I just started the i-129F form and have some clarifying questions

[MetallicDog142 0]

For background, I've been in a relationship with a girl from Thailand for 6 years. We're 1-year apart (29 and 30). We met when I went there to teach from 2016-2018. Then I had to go home and we were unable to meet for 4 years until 2022 (due to Covid and taking summer classes...I'm a teacher so I can only visit summers). During this recent trip, we decided to get engaged and file for the K1.

 

Honestly, I am a bit overwhelmed - I just started the i-129F form and I'm confused, but likely overthinking. I did use the search, but just want to clarify.

 

1. Address History - it says to list all addresses the last 5 years, including those abroad. That would include my Thai address from 2017, but I don't know if this is official? Like I kept my parent's address (where I was living before I left), still voted at home. I did file taxes while abroad and get the exemption because I didn't make enough, but I don't know if I used my Thai address for that so I don't know if it's even on file. Will that matter?

 

2. Date History - how accurate do all the dates need to be (residences, employment, etc.)? I'm not sure the exact dates of employment. I also was a substitute teacher for 3 districts during the year 2018-2019. I will list all of them of course, but I really don't know the dates I got hired at each, just rough estimates. Will that be okay?

 

3. NONE of the Thai addresses fit onto the standard address and there are a lot of address spaces. I was going to write See Attached at Part 8, section __ for each. Is that normal to have literally ALL addresses at the back?

 

4. Section 54 - "describe the circumstances of your in-person meeting...attach evidence to demonstrate that you were in each other's physical presence during the required two-year period." This seems to literally ask for evidence of meeting within 2 years. But I've read you should frontload the I-129F with evidence of your entire relationship, as that is what the officer will have at the interview. Should I also include details (concise, but quality) of the history of our relationship....like how we were together for almost 2 years in 2016-2018 (with pics), history of our LDR (call/chat logs/screenshots of video calls) of 4 years and why we couldn't meet, and then the meeting this summer? Or is front-loading not necessary/recommended?

 

Thanks all! Love this page and I'm really looking forward to the day where I can contribute rather than ask for help. I'm sure I'm overthinking these, but I really want to make sure all goes well the first time with all the delays.

[Maki&Kiki 123]

1. It asks for ALL addresses, so put Thai address too.

2. Put estimates 

3. You can try to type or hand write in space given, if you can’t then use that extra sheet for additional info~
4. In that section you write circumstances of meeting within 2 years, using couple of sentences. You can mention that relationship started in xxxx year, or that you have been dating since xxxx. You can mention how many times you have met in real since then and then briefly describe what happened durning last visit (when, how long you stayed, etc.)

 

For i129F petition they only want evidence for 1 meeting that happened 2 years prior petition (boarding pass, passport stamps, hotel receipt showing both names etc. ) In general fiancé brings the rest of evidence of relationship to interview. BUT some people choose to front load petition because their fiancé is from high risk country or some embassies don’t look into additional evidence that you bring. It’s up to you to decide after you do your research. We personally did front load (we printed on a4 paper pics from prior visits, boarding passes/passport stamps from all visits, we included 5 pages of chat screenshots…) but in our case was not needed, since CO at Belgrade embassy allowed me to show additional evidence that i brought, and since we had one more visit after filling petition he asked to see new pictures~

[AustinD 0]

We lived a digital nomad life for about 6 years and had a couple dozen addresses. I listed every single one with estimates of the dates on an extra sheet. Given that they could see your travel history through your passport number, you want to account for your whereabouts while you were abroad. 

 

The common advice is to front load with relationship evidence. Including extra evidence can't really hurt. Since we were physically together for years prior to filing, much of our evidence was passport stamp copies. But we also included photos of us together over the years, including photos together with our families.

[Kai&Mac 11]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:38 PM, MetallicDog142 said:

3. NONE of the Thai addresses fit onto the standard address and there are a lot of address spaces. I was going to write See Attached at Part 8, section __ for each. Is that normal to have literally ALL addresses at the back?

