I'm applying for the IR1 Spouse Visa to bring my wife from the Philippines to the US. We married in 2019 in the Philippines. I have some questions regarding how best to file the Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Thank you in advance.
1. "Online filing vs mail"
Is it better to file online or by mail? I was planning to file paper copies by mail but the USCIS website says they are "transitioning to electronically processing", so maybe the process will go faster if I file online. The new fees are less for online filing which suggests they prefer online filing.
2. "Evidence of U.S. citizenship"
I have my U.S. birth certificate and U.S. passport.
3. "Evidence of permanent residence"
I have my Electric bill, Internet bill, Voting record, Bank account, Drivers license, Car registration.
4. "Evidence of family relationship"
I have a Marriage certificate from the Philippines. I have not yet registered our marriage in the US. Do I need to?
5. "Evidence of the bona fides of the marriage":
What is the strongest evidence for proving our relationship is genuine, and how much is needed?
5a. "Combining finances"
I have 2 deeds with both our names on the deed showing we own 2 pieces of real estate in the Philippines. I also plan to send a copy of my 2023 federal tax return showing that we file "Married filing Jointly". (We do not have a joint bank account because the bank requires I be in the Philippines for at least 4 months.)
5b. "Affidavits"
I have 2 affidavits from friends attesting to the bona fides of the marriage. I understand affidavits don't carry much weight but I thought it might help to include them anyway.
5c. "Time together"
I've visited my wife 13 times over 7 years with a combined total of 17 months being together in person. I was planning to list each trip and for each trip to include:
* dates of travel
* purpose of visit
* 2-4 pictures from each trip
* copy of passport stamps
* flight itinerary, boarding pass if available
5d. "Copies of communication"
While apart we communicated by Facebook messenger. I plan to provide several screenshots of our chats over the 7 years. Not sure how many. Maybe 2-4 screenshots per year?
5e. "Receipts for money sent"
I send money for her monthly budget. I can provide receipts for moneys sent but I saw in another post that proof of my sending money is not helpful.
6. "Proof of legal name change"
I'm not sure if this applies to our situation. Neither of us were previously married so our names have remained the same since birth. My wife did change her last name to mine on several accounts after we got married (her national ID, her bank account, her TIN). I was planning to include copies of those to show she changed her name to mine, but I'm not sure if that's helpful or not.
7. "Church wedding"
We had a Catholic wedding at my wife's church. Catholic requirements for marriage are more strict than for civil weddings. I thought it might help to mention that in my petition, but on the other hand some people have an anti-Catholic bias so it might be better not to mention it.