Preparing I-129F / Process Questions

[paddington_bear 30]

Hi All:

My fiance and I are filing our I-129F either in February or March. He is from the UK and I am the US (born and raised!) citizen. We had a couple of questions before the process started and were wondering if people were willing to answer some of them, as I didn't see them in the more recent topics....

1. In-Person vs Skype Proposals?

My fiance proposed to me on Skype and found me the most gorgeous vintage ring on etsy, which he then had mailed to me. It couldn't be the most romantic thing ever because we are an ocean apart--but in its lack of romance it was romantic anyway, right? He is visiting me in March and planning on doing a formal proposal then--I'm not allowed to wear the ring until he puts it on my finger, according to him (sometimes I sneak a peak....). My question is: should we wait to file until we have evidence of the physical proposal? Will that be better than a Skype proposal? I'm worried about timelines....we'd like a fall wedding (late Oct/early Nov), but I've been freaking out about the turnover timelines I've been seeing for UK-US couples. If we hold out for the evidence of our physical proposal--as well as more physical evidence of his more recent visit-- and file around March 22nd or so, will that be enough time for the late Oct/early Nov date barring any weird glitches?

2. Facebook evidence?

My camera doesn't time stamp things--but when I was doing research in the UK and met / dated my fiance for two months in the summer of 2013, we posted a lot of stuff/were tagged in the same physical place on facebook. When I visited again in November 2013, we posted pictures together that have a time and date stamp, as well as a GPS location. Does that count/should that be submitted as evidence?

3. School vs Familial/Permanent address?

I may have to call the USCIS for this one personally, but I was wondering if anyone else on here was a forever student as I am (I went from BA to MA to PhD programs straight through--I'm still working through my PhD now!)--I have two addresses as of now. One is with my father in Ohio. My driver's license is listed there as well, and I have bank statements that go there. BUT my school address for the last couple years is in Indiana where I live and teach and study. I list my Indiana address for all of my forms, but my family address is the one on my driver's license. Both would show up in any routine government search for me--so on the form where it lists "previous addresses" should I write School - (address) and Familial - (address) since I have lived at both in the last 5 years? Or would my current address at school suffice?

4. I-130 Affidavit-Do student loans matter?

I have made well above the 2013 poverty guidelines for both the fiance and marriage visas for the last three years and can provide the employer letter, W-2 slips, etc. to prove it. My concern is whether or not they research into your finances and, if so, if student loans matter? I completed a MA and PhD program and, while I was given tuition waivers, I still have quite a bit of loans for such extensive programs (though they are significantly lower than most of my fellow PhD students). Does anyone know if this will affect how they interpret and process my I-130 application?

5. Lawyer or Better Business Bureau-approved Visa filing sites worth it?

Did anyone else engage a lawyer for this process or an "A" ranked site like easyfiancevisa.com? If so, how was your experience? If not, would you still recommend a visa lawyer?

I am desperately hoping for a smooth ride on this--neither of us have been married before, we are both 26 and employed above the poverty guidelines (though I know his employment won't matter), we have no criminal records, have been dating for 7 months (2 months of which were spent continuously physically together--add 2 weeks of my visiting in November and an additional 2 weeks when he comes in March, and it will be 3!), and plan to live together over the summer for four months as we wait for his visa and I complete my dissertation research (finally!) once again in the UK. We'll see though, right?

Any help from you experts and fellow romantics would be greatly appreciated

[Zedayn 486]

Hi All:

My fiance and I are filing our I-129F either in February or March. He is from the UK and I am the US (born and raised!) citizen. We had a couple of questions before the process started and were wondering if people were willing to answer some of them, as I didn't see them in the more recent topics....

1. In-Person vs Skype Proposals?

My fiance proposed to me on Skype and found me the most gorgeous vintage ring on etsy, which he then had mailed to me. It couldn't be the most romantic thing ever because we are an ocean apart--but in its lack of romance it was romantic anyway, right? He is visiting me in March and planning on doing a formal proposal then--I'm not allowed to wear the ring until he puts it on my finger, according to him (sometimes I sneak a peak....). My question is: should we wait to file until we have evidence of the physical proposal? Will that be better than a Skype proposal? I'm worried about timelines....we'd like a fall wedding (late Oct/early Nov), but I've been freaking out about the turnover timelines I've been seeing for UK-US couples. If we hold out for the evidence of our physical proposal--as well as more physical evidence of his more recent visit-- and file around March 22nd or so, will that be enough time for the late Oct/early Nov date barring any weird glitches?

2. Facebook evidence?

My camera doesn't time stamp things--but when I was doing research in the UK and met / dated my fiance for two months in the summer of 2013, we posted a lot of stuff/were tagged in the same physical place on facebook. When I visited again in November 2013, we posted pictures together that have a time and date stamp, as well as a GPS location. Does that count/should that be submitted as evidence?

