AOS Final Pre-Submission Checklist (Adjustment from UHP)

[omgslay 2]

Hi all !

We're on the verge of mailing our packet, so I thought I would share the contents of our assembled packet to both get feedback and share with others. Our filing is a bit unique in the sense that my wife is a UHP parolee and we're filing from Puerto Rico, and I haven't really seen UHP filers post about their AOS process, so maybe it'll help someone.

Sadly there are no "AOS filers for <month>" monthly threads in this forum, like there are in the K1/K3 forums. @Crazy Cat maybe we can do something about that?

Anyway, @pushbrk made a convincing, albeit a bit depressing argument that a concurrent paper filing bears less risk of screw-ups, so I'm abandoning my online I-130 idea and including the paperwork all together in a single mailed packet. Without further ado, here is the meat of our cover letter and the submission contents. If anything seems wrong or missing, I would appreciate some feedback. Cheers and thanks!

ASSEMBLY: Everything from the top, starting with the checks up until the end of I-130 (see below) is in one binder clip. The rest, starting with I-485, is in a secondary larger packet with a second binder clip. On the bottom of each of those 2 packets (stacks) are a bunch of colored tab markers that let you jump to any individual bullet point item within that stack. All photos, both 2x2 and 4x6 are grouped into plastic ziplock bags, with writing on the bag itself and on the backs of the photos, which are then stapled to an empty sheet of paper. The only thing holding each stack's papers together is that stack's binder clip.

 

USCIS
Attn: AOS
P.O. Box 805887
Chicago, IL 60680

March 26, 2024

COVER LETTER
ORIGINAL SUBMISSION

RE:

Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130)
Application for Adjustment of Status (Form I-485)
Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765)
Application for Advance Parole (Form I-131)

Petitioner: John Smith
Beneficiary/Applicant: Jane Doe

Dear Adjudicating Officer,

 

I, John Smith, a citizen of the United States, am filing petition I-130 for my spouse, Jane Doe, whose port of entry was San Juan, Puerto Rico and who entered as a UHP parolee. Concurrently filed, you will also find applications I-485, I-765, and I-131, along with additional supporting forms and documents, in this order:

 

• Check for $535, I-130 Filing Fee

• Check for $1,225, I-485 Filing Fee and Biometrics

• G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance
   

I-130 PETITION FOR ALIEN RELATIVE

• Completed and signed form I-130

• Completed and signed form I-130A

• Proof of petitioner’s status: copy of US Passport

• Copy of marriage certificate

• Copy of certified translation of Marriage Certificate, since 2 sections were in Spanish

• Copy of joint lease

• Copy of joint bank account

• Copy of ID cards as evidence of shared residence

• Copy of common health insurance

• 2 passport style photos of petitioner

• 2 passport style photos of beneficiary

• Relationship photographs (18 glossy 4x6), chronologically arranged, with info on the back

 

I-485 APPLICATION TO ADJUST STATUS

• Form I-693, Sealed Medical Examination

• Completed and Signed form I-485

• Two passport-style (2x2) color photos of beneficiary

• Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian international passport (biographic page in English & Ukrainian)

• Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian birth certificate

• Certified translation of beneficiary’s Ukrainian birth certificate

• Copy of beneficiary’s passport page with U.S. Department of Homeland Security stamp (UHP)

• Copy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Notice of Parole

• Copy of I-94 Arrival Record

• Copy of beneficiary’s Marriage Certificate (Puerto Rico, USA)

• Certified translation of beneficiary’s Marriage Certificate, since 2 sections were in Spanish
   

Affidavit of Support and Supporting Documents: 

• Completed and signed form I-864

• Copy of sponsor’s proof of status (US Passport)

• Tax transcript for 2022

• Tax transcript for 2021

• Tax transcript for 2020

• Pay stubs for 2024

 

I-765 EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

• Completed and signed form I-765

• Two passport-style (2x2) color photos of beneficiary

• Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian international passport (bio page in English & Ukrainian)

• Copy of I-94 Arrival Record

• Copy of beneficiary’s passport page with U.S. DHS stamp (UHP)

• Copy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Notice of Parole
   

I-131 ADVANCE PAROLE

• Completed and signed form I-131

• Two passport-style (2x2) color photos of beneficiary

• Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian international passport (bio page in English & Ukrainian)

• Copy of I-94 Arrival Record

• Copy of beneficiary’s passport page with U.S. DHS Security stamp (UHP)

• Copy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Notice of Parole

Edited March 26 by omgslay

[OldUser 6,662]

Hi, I have feedback about photos.

My lawyer at the time advised me scanning all photos into digital format. Then, paste 3-4 photos per page in Word or Google Sheet. Annotate each photo with date, occasion, location and names and relation of people on it. Then print and include in the packet.

This will make scanning photos waaaay easier for the person doing this work. They'll just try to unpack everything you sent and shove entire stack of papers in large industrial scanner. I'm sure they can deal with individual photos but I bet it's time consuming. 

Edited March 26 by OldUser

[OldUser 6,662]

Another comment about evidence. I don't know how things work nowadays, but for my AOS packet I did not repeat any evidence. My lawyer pretty much included payments first, followed by cover letter, followed by index page, followed by all forms, followed by evidence. Evidence was not organized by form. Rather by category, e.g. biographical pages, bank statements, photographs etc. It was shared by all the forms.

 

Never had an issue but others way have a reason to duplicate evidence for each form.

Edited March 26 by OldUser

[Crazy Cat 41,850]

6 hours ago, omgslay said:

Sadly there are no "AOS filers for <month>" monthly threads in this forum, like there are in the K1/K3 forums. @Crazy Cat maybe we can do something about that?

You are free to create a new thread if one doesn't exist. .  

 

 

[omgslay 2]

12 hours ago, OldUser said:

Hi, I have feedback about photos.

My lawyer at the time advised me scanning all photos into digital format. Then, paste 3-4 photos per page in Word or Google Sheet. Annotate each photo with date, occasion, location and names and relation of people on it. Then print and include in the packet.

This will make scanning photos waaaay easier for the person doing this work. They'll just try to unpack everything you sent and shove entire stack of papers in large industrial scanner. I'm sure they can deal with individual photos but I bet it's time consuming. 

 

Hi OldUser, yeah we actually started with a Word doc w/ multiple photos and text, because I had an online I-130 ready to go. However, I don't have a color printer and didn't want to print crappy black and whites. And at Walgreens the 4x6s are $0.40 whereas color documents or 8x10s are quite a bit more, so it made the decision easy. I'm not worried about them being unable to scan or store actual photos.

 

12 hours ago, OldUser said:

Another comment about evidence. I don't know how things work nowadays, but for my AOS packet I did not repeat any evidence. My lawyer pretty much included payments first, followed by cover letter, followed by index page, followed by all forms, followed by evidence. Evidence was not organized by form. Rather by category, e.g. biographical pages, bank statements, photographs etc. It was shared by all the forms.

 

Never had an issue but others way have a reason to duplicate evidence for each form.

 

Yeah, we also researched this, but since there seems to be a lack of consensus on this topic, we decided to go the safer route. If they don't need extra copies, they can toss 'em. One of the downsides of filing on paper, which is an outdated medium.

 

5 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

You are free to create a new thread if one doesn't exist. .  

 

 

 

Thanks boss, I might just do that when I mail the packet. Btw, would love to hear if you have any opinions on the rest of my post.