Newlywed and Entering the Frightening world of bureaucracy...

[Techbrarian 0]

Hello eveyone -

My husband Metodi and I were married in Bulgaria this December and now that I am back in the US I am working on filling out these damnable forms. We were sadly under the impression that this would not take as long as it seems to take from reading many of your signatures. I'm assuming that filing an I-130 and the G325a is sufficient and that filling all the extra for the K3 or whatever might be superflous. I'd love for anyone to tell me their opinon on this or to tell me how long it took for them if they followed this route vs. the K3. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing and I have to wait for Metodi to mail me his G325a and some affidavits from his family so that I can send this mess off in the first place. I just wish we had known how complicated this was beforehand and we might have just waited for a fiance visa and gotten married here. At least then we could have stayed in each other's company afterward.

Also if anyone knows what exactly this 'J. Any other relevant documentation to establish that there is an ongoing marital union.' might be considered, I'd love to know. We have hordes of correspondence and skype messages including recorded conversations. I just want to begin this as soon as possible so that we can see each other again as soon as possible. We are far from rich. I am a grad student and he quit his job thinking that he would be coming with me soon... Given he will get a new job soon since now we know what we are in for... How can we survive this?

Thank you everyone...

Samantha Hristova and Metodi Hristov

[YuAndDan 153]

This question come often about these items on the I-130 form. USCIS and the consulate both know that a newly wed couple will not have a lot of evidence of a bona fide marital relationship and will just accept the marriage cert, and perhaps a few wedding pictures.

USCIS issues a conditional green-card because of this. You will then be given 2 years in the USA to develop this evidence, and when you file to remove the conditions on the green-card, you will provide the evidence of bona fide marital relationship.

If you have been living overseas with your spouse for several years as a married couple, then you would be more concerned with providing evidence of a bona fide marital relationship, because the IR-1 visa issued results in a permanent green-card, no conditions attached.

And YES I often tell people to avoid filing the I-129F for K-3, K-3 has the added pain of adjustment of status ($1010) and the K-3 holder cannot take a job for at least 90 days while waiting for EAD. Compare CR-1 to K-3 timelines for your country, in most cases CR-1 takes thus a bot longer to get.

Edited January 9, 2008 by YuAndDan

[MargotDarko 0]

Hello eveyone -

My husband Metodi and I were married in Bulgaria this December and now that I am back in the US I am working on filling out these damnable forms. We were sadly under the impression that this would not take as long as it seems to take from reading many of your signatures. I'm assuming that filing an I-130 and the G325a is sufficient and that filling all the extra for the K3 or whatever might be superflous. I'd love for anyone to tell me their opinon on this or to tell me how long it took for them if they followed this route vs. the K3. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing and I have to wait for Metodi to mail me his G325a and some affidavits from his family so that I can send this mess off in the first place. I just wish we had known how complicated this was beforehand and we might have just waited for a fiance visa and gotten married here. At least then we could have stayed in each other's company afterward.

Also if anyone knows what exactly this 'J. Any other relevant documentation to establish that there is an ongoing marital union.' might be considered, I'd love to know. We have hordes of correspondence and skype messages including recorded conversations. I just want to begin this as soon as possible so that we can see each other again as soon as possible. We are far from rich. I am a grad student and he quit his job thinking that he would be coming with me soon... Given he will get a new job soon since now we know what we are in for... How can we survive this?

Thank you everyone...

Samantha Hristova and Metodi Hristov

I'm sorry to hear about everything being so unexpected - I can understand, and I am so grateful I was able to live in Britain with my husband while we sorted out the visa.

You are right that you do not have to file the I-129f for a K3 visa. You can file just the I-130 petition with G-325As and supporting documents, and following just that path will result in an immigrant visa for him (CR1 in this case). This is the best visa available to him now because when he arrives in the US with it, he will be a permanent resident and able to work from day one. With a non-immigrant visa like the K3, he would have to apply for the Employment Authorisation Document, which takes at least three months, before being able to work or apply for a SSN. With the K3, he would also have to file Adjustment of Status, which costs $1,010 USD (that includes the fee for the EAD though at least).

With the I-130, the documentation to support an ongoing relationship doesn't need to be focused on too much, especially for a couple that has not lived together and is only recently married. Do you have any of the things in the previous options? If you have any of those, I wouldn't bother with more than one or two letters and photos. If you do not, something addressed to the both of you in Bulgaria would be good - just to show that you had stayed at the same address together for a while, and a few bits of correspondence and proof of visits. Hopefully someone else can add more about this as well as I am not sure how it's viewed when applying through a US service center rather than directly with the consulate.

