Camson

Update: today (1/16) we got the text that my wife's case was received.  Sent on (1/9) to AZ center.  Now waiting for the extension letter to arrive...

Happy New Year everyone!  Today I overnighted my wife's I-751 via USPS (1/9/2020) to the AZ center.  Maybe overnighting it was overkill, but I want it in their hands as soon as possible.  It feels like a weight off of our chests, and hopefully all goes well.  I guess I'll share a bit of our story in getting prepped.  My wife's 90-day window opened on 11/24/19, and with the holidays approaching we didn't think we'd need that much preparation for the removal of conditions..  Boy were we wrong.  Don't wait, folks!!!  I don't feel like our evidence is 100% amazing, but this place has helped me realize you can only send what you have.  Worst case scenario for us would be an RFE or interview, which wouldn't be the end of the world as we know our marriage is legitimate.  It's just a matter of helping the USCIS officers recognize that.  The hardest part for us was waiting 10 days to get our tax return transcripts via mail as the online IRS request didn't recognize any of our credit cards..

Best of luck to everyone else filing!

Understood, missileman...  We will focus on other pieces of evidence, of course.  Thanks so much for the timely reply, it helps to see that list as well.  Perhaps seeing the awe-inspiring stack of evidence from the stickied thread has really got me overthinking everything haha...  Thanks again.

Hello everyone.  Like many here I am now working to compile all of the evidence for my wife's removal of conditions (90-day period begins 12/22/2019) and I have seen a lot of discussion about phone bills and how useful they can be included in evidence.  However, I have a predicament.  I have statements from my Ting Mobile account dating from the month of my wife's immigration to the US (that's when I switched carriers, and also when I moved apartments to where we live together now).  The only useful information shown on the statements is the amount of devices used (2) and usage amounts, and the bill is in my (the spouse's) name.  Now... The problem is I forgot to update the billing address when I moved!  I accept this as simple stupidity on my part, as it is one of my auto-pay bills and we are mostly paperless these days and I just make sure the amount looks right every month before the money goes through and never gave it a second thought for these two years.  Should I even bother including this in my evidence?  I feel that this is a weak piece of evidence for us and might create more questions rather than help our case.  Would an explanation of this discrepancy be helpful?  I'm feeling confident in other areas of our evidence list, but this has been bothering me a bit as our utility bill is also only in my name and we don't have a lot in terms of joint bills outside of a joint credit card we use monthly.  Any help would be appreciated.  I realize I am probably overthinking this!

Thank you for your time!

Hello everyone, my wife and I have managed to make it to the last of the NVC stage with all of your help in the past, but I've got another problem that I can't quite seem to understand from the two e-mails I've received from the NVC this week.  (I am a U.S. Citizen/Resident petitioning for my wife who is a Japanese citizen/residing in Japan currently).

On Sept. 18 I received an e-mail with a checklist requesting a police certificate, which I never sent with the package to the NVC because it is sealed, and I figured it would be safer in my wife's hands and she can hand it in at the embassy (as I've heard others say they've done).  And from the e-mail text, I'm under the impression that I now have to obtain the certificate from my wife, then send it in to the NVC with the cover letter, etc.. (Text below)

E-mail 1:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We reviewed the documents you submitted to us. This letter has a list of documents that are missing or
that need additional information. Please review the instructions on the attached pages.

The instructions will ask you to either:
 Send the missing or corrected items to the applicant so he or she can take them to the visa interview;
or
 Send the missing or corrected items to the National Visa Center (NVC) and include a copy of the
Case Number Barcode Cover Sheet. Clearly write your case number (NUMBER) on the
upper right-hand corner of every document you send. After we receive and review the requested
information, we will let you know the status of your case. For current processing times, please visit
our website at nvc.state.gov/submit (English) or nvc.state.gov/enviar/espanol (Spanish).
If you have any questions about this letter, please visit our website at nvc.state.gov/ask (English) or
nvc.state.gov/ask/espanol (Spanish).

If a period of one year passes without contacting the NVC (by email, telephone, or mail), all
submitted fees and documents will expire. If this happens, you will need to resubmit the fees and
documents to continue the immigration process.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The instruction page only lists ways to obtain the certificate which we already have, so I've left that part out.. (No info on whether or not we HAVE to send it)

But today, Sept. 22, I received an e-mail stating the following:

E-mail 2:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sir/Madam,
The National Visa Center (NVC) received all the requested documentation for this immigrant visa case. The
applicant is now in the queue awaiting an interview appointment overseas, where a consular officer will adjudicate
the applicant’s visa application.
NVC schedules appointments one month in advance. The U.S. Embassy tells us what dates they are holding
interviews, and NVC fills these appointments as they become documentarily qualified. Most appointments are set
within three months of NVC’s receipt of all requested documentation. However, before applicants in a numerically
limited (preference) visa category can receive an appointment, their priority date must also be current. This can
delay receipt of an appointment. You can track your priority date using the Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov.
When an appointment is available, we will notify the applicant, petitioner and attorney (if applicable). The
applicant can prepare now by reading about the embassy’s interview requirements online at nvc.state.gov/interview.
Thank you for your patience.
The embassy may require additional documents at the interview. For example, if the following three items are all
true, the applicant must bring a new police certificate to the visa interview:
1: He or she is more than 16 years old; (Comment: Yes)
2: The police certificate submitted to NVC was obtained more than one year

ago; and (Comment: Was obtained this year/Not yet sent to NVC)

