I-130 CR-1, documents needed to file

[Hamza Bajwa 1]

Greetings,

 

I (US Citizen, Petitioner) was recently married to my wife (Pakistani Citizen, Beneficiary). I am preparing to file my I-130 to begin the process of her immigration to the US. The marriage occurred in a public ceremony in Pakistan, around a month ago, and was attended by family and friends. My spouse and I had been engaged for just a under a year before that. The engagement occurred in person, when I visited Pakistan in 2023 for around a month. We then decided to marry during my next visit to Pakistan, in 2024. After the marriage, my wife and I went to honeymoon in Dubai for 9 days, after which, I returned to the US. I have the following documents and evidence to attach to my application:

 

1. Nikah Nama (Islamic marriage contract / certificate), written in Urdu, along with its signed and attested English translation.
2. NADRA marriage certificate, issued by the local union council where the marriage occurred
3. My US Certificate of Naturalization
4. Passport sized photographs of both me and my wife
5. Photographs of various marriage ceremonies and events
6. Passport stamps and boarding passes of my flight to Pakistan to attend the marriage
7. Photographs, boarding passes, hotel reservations and passport stamps for both me and my wife for our honeymoon in Dubai
8. Evidence of frequent communication, throughout the entire time of engagement, and post marriage.
9. Other ancillary evidence, such as receipts of gifts, and money transferred to my wife

 

Is this sufficient evidence to attach at this initial step? I have reviewed the documents and evidence required by USCIS for a spousal I-130 but would like to know if there is something I am missing, or something I need to do differently.

 

Any help or guidance is appreciated.

[pushbrk 12,806]

17 hours ago, Hamza Bajwa said:

Greetings,

 

I (US Citizen, Petitioner) was recently married to my wife (Pakistani Citizen, Beneficiary). I am preparing to file my I-130 to begin the process of her immigration to the US. The marriage occurred in a public ceremony in Pakistan, around a month ago, and was attended by family and friends. My spouse and I had been engaged for just a under a year before that. The engagement occurred in person, when I visited Pakistan in 2023 for around a month. We then decided to marry during my next visit to Pakistan, in 2024. After the marriage, my wife and I went to honeymoon in Dubai for 9 days, after which, I returned to the US. I have the following documents and evidence to attach to my application:

 

1. Nikah Nama (Islamic marriage contract / certificate), written in Urdu, along with its signed and attested English translation.
2. NADRA marriage certificate, issued by the local union council where the marriage occurred
3. My US Certificate of Naturalization
4. Passport sized photographs of both me and my wife
5. Photographs of various marriage ceremonies and events
6. Passport stamps and boarding passes of my flight to Pakistan to attend the marriage
7. Photographs, boarding passes, hotel reservations and passport stamps for both me and my wife for our honeymoon in Dubai
8. Evidence of frequent communication, throughout the entire time of engagement, and post marriage.
9. Other ancillary evidence, such as receipts of gifts, and money transferred to my wife

 

Is this sufficient evidence to attach at this initial step? I have reviewed the documents and evidence required by USCIS for a spousal I-130 but would like to know if there is something I am missing, or something I need to do differently.

 

Any help or guidance is appreciated.

Looks like a good list to me.  But, for 8. stick to examples.  Don't overdo it.  For 9, leave it out.  You sending money to her is not evidence of comingling finances.  It is not YOUR sincerity that's being evaluated.  It's hers.  

[Hamza Bajwa 1]

@pushbrk thanks for the response. Your prior responses to similar questions were a real help for me. 

 

One more question if you don't mind. I keep hearing that my wife will be required to update her Pakistan National ID card, basically, from her father's name, to her husband's (i.e. my) name, and do the same for her passport. This is a Pakistan specific thing that married females do. I was curious if this is required for US immigration purposes. Have you seen this being an issue in past or based on your conversations with other's in my situation. 

 

Thanks!

[pushbrk 12,806]

7 hours ago, Hamza Bajwa said:

@pushbrk thanks for the response. Your prior responses to similar questions were a real help for me. 

 

One more question if you don't mind. I keep hearing that my wife will be required to update her Pakistan National ID card, basically, from her father's name, to her husband's (i.e. my) name, and do the same for her passport. This is a Pakistan specific thing that married females do. I was curious if this is required for US immigration purposes. Have you seen this being an issue in past or based on your conversations with other's in my situation. 

 

Thanks!

The USA does not require women to change their name when they marry.  However, if she wants to do that, you should file in the married name even if she hasn't done the change yet.  She would then complete the change, ID, and passport, before the visa interview.  Plenty of time for that.  If she's in Pakistan and Pakistan requires it, then she does in anyway, so no brainer.

[TiffAndMike 47]

All documents not in English need to be translated by a certified translator. This includes her birth certificate. Make sure to send the translations in with your I-130 petition. 

[pushbrk 12,806]

2 hours ago, TiffAndMike said:

All documents not in English need to be translated by a certified translator. This includes her birth certificate. Make sure to send the translations in with your I-130 petition. 

Both the original in Urdu AND the certified translations.