Initial submission of 129F

[Brookie2Pies 0]

Hey there. I am planning to mail my application tomorrow 4/22/2020

I am hoping for some additional feedback before mailing my file off. 

 

I am located about 1 hour north of Detroit my fiancee is Cuban. Will my application to to California or Vermont? I understand that the pandemic may work out as both a blessing (I have had time to finally complete our application and get it mailed out) and a curse delays in processing. Now that we are 30 days into Covid19 here in the US are we seeing decreased processing times? 

 

We are front loading our application with affidavits from friends, plane tickets (4 trips in the last 12 months), his translated birth certificate, text messages, whats app call records, wedding announcement + receipt for my wedding dress (and a photo) and photos us us with family and friends in Cuba. 

 

Should I be including anything else? 

 

Should I separate my supporting documents by trip? as in:

 

trip 1 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

trip 2 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

trip 3 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

trip 4 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

 

Or should I group things by type: all boarding passes, all Air BnB, all photos

 

What order of supporting documents would be best? 

 

Anything else I should be considering? 

 

5/9/2020 we met in Cuba while I was on vacation 

7/3/2020 I returned to Cuba, spent 2 weeks and we decided to get married

11/16 I returned to Cuba for another 2 weeks 

2/16 I returned for another 2 week trip

I had a trip booked this month, but rescheduled for May, obviously my may trip is rescheduled.

 

 

[NoMansLand2020 298]

9 minutes ago, Brookie2Pies said:

Hey there. I am planning to mail my application tomorrow 4/22/2020

I am hoping for some additional feedback before mailing my file off. 

 

I am located about 1 hour north of Detroit my fiancee is Cuban. Will my application to to California or Vermont? I understand that the pandemic may work out as both a blessing (I have had time to finally complete our application and get it mailed out) and a curse delays in processing. Now that we are 30 days into Covid19 here in the US are we seeing decreased processing times? 

 

We are front loading our application with affidavits from friends, plane tickets (4 trips in the last 12 months), his translated birth certificate, text messages, whats app call records, wedding announcement + receipt for my wedding dress (and a photo) and photos us us with family and friends in Cuba. 

 

Should I be including anything else? 

 

Should I separate my supporting documents by trip? as in:

 

trip 1 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

trip 2 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

trip 3 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

trip 4 - boarding pass + air BnB + dining receipts + photos

 

Or should I group things by type: all boarding passes, all Air BnB, all photos

 

What order of supporting documents would be best? 

 

Anything else I should be considering? 

 

5/9/2020 we met in Cuba while I was on vacation 

7/3/2020 I returned to Cuba, spent 2 weeks and we decided to get married

11/16 I returned to Cuba for another 2 weeks 

2/16 I returned for another 2 week trip

I had a trip booked this month, but rescheduled for May, obviously my may trip is rescheduled.

 

 

All petitions go to CSC in California. You seem to have included a ton of stuff you do not need. Why the birth certificate? You don't need chat or call logs for the I129f. They are only wanting proof that you have met at least once in a two year period. 

 

It would be more organized if you separated documents for each trip. At least that is my opinion.  I created a table of contents for my submission.

 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Solaris81

[Just Paul 4,591]

3 minutes ago, Brookie2Pies said:

Will my application to to California or Vermont?

All go to California unless there is a VAWA or other issue.

 

Looks pretty complete.  I'd leave out the wedding invitation and dress.  You wouldn't want someone to think you were already married.

 

[Brookie2Pies 0]

"You seem to have included a ton of stuff you do not need. Why the birth certificate? You don't need chat or call logs for the I129f

 

It would be more organized if you separated documents for each trip. At least that is my opinion.  I created a table of contents for my submission."

 

Hey thanks that's helpful! The immigration attorney I saw a while ago wanted me to start collecting these things. she suggested 6-10 letters and up to 4 pages of chat/whatsapp logs in addition to documents proving my travels to Cuba. Do you think that stuff is unnecessary? 

 

The wedding dress receipt is dated 4/17/2020 and the invite mockup from a bridal studio is dated for June 2021, obviously we understand that we will have to be flexible on our dates. you think that is a bad idea to include? 

 

I've been staring down the Vermont service times for the last 6 months fretting that it might take 2 years...