3. School vs Familial/Permanent address?

I may have to call the USCIS for this one personally, but I was wondering if anyone else on here was a forever student as I am (I went from BA to MA to PhD programs straight through--I'm still working through my PhD now!)--I have two addresses as of now. One is with my father in Ohio. My driver's license is listed there as well, and I have bank statements that go there. BUT my school address for the last couple years is in Indiana where I live and teach and study. I list my Indiana address for all of my forms, but my family address is the one on my driver's license. Both would show up in any routine government search for me--so on the form where it lists "previous addresses" should I write School - (address) and Familial - (address) since I have lived at both in the last 5 years? Or would my current address at school suffice?

4. I-130 Affidavit-Do student loans matter?

I have made well above the 2013 poverty guidelines for both the fiance and marriage visas for the last three years and can provide the employer letter, W-2 slips, etc. to prove it. My concern is whether or not they research into your finances and, if so, if student loans matter? I completed a MA and PhD program and, while I was given tuition waivers, I still have quite a bit of loans for such extensive programs (though they are significantly lower than most of my fellow PhD students). Does anyone know if this will affect how they interpret and process my I-130 application?

5. Lawyer or Better Business Bureau-approved Visa filing sites worth it?

Did anyone else engage a lawyer for this process or an "A" ranked site like easyfiancevisa.com? If so, how was your experience? If not, would you still recommend a visa lawyer?

I am desperately hoping for a smooth ride on this--neither of us have been married before, we are both 26 and employed above the poverty guidelines (though I know his employment won't matter), we have no criminal records, have been dating for 7 months (2 months of which were spent continuously physically together--add 2 weeks of my visiting in November and an additional 2 weeks when he comes in March, and it will be 3!), and plan to live together over the summer for four months as we wait for his visa and I complete my dissertation research (finally!) once again in the UK. We'll see though, right?

Any help from you experts and fellow romantics would be greatly appreciated

1. It does not matter how you propose. You don't even need a proposal. You just need to agree and SIGN a letter of intent to marry. This is your proof of engagement.

2. Relationship evidence is not needed for the I-129f petition. Save this for your embassy interview.

3. For your addresses the last 5 years, just put EVERY place you have received mail at the last 5 years. If you need to attach an additional sheet, do so.

4. The I-134 is not needed for the I-129f, only for the interview. I will clarify something for you though. Student loans, or any kind of debt for that matter, is not even looked at or considered. The ONLY thing they are concerned with is that your GROSS income for the year is above poverty level for your household size.

5. As the visa process is extremely easy, I think its a complete waste of time and money to have a lawyer or other website fill out paperwork. They are essentially going to ask you for all the information, and you are paying them to type it all in a form. And no, they cannot make it go faster. In fact it will take longer because you have the delay of dealing with a middle man instead of doing it directly yourself.

Edit: grammar

Edited January 31, 2014 by Zedayn

[paddington_bear 30]

Thank you so much--this is so very helpful!

So when they ask of evidence for intent to marry, it can literally be something as simple as our signed letters of intent and some e-mails exchanged between myself, pictures of the engagement ring, and the event coordinator/caterers? I know the I-130 is for later, we were just wondering whether or not down the road we would need my mother to co-sponsor me if my student loan debt was a problem. But I make quite a bit above the guidelines (I know, surprising for a PhD student, but I teach a lot of extra classes!), so I think it should be OK.

Thank you again!

[Ilovemyman 147]

If you can send evidence of relationship with you packet send it.

Send pictures, plane tickets copy, and others evidences it is better.

My fiance sent that,

[Carl&Ellie 10]

I agree you ought to send some evidence with the packet. Although photos of you together are considered 'secondary' evidence, you do need to provide evidence that you have met in person within the past two years - that's a basic requirement of the I-129F petition. You can include photos of you together in the UK, somewhere recognisable or at a dateable event is a good idea - you can provide a caption below the photos. The best evidence would be copies of your passport entry stamps and boarding passes from when you visited the UK or if he came to the US before. Also include receipts or bank statements that show you made purchases around the same time or in the same place - anything that can PROVE you were together in the same place at the same time. With regards to facebook, you cannot submit any evidence electronically, or on a disc/memory stick.

While it's a good idea to save some evidence relationship for the interview just in case, that is not a requirement for the UK consulate. Most of the reviews on VisaJourney report that the interviewing officer either did not ask or said they did not need to see their photos on the day. I understand that it's different in other countries.

Check out the guides on here, we found them really helpful when putting our I-129F packet together. http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

Also two elite members have just written a comprehensive guide for K-1 via London. Check it out so you know what to expect after the petition stage! http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/474161-london-k1-a-complete-guide/

Good luck on your journey!