Mido&Emi

 

When I see a quoted post, the section above is blank; it used to show what was being quoted and the time the quoted post was originally posted.  Now all I see is an arrow that if you click it, it will take you to the original post being quoted, this is very cumbersome and onerous when determining who said what and when.

Hm, mine still works fine. Maybe it's just from your part? If you're on phone then try laptop or vice versa. 

 

All, 

I appreciate all the guidance so far but I am trying to determine what all I truly need for my packet.  I keep finding conflicting information so I am hoping I can clarify here. Most of these requirements are pulled from the I-130 Instructions Document.  I have a spouse and 3 stepkids so if I am not mistaken I would need the following.

1. 4 I-130 forms

2. I-130A Form filled out by spouse only. Not needed for stepkids

3. Check for 5*$535

4. Copy of my birth certificate

5. Copy of my marriage certificate

6. Copy of my divorce certificate for prior marriage

7. Two identical passport pictures for myself 

            a. Forums have said submit this for the spouse also, but the instructions say (if he or she is in the United States).  Do these need to be submitted for my wife/stepkids?

8. Cover letter/ petitioner affadavit-  Is this necessary?  I think its a good idea but is it bad to send too much? My wife and I have clear contact for the past year but prior is just Whatsapp logs. I think maybe this will help explain the gap. 

9. Birth certificates- My understanding is my spouses is no longer required. For stepparent/stepchild it seems that I need a marriage cert/divorce cert for prior marriages and a copy of their birth certificates.  Would it be bad to submit my spouses and all 3 kids anyways to be safe?

10. Proof of Bonafide marriage. We have never lived together. Would the following be enough?

              a. Whatsapp call logs, cell phone call logs, skype logs, screenshots of whatsapp conversations (one per month or so? for a few years), facebook posts (family events/outings etc), pictures of visits/wedding, flight itineraries, 3-4 affadavits from family/friends.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

Yes, so far so good. Get the I-130 forms. The check for it. Copy of your birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate. Here is what I also included in mine: 2 passport sized photos of myself and my spouse, his birth certificate as well with translation (if not in english) just to make sure, copy of his passport as well. I'd include pictures for the stepkids as well. I included a cover letter with all the contents of my petition. The sponsor forms. (I'd include the stepkids birth certificates too). And proof of marriage. I included pictures of my spouse and I and of us with friends as well. Chat logs we had while we were apart. Boarding passes from when I visited. Money sent to each other. Call logs. 3 affidavits from friends. I even included movie tickets from when him and I went out lol. If I was you, I'd include pictures of the kids as well. The more evidence the better. It's better to be safe. Goodluck!

Yeah, that won't be enough time to get all the paperwork done. Also, do you know where you two must go to marry? Do you know what is required from you and her part to marry? 

I cannot really say much about the marriage process in Vietnam but I ask you to research what is needed to marry there before going and maybe try extending your stay if possible. One week isn't enough time to do all this. For example, I married in Egypt but I had to do so in Foreign Affairs then go to the Embassy to get seals and so on. It took me just 2 weeks to gather all that was needed to marry. Then after we got the marriage certificate, it needed to be apostilled in the US Embassy (get the seal) So one week doesn't seem like enough. However, if you do stay there longer and get all this done with the seals and all then you can travel back home and then file with all the paperwork you already have. After you do all this then I can guide you more

In order to help you better can you please tell me where it is you will marry? What country? And how long will you be there?

 

hello everyone i am going to petition my wife after go back home to marry her next month. How i can prepare to get that done asap? thanks. 

p/s: i heard that k-1 case will take less time? should I do it  ? 

Let me give you an example. I am a US citizen. Married my husband in Egypt back in Feb 2016. Make sure that before you go back to the US you have all the paperwork needed. For example, the marriage certificate and translation (if the marriage certificate is in any other language than English). Make sure they have the embassy seals. Make sure you take some pictures of your wife (passport sized pictures for when you do file). Make sure to take copies of their birth certificate and passport. Just take copies of things you may need before traveling back to the states. 

You cannot do a k1. You must do a CR1 visa petition. Yes, it takes longer but most of the work gets done through it (like adjustment of status and all). Are you a US citizen?

 

Hi,

 

Anyone here living in Katy, Texas? Just have some few questions before I move in. I hope you can help me.

 

1. Can you give me an idea if it's easy to find a job there for college graduate with not much experience?

2. What is the cheapest price for a room/house rent?

3. How much is the average salary?

4. Where do/can you leave your child while you work?

5. Can we survive with a minimum wage job in Texas?

 

Thanks so much~!

 I lived in Houston for 25 years. Katy is a suburb in Houston. 

1. Yes, the great thing about this city  is that you have plenty of job opportunities. 

2. If it's a one bedroom apartment then 500 or so is cheapest. For a house it depends if you're getting from owner or realtor.

3. Average per hour is 8.50

4. If you have no friends or relatives then a daycare.

5. Yes. I worked with 9 dollars an hour and had my own place at some point. Good luck!

Hello everyone. I may be a bit late. I filed October 31, 2016. Sent to Nebraska then after some time I got transferred to Texas. The NOA1 came after 5 days of filing. Still waiting for my noa2. Married to an Egyptian btw. Good luck to all!