Do you have someone who would be willing to be a joint sponsor? You will need one if you do not make more than about $17,500 USD a year or have about $53,000 USD in assets (which I am guessing you do not). A joint sponsor can be any USC with sufficient US-based income or assets who is willing to sign the form.

It is very sad that you are looking at close to a year from now before he can be in America with you. I would not regret it too much that you passed up the K1 visa though. That would only have saved you a few months time and would have cost more and been more hassle in the long run.

Any chance you have some type of residency in Bulgaria and were living there since about July before coming home this month? If so, and if you could return for a bit, you would have a much faster option.

Edited January 9, 2008 by MargotDarko

[Techbrarian 0]

This question come often about these items on the I-130 form. USCIS and the consulate both know that a newly wed couple will not have a lot of evidence of a bona fide marital relationship and will just accept the marriage cert, and perhaps a few wedding pictures.

USCIS issues a conditional green-card because of this. You will then be given 2 years in the USA to develop this evidence, and when you file to remove the conditions on the green-card, you will provide the evidence of bona fide marital relationship.

If you have been living overseas with your spouse for several years as a married couple, then you would be more concerned with providing evidence of a bona fide marital relationship, because the IR-1 visa issued results in a permanent green-card, no conditions attached.

And YES I often tell people to avoid filing the I-129F for K-3, K-3 has the added pain of adjustment of status ($1010) and the K-3 holder cannot take a job for at least 90 days while waiting for EAD. Compare CR-1 to K-3 timelines for your country, in most cases CR-1 takes thus a bot longer to get.

Well I have tons of wedding photos and other photos from the trip of us together. Am I really not going to be able to have Metodi here with me for a year? The USCIS or whatever said that the I-130 takes 6 months to process or something. I was hoping that he could come here and wait for the documents to go through and get some sort of temporary permission to stay until they are processed. Sigh.

Thanks,

Sam and Metodi

[YuAndDan 153]

Well I have tons of wedding photos and other photos from the trip of us together. Am I really not going to be able to have Metodi here with me for a year? The USCIS or whatever said that the I-130 takes 6 months to process or something. I was hoping that he could come here and wait for the documents to go through and get some sort of temporary permission to stay until they are processed. Sigh.

Thanks,

Sam and Metodi

The temporary visa is the K-3, but this too takes time to get, and if you follow the timelines the K-3 is a bit quicket than to just wait for the CR-1.

[gwenneh 7]

This question come often about these items on the I-130 form. USCIS and the consulate both know that a newly wed couple will not have a lot of evidence of a bona fide marital relationship and will just accept the marriage cert, and perhaps a few wedding pictures.

USCIS issues a conditional green-card because of this. You will then be given 2 years in the USA to develop this evidence, and when you file to remove the conditions on the green-card, you will provide the evidence of bona fide marital relationship.

If you have been living overseas with your spouse for several years as a married couple, then you would be more concerned with providing evidence of a bona fide marital relationship, because the IR-1 visa issued results in a permanent green-card, no conditions attached.

And YES I often tell people to avoid filing the I-129F for K-3, K-3 has the added pain of adjustment of status ($1010) and the K-3 holder cannot take a job for at least 90 days while waiting for EAD. Compare CR-1 to K-3 timelines for your country, in most cases CR-1 takes thus a bot longer to get.

Well I have tons of wedding photos and other photos from the trip of us together. Am I really not going to be able to have Metodi here with me for a year? The USCIS or whatever said that the I-130 takes 6 months to process or something. I was hoping that he could come here and wait for the documents to go through and get some sort of temporary permission to stay until they are processed. Sigh.

Thanks,

Sam and Metodi

I know, it's a long wait. The processing times vary, but Margot is essentially correct - there is the time it takes to get the petition to apply (I-130) processed, then further time at the NVC before it's sent on to the Embassy, then some more processing at the Embassy, the interview, and then the visa is issued. Any of these steps can take a while...usually, it's the initial approval that takes so long (although the Embassies can sometimes take their sweet time in scheduling that interview!)

