Ethan&Simone

4 hours ago, EvieMN said:

I pretty much did the same you did!

Separated the I-130 + I-131 with their supporting evidence in one folder and the I-485 and the supporting petitions in another.

I actually did 3 cover letters:

- a general one - super short, just states all the petitions included

- one for I-130 - states everything in the first folder

- one for I-485 - states evrerything in the second folder

 

I didn't staple the cover letter; just put in on top of all the pages.

I didn't write anything on the manila folders but you can always put both of your  names for peace of mind if you want.

I just put the two folders in the shipping container they gave me from the post office.

Good luck!

Thank you for the reply! Sounds good. Have you been given an RFI or NOA or anything?

4 hours ago, ajs1984 said:

Your package is processed by a person, not a machine. I would recommend you don't overthink it. Just follow the guidance on visajourney's website and the instructions on the USCIS website. It seems from the receipts you get through the mail that the forms have been checked and partially OCR'ed in the first week (for the C/O addresses, visa category info, etc.), so most likely somebody takes them apart right away.

I've read the instructions about 800 times just because I don't want to forget something.

4 hours ago, ajs1984 said:

A lot of people on this forum say that the I-130/I-130A and I-485+"everything else" packets might be split up and sent to different places. I don't know if that's true, but to help matters I just ordered my forms I-130+I-130A, I-485, I-864EZ, I-693, I-765, I-131, but I didn't bind any but the I-130 and I-130A together. There's no instructions anywhere telling you to bind the forms together (just the forms and their respective evidence). I'd recommend you follow each Form's instruction exactly and don't omit any documents, even if they are duplicate copies inside the package. But treat all the forms separately.

The only reason I had labeled them together like that is because the instructions kind of point to it that way. They're being sent in the same USPS package but just different manilla folders. They aren't necissarily "bound" together, but rather just in the same folder. 

Thank you both for the helpful advise. I'll be filing tomorrow and will linger in here from time to time.

Hey all,

I'm getting ready to finally submit my packages concurrently but I'm a little confused and can't find much guidance on how to finally assemble everything togethter.

I've used just heavy paperclips and separtated the files as they appear on the cover letter.

Attached are the two cover letters I have. Does that seem to encompass everything required? I just don't want to miss anything and then have an RFE requested.

A couple questions in regards to assembling the final package:

1) I currenlty have the I-130 (with supporting docs) and the I-130A in a manilla folder seperate from the I-485/765/864/131 which are also in a manilla folder. Is this correct or should they be together?

2) Are the cover letters stapled on the outside of the folder or just slid in on top of the other documents?

3) Does anyone have a picture on how the outside of the package looks so I can ensure it gets mailed properly, or does USPS put it in their own folder for shipping?

4) Is there anything I should put/write on the manilla folder if the above is true?

Just nervous on finally submitting it and having it sent back for whatever reason.

Thank you for your patience,

Ethan

Cover Letter I-130.pdf

Cover Letter I-485.pdf

I'm filing the I-130, I-485, I-864, etc... and for the "Name of Employer" and Address, I'm not exactly sure what to put in. I'm in the Navy and on my W-2 it appears like this:

DFAS-CL/JFLP

1240 EAST NINTH STREET

CLEVELAND, OHIO 44199

Should I just use that address for all emloyer based questions or would they send an RFE because the name looks weird?

Thanks for your help!

8 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Then you should be fine. Good luck!

Thank you! Such a great help.

Just now, geowrian said:

Red flags are things that may be considered out of the cultural norm for a relationship/marriage...large age gaps, different religions, past divorces, getting married on the first visit, not sharing a common language, etc.

Ah, okay I see. I have a past divorce but it wasn't anything abnormal, USC/USC. I have all of the appropriate paperwork for it and have it ready to file with the rest. 

1 minute ago, geowrian said:

Nothing jumps to mind off-hand, albeit there's not much to go on. Do you have any red flags?

Timelines:

• I-130+ I-485: 4-12+ months (9+ months average)
• I-131: ~4+ months
• I-765: ~4+ months

Being on active duty means 1) you only need to meet 100% of the financial requirements for the I-864, and 2) if you have orders to move/deploy, then that can be a basis to expedite. beyond that, I'll defer to the more experienced members that deal with military-specific issues.

Alright, and just to reitterate for my sanity, her overstay will hold no value when it comes to the Advance Parole or anything else for that sake? And what do you mean by red flags? As far as what?

Again, thanks for such a quick response.

@geowrian,

Thank you so much for the fast and informative response! Are there any other considerations I should worry about when filing or the timeline of things? I look at processing times all the time and just wonder if there will be any issues that I will run into. 

Also, does being active duty hold any benefits to the process as far as timeline or fees go? I read a couple things but most of what I read applied to those on the verge of being deployed and I'm not on cycle to deploy anytime soon so I wasn't sure if anything specific applied to us.

Thank you again, 

Ethan

Hello Visa Journey,

I've been reading almost every topic I can on here for the last couple of weeks trying to find every bit of information I can pertaining