US Immigration from United Kingdom

TL;DR: I am USC and living with my spouse together in the UK, applying for green card for him. Can I complete the I-130 application for my spouse now, including the bare minimum of what they require in the way of proof of relationship, and then add to this in a month or two -upload it then?

LONGER VERSION - MORE INFO: Live in UK with British spouse. I have just started the process of filling out our application and was hoping to get it sent off within the next few weeks. HOWEVER, I must now return back to the U.S. to help care for an elderly relative while she is undergoing some medical issues. Last time I did this, I was there for nearly six weeks. I was hoping to get this application sent off before I leave, but looks like that will be within the next week or so.

I have all of the official main documents we need to submit along with the application - prior divorce papers, marriage license, birth certificates, name change papers, etc. However... further long-term proof of an ongoing 16-year relationship is going to require sifting through boxes of old records, lots of printing and scanning. I was going to create an extensive "proof" file like I submitted with my UK visa application, to include financial documents through the years, boarding passes, leases and mortgage contracts, joint bills and statements. Also, I need to provide a file of photos of us together through that time, neatly scanned and labeled and arranged, documenting a wide time frame, etc. I do not have time to do all of that proper justice in the next week or so- I need to prepare for a six-week trip whilst researching my mother's medical conditions and planning her care.

Can anyone provide any experience or advice on whether it's okay for me to file the I-130 with all of the requested "official" documents, and then put together an extensive "proof of relationship" package when I return home around the beginning of June? The waiting time frames are so long now that I really, really want to press "send" and get the clock ticking on our case, not wait until late June to send it off.

Hope this rambling makes sense. Very stressed about my mother's health and this I-130 application. I just don't want this application pushed out another two months - need to get the ball rolling now! Can I send it off with only what they're asking for and just a few "proof of ongoing relationship" documents, but really do a good job with an extensive file and upload it mid June?

Since it could be nearly a year before they even glance at my application, do they care and/or will it matter that I added more after I sent it to them?

Many thanks for any advice or your own experience.

NOTE: I will be sending all "required" documents with this application. My question pertains to whether I can later upload more extensive proof of ongoing relationship. I will not be sending this application off without including the minimum required documentation.

I am U.S. citizen, married for 16 years to my husband, a UK citizen. We reside in UK together since 2011. We married in 2009 and I applied for a UK spouse visa, moving to UK to join him in 2011.

We had an online relationship for two years and when we finally met in person, we each knew the relationship was the real deal, and we married in a private beach ceremony two weeks later. Yes, it was a whirlwind romance, but after two years of constant communication, all that we needed to know was whether there was any real-life chemistry. We were middle-aged and had each been married and divorced once before.

Sixteen years later, I'd do it all again exactly the same way.

SO, my question is as follows: As I gather documents to prove bona fide marriage, I wonder how much I should concentrate on the PRE-MEETING and PRE-MARRIAGE relationship? I know that I need to prove we have intertwined our lives and finances, live together as a couple, etc., but how much do I need to provide in the way of proof of the relationship being genuine *prior* to our first meeting and quick marriage?

I actually hadn't planned on providing much proof at all of the pre-wedding relationship, since we live together, own a home, share finances, and are homebodies who still do everything together.

Then I read that I should provide as much proof as absolutely possible, to include relationship documentation prior to the marriage, especially since we married only two weeks after meeting in person. Do they really still need all of our old Skype transcripts, emails, chats, wedding cards, etc? I want to give them all they might need in the way of evidence, but don't want to be ridiculous. Clearly, my husband did not marry me for a green card. In fact, we were going to grow old in the UK, but my mother is getting older and I have grandchildren now, and we just feel the pull to move to the U.S. to be closer to my family.

Any advice on this? Do I go through packed-away boxes and find old "proof of relationship" from BEFORE our 2009 wedding? All the stuff we submitted for my UK visa, to prove a "real" relationship?

Any assistance, experience or advice appreciated.

After paying the immigrant visa fee AND after entering the US for a quick vacay and for activating PR status, do you need to WAIT for the physical green card in the mail before returning to home country to finish off final affairs before making the final move to the U.S ?

Also, can you apply for a social security card using the visa stamp in the passport?

Just got my husband's AOS interview scheduled and I'm going through the appointment letter and creating a checklist for us. I have a couple of questions that are definitely common sense but I'd appreciate if someone would just check my work for some peace of mind!

1. "If required, a completed Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record" - he is adjusting from a K1, so am I safe to assume that a copy of the DS-3025 will suffice? He had his medical late April 2024 and our interview is May 5 2025 - technically it will be just over a year old.
2. "If required, a completed Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, with all required evidence (unless already submitted)." Just confirming - since we submitted I-864 with the AOS package, I do not need to complete a new one? Should we bring copies of the one we submitted or is that overkill?
3. "All documentation establishing your eligibility for Lawful Permanent Resident status. This includes, but is not limited to, proof of status as an asylee, refugee, or fiancee nonimmigrant." I'm stuck on what this would be asking for - would this not be covered by the I-94 showing entry as a K1 and then our marriage certificate?
4. "If your eligibility is based on your marriage, in addition to your husband or wife coming to the interview with you, bring: [...] Supporting evidence of your relationship [...]" Here is what we have for this portion:
   1. Some photos from our wedding and a couple throughout the time he's been here, including photos of our families meeting
   2. Evidence of him on my employer's health insurance
   3. Shared car insurance cards
   4. Purchased a car with me as a co-signer - I haven't looked through all the docs yet but I'm sure there's something in there that will have both of our names on it
   5. Joint checking account that shows both of us contributing to the account and household bills being paid out of it (our cars, phone bill, car insurance, subscriptions like Netflix etc)
   6. 2024 tax returns showing MFJ

I know some other common pieces of evidence are a shared lease or rental agreement, which we don't have because we currently live with a family member and pay rent directly to her with no agreement, but both of our driver's licenses show shared address. We are also both on all of my credit cards, but none of my credit companies' statements show which cardholder did the transaction so I'm not sure what evidence to show for that. Since we live with a family member, we are not on any utilities together. Is there anything else I could gather up, or is what we already have sufficient?

Thank you!

Hi, all ~ I'm creating this thread for all of us who filed in March of 2025. I'd like to share and discuss our journeys during this process.

Here is my timeline so far:

File Date - March 3, 2025

NOA1 for I-485, 765, 865- March 6, 2025

Biometrics appointment notice: March 14, 2025

Biometrics appointment: March 28, 2025