He will be able to come and visit you provided he has a visitor visa or can use the Visa Waiver Programme AND can prove ties to his home country. My husband has visited during the process; the down side is that of course he cannot work, has no social security number, and has to basically hang around while we're waiting for the visa. There si no temporary visa that would allow him to wait things out with you, unfortunately.

It's a long road, but the end result is SO worth it. Stay strong!

[Techbrarian 0]

I'm sorry to hear about everything being so unexpected - I can understand, and I am so grateful I was able to live in Britain with my husband while we sorted out the visa.

You are right that you do not have to file the I-129f for a K3 visa. You can file just the I-130 petition with G-325As and supporting documents, and following just that path will result in an immigrant visa for him (CR1 in this case). This is the best visa available to him now because when he arrives in the US with it, he will be a permanent resident and able to work from day one. With a non-immigrant visa like the K3, he would have to apply for the Employment Authorisation Document, which takes at least three months, before being able to work or apply for a SSN. With the K3, he would also have to file Adjustment of Status, which costs $1,010 USD (that includes the fee for the EAD though at least).

With the I-130, the documentation to support an ongoing relationship doesn't need to be focused on too much, especially for a couple that has not lived together and is only recently married. Do you have any of the things in the previous options? If you have any of those, I wouldn't bother with more than one or two letters and photos. If you do not, something addressed to the both of you in Bulgaria would be good - just to show that you had stayed at the same address together for a while, and a few bits of correspondence and proof of visits. Hopefully someone else can add more about this as well as I am not sure how it's viewed when applying through a US service center rather than directly with the consulate.

Do you have someone who would be willing to be a joint sponsor? You will need one if you do not make more than about $17,500 USD a year or have about $53,000 USD in assets (which I am guessing you do not). A joint sponsor can be any USC with sufficient US-based income or assets who is willing to sign the form.

It is very sad that you are looking at close to a year from now before he can be in America with you. I would not regret it too much that you passed up the K1 visa though. That would only have saved you a few months time and would have cost more and been more hassle in the long run.

Any chance you have some type of residency in Bulgaria and were living there since about July before coming home this month? If so, and if you could return for a bit, you would have a much faster option.

E. Documentation showing joint ownership or property;or

F. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence;or

G. Documentation showing co-mingling of financialresources; or

H. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, thepetitioner, and your spouse together; or

I. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties havingpersonal knowledge of the bona fides of the maritalrelationship (Each affidavit must contain the full nameand address, date and place of birth of the personmaking the affidavit, his or her relationship to thepetitioner of beneficiary, if any, and completeinformation and details explaining how the personacquired his or her knowledge of your marriage); or

J. Any other relevant documentation to establish thatthere is an ongoing marital union.

I have none of this. Metodi is getting us some affidavits from his family that he will have to take to Sofia, have translated and legislated I'm assuming. I'm hoping that these can make it to the US quickly if sent properly by a credible and fast international mailing firm. I mailed him a package before we met that took 2 months and it was 5 day delivery from the post office... We spent money together only not in any way that could be documented. We stayed in an apartment together that his family owns but there is also no verification of that since we didn't recieve any mail. The city office in Peshtera has some sort of welcome note that we get after being married...will that help? I'm guessing I'm just going to have to wait on these affidavits and send some pictures. How many affidavits should I get. I was guessing that 2 should be sufficient...am I wrong? I have my trip itinerary and my plane ticket stubs, I might have some reciepts from buying stuff over there, but I didn't buy much. Mostly what I have is my translated apostillated marriage certificate and lots of pictures and an epic of premarriage emails, blogs and skype conversations...sigh.

I have a friend who will be my joint sponsor. I asked her before I even went to Bulgaria thinking that this was a little easier than it is. I don't have to worry about sending that form until after they approve the I-130 and G325a though, correct?

Thanks so much, I'm beginning to be able to take all of this in I think and stop crying so much. This is such an evil mess.

Samantha and Metodi

[Techbrarian 0]

I know, it's a long wait. The processing times vary, but Margot is essentially correct - there is the time it takes to get the petition to apply (I-130) processed, then further time at the NVC before it's sent on to the Embassy, then some more processing at the Embassy, the interview, and then the visa is issued. Any of these steps can take a while...usually, it's the initial approval that takes so long (although the Embassies can sometimes take their sweet time in scheduling that interview!)

He will be able to come and visit you provided he has a visitor visa or can use the Visa Waiver Programme AND can prove ties to his home country. My husband has visited during the process; the down side is that of course he cannot work, has no social security number, and has to basically hang around while we're waiting for the visa. There si no temporary visa that would allow him to wait things out with you, unfortunately.