[aphr0dite 22]

When I submitted my petition I grouped items based on each trip (i.e. boarding passes, hotel receipts, etc.). However, I kept the photos in a separate stack and wrote the date, location, and who was in the photo on the back. 

 

31 minutes ago, Paul & Mary said:

All go to California unless there is a VAWA or other issue.

 

Looks pretty complete.  I'd leave out the wedding invitation and dress.  You wouldn't want someone to think you were already married.

 

I was thinking the same. I would stick to using terms like "engagement" and "proposal" rather than "wedding" or "married". Most people have the common sense to see those things are all future plans, but you don't want to give them any reason to get confused.

[Duke Alfonse III 0]

Hey Brook2Pies,

 

I am practically in the same boat as you having submitted my I-129F documents recently. The whole process is can be overwhelming with a wealth of info on the internet. I had help from friends (from Brazil) who have successfully filed and been living happily married together in the USA. They reviewed my submission before I mailed just to catch anything minor that I may have missed.

 

Because the span of your relationship is so short, you may want to include the texts/emails, etc. to prove legitimacy of the relationship. Due to covid-19 delays, I would submit it in hopes of preventing Request for Evidence (RFE).

 

1. I highly suggest that you include a cover page and then organize your document submission according to it. An example has been attached. Alter it to suit your needs. 
2. Also, this guide line helped me out in terms of organization about submissions:  https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/form-filing-tips
   • Take aways:
     • the page numbering system for each document in the page x of x format (i.e.: page 3 of 22 so that if the pages somehow get separated, the reviewer can easily put them back together).
     • Also, the inclusion of your name, A-number on each attachment.
     • The order in which to assemble the document is important.

 

Good luck.

I-129F Sample Cover Letter.doc

[Just Paul 4,591]

Don't forget to include the signed letter of intent for each of you.

[NoMansLand2020 298]

59 minutes ago, Duke Alfonse III said:

Hey Brook2Pies,

 

I am practically in the same boat as you having submitted my I-129F documents recently. The whole process is can be overwhelming with a wealth of info on the internet. I had help from friends (from Brazil) who have successfully filed and been living happily married together in the USA. They reviewed my submission before I mailed just to catch anything minor that I may have missed.

 

Because the span of your relationship is so short, you may want to include the texts/emails, etc. to prove legitimacy of the relationship. Due to covid-19 delays, I would submit it in hopes of preventing Request for Evidence (RFE).

 

1. I highly suggest that you include a cover page and then organize your document submission according to it. An example has been attached. Alter it to suit your needs. 
2. Also, this guide line helped me out in terms of organization about submissions:  https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/form-filing-tips
   • Take aways:
     • the page numbering system for each document in the page x of x format (i.e.: page 3 of 22 so that if the pages somehow get separated, the reviewer can easily put them back together).
     • Also, the inclusion of your name, A-number on each attachment.
     • The order in which to assemble the document is important.

 

Good luck.

I-129F Sample Cover Letter.doc 26.5 kB · 1 download

The I-29F is only looking for a meeting in the past two years, not legitimacy of the relationship. That part you will deal with at the interview. It's unnecessary to send all the extra documents. Your four trips should be enough to prove your relationship. 

 

Still dont know why you are sending a birth certificate from the fiance. It's not needed at this stage. 

 

Here is a good guide to follow:

 

https://www.visajourney.com/guides/k1-fiance-visa/

Edited April 21, 2020 by Solaris81

[SalishSea 16,774]

OP, you are likely to see extended processing delays for a fiancee visa submitted now, due to COVID19, as well as possibly the new executive order.  For the past month, there have been no K-1 (or other immigrant/non-immigrant) interviews occurring at consulates/embassies anywhere in the world.

 

I know it is fun to plan a wedding, but I strongly advise against doing things like invitations/save the date/venue deposits etc.  That type of planning doesn't really work for K-1 under normal circumstances, and it definitely could backfire now.  

 

If things must be planned out, a CR-1 visa is the better choice.

[MJ&YY 124]

4 hours ago, Brookie2Pies said:

I am located about 1 hour north of Detroit my fiancee is Cuban. Will my application to to California or Vermont?

Just for the sake of completeness - you mail it to the USCIS Dallas lockbox, and then it gets routed to California after they scan some things and whatnot.

Edited April 22, 2020 by MJ&YY