3: He or she still lives in the country that issued the certificate. (Comment: Yes)

The applicant should not make any travel arrangements, sell property, or give up employment until the embassy has
issued a visa.
Sincerely,
National Visa Center

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, I'm a little unclear as of how to proceed...  Should I send in the police certificate to the NVC as alluded to by the first e-mail?  The second e-mail makes me hesitant to do so because I don't know what will happen if they send my case/documents to the embassy overseas and receive the certificate after the fact..

Again, I'm sure this is less confusing than it appears to me, but we're so close to the interview that I don't want to mess anything up!

Any advice from others would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Thank you both for your replies, I appreciate the clarification.  I know it seems like a silly thing to worry about, but as it's my first time dealing with something like this essentially on my own, I figure it can't hurt to double-check along the way.

Hello everyone, I'm currently in the NVC stage of my CR-1 petition and I have some questions regarding the document checklist that I will send in to the NVC.

Some details: I (U.S. citizen/resident) am petitioning for my wife (Japanese citizen/resident) solely relying on my income w/o assets, etc..

I see that the list is quite extensive, and as I'm doing the EZ affidavit, I am wondering if many of these items on the checklist don't apply to me?  For instance, the only required attached documents for the EZ affidavit is the previous years tax return/transcript.  Am I still required to submit things such as proof of U.S. status/domicile, evidence of income, etc., if it's clear that I provide that information in the affidavit itself?

I apologize if my question is confusing at all, I just haven't found an example of a completed checklist and I don't want to risk wasting more time on potential requests for evidence.  I've attached the checklist for easy reference below.

Thanks for any insights you might have

Apologies for the late reply.  This is exactly what I needed to know.  Thanks for linking that website and sharing that info!

Hello everyone, I (U.S. citizen/petitioner) have finally reached the NVC stage of our petition, and we have a couple of questions about the NVC process of the CR-1 Visa for my wife (Japanese citizen).  My wife and I have been going over the documents required for the NVC packet, and this isn't something that I could find many answers to in the CR-1 Visa guide.  I'll try to be succinct, so forgive me for any confusing information.

In the e-mail I received, under the section "Photocopies of supporting documents", there were a couple of points where I wasn't quite sure when it would apply to her/us.

1. "Court records with translation", I was wondering under what circumstances would this apply to us?  Neither of us have any kind of record with a court, do we still need to obtain this?

2. "Police certificate with translation", this is something we've researched how to obtain in her prefecture in Japan, but I'm still not 100% on the instructions.  For instance, the document she will receive has a seal, that if opened will render it void, thus not allowing us to send a photocopy.  Will this be a problem for us?  Or can we simply send the sealed original certificate along with the NVC packet?  Will this be a problem for us if we don't have an original to bring in to the interview?  I read one post on this forum in which they sent the original in and it was no problem, but I'd just like to get some clarification if at all possible.

3. "Other supporting documents", I was wondering what kind of paperwork is appropriate for this category, just out of curiosity.

And finally, we have no divorce/military/adoption paperwork to worry about, nor do I have any assets.  So is it safe to assume that we can simply check the box that says 'not applicable' for these things? 

Thanks again for your help, you've been so helpful in the past, so hopefully you can help me figure out some of these final steps before my wife's interview!

14 - can be left blank

14b - can be left blank

_____________________________

1 - leave it blank

9/10 - write (none)

14 - leave it blank

21 - write N/A

22 - write N/A

___________

1 - write (none)

2 - for you, write N/A. for your wife, write her current address.

3 - write name of company, CITY, STATE ABBREVIATION, COUNTRY

then, for your wife, she needs to include ANY employment history, whether it be in japan or in the US.

4. this form is submitted.... you need to check the box that says "Status as Permanent Resident"

Thanks a lot! That answered basically all of my questions. And yeah, I have referenced those guides and sample forms prior to filling mine out. They're definitely helpful, but I wanted to double check the parts I wasn't sure of.

Thanks again everyone.

Hello everyone, once again I have some questions... This time regarding a couple of items in the I-130 and G-325A forms that I am not too sure about. I've heard of people making silly mistakes by filling in a box incorrectly and I'd like to avoid that! Maybe it can help anxious people like me in the future too. I'll try to be succinct and easy to reply to. (I'm a U.S. Citizen filing original petition for CR-1 for wife living in Japan)

I-130:

B.

14 - I am not a lawful permanent resident alien so this doesn't apply to me. Should I put N/A or none? Or leave it blank?

14b - Same as above, if 14 doesn't apply to me should I choose NO anyway? or leave it blank?

C.

1 - This one is silly, but my wife does not have a middle name. Is blank ok?

