Just beginning process, quite confused

[FutureMrs 1]

Hello. I'm in Missouri, my fiance in England. Our wedding will be September 30th.

And then we start the filing process.

Any help would be appreciated.

It looks like OPTION 1 CR-1 / I-R1 Spouse Visa and I-30 Petition Guide is what we are to do.

I do not have an income (Disabled, bedridden, SSDI has not come through yet), so we have a joint sponsor who meets the income level necessary (by double, so no problem there... he is also my fiance's best man and a pastor friend).

THE ASSEMBLING OF THE I-130 PACKAGE:

1. Did anyone opt for the G-1145, and if so, the benefits of doing so, or if not, why not?

2. The cover letter. Does anyone have an example I can look at?

3. The passport type photo. It says that there are specifications, but when I click on the hyperlink, it shows a 404 error message. Can someone lead me to what the specifications are? And where to get these photos when he comes to America September 28 - October 10?

4. Evidence of a bonafide marriage. All we have under that list is a rental agreement. We are opting no joined bank account due to Social Security wait with the SSDI case for now. Should I also include sworn affidavits? If so, how many? And how is it done... just a letter or does it have to be notarized? Anyone have examples?

5. We have evidence that we have an ongoing relationship. Many, many pictures, emails from his parents, receipts of us going to dinner, his paying my internet bill, cards of congratulations on our engagement, money given to us for the wedding, emails of RSVP for the wedding, pictures of the actual engagement dinner, tons of Facebook notes to each other on open Facebook, and in private messages, lots of Skype stop where we talk anywhere from three hours to five hours a day since last year, lots of photos of me getting ready for the wedding trying on my dress, veil, etc. pictures of him here in America with my son, even video. Do I send any of that in and if so, what should I send and how much?

Don't want to inundate them. I also have a scrapbook put together But sending an entire scrapbook to them seems like a lot of information.

I'm going to try to make this my one thread to go back to in order to see any help I can get along the way and see progression.

Thanks for any help!

[avital 34]

1. it just means you will get notified faster. if you want to know what happens before you get a mail from them fill it up.

2. http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/How_Do_I_Bring_My_Spouse_%28Husband_or_Wife%29_to_Live_in_the_United_States%3F#Attachment_1_.E2.80.93_I-130_Cover_Sheet

3. i believe this is what youre referring to http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/general/photos.htmlyou can take them at any shop that does passport/visa pictures.

4-5. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/470423-proof-of-a-bonafide-marriage-for-cr1/
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/218775-bonafide-relationship/?p=3324240&hl=Rustic#entry3324240a

i am not familiar with CR-1 visa but i just searched for what i could. hopefully youll get some replies from more experienced people

Edited August 22, 2015 by avital

[FutureMrs 1]

Thank you so much. I will look at all of these links and study up. I already have one question after reading a little bit on the first link LOL so, I will compile a list of questions that maybe you and other people can help me with. Truly appreciated

[caly 48]

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

avital was on point with a lot of the information she provided.

3. You can also take them yourself as long as you you follow the guidelines on the link that was provided above. All you need is a camera and a white background and the ability to print 2x2inch photos.

4. I would get the affidavits notarized. The instructions say a "sworn affidavit". I'm not sure if that means it has to be notarized. It might not be needed, but I figure if it needs to be notarized, you're covered.. and it doesn't take a lot of effort to get it done.

5. It's really up to you as to how much proof you want to submit. Some people have sailed through without problems with just their wedding certificate and a couple of affidavits, while others (like us!) submitted quite a list of items including a few months of phone logs, a couple of pages of chat histories, 4 affidavits, photocopies of our passport entry stamps from flying to see each other, and a couple of pictures of us together or with family. Although, from what I know, digital evidence is not accepted so I would leave out the videos that you have.

Part of the decision as to how much evidence to submit is also based on which country the beneficiary is in. Beneficiaries from what the USCIS considers "high fraud" countries would obviously have to build a stronger case. In your case, I don't think England is considered such a country.

Keep in mind that USCIS will send a Request for Evidence (RFE) if they want to see more, so you'll still have a chance to give them what they want later on. However, this will, of course, further delay processing so most people hope that they never get an RFE!

Edited August 22, 2015 by caly

[Ryan H 3,790]

THE ASSEMBLING OF THE I-130 PACKAGE:

1. Did anyone opt for the G-1145, and if so, the benefits of doing so, or if not, why not?

2. The cover letter. Does anyone have an example I can look at?

3. The passport type photo. It says that there are specifications, but when I click on the hyperlink, it shows a 404 error message. Can someone lead me to what the specifications are? And where to get these photos when he comes to America September 28 - October 10?

4. Evidence of a bonafide marriage. All we have under that list is a rental agreement. We are opting no joined bank account due to Social Security wait with the SSDI case for now. Should I also include sworn affidavits? If so, how many? And how is it done... just a letter or does it have to be notarized? Anyone have examples?

5. We have evidence that we have an ongoing relationship. Many, many pictures, emails from his parents, receipts of us going to dinner, his paying my internet bill, cards of congratulations on our engagement, money given to us for the wedding, emails of RSVP for the wedding, pictures of the actual engagement dinner, tons of Facebook notes to each other on open Facebook, and in private messages, lots of Skype stop where we talk anywhere from three hours to five hours a day since last year, lots of photos of me getting ready for the wedding trying on my dress, veil, etc. pictures of him here in America with my son, even video. Do I send any of that in and if so, what should I send and how much?

Don't want to inundate them. I also have a scrapbook put together But sending an entire scrapbook to them seems like a lot of information.

I'm going to try to make this my one thread to go back to in order to see any help I can get along the way and see progression.

Thanks for any help!

Answers:

1. G-1145 is for electronic notification of receipt only. There is no advantage or disadvantage to submitting it (i.e. if you want to be notified electronically when your file is received, submit it). Additionally, once you receive electronic notification of receipt, then that's it for that form. You would need to sign up for any additional electronic updates from USCIS through their website.
2. There is nothing special about composing this. Simply right a brief explanation as to what your are submitting and provide a chronological order of items in the file.
3. Do a search for "passport photo dimensions" to receive the specifications. Many businesses will offer to take passport type photos.
4. Focus on evidence of time spent together in-person, that is your strongest evidence. Affidavits are not required and carry little to zero weight in the overall evaluation of a file. If you choose to include them, there is no set number but they should come from people who have interacted with you both as a couple on some level. Notarization is not required.
5. Don't send video, electronic media will not be viewed. For emails, Facebook, skype, etc., select a handful that spans the course of your relationship. As for pictures, the ones of you together in various locations and those with your son are useful, those of you trying on a wedding dress are worthless. Other things like emails of congratulations or wedding RSVP's are also worthless.

[NikLR 13,220]

Also don't send anything like a scrapbook. Keep pages to a standard size (letter or legal... I believe the UK equivalent is A4.) You can print photos out on regular paper. Make sure everything that doesn't require an original signature is a photocopy. Do not send original marriage certificates etc.