Templar21

I am filing for AOS for my wife. She is here on a K-1 Visa and we got married a few weeks ago. I have a few questions regarding the Affidavit of Support for the AOS, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

1. When sending the initial AOS package, do I need to send the Affidavit along with supporting documents (letter from work, etc), or can I just send the Affidavit alone... and present the supporting documents at the interview?
   
2. How long after the K-1 Visa expires will the AOS package and application be accepted?
   

Please feel free to give me any other information that you feel may be helpful to me. Thank you very, very much!

I see. The documents themselves say they must be signed in front of a consular officer. So how can I send them in if I cannot sign them? Confused...

I have gathered all the documents for the CRBA for my daughter. She was born in Colombia, but I am a U.S. Citizen and have always lived in the United States. I am going to be in Bogota tomorrow, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice.

I have not signed the documents yet, as it says that I should sign them in front of a Embassy worker. I am not really sure how to go about this though. Should I just show up at the embassy at 5:00 AM and tell the first person I talk to that I am there to file a CRBA? This is my first time doing anything like this, so I am pretty nervous and uneasy.

Thanks, Jay-Kay. I appreciate the quick response and information!

I filed for a Fiance Visa for my Colombian girlfriend a while back. My parents have agreed to be joint sponsors, but I have a couple of questions that have kind of confused me.

Can only one of my parents be a joint sponsor, or can they sponsor together? I ask because they file their taxes together every year, but the wording on some of the questions in the I-864 is confusing to me. Can they combine their income, as they file their income tax together, or must they operate as single entities? I read the part about household members contributing, but it says siblings, parents, or adult children.

Also, I am unsure what they should check in Section 1. When it says there can be two joint sponsors, do they mean me plus one? Or do they mean me... plus two others?

Finally, for anyone who has gone through this process at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, were you asked to provide an Affidavit of Support?

I apologize if my questions are convoluted. I am leaving for Bogota in a couple of weeks and it just seems like a mountain of documents I need... and I'm terrified of forgetting things or doing them wrong. I also have to go and file a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for my daughter... which just adds to the confusion. I keep forgetting who needs what and when... blah.

I have a few questions regarding the Consular Report of Birth Abroad for those of you who have gone through the process.

I am in the United States right now and my daughter is in Colombia with her mother. I am filing the CRBA application, but it says that the application is generally signed in front of a consular officer but in certain circumstances may be signed in front of a notary public overseas. Since I am in the U.S., would a notary public be acceptable or would I actually have to fly all the way to Colombia to sign the application in front of a consular officer?

I am also applying for my daughter's passport and Social Security Number. Is there any certain way that I must mail the package to the US Embassy (USPS certified or something), and how do I pay the fees and who do I write them out to?

Thank you.

I have another question. This is regarding the forms I must fill out.

On the form for the CRBA, it says to put my daughter's name as it appears on the local birth certificate. Latin American countries record the paternal and maternal surnames, so she has 2. If I put down both, I am worried they will make her official surname the same as the maternal surname, which would be wrong in the US.

I am kind of unsure about what to do.

I emailed the US Embassy about the CRBA and passport issue this morning. I am still waiting to hear back from them, but I have started filling out the forms and gathering the documents I need for the CRBA in the meantime. I will very likely have to quit my job. I took vacation days off to go to Colombia when my daughter was born, and I seriously doubt they will let me take leave from work again.

Anyway, thanks you everyone for the replies.

On the I-129F, I put down that my fiance had no children because that was the truth. The baby was born in September, and I filed the I-129F in May.

I emailed the US Embassy in Colombia about that issue specifically. Here was their reply:

Dear Mr. Ashe,

Thank you for your inquiry. Do not worry about the fact that your child is not mentioned on the I-129F. Your fiancé can simply inform the consular officer at the time of the interview.

Since the child is yours, you will want to register her with American Citizen Services at our embassy and apply for a passport for her. We are providing a link with more information for you: http://bogota.usembassy.gov/service/births-abroad.html

If we may be of further assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact us at IVBogota@state.gov.

Kindly,

Immigrant Visa Unit

m

This email is UNCLASSIFIED.

It just never had crossed my mind that they may not grant my daughter a visa until last night, so I started looking around.

My daughter was born in September 2011 in Colombia.

I am a US citizen by birth, and I have always lived in the United States. My daughter's mother is a Colombian citizen.

I contacted the US Embassy in Colombia. They referred me to a page that has information about 'Consular Report of Birth Abroad'. I read the info on the website, and my daughter meets the requirements to be a US citizen. I have to fill out all the forms, pay a fee, and then schedule an interview in Colombia. The problem is that I would not be able to attend the interview due to work.

In May, I applied for a I-129F Visa for my daughter's mother. The application was approved, but I am still waiting for the US Embassy to schedule an interview with my daughter's mother. On the application, I put down that my fiance had no children. I asked the US Embassy and they said it was fine. She could just inform the consular officer at the time of the interview.

So I suppose what I am asking if for advice on how to go about obtaining US Citizenship for my daughter. Should I apply for the 'Consular Report of Birth Abroad", pay the fee, quit my job, and go to the interview?

