Questions re: I-130 Content/Cover Page and Table of Contents

[JessieABC 159]

My fiance and I are looking to start the I-130 process after our wedding in September and we chanced upon this amazing site. After reviewing much of the information, we have constructed our first draft of our I-130 packet and had a few questions for those who have recently gone through the process:

1. We are hoping to send in the packet via USPS Priority, certified with tracking and no signature. Has anyone experienced pains with them or would you suggest Express USPS to the physical location?
2. Is there any issue with sending in the packet right after marriage? He lives in England and I live in NY so we are hoping to start the process to start our lives together as early as possible but weren't sure if this is a USCIS red flag.
3. We don't have a lot of financial ties due to us living apart but we've added each other as beneficiaries to everything we could (see attached cover pages, section 2.5) and have also added each other to our credit cards as authorized users. Do you think this might be enough?
4. Per the USCIS website (https://www.uscis.gov/forms/paying-immigration-fees)%C2'> personal checks must have the " account holder’s address and phone number... pre-printed, typed or written in ink on the check" but my checks only have my address. Would this cause an issue for the I-130 fee?
5. Is there a suggested month (or deadline) to file before end of year? I am a US citizen so there's no wait but I'm new to this whole process and wasn't sure if there was a processing deadline for the year.
6. We have included a cover letter, and 2 pages for the table of contents - should I attached the check to the Cover Letter or the G1145 form and would it be ok to include the G1145 after the table of contents?

I've also attached our first few pages and were wondering if anyone could provide feedback or take a glance in case we've missed anything.

Any input would be highly appreciated and thank you in advance!

- Jessie

Supporting Docs for Relationship_redacted.pdf

[JFH 12,189]

Welcome. We are also a US/UK couple but the other way round (he's the American, I'm the Brit).

1. We used UPS to the PO Box address with tracking and signature. It's entirely up to you and what fits your budget.

2. No problem at all. Send the day you get the marriage certificate if you want.

3. That's normal that coupes living apart have no financial ties. We have listed each other as the sole beneficiary of our workplace pensions should either of us die whilst still employed. Having each other as additional cardholders on your credit card is good. I tried to do that here in the UK but they would not let me add my husband. If you can, do it.

4. No idea. We used a money order from US Bank.

5. Whenever you want. They accept applications every work day of the year. No deadlines or cut off dates. File whenever you are ready to file.

6. Makes no difference. When the package arrives at the lockbox it all gets pulled apart and reorganised the way they want it anyway. The check is removed and cashed pretty much immediately.

I looked at your table of contents. You don't need the beneficiaries birth certificate or passport copies at this stage, unless you want to show the stamps in the passport as evidence of travel. You don't need it for identification purposes at this stage.

You have a lot of evidence. Probably too much for an easygoing embassy like London. Definitely forget the affidavits. They are worthless in a case like yours. Also check your spelling - I noticed you wrote about a "renal cabin" instead of a "rental cabin". I didn't go into so much detail for my trips to my husband. I have been around 40 times but I just included a print-out of my I-94s from the website for my most recent and my previous passport, 10 photos, some messages and emails, cards from various people addressed to us both, a page from my hospital record last year when the neurologist wrote that he has spoken to my husband about my condition and the intended course of treatment and a copy of the police report from a minor car accident we were involved in while I was visiting where the officer wrote "Mr X and his wife, Mrs X, were leaving the parking lot..."

We were approved last week without an RFE.

Edited July 29, 2016 by JFH

[JessieABC 159]

JFH,

Thanks for the feedback! I definitely went a bit overboard but thought I could just flesh it out further for the latter CR1 process to save time.

Makes me feel a lot better to hear what others have gone through - much appreciated!