It's a long road, but the end result is SO worth it. Stay strong!

We were told by the US Embassy in Sofia that he could only get an immigrant visa and that he could not get a visitor visa if he was planning on staying here. But...I suppose he can't stay and wait for this anyway, yes? So paying for an immigrant visa is useless? So he CAN get a visitor visa instead? Provided we're getting him a round trip ticket and such... What is the Visa Waiver Programme? We can't really afford to do this multiple trips thing but seeing each other is important enough to try to save up for that. Sigh. I suppose what I should do now is just pray that the documents he sends arrive quickly and that I can send this stuff out and get us on our way to actually being a normal married couple that lives together, sigh. I hate bureaucracy...

Sam and Metodi

[YuAndDan 153]

E. Documentation showing joint ownership or property;or

F. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence;or

G. Documentation showing co-mingling of financial resources; or

H. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, the petitioner, and your spouse together; or

I. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship (Each affidavit must contain the full name and address, date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit, his or her relationship to the petitioner of beneficiary, if any, and complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge of your marriage); or

J. Any other relevant documentation to establish thatthere is an ongoing marital union.

I have none of this.

As I stated in my first post, USCIS and Consulate are not conserned with this for newly weds, they KNOW you will not have any of this. You will provide this much later after you have established a life in the USA when you apply to remove conditions on the Green-Card.

SEE my first post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1474792

You may also want to read the I-751 guide to get an idea what removing conditions is about, it has in the list of evidence the list you posted above.

Again don't worry about this now, worry about it 2-3 years from now after living in the USA with the conditional green-card.

This list has to do with a couple living abroad for more than 2 years as a married couple.

We were told by the US Embassy in Sofia that he could only get an immigrant visa and that he could not get a visitor visa if he was planning on staying here. But...I suppose he can't stay and wait for this anyway, yes? So paying for an immigrant visa is useless? So he CAN get a visitor visa instead? Provided we're getting him a round trip ticket and such... What is the Visa Waiver Programme? We can't really afford to do this multiple trips thing but seeing each other is important enough to try to save up for that. Sigh. I suppose what I should do now is just pray that the documents he sends arrive quickly and that I can send this stuff out and get us on our way to actually being a normal married couple that lives together, sigh. I hate bureaucracy...

Sam and Metodi

Gwen666 post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1474850

Can visit, but MUST NOT OVERSTAY the allowed visit time.

[MargotDarko 0]

I'm sorry to hear about everything being so unexpected - I can understand, and I am so grateful I was able to live in Britain with my husband while we sorted out the visa.

You are right that you do not have to file the I-129f for a K3 visa. You can file just the I-130 petition with G-325As and supporting documents, and following just that path will result in an immigrant visa for him (CR1 in this case). This is the best visa available to him now because when he arrives in the US with it, he will be a permanent resident and able to work from day one. With a non-immigrant visa like the K3, he would have to apply for the Employment Authorisation Document, which takes at least three months, before being able to work or apply for a SSN. With the K3, he would also have to file Adjustment of Status, which costs $1,010 USD (that includes the fee for the EAD though at least).

With the I-130, the documentation to support an ongoing relationship doesn't need to be focused on too much, especially for a couple that has not lived together and is only recently married. Do you have any of the things in the previous options? If you have any of those, I wouldn't bother with more than one or two letters and photos. If you do not, something addressed to the both of you in Bulgaria would be good - just to show that you had stayed at the same address together for a while, and a few bits of correspondence and proof of visits. Hopefully someone else can add more about this as well as I am not sure how it's viewed when applying through a US service center rather than directly with the consulate.

Do you have someone who would be willing to be a joint sponsor? You will need one if you do not make more than about $17,500 USD a year or have about $53,000 USD in assets (which I am guessing you do not). A joint sponsor can be any USC with sufficient US-based income or assets who is willing to sign the form.

It is very sad that you are looking at close to a year from now before he can be in America with you. I would not regret it too much that you passed up the K1 visa though. That would only have saved you a few months time and would have cost more and been more hassle in the long run.

Any chance you have some type of residency in Bulgaria and were living there since about July before coming home this month? If so, and if you could return for a bit, you would have a much faster option.