I am in almost the EXACT situation as you are, same ages, same meeting circumstances, we also just applied for the visa, Are you me?

Anyway, since Japanese addresses are also lengthy... Yes, most of my address are listed on the part 8, I used 3 part 8s for information such as employment history, native alphabet address, and even my U.S. based addresses for the recent places I have lived while also having moved back to the states. It's better with more room. Also I find the experience of opening up the I-129F document to be different when opening it up using Adobe reader vs an Internet browser such as Edge, or Chrome. One of those options always restricted me from inputting Symbols. So stupid.

 

For the I-129F Here are some things to remember:
- Look at the date of the file for its expiration on the top-right of the first page. The I-129F is updated sometimes, so make sure you have the right one.
- Using Sticky Notes are Ok but, I wouldn't over do it. Use them to explain context or to point to a different area of your application packet.

- Use as many Part 8s as you want

- SIGN THE FORM!!!!!!!!!!!, on page (something, can't remember) there is a place for you to sign and date. That is important. Sign with PEN.
- DO NOT skip any question, if it doesn't apply, answer "No" or N/A, you really can't leave anything blank. Even with the last few pages relating to your criminal history and Form Translator stuff. Comb through and make sure everything has been addressed.
- Make sure your dates line up, that can be tricky since you bounce between the Part8s but, remember to include Dates (Start) & (End) for every address and job on the Part8 addresses. Be precise and be careful, I checked mine at the last minute and noticed one of my Start Dates was wrong and conflicted with another, it is a pain but, you don't want to give the immigration officer a chance to fail you for something small.

- Back up everything you do, print it out and have someone check it.

- Get your parent's info and your fiance's parent's information correct. Your fiance may be asked these questions at a later date.

- The questions that begin at 50.a. are really strange why they make you repeat your address history but do those too on Part 8 all the way back until 5 years of past has been covered

- The question titled "Consular Processing Information" (62.a) is very important, you will put the country where your foreign fiance resides, and choose the city that has the U.S. embassy in it where k1 visa interviews take place. Do your research on the forums here to see where people are doing that in her country. For example: My fiance is Filipino but, she RESIDES in Japan, so our answer to this question would be either Osaka, Japan or Tokyo, Japan. Now since the Osaka embassy does not do K1 visa interviews, we had to choose Tokyo, Japan.

- Question 54 is a big one, I wrote a couple sentences here about our recent meeting (HAS to be within the past 2 years) and you will want good evidence for the meeting as well. Not just photos. But, the last sentence in Question 54 asks the reader to look at my Supplement to this question found later in the packet. So My application is laid out like from start to finish: Cover Page with Table of Contents, Form G-1145, I-129F, Passport Style Photos, (Have her get on this to send to you and follow U.S. govt. passport rules), I-129F Supplement: Page 8, Part 2 - Question 54, Then behind that form which has two paragraphs detailing our recent trip together and what activities we got up to such as meeting the family and traveling to various places, etc... is a new table of contents for the next section of the packet which is my evidence, then of of course I include my evidence which I have listed out for you to read if you click the "timeline" link under my profile name to the left of this post, then my birth certificate (work on this if you don't know where yours is), Letters of Intent to Marry from both people (Get her to type one out, sign it, and sent it to you along with, boarding passes, evidence, photos if she has any, and her passport style photos, and lastly we have a section dedicated to our past, our engagement, our current LDR. You should definitely include pictures from 2017, 2018, etc... pictures of you guys out back in Thailand, anything relating to your engagement if you've got it.

 

Message me if you need any help!
 

[MetallicDog142 0]

1 hour ago, Kai&Mac said:

I am in almost the EXACT situation as you are, same ages, same meeting circumstances, we also just applied for the visa, Are you me?
 

Thanks a ton for the post! It's interesting how we have similar paths!

 

I love your reminders about taking great care in the application, especially in regards to skipping questions, signatures, and ensuring precision. I'm planning on proofreading multiple times on multiple days before sending it in just to make sure it's all accurate.