It is completely random. I lived in Houston, Texas when I filed. I sent my application to the phoenix lockbox since that's where it had to go and they sent it to the Nebraska Service Center. It arrived to this center on October 31, 2016. 3 days after i mailed it. However on March 23, 2017 they transferred to the Texas center. I didn't request it but I'm glad they did since it's the fastest. So I'd say it is at random. I hope this helped you since you mentioned phoenix as well so I wanted to clarify that is just the lockbox. After that it'll go to a specific center. Goodluck!

I'd use her maiden name but I doubt it'll cause problems. As for fb chat, I also used screenshots. Goodluck!

I would say you can go back and work to be able to file. Although a sponsor would help since saving up sometimes takes time. 

 

You're welcomed. I will keep you up to date on our journey. 

 

Insha'Allah everything will be fine, but do call the USCIS and ask for an update. I believe you are too close to getting an approval. 

Eeee! Thank you so much. You help more than lawyers hahaha. One last question, I know it's a lot.. how would I contact them of i am in egypt? Not sure of you know but if not, it's okay. You've really helped a lot 

 

You're welcomed dear. 

 

It took us nearly 7 months to finished USCIS, without transfer, but had an RFE. We actually had issues with USCIS, which caused us to involve our state senator.  It took 10.5 weeks from the scan date to get case complete from NVC, and then 2 months to get scheduled a Visa interview at the Cairo US Embassy.

This used to be my signature but it became to long, so I just removed it. But below is a more detailed timeline.

 

Married: 07/01/2009

I-130 Stage:

04/05/2016 : Sent I-130

04/07/2016 : USCIS received I-130 (Priority Date)

04/11/2016 : Received e-notification; Case being processed at Nebraska Service Center & I-797 will be sent in mail.

05/05/2016 : Received NOA1 (hard-copy). PD - 04/07/2016

08/25/2016 : RFE Ordered

Got senator involved as I never received actual RFE and was told contradicting information about whether it was 'ordered' or 'sent'

10/15/2016 : Responded to RFE. Senator Johnny Isakson's office was a big help with us finally receiving, and being able to respond to RFE.

10/18/2016 : NSC received RFE response.

11/05/2016 : Finally APPROVED!!! 

NVC Stage:

12/01/2016 : NVC Received our case. 

12/06/2016 : Case # & IIN was created

12/07/2016 : Received welcoming letter from NVC with case# and IIN, Established Agent, received invoice to pay AOS: Paid fee online

12/08/2016 : AOS 'PAID'

12/09/2016 : Received invoice for IV: Paid IV fee online

12/15/2016 : IV 'PAID' Completed & Submitted IV Application DS-260

12/22/2016 : Sent AOS & IV package to NVC via DHL.

12/29/2016 : NVC Scan Date 

02/10/2017 : Supervisor Request (Reached 6 weeks)

02/15/2017 : Case in 'Review Department'

03/07/2017: CASE COMPLETE 

03/14/2017: NVC Case Complete Confirmation Letter

03/04/2017 : Received P4 Letter

06/15/2017 : INTERVIEW DATE

Awww, thank you dear! And I know it must have been tough but alhamdulillah you have your interview next month 

Keep me up to date on how it went. And thanks for reassuring me. Ahmed and I were going crazy! Hehe

 

I would call and check the status of your case, but it sounds that it is within processing times.  Hopefully with being transferred it will speed up your approval.

 

About the address, I would leave it as your American address, since you still have domicile there. USCIS insists that they do not send mail outside the US, so if you are planning on returning to your parents home and are keeping contact with them, then it best just to keep the address there as is. Hopefully so soon you will get your petition approved. 

 

Wish you tons of luck. 

Thank you so much! I have seen your time line. We both have Ahmed's haha. How long did yours take to approve?

Where is the interview? I'm not sure if it's the same but in egypt, this is possible. Both the husband and wife or couple can go to the interview. Whether or not is better, I'm not sure but I feel it gives them a better grasp of the relationship 

 

Hi Christopher,

Have you received any news as of today?

 

I have a similar situation and our case was also transferred to Texas, thank you for sharing.

How long ago was yours transferred and did you receive approval yet? 

I am sooo happy i found this thread. My priority date is October 31. I see we are all close to date. Started in Nebraska and March 23, 2017 got notice it got transfered to texas. I haven't received an approval at all. I only have my NOA1 I received a week after filing. Is this normal? If anyone gets notice of approval or ANYTHING let me know pleeease!  

Just to add, once my petition got transferred it didn't have a priority date, so I'm also wondering what that's about. My initial priority  date was October 31..

Hello everyone, my name is Emilie. Been married to my best friend for 1 year and a half now. I have a serious question and I honestly don't know who to ask anymore. 

Back in the states I live with my parents, I filed my cr1 from within the US October 31, 2016. However, in November I came to live in Egypt due to having been apart for so long already  (while gathering paperwork), that it caused a lot of emotional pain. I have been putting this step off due to doubt. I'm not sure if I should file change of address (if so, what reason can I state and can I do so online?) Or if having my parents address is enough since I DO live with them in the US? It's been clouding my mind. Any advice??

Also, is 6 months normal for me to still be awaI ting approval from uscis? I got my NOA1 a week after filing but since then I've gotten nothing. However my application was initially in Nebraska from October 31, 2016 and it got transferred March 23, 2017. So did the transfer cause a delay? Is 6 months still okay for not receiving notice? The website processing times for Texas still say they are on September  2 forms so should I wait until it passes October? 

Sorry for the long post.