E. Documentation showing joint ownership or property;or

F. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence;or

G. Documentation showing co-mingling of financialresources; or

H. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, thepetitioner, and your spouse together; or

I. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties havingpersonal knowledge of the bona fides of the maritalrelationship (Each affidavit must contain the full nameand address, date and place of birth of the personmaking the affidavit, his or her relationship to thepetitioner of beneficiary, if any, and completeinformation and details explaining how the personacquired his or her knowledge of your marriage); or

J. Any other relevant documentation to establish thatthere is an ongoing marital union.

I have none of this. Metodi is getting us some affidavits from his family that he will have to take to Sofia, have translated and legislated I'm assuming. I'm hoping that these can make it to the US quickly if sent properly by a credible and fast international mailing firm. I mailed him a package before we met that took 2 months and it was 5 day delivery from the post office... We spent money together only not in any way that could be documented. We stayed in an apartment together that his family owns but there is also no verification of that since we didn't recieve any mail. The city office in Peshtera has some sort of welcome note that we get after being married...will that help? I'm guessing I'm just going to have to wait on these affidavits and send some pictures. How many affidavits should I get. I was guessing that 2 should be sufficient...am I wrong? I have my trip itinerary and my plane ticket stubs, I might have some reciepts from buying stuff over there, but I didn't buy much. Mostly what I have is my translated apostillated marriage certificate and lots of pictures and an epic of premarriage emails, blogs and skype conversations...sigh.

I have a friend who will be my joint sponsor. I asked her before I even went to Bulgaria thinking that this was a little easier than it is. I don't have to worry about sending that form until after they approve the I-130 and G325a though, correct?

Thanks so much, I'm beginning to be able to take all of this in I think and stop crying so much. This is such an evil mess.

Samantha and Metodi

A couple affadavits, a few pictures, and your plane ticket stubs should be perfectly fine. Has anyone in your family or a US-based friend met your husband? If so, an affidavit from them would be nice to include.

That's right - the financial support forms do not need to be done until after the initial petition (the I-130) is approved. Unless wait times improve, that will probably be about six months after filing. When the petition is approved, it is forwarded to the NVC (National Visa Center), and that's when the actual visa application and financial support forms are handled.

I hope you're able to make a few visits to each other in the mean time.

[MargotDarko 0]

I know, it's a long wait. The processing times vary, but Margot is essentially correct - there is the time it takes to get the petition to apply (I-130) processed, then further time at the NVC before it's sent on to the Embassy, then some more processing at the Embassy, the interview, and then the visa is issued. Any of these steps can take a while...usually, it's the initial approval that takes so long (although the Embassies can sometimes take their sweet time in scheduling that interview!)

He will be able to come and visit you provided he has a visitor visa or can use the Visa Waiver Programme AND can prove ties to his home country. My husband has visited during the process; the down side is that of course he cannot work, has no social security number, and has to basically hang around while we're waiting for the visa. There si no temporary visa that would allow him to wait things out with you, unfortunately.

It's a long road, but the end result is SO worth it. Stay strong!

We were told by the US Embassy in Sofia that he could only get an immigrant visa and that he could not get a visitor visa if he was planning on staying here. But...I suppose he can't stay and wait for this anyway, yes? So paying for an immigrant visa is useless? So he CAN get a visitor visa instead? Provided we're getting him a round trip ticket and such... What is the Visa Waiver Programme? We can't really afford to do this multiple trips thing but seeing each other is important enough to try to save up for that. Sigh. I suppose what I should do now is just pray that the documents he sends arrive quickly and that I can send this stuff out and get us on our way to actually being a normal married couple that lives together, sigh. I hate bureaucracy...

Sam and Metodi

I just looked it up and Bulgaria is not part of the Visa Waiver Programme yet. If it were, your husband would be able to visit with his passport for up to 3 months without a visa. As it stands, he will need a visitor's visa to visit the US before his immigrant (CR1) visa is approved. It is highly unlikely that a visitor's visa would be approved when he has a USC spouse living in the US.

What the embassy meant is that he could not use a visitor's visa to go to the US and stay by adjusting status to a permanent resident. If he were able to get a visitor's visa, he could visit and then leave before his time was up. It seems the best option will be for you to visit him though.

[Mononoke28 134]

I filed for a CR1 visa for my husband back in February and it was the best decision we've made. We got married a year ago in January and didn't have any of the evidence they were asking for when I filed so I only sent the I-130, 4 pages each of the G-325A, copy of my marriage certificate, and 2 affidavits from my mom and sister. That's all we had, that's all they got and never had a problem with it. I left the pictures, boarding passes, copies of e-mails, chats, letters, cards, etc. for the interview.

