Bona Fide marriage docs req for I-130 step??

[Mrs.A2010 4]

Hey, everyone.

Hopefully I'm posting in the right place.

My husband and I are about to start the i-130 process, then the lawyer said the consular process was next.

She gave us papers about each, but nowhere in either step did it mention providing the bona fide marriage documentation (but here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide2) it clearly shows you have to provide this documentation.

I'm having a hard time getting answers from the paralegal she assigned us to (she said our case is very simple and clear cut bc my husband has no background issues), we only have 3 weeks left to go back, take all our paperwork needed for the I-130 & sign on with them to start this process.

I need to know: is this first step, the I-130 step, where I DO provide all this? and if so, how do I print the pictures? Can you just put them on a DVD with the name of each the description/date, or do you have to physically print them all out &/or write a description/date on the back of each?

Thank you all in advance! I'm so nervous and it's bothering me they haven't been following up. (My BIL and his wife are using them & have gotten prompt replies from the lawyers assistant who is working their case bc theirs is more complex, but then again they've officially signed on with them already.) Perhaps we are less important bc we haven't signed on with them yet, but how can you expect someone to put their lives in your hands when you can't even reply to an email?

Sorry for the rant!! - Nicki

[sheeshkabelle 153]

Hey, everyone.

Hopefully I'm posting in the right place.

My husband and I are about to start the i-130 process, then the lawyer said the consular process was next.

She gave us papers about each, but nowhere in either step did it mention providing the bona fide marriage documentation (but here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide2) it clearly shows you have to provide this documentation.

I'm having a hard time getting answers from the paralegal she assigned us to (she said our case is very simple and clear cut bc my husband has no background issues), we only have 3 weeks left to go back, take all our paperwork needed for the I-130 & sign on with them to start this process.

I need to know: is this first step, the I-130 step, where I DO provide all this? and if so, how do I print the pictures? Can you just put them on a DVD with the name of each the description/date, or do you have to physically print them all out &/or write a description/date on the back of each?

Thank you all in advance! I'm so nervous and it's bothering me they haven't been following up. (My BIL and his wife are using them & have gotten prompt replies from the lawyers assistant who is working their case bc theirs is more complex, but then again they've officially signed on with them already.) Perhaps we are less important bc we haven't signed on with them yet, but how can you expect someone to put their lives in your hands when you can't even reply to an email?

Sorry for the rant!! - Nicki

First, breathe..there ya go...

First you send in the I-130, it takes 5-7 months for approval. To send with your I-130 you should send in a copy of your marriage certificate, a few pictures (I sent five) and yes you should print them out. You can either do a 'collage' all of them on one page with captions, or put them in plastic photo album sheets with names, dates, explanations on the back.

You do not have to send affidavits from friends/family about witness of your marriage unless you think it will help your case. It is only a VJ suggestion. Some countries are tougher than others. I didn't send any. (but my husband is from Canada)

Our I-130 package was:

The I-130 form, thG-325a forms and the electronic opt-in form

Payment with a money order

five photos, two from our wedding, one with his parents and grand parents, one with my family and one of a family portrait with us and my children.

Copy of our marriage certificate

After your I-130 is approved, it is then sent to the National Visa Center. (NVC) There is where the affidavit of support, fee and its documentation will be sent, your Immigrant Visa application (IV) fee, and documentation will be sent. Once all the paperwork is received and fees are paid the NVC will forward your case to the corresponding Embassy, you will then be informed of an interview date. Sometime between your NVC case closing and the interview date at the embassy you must get a medical exam.

I know this all seems overwhelming. There are guides, click on the guide tab at the top of the page. Read up, drink a glass of wine, and read again. Make yourself as informed as you can possibly be. A lot of people here have had bad experiences with attorneys and had to keep them in line with what they learned on this site.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Is your spouse abroad? If so, you are reading the wrong guide.

Either way, the I-130 instructions (you can read them yourself at uscis.gov) says that you should include at least one piece of evidence in support of your bona fide marriage.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Harpa Timsah

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

**** Moving from AOS to CR-1 forum as OP indicated consular processing, thus a spouse abroad *****

Generally, the marriage cert and a little evidence (maybe one page of pics) is provided when filing the petition, the rest at interview. No electronic media (DVD, videos etc), paper only.

[Mrs.A2010 4]

**** Moving from AOS to CR-1 forum as OP indicated consular processing, thus a spouse abroad *****

Generally, the marriage cert and a little evidence (maybe one page of pics) is provided when filing the petition, the rest at interview. No electronic media (DVD, videos etc), paper only.

First off, thank you all for your replies....

But, now I'm even more worried about the law office! No, my husband is here in the US with me. He never came with a visa to start, illegal from the beginning. The lawyer told us there would only be 2 parts for us, the I-130 and she mentioned another form/process name but I neglected to write it down, Then she sent us to meet one of her paralegals, and he gave us info on both parts based on her notes. The info he gave us was about the I-130 & the 2nd part's paperwork only called it "Consular processing", no form number or anything more specific.

Also, the lawyers office didn't ask his BIL/his wife to submit any Bona Fide Marriage docs. She said they told her if they needed more stuff, they would ask her for it. I tried to explain to her an RFE is not a good thing, but she's very casual and of course not worried at all. I on the other hand have worked hard on our evidence docs, 1.5 yrs of phone bills showing our calls, a few months of our very first emails when we first started talking, photos through our 5 yr relationship, etc. and I just do not want to go in to start the process, miss a day of work, to get down there and be told "oh i didn't mention it last time, nor did i reply to your emails asking about it, but you need to provide the bona fide marriage documentation." Or I'm going to be livid. (he did eventually answer my email but only after he called my husband first, even though I was the one calling/emailing him with my questions...)

Any idea why she's doing the Consular processing with us even though we are both here in the US? Will USCIS be annoyed if I send 5 diff types of bona fide documentation? Also, because of our situation, will we not be required to do a joint interview here in the US before he goes back? JW, because so many people talk of the joint interviews, but I know they are most likely in a different process.

Thank you all again.

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

Did your husband come to the USA EWI (entered without inspection- ie swam across a river or similar)? If so, your lawyer is sort of right, he will need to leave and do the medical and interview at a US consulate abroad. He will be denied the visa due to being in the US illegally, and you can then file a waiver.

Or did he come with a visa, such as a work or tourist visa and simply overstay for a long time? In which case, he should not leave the USA, but file for Adjustment of Status within the USA.