Questions about filling out I-130

[noumeno00 1]

I (US citizen) am filing an I-130 for my wife (Italian citizen) through the Naples Consulate due to exceptional circumstances (short-term job relocation in the US). I am still in Italy and will be in the US on December 1st. I have the first appointment at the consulate on November 21st where I need to bring the I-130, I-130A and all that other good stuff.

On the second page where it asks for Mailing Address and then later Physical Address, do I put my current address in Italy where I'm currently residing, or do I put the address I will be at once I arrive in the US? If the former,Should I be using the "In Care Of Name" section to name my wife in case mail arrives after I have left? Sounds like I'm overthinking this maybe.

Thank you in advance, this community has been invaluable for preparing us, not sure what would have happened if it didn't exist.

[Dashinka 26,255]

Personally, I would put your future address for the mailing address as well as Physical address 1.  Since you are filing this on paper, you can put a future date for Physical Address 1, then put your Italy address in the 2nd section.

 

Good Luck!

[noumeno00 1]

Thank you, I think I'm going to do that. Wow filling out the I-130 is more nerve wracking than I thought. Is it customary to have it reviewed by a lawyer to make sure there aren't mistakes?

[appleblossom 5,313]

1 hour ago, noumeno00 said:

Thank you, I think I'm going to do that. Wow filling out the I-130 is more nerve wracking than I thought. Is it customary to have it reviewed by a lawyer to make sure there aren't mistakes?

 

VJ is very much a DIY website, so most people don't use a lawyer, but you can of course ask the community if there is something you're not sure on. Are you using the guide/instructions for the I-130? Make sure you download those and use them in conjunction with the form.  

[TBoneTX 48,418]

As is wisely said here, your ability to read carefully, interpret instructions literally, and answer/respond completely and honestly is your ticket to success in this infernal legal-immigration process.

[noumeno00 1]

Hi all I (petitioner) have my first appointment at the consulate later this month. My wife (beneficiary) is thinking about quitting her job so that she doesn't have to stick around more than necessary once she gets her visa since she has a 2 month notice period. She's getting cold feet though as she's scared that if we get denied she'll be without a job. Does anybody know what the success rate is? If we fill out the I-130 correctly and bring all the necessary documentation isn't it virtually a guarantee? I know the safest option obviously is quitting job after getting the visa, but I've never read a story of someone getting rejected other than for very obvious reasons, how big of a gamble is it really?

 

EDIT: Just to be clear the consulate has accepted the exceptional circumstances and I know have to bring the I-130 + docs.

Edited Tuesday at 03:47 PM by noumeno00
missing context

[Crazy Cat 45,752]

***Similar topics merged***

[appleblossom 5,313]

1 hour ago, noumeno00 said:

My wife (beneficiary) is thinking about quitting her job so that she doesn't have to stick around more than necessary once she gets her visa since she has a 2 month notice period. She's getting cold feet though as she's scared that if we get denied she'll be without a job. Does anybody know what the success rate is? If we fill out the I-130 correctly and bring all the necessary documentation isn't it virtually a guarantee?

 

The visa being granted is one thing, but the time it takes to get that visa after the interview is another. Admin Processing can sometimes take months or even years. Is she Italian? If she is, and no links to higher fraud countries, and nothing else in her background that might raise a red flag, then hopefully a long AP isn't likely.

 

I still would never quit a job until I had the visa in hand personally. But it may be different for you it would be ok if she wasn't able to work for a chunk of time - if financially you'd be ok then maybe she could take the risk.

 

Good luck. 

Edited Tuesday at 05:33 PM by appleblossom

[Dashinka 26,255]

I agree, she can always give adequate notice once the visa is in hand.

 

Good Luck!

[noumeno00 1]

5 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

The visa being granted is one thing, but the time it takes to get that visa after the interview is another. Admin Processing can sometimes take months or even years. Is she Italian? If she is, and no links to higher fraud countries, and nothing else in her background that might raise a red flag, then hopefully a long AP isn't likely.

 

I still would never quit a job until I had the visa in hand personally. But it may be different for you it would be ok if she wasn't able to work for a chunk of time - if financially you'd be ok then maybe she could take the risk.

 

Good luck. 

I've never seen anyone share admin processing longer than a week or two. She is Italian, absolutely no links to higher fraud countries or any other red flag things, super straightforward case. We would be fine financially if she had to spend a month or two waiting for the visa, as long as we're almost certain that the visa is coming ^^'. Again, we are assuming that if we fill out the forms correctly, and given our clear case, the visa is practically guaranteed. Please someone tell us if the assumption is incorrect! As far as I know there's nothing that could lead to a rejection, like for example country quotas that might have already been reached or stuff like that, right?

[appleblossom 5,313]

2 minutes ago, noumeno00 said:

I've never seen anyone share admin processing longer than a week or two. She is Italian, absolutely no links to higher fraud countries or any other red flag things, super straightforward case. We would be fine financially if she had to spend a month or two waiting for the visa, as long as we're almost certain that the visa is coming ^^'. Again, we are assuming that if we fill out the forms correctly, and given our clear case, the visa is practically guaranteed. Please someone tell us if the assumption is incorrect! As far as I know there's nothing that could lead to a rejection, like for example country quotas that might have already been reached or stuff like that, right?

 

Plenty of people on the forum have spent months/years in AP. But it's rare for a 'safe' country like Italy (not saying it could never happen though). It's more common for somebody from somewhere like Pakistan or Iran.

 

If you could only manage a month or two waiting for the visa before things got tight, I would strongly recommend she waits for the visa in hand before she hands her notice in. 

 

Best of luck. 

[noumeno00 1]

On 11/5/2025 at 1:02 PM, Dashinka said:

Personally, I would put your future address for the mailing address as well as Physical address 1.  Since you are filing this on paper, you can put a future date for Physical Address 1, then put your Italy address in the 2nd section.

 

Good Luck!

Hmm I read opposite guidance by @appleblossom in this thread: 

I'm not sure anymore, maybe my physical address 1 and mailing address should be my current Italian address. I'm sure I will share my future US address as part of the documentation that proves that I intend to establish domicile in the US. Doesn't that make more sense?