will update it when I'm ready to submit.)
2. About You - Additional Information Page - USCIS Account number - I don't think I have one, even though I'm submitting online/have a USCIS account, is that right? Also, in my previous marriage (to an F1 student who ended up adjusting status through me) I did create a USCIS account but I can't find any sort of number from that previously.
3. Beneficiary's Family - Current Spouse Page - Seems a bit weird that the form doesn't self-populate with my info since I already said I'm applying for my spouse, but whatever - I just put my information in there again.
   1. Beneficiary's Family - Additional Family - I put myself here again since the instructions asked again for spouse (not sure why since they already had a separate page about beneficiary's spouse?)
4. Other Information - Native Language - Even though I uploaded this PDF and it shows on the page as a hyperlink, I can't click to download it to confirm the file is there correctly? Maybe that's by design, but seems strange. (I can click to download any file I uploaded on the Evidence Section...)

 

Regarding what name to enter into the system, my wife hasn't updated her passport yet but plans to do so using the marriage certificate as the legal name change.

1. I plan to enter her name as "FirstName" and "MyLastName" anywhere it asks for that, as that is the name she will prefer to use. I have uploaded her name in Cyrillic where it asked for it (including the patronymic name), but in the prior alias's I just put her name as "FirstName" and "MaidenName", excluding the patronymic name (instead of putting it in as a middle name.)
2. I understand that the international passport just has to be updated with her new married name by the time we submit the DS-260.

 

Finally, about the level of evidence required for bona-fide marriage. I know this is beating a dead-horse on this forum, but still... Since we haven't lived together in any permanent way, nor have we opened any checking/savings accounts together, our evidence is going to consist of the following:

1. Cover Letter - explaining how we met/married
2. Travel Evidence - ticket stubs and receipts from 4 trips together over the course of the last year, including our most recent where we got married
3. Ongoing Relationship Evidence - basically, just a selection of photos from each trip together, including some with her family and of our wedding ceremony (Utah zoom... I know... 🥴 we had planned for Russia but that got scrapped...)
4. Prenup Agreement - not sure if this really helps, but I did make some financial commitments regarding spousal support, which is above and beyond any normal legal requirement.
5. Prior correspondence - we both had sent one parcel via snail mail while that was still possible last year
6. Beneficiary Designations - Showing her as designated beneficiary on life insurance and retirement accounts
7. Insurance Enrollment - Showing her covered on my insurance plans (even though she can't/doesn't need to use this...)

 

The two things I'm not adding in there would be:

1. Affidavits from family/friends - seems that the forum here doesn't give these much credit?
2. A photo of credit cards with her name from my account - I feel like that is just a bit gimmicky? I can't prove that she's using them.

[Dashinka 24,494]

It seems like you have a handle on things relative to the I130.  Yes, the online form is a little weird with respect to things like current address, current spouse etc., but you should be fine.  I did want to add that the marriage certificate may not be accepted as a legal name change document in Russia.  In our case, my wife left her travel passport in her maiden name as our marriage certificate was not accepted, so she would have needed a different document to change her domestic passport first.  This may not be the case for you and your spouse as I am not sure if you were married in the US or elsewhere.

 

Anyway, Good Luck!

[Simplytex 387]

4 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

I did want to add that the marriage certificate may not be accepted as a legal name change document in Russia.

Interesting - my wife previously worked at Zags so might be that she just has a 'hook-up' for helping out, but what her old boss there said was that a Marriage Certificate + apostille is all that would be needed to change the domestic passport, and then from there all other documents get updated against the domestic passport. 

Edit: Yes, we were married "in the US" via a Zoom ceremony out of Utah...

Edited May 25, 2022 by Simplytex

[Dashinka 24,494]

24 minutes ago, Simplytex said:

Interesting - my wife previously worked at Zags so might be that she just has a 'hook-up' for helping out, but what her old boss there said was that a Marriage Certificate + apostille is all that would be needed to change the domestic passport, and then from there all other documents get updated against the domestic passport. 

Edit: Yes, we were married "in the US" via a Zoom ceremony out of Utah...

Part of the issue with my wife is she came on a K1 and has been here since.  She checked into changing the domestic passport and it seems like it would take quite a bit of time in country to do it along with all the other changes necessary as property, etc.  Anyway, she left everything as is and never had any issues traveling with the GC/US Passport in her married name and Russian passport in her maiden name.  You wife has more time to deal with the Russian bureaucracy while awaiting for the CR1/IR1 plus knows the system.

 

Good Luck!