Before we send in our I-130, I'd like your opinion!

[Mandiimoose 39]

Hello! My husband and I finally finished all of our paperwork this month and gathered it all up for our case. I just wanted to make sure if the items we have will be enough. I keep reading that more is better but too much is bad, I'm getting mixed signals!

Anyways, for our packet we have:

-G-1145

-Form I-130 signed by petitioner

-Copy of US passport and all pages to show citizenship

-Form G-325A signed by petitioner and his photo

-Form G-325A signed by me and my picture

So I think everything is good there, we opted for passport instead of his birth certificate because he's not sure where it is, is that fine?

Anyways, our evidence:

-Copy of marriage certificate from Ontario, Canada

-Copy of health insurance statement showing both of our names

-Copy of credit card statement with both of our names on it

-Copy of a letter my husband sent me back in 2010 with the envelope

-Copy of our wedding invitation/announcement

-Sample copies of wedding cards received at our wedding (5)

-Photos documenting our relationship from 2011-2014 including our wedding

(A photocopy of a birthday card I gave him in 2011, not yet added but I want to)

Too much? Should we add something else? We might have too many photos but we've done so much together and with each other's families. Heck, the customs officers at the airport even ask my husband how we are doing and if we are filing soon. If only I could get a statement from them! Anyways, thank you for your advice!

Edited February 23, 2014 by Mandiimoose

[li_09 40]

Looks good.

I sent next to nothing - 2 letters from friends and our son's birth certificate.

Good luck ?

[Bonnie&Bob 33]

If you don't have his birth certificate they will send it back and reject your application. MOST important piece of info they want is the birth certificate. If you didn't send in a divorce decree or something they would start the process and later send an RFE (Request for Evidence) to get that paper. Without both of your birth certificates with the application they won't even bother to look at it and just reject it.

[Ryan H 3,897]

If you don't have his birth certificate they will send it back and reject your application. MOST important piece of info they want is the birth certificate. If you didn't send in a divorce decree or something they would start the process and later send an RFE (Request for Evidence) to get that paper. Without both of your birth certificates with the application they won't even bother to look at it and just reject it.

Just about everything written in this post is grossly incorrect. A petitioner's birth certificate is not required if the petitioner provides another acceptable means to establish US Citizenship, a complete copy of a US Passport (as the OP has) accomplishes this.

The beneficiary's birth certificate is not required until the file reaches the NVC. It is fair to say that during the time that local offices were adjudicating I-130's, they were using an old manual and issuing RFE's for the beneficiary's birth certificate. Now that the local offices appear to be out of the mix and the service centers are back in the mix, the beneficiary's birth certificate should no longer be necessary at initial petition submittal.