RFE Response - will this work?

[El Burro 11]

I received an RFE a few weeks ago asking for "information regarding the circumstances under which the petitioner and beneficiary met to establish the relationship" I had included a half page supplement to the question in the original filing packet and thought they just wanted to know how we met in the 2 year period prior to the I-129F filing. But, after thinking about it I realized I probably didn't provide them with enough primary evidence that she was in the country (Ukraine) at the same time I was. She has Russian citizenship but we always met in Ukraine where she was born, and where all her family is located.

She travels a lot between Russia and Ukraine but always by train, and she tells me they don't stamp passports when crossing the border by rail.

I submitted good primary evidence for me - passport stamps, dated boarding pass, Store receipts with my mastercard from her hometown in Ukraine and pictures of us together with dates printed on the back from the film processor.

About the only other evidence I ran across was a registration booklet from a health resort we stayed at in western Ukraine last year - it has our names, birth dates, dates valid, our room number and the address of the establishment. It's not a cash receipt. I have it translated and ready to go out along with a "how we originally met" one and a half page typed letter in tomorrow's mail. Does this sound like it'll be enough? Don't really wish to start this process all over again!!!

[BatmanUSA 105]

sounds good.. do you have a photo of the two of you with the resort sign in the background?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I received an RFE a few weeks ago asking for "information regarding the circumstances under which the petitioner and beneficiary met to establish the relationship" I had included a half page supplement to the question in the original filing packet and thought they just wanted to know how we met in the 2 year period prior to the I-129F filing. But, after thinking about it I realized I probably didn't provide them with enough primary evidence that she was in the country (Ukraine) at the same time I was. She has Russian citizenship but we always met in Ukraine where she was born, and where all her family is located.

She travels a lot between Russia and Ukraine but always by train, and she tells me they don't stamp passports when crossing the border by rail.

I submitted good primary evidence for me - passport stamps, dated boarding pass, Store receipts with my mastercard from her hometown in Ukraine and pictures of us together with dates printed on the back from the film processor.

About the only other evidence I ran across was a registration booklet from a health resort we stayed at in western Ukraine last year - it has our names, birth dates, dates valid, our room number and the address of the establishment. It's not a cash receipt. I have it translated and ready to go out along with a "how we originally met" one and a half page typed letter in tomorrow's mail. Does this sound like it'll be enough? Don't really wish to start this process all over again!!!

It is what you have, so send it. Whether it is "enough" is up to someone else.

FSU citizens traveling between Ukraine/Russia use their internal passport when traveling by land (car/rail). Nothing is stamped. Similar to us going to Canada by land.

When meeting someone in a country other than their own (and even advisable when meeting in a city other than their home city) you should include travel information for both. Does she have any record of her train tickets?

They actually only need to know how you met at least one time in the previous two years. Alla and I had met 4 times prior to filing the I-129f and I sent evidence of only ONE meeting and only ONE photo in a totally unidentifiable place (a restaraunt)

Typed letters are meaningless actually. I can type a letter for you. Store receipts do not prove much.

Photos are secondary and generally the photo being taken in a recognizable place is not needed.

Also, people always presume that the evidence they sent was NOT lost before it got to the adjudicator. Don't assume that. In addition to any new stuff you have added, RESEND a copy of ALL the original evidence you sent

[baron555 934]

They DO give out train ticket receipts, so use that.

[El Burro 11]

They DO give out train ticket receipts, so use that.

If she still had train ticket receipts I would use that, but she doesn't, so I'll just have to send what I have and re-submit what I sent originally (good point about them possibly losing stuff, I hadn't thought of that before).

My gut tells me the odds are in my favor of getting approved - I just wish I hadn't received the RFE, she would probably be having her interview about now!!!