Should I let my fiance go to the interview for her visa, and hope they grant her the visa... which should automatically also grant my daughter a visa to come to the US? If I were to go this route, how would I go about getting US Citizenship for my daughter from US soil? In the time it takes for that, she wouldn't have a SSN, and I am afraid that if she got sick there may be complications in regards to her status when admitting her to a hospital. Maybe I am worrying too much.

I don't want my daughter to be a citizen by naturalization. I want her to be a citizen by birth. I am just unsure on what I should do. I don't want to quit my job if I don't have to do that, but I also don't want to get my daughter here only to find out that I have to go back to Colombia... and since my fiance wouldn't be able to go back for one year there would be another problem.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The processing time estimate for the adjudication of the I-129F is past due. It advises that if it becomes past due, that I should contact USCIS to inquire about the petition. They receieved the I-129F on May 31, and the estimate was September 30, then October 10, then September 30 again.

Has anyone ever done this? I am not exactly sure how to contact USCIS or even what to say to them. I am kind of afraid they will get annoyed and make it that much more difficult for me. Any advice?

My girlfriend had our baby a few weeks ago. I sent the I-129F in May. How do I go about revising the information now that the baby has been born? Is it even necessary? Obviously, when I filled out the I-129F I said she did not have any children, but now she does. So I am feeling a bit uneasy about how things will go if she just shows up to the interview with a baby that wasn't in the paperwork.

I know there are steps I can take so my child has U.S. citizenship, but from what I understand, that's a complicated process involving me going back to Colombia to fill out paperwork in person. I would rather that the baby recieve the visa along with her mother. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for the quick reply. The information really helps a lot.

I had some extra time and re-read every document again. I caught a couple of minor mistakes, but I am glad I did catch them.

Thanks again to everyone for all the help!

Thanks, guys! The information really helps a lot. I definitely feel more at ease.

I will soon be send the I-129F package for my fiance's visa. On the I-129F it asks if she has any children. Currently, she does not. She is pregnant though, and in all liklihood, the baby will be born before she is granted an interview at the embassy.

I cannot put down that she has a child, since the baby isn't born yet. The due date is in September, so the baby will probably arrive before she gets an interview. Also, since the baby is mine, it is an American citizen, right? Does the baby need a visa? Or how do I go about getting citizenship for the baby?

Does anyone have any suggestions on the situation?

Geez... this stuff is so complicated.

I recently graduated from university. I realize that at some point I will have to fill out the I-134 (Affidavit of Support), and it has me kind of worried. I don't have a job, as I was in university, and I am not sure how long it will take me to find a job, given the current economic conditions.

I have spoken to my father, who agreed that he would file the I-134 for my fiance. Given the circumstances, I have a few questions:

1. Does anyone have any examples of the I-134 when the person filing is not the fiance?

2. I was looking at the "relationship to sponsor" and question 11 in the I-134 and I am not sure what he should put. Any auggestions?

3. Does anyone have any personal experience with having someone else sponsor your fiance for the I-134?

4. Is there a is higher chance that her visa will be denied if I am not the sponsor?

I'm really unsure on how I should approach this. I decided to try and tackle it well ahead of time so that it doesn't become a problem for me later. Any help or suggections would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. - Sorry if it looks like I am spamming the board with all of these new posts. I am just paranoid as heck!

I am double-checking all of my documents before I send them off. I have a quick question regarding my fiance's G-325A.

There is a question that asks: "Applicant's last address outside the United States of more than 1 year"

- She recently moved and has only lived at her current place for about 3 months. Should I put this down even though she hasn't lived there for a year, or should I go further down the timeline and find the next one where she's lived there for at least 1 year?

My girlfriend has never had a real job. She just goes to university. Under the "Employment" section, should I write "unemployed" or does any one have any suggestions on how to deal with this question?

Thanks!!!

Thanks for all the quick replies.

I had another question pop into my head. I am from the Chicago area. Do I send this package to the Dallas Lockbox? I think I am getting paranoid now. I keep checking everything again and again...

I am finally ready to send in the I-129F for the first time. I was just wondering if anyone out there could give me some tips or examples on sending it? I read that the passport photos would be labeled and in plastic bags attached to white sheets of paper, but other than that it seems very open-ended.

Should I send it all in one big folder? Labels?

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the help. I can already see a few mistakes they made when they had the photo done in Colombia. Its not wide enough and the picture was taken too close. I suppose I will ask her to get another one taken.

Thanks a lot for the quick feedback though!

My fiance went to a place in Popayan, Colombia to have her passport photo taken. The place she went to does this as part of their business. She sent me the photos, but the edges of the photo are not straight (like someone with the shakes cut it out with scissors). Also, my brother said he thinks that you must show your right ear in passport photos, you can only see part of her right ear. I scanned the photo to try and make sure its the correct size, and have it cut with straight edges... but I cannot really do anything if the ear info turns out to be correct.

So my question is, what are the guidelines on the passport photos for the foreign fiance? Do they really need to be showing their right ear?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is our first attempt at filing for the K-1 Visa, and I am being very meticulous... but I am still bordering on paranoid to make sure everything is done correctly.