9/10 - My wife has no U.S. SSN nor Alien Registration Number... I assume writing None is ok?

14 - Does not apply to her, as she's in Japan. Is blank ok or should I fill N/A in the first box?

21 - We have never lived together. N/A or none ok here?

22 - She is not in the United States and has no previous visa or AoS. Is it okay to leave this blank?

-------------------------------------------------------

G-325A: (Has no numbers so I'll try to keep it in order of questions that apply to me and my wife)

1. File Number - Neither of us have one, is None acceptable?

2. Applicant's last address outside the United States more than 1 year - Doesn't apply to me, None ok? Should my wife put her current address in Japan here?

3. Applicant's employment last five years - It appears there's not enough space to include address with employer name in the box . . . I'm honestly not sure how to rectify this without it looking sloppy.

Should I attach a separate piece of paper for each form to include our employment information?

For my wife, should she include her employment history in Japan or in the U.S.? (If it's the U.S., it's none)

4. This form is submitted in connection with an application for: - We both chose Other and wrote "I-130 Petition" . . . Is this acceptable?

That about covers it... Again, any help is sincerely appreciated in trying to get this ball rolling!

That's totally fine. Our cover letter was three pages. Just make sure to keep your cover header on all three pages and number them. For example, the header on ours stated:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Re: Marriage-Based I-130 Petition

Beneficiary: Husband's first names LAST NAMES; DOB MM/DD/YYYY

USC Petitioner: My first name LAST NAME; DOB MM/DD/YYYY

Date of filing (ex. May 12, 2016)

Page # (for mine 1, 2, 3)

I see! I had something similar to that in mind, thank you!

And to NLR, I guess I should have clarified on what I meant by fully detailed. I only meant to ask if it would be better to submit a cover letter that lists contents such as:

"9. Evidence of a bona-fide marriage"

as opposed to:

"9. Evidence of a bona-fide marriage"

a. brief explanation of our relationship

b. affidavit of support

c. selection of photographs from wedding, etc.

I guess I'm just sweating the small stuff at this point haha. But thank you for your replies!

Apologies for the thread bump but I had another simple question about the I-130 cover letter.

I've seen great guides on cover letter format, but I couldn't find an answer on if the cover letter can be two pages or not...? It seems like I can't include the fully detailed contents of the package if it's only one page.

What would you suggest? Should I keep the content list brief or go full into detail?

Thanks again for your advice.

Understood! Thanks for clarifying those points for me

Hello everyone! I'm in the middle of assembling my I-130 package for CR-1 Visa, choosing the best evidence, etc. but I have a few questions that I may just be overthinking but would like some clarification...

(I am a U.S. citizen in the states petitioning for wife living in Japan)

1.) According to the guide, under the "IMPORTANT" header it says: "All Forms that you submit must be originals with original signatures. Supporting Evidence that you submit may be photocopies."

Am I safe in assuming that I will send in original forms I-130, G-325a (plus photos required) etc., and "supporting evidence" will let me scan/print my birth certificate, as well as the evidence of a bonafide marriage I will be sending in? Just for the sake of keeping the package neat and orderly.

2.) If I choose to obtain affidavits of bona fides from family/friends, does it matter if its from my family or my spouses side? I know it's a weak form of evidence to begin with, but if it's my side I won't have to bother with translation and it will be easier to get notarized if necessary.

3.) Unrelated to the package, but my wife has 6 months after our marriage date to choose whether or not she will take my last name. For simplicity she was thinking of taking my name, but it may make her life a hassle while she's still living in Japan and we were wondering if it could become a hassle with the visa process if her name changed half-way through? The priority is living together ASAP so maybe we should wait on it?

I apologize if these kind of questions have been repeated before.. But I appreciate any advice you have to offer.

Thanks.

Hello everyone at VJ! This is my first post, however I've been lurking this godsend of a site off and on for the better part of a year in preparation of what's to come.

First off, a little info about me and my wife (I'll try to keep it relevant and to the point):

I'm a U.S. Citizen who will be petitioning for my wife to immigrate to the states, and I'm currently working full time and attending university.

My wife is a Japanese citizen and we began dating in July, 2013, and married (in Japan) as of August 10, 2016!

I will be petitioning for a CR-1 Visa as we are newlyweds. Unfortunately, we've been living in our respective countries for the time we've been dating, visiting about once or twice a year due to work obligations, etc. So I'm aware we may face some issues in terms of evidence of a bonafide marriage (although I've read some threads that point to leniency in newlyweds living separately).

I will also be filing as a joint sponsor with a family member due to not meeting the financial requirement alone (which shouldn't be a problem for longer than a year or two, as I'm getting closer to graduation).

We are patient and understanding in the time that it may take for this process to finish, but our goal is to build a life together in the states so we are excited and ready for any potential setbacks.

I plan on mailing my petition in September, and while I do have questions, I'll do my best to spend some quality time lurking for answers so I don't become a nuisance to you wonderful people.

It's nice to meet all of you, and hopefully I can help someone out in the future too!