I-751 Packet Assembly Question

[Ladybug13 3]

Hi everyone,

 

I know this has been asked a lot BUT no one has posted recently so I was hoping some recent filers who got their extension letter could help out?

 

When you sent in the packet:

 

1. Did you use sticky tabs for the bottom of the page to indicate "exhibit A" per the cover letter with table of contents? (The directions on USCIS used to say you could for lockbox submissions, but now they seem to be gone)

2. Did you use a big clip to hold the packet together?

3. Did you ship it in an envelope or box?  Our packet is HUGE, so I feel like we will need to ship a USPS document mailing box. 

 

Thank you in advance!

[TBoneTX 47,340]

1.   You can use them.

2.  You may, or large rubber band.  Avoid stapling and bunches of small paper-clips, if possible.

3.  Get it there by any means.  Just put "ORIGINAL I-751" in big letters on the box or mailing-label.

Edited Sunday at 04:42 AM by TBoneTX

[TedsGirl 232]

I just put everything in an envelope, in order, with the check on top of my cover letter, outlining all in the packet and used FedEx to get it to the lockbox.

 

All the best to you!

[Daphne . 2,045]

5 hours ago, Ladybug13 said:

Hi everyone,

 

I know this has been asked a lot BUT no one has posted recently so I was hoping some recent filers who got their extension letter could help out?

 

When you sent in the packet:

 

1. Did you use sticky tabs for the bottom of the page to indicate "exhibit A" per the cover letter with table of contents? (The directions on USCIS used to say you could for lockbox submissions, but now they seem to be gone)

2. Did you use a big clip to hold the packet together?

3. Did you ship it in an envelope or box?  Our packet is HUGE, so I feel like we will need to ship a USPS document mailing box. 

 

Thank you in advance!

Even though it is of course great that you have a lot of evidence, but if your packet is HUGE are you not sending repetitive evidence? 
 

I just stacked my papers and put them in an envelope. 

[Ladybug13 3]

5 hours ago, Daphne . said:

Even though it is of course great that you have a lot of evidence, but if your packet is HUGE are you not sending repetitive evidence? 
 

I just stacked my papers and put them in an envelope. 

So our lease documents for the past two years are really big, like 50 pages each. Our state has very large lease contracts. And our photo evidence is quite long due to everything having to be one sided. That’s why it’s a pretty huge stack. We don’t have any repeated evidence, the photo evidence was partially submitted in my husbands I-130 but on VJ it seems a lot of people include photos from the start of marriage until present when submitting for ROC. 

[Stubmeister 33]

I did what 'Tedsgirl' did. Placed a cover letter outlining what all was included. Check was placed at the top of the letter with a paper 'clamp.' This has been the procedure for all communications with USCIS. When I first sent information in, it was just our tax returns and proof she was on my healthplan. When I received an RFE, I gave them as much evidence as I could pack together, (about a reams worth of documents). When we had our interview to remove conditions 2 weeks ago, I took with us the past 3 years of tax returns, court order of the adoption of our daughter by me, and current medical issues. I submitted the I-751 in November of 2022 and the removal of conditions didn't happen until this month so be patient!

[Ctechz 3]

13 hours ago, Ladybug13 said:

Hi everyone,

 

I know this has been asked a lot BUT no one has posted recently so I was hoping some recent filers who got their extension letter could help out?

 

When you sent in the packet:

 

1. Did you use sticky tabs for the bottom of the page to indicate "exhibit A" per the cover letter with table of contents? (The directions on USCIS used to say you could for lockbox submissions, but now they seem to be gone)

2. Did you use a big clip to hold the packet together?

3. Did you ship it in an envelope or box?  Our packet is HUGE, so I feel like we will need to ship a USPS document mailing box. 

 

Thank you in advance!

Every packet we submitted were accepted with no issues up to finished stage.

 

A regular normal quality slim/medium Binder is the easiest way to do it and shipped in a box closes to the binder dimension.

 

no clips, no extra stuff. just the binder with documents inserted. Just make sure your payment, cover letter and electronic notification form are at the front.

[OldUser 9,508]

8 minutes ago, Ctechz said:

Every packet we submitted were accepted with no issues up to finished stage.

 

A regular normal quality slim/medium Binder is the easiest way to do it and shipped in a box closes to the binder dimension.

 

no clips, no extra stuff. just the binder with documents inserted. Just make sure your payment, cover letter and electronic notification form are at the front.

USCIS specifically asks NOT to use binders:

• Please do not submit evidence using digital media, photo albums, scrapbooks, or binders. We cannot process them and will return them to you.

Source: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/tips-for-filing-forms-by-mail

 

Submitting cases in binders slows down everybody as USCIS has limited resources. Somebody will have to be taking these pages out of binder. Doesn't seem like a lot of work, maybe 1-2 minutes extra to do it per case. But if thousands of people send evidence in undesired format, this translates to hours and days of extra work for USCIS collectively. These hours would be better used for other tasks then opening improperly assembled packets.

Edited Sunday at 05:39 PM by OldUser

[Ctechz 3]

46 minutes ago, OldUser said:

USCIS specifically asks NOT to use binders:

• Please do not submit evidence using digital media, photo albums, scrapbooks, or binders. We cannot process them and will return them to you.

Source: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/tips-for-filing-forms-by-mail

 

Submitting cases in binders slows down everybody as USCIS has limited resources. Somebody will have to be taking these pages out of binder. Doesn't seem like a lot of work, maybe 1-2 minutes extra to do it per case. But if thousands of people send evidence in undesired format, this translates to hours and days of extra work for USCIS collectively. These hours would be better used for other tasks then opening improperly assembled packets.

Well, i don't know what type of binder USCIS is speaking of in that source, but they never return ours from k1 to i-751 and we were accepted and gotten extension letter in just days.. well, i guess to be on the save side for others,, don't use binder.

[OldUser 9,508]

5 minutes ago, Ctechz said:

Well, i don't know what type of binder USCIS is speaking of in that source, but they never return ours from k1 to i-751 and we were accepted and gotten extension letter in just days.. well, i guess to be on the save side for others,, don't use binder.

I also find strange the page saying they'd return it. I think they meant to say they won't return it.

[Sam Burns 194]

4 hours ago, Ladybug13 said:

So our lease documents for the past two years are really big, like 50 pages each.

That’s just too much, I’d just include the page or two with both names on it

[OldUser 9,508]

2 minutes ago, Sam Burns said:

That’s just too much, I’d just include the page or two with both names on it

And get RFE? Full docs to be provided. Anything partial has potential for RFE and delays.

[Ladybug13 3]

Thank you everyone for your help!

 

It looks like I should:

 

1. Include ALL evidence even if it is long like full lease documents

2. not use any sticky tabs

3. make sure table of contents in cover letter is accurate

4. use a big clamp or rubber band to hold everything together

5. if I can fit it into an envelope at the post office, do it or just ship it via a document box

 

Thank you everyone for your help!

[TBoneTX 47,340]

On 6/21/2025 at 11:18 PM, TBoneTX said:

put "ORIGINAL I-751" in big letters on the box or mailing-label

And this.

[Fr8dog 337]

check on top, than a table of content page then the package

I used marked post-it notes as dividers. 

Slit the whole thing in an envelope. 

No way I would sent 50 pages of a lease contract. I had the minimum of "evidence" included. car insurance, medical insurance, phone plan, school emergency contact forms for the step kids and a few other odds and ends. They still managed to loose that so I send the same stuff again.