 

For proof of meeting, I've created a small narrative describing what we did and the dates. I have boarding passes, passport stamps, hotel reservations, credit card statement, an email between my parents that acknowledges I went to Thailand that mentions my partner, and of course photos that show us with descriptions. Unfortunately, we didn't take many photos with family, despite spending nearly a week with them. So I have one photo of me giving something to her mom (which matches my credit card statement), a photo at her father's school (but no father), and a photo with one of my former colleagues and partner and an associate Facebook post he made about my return. I'm hopeful that's enough, but I'm a bit worried about the lack of photos with family. I'll also include a section of our time together and the LDR segment, though we won't make it crazy long, just enough to show that we are genuine.

 

My fear on the addresses is that the addresses in her country don't follow the same format. For example, on my form it lists the categories like this:

a. Street Number and Name: _____

b. Apt/Ste/Flr __________

c. City or Town _______

d. State __

e. Zip Code _____

f. Province ______

g. Postal Code ______

h. Country ______

 

When you added the addresses in Part 8, did you follow the format above, or did you write the addresses as meant to be written? I'm sure Japan addresses don't necessarily follow that smooth format either. For example, Thai addresses are written in different orders and have a sub-district and district before the city and province, so the format wouldn't allow for an accurate address to spit out, but maybe the USCIS officer has to input the addresses that way. Curious how you submitted.

[Kai&Mac 11]

3 minutes ago, MetallicDog142 said:

Thanks a ton for the post! It's interesting how we have similar paths!

 

I love your reminders about taking great care in the application, especially in regards to skipping questions, signatures, and ensuring precision. I'm planning on proofreading multiple times on multiple days before sending it in just to make sure it's all accurate.

 

For proof of meeting, I've created a small narrative describing what we did and the dates. I have boarding passes, passport stamps, hotel reservations, credit card statement, an email between my parents that acknowledges I went to Thailand that mentions my partner, and of course photos that show us with descriptions. Unfortunately, we didn't take many photos with family, despite spending nearly a week with them. So I have one photo of me giving something to her mom (which matches my credit card statement), a photo at her father's school (but no father), and a photo with one of my former colleagues and partner and an associate Facebook post he made about my return. I'm hopeful that's enough, but I'm a bit worried about the lack of photos with family. I'll also include a section of our time together and the LDR segment, though we won't make it crazy long, just enough to show that we are genuine.

 

My fear on the addresses is that the addresses in her country don't follow the same format. For example, on my form it lists the categories like this:

a. Street Number and Name: _____

b. Apt/Ste/Flr __________

c. City or Town _______

d. State __

e. Zip Code _____

f. Province ______

g. Postal Code ______

h. Country ______

 

When you added the addresses in Part 8, did you follow the format above, or did you write the addresses as meant to be written? I'm sure Japan addresses don't necessarily follow that smooth format either. For example, Thai addresses are written in different orders and have a sub-district and district before the city and province, so the format wouldn't allow for an accurate address to spit out, but maybe the USCIS officer has to input the addresses that way. Curious how you submitted.

Just write them as best as they match, the same is true for most countries, you don't need to label it all either, you could at least label province, city, and country

[Chancy 6,233]

16 hours ago, Kai&Mac said:

Look at the date of the file for its expiration on the top-right of the first page.

 

The OMB expiration date on the top-right corner of the form does NOT matter.  It is a date internal to the federal government and irrelevant to petitioners.  What matters is the edition date at the bottom-left corner of the form.  Use only the form edition on the official USCIS page -- https://www.uscis.gov/i-129f

 

16 hours ago, Kai&Mac said:

The question titled "Consular Processing Information" (62.a) is very important

 

Not really important.  Regardless of whatever consulate you select in this section, NVC will most likely assign the case to the default consulate based on the beneficiary's current physical address.  For beneficiaries residing in Japan, the default consulate is Tokyo.  Those who want to interview at Naha may have to request case transfer.

 

[Papa knii 0]

On 8/18/2022 at 12:05 AM, Kai&Mac said:

I am in almost the EXACT situation as you are, same ages, same meeting circumstances, we also just applied for the visa, Are you me?

Anyway, since Japanese addresses are also lengthy... Yes, most of my address are listed on the part 8, I used 3 part 8s for information such as employment history, native alphabet address, and even my U.S. based addresses for the recent places I have lived while also having moved back to the states. It's better with more room. Also I find the experience of opening up the I-129F document to be different when opening it up using Adobe reader vs an Internet browser such as Edge, or Chrome. One of those options always restricted me from inputting Symbols. So stupid.

 

For the I-129F Here are some things to remember:
- Look at the date of the file for its expiration on the top-right of the first page. The I-129F is updated sometimes, so make sure you have the right one.
- Using Sticky Notes are Ok but, I wouldn't over do it. Use them to explain context or to point to a different area of your application packet.

- Use as many Part 8s as you want

- SIGN THE FORM!!!!!!!!!!!, on page (something, can't remember) there is a place for you to sign and date. That is important. Sign with PEN.
- DO NOT skip any question, if it doesn't apply, answer "No" or N/A, you really can't leave anything blank. Even with the last few pages relating to your criminal history and Form Translator stuff. Comb through and make sure everything has been addressed.
- Make sure your dates line up, that can be tricky since you bounce between the Part8s but, remember to include Dates (Start) & (End) for every address and job on the Part8 addresses. Be precise and be careful, I checked mine at the last minute and noticed one of my Start Dates was wrong and conflicted with another, it is a pain but, you don't want to give the immigration officer a chance to fail you for something small.

- Back up everything you do, print it out and have someone check it.

- Get your parent's info and your fiance's parent's information correct. Your fiance may be asked these questions at a later date.

- The questions that begin at 50.a. are really strange why they make you repeat your address history but do those too on Part 8 all the way back until 5 years of past has been covered

- The question titled "Consular Processing Information" (62.a) is very important, you will put the country where your foreign fiance resides, and choose the city that has the U.S. embassy in it where k1 visa interviews take place. Do your research on the forums here to see where people are doing that in her country. For example: My fiance is Filipino but, she RESIDES in Japan, so our answer to this question would be either Osaka, Japan or Tokyo, Japan. Now since the Osaka embassy does not do K1 visa interviews, we had to choose Tokyo, Japan.

- Question 54 is a big one, I wrote a couple sentences here about our recent meeting (HAS to be within the past 2 years) and you will want good evidence for the meeting as well. Not just photos. But, the last sentence in Question 54 asks the reader to look at my Supplement to this question found later in the packet. So My application is laid out like from start to finish: Cover Page with Table of Contents, Form G-1145, I-129F, Passport Style Photos, (Have her get on this to send to you and follow U.S. govt. passport rules), I-129F Supplement: Page 8, Part 2 - Question 54, Then behind that form which has two paragraphs detailing our recent trip together and what activities we got up to such as meeting the family and traveling to various places, etc... is a new table of contents for the next section of the packet which is my evidence, then of of course I include my evidence which I have listed out for you to read if you click the "timeline" link under my profile name to the left of this post, then my birth certificate (work on this if you don't know where yours is), Letters of Intent to Marry from both people (Get her to type one out, sign it, and sent it to you along with, boarding passes, evidence, photos if she has any, and her passport style photos, and lastly we have a section dedicated to our past, our engagement, our current LDR. You should definitely include pictures from 2017, 2018, etc... pictures of you guys out back in Thailand, anything relating to your engagement if you've got it.

 

Message me if you need any help!
 

Please do I need to fill the i129f online leave the signature and date option, print it and sign with a pen Or just print the blank sheet use a pen to fill out then sign and date it. I need that clarification. Thank you

[arken 4,197]

2 hours ago, Papa knii said:

Please do I need to fill the i129f online leave the signature and date option, print it and sign with a pen Or just print the blank sheet use a pen to fill out then sign and date it. I need that clarification. Thank you

You are free to do either way. As long as the signature is not digital, it's all good.

[Papa knii 0]

5 hours ago, arken said:

You are free to do either way. As long as the signature is not digital, it's all good.

Alright thank you so much