The USCIS will take about 6-7 months to approve your I-130 given that everything is in order. Then it takes about 3 months for the National Visa Center to process your case. After that, it depends on how soon your embassy can acommodate an interview for your husband. The US Embassy in Colombia gave him an interview right away and our process took only 7½ months.

Diana

[Techbrarian 0]

As I stated in my first post, USCIS and Consulate are not conserned with this for newly weds, they KNOW you will not have any of this. You will provide this much later after you have established a life in the USA when you apply to remove conditions on the Green-Card.

SEE my first post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1474792

You may also want to read the I-751 guide to get an idea what removing conditions is about, it has in the list of evidence the list you posted above.

Again don't worry about this now, worry about it 2-3 years from now after living in the USA with the conditional green-card.

This list has to do with a couple living abroad for more than 2 years as a married couple.

Can visit, but MUST NOT OVERSTAY the allowed visit time.

Okay, so I can just send the I-130, the G325a's, our marriage certificate (copy), a copy of my entire passport, our passport style photos, and some marriage photos? Do you think Metodi should still get a few affidavits from his family saying that they saw the wedding and knew we were living together for a month? He has to mail the G325a anyway and it seems to me that every little bit might help...

Thanks so much for being patient with me. I'm still a mess, all of this paperwork is daunting and confusing. I contacted the Immigration office by phone several times before going to Bulgaria and they were largely unhelpful and sometimes rude. Us not knowing the half of what we were in for is a testament to the operator's and the website's faults. I will tell Metodi tomorrow when we speak again what he should do and pray that DHL is an excellent mail service so I can recieve these documents ASAP and send out my I-130 and supporting info. Until then I will keep checking here in case anyone else has some more words of wisdom. I can thank you guys enough for helping me out. I'm glad this place is here for support.

Sam and Metodi

[rjp44 1]

As I stated in my first post, USCIS and Consulate are not conserned with this for newly weds, they KNOW you will not have any of this. You will provide this much later after you have established a life in the USA when you apply to remove conditions on the Green-Card.

SEE my first post: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...t&p=1474792

You may also want to read the I-751 guide to get an idea what removing conditions is about, it has in the list of evidence the list you posted above.

Again don't worry about this now, worry about it 2-3 years from now after living in the USA with the conditional green-card.

This list has to do with a couple living abroad for more than 2 years as a married couple.

Can visit, but MUST NOT OVERSTAY the allowed visit time.

Okay, so I can just send the I-130, the G325a's, our marriage certificate (copy), a copy of my entire passport, our passport style photos, and some marriage photos? Do you think Metodi should still get a few affidavits from his family saying that they saw the wedding and knew we were living together for a month? He has to mail the G325a anyway and it seems to me that every little bit might help...

Thanks so much for being patient with me. I'm still a mess, all of this paperwork is daunting and confusing. I contacted the Immigration office by phone several times before going to Bulgaria and they were largely unhelpful and sometimes rude. Us not knowing the half of what we were in for is a testament to the operator's and the website's faults. I will tell Metodi tomorrow when we speak again what he should do and pray that DHL is an excellent mail service so I can recieve these documents ASAP and send out my I-130 and supporting info. Until then I will keep checking here in case anyone else has some more words of wisdom. I can thank you guys enough for helping me out. I'm glad this place is here for support.

Sam and Metodi

In addition, you should send copies of your birth certificates, a photocopy of your passport biographic page not all the pages, and a local police report for him. Keep the originals because you will need them again. Write your names on the back of photos. Be sure not to leave any blank spaces on the forms......use NONE where it's needed rather than blank.

[Mononoke28 134]

No, no, no, you don't need a copy of his birth certificate nor a copy of his police report to send along with the I-130. You will need them once your petition has been approved and sent to the NVC though, but not now.

Since he has to send you his signed G-325As, it would be a good idea for him to send you a couple of his affidavits. Make sure they're translated, they don't have to be certified nor apostilled.

This is all you need for a CR1 visa;

I-130

G-325A (4 pages each, signed)

Copy of your passport or birth certificate or Naturalization Certificate

2 passport style photos each

Copy of marriage certificate

Affidavits with translations if you have them

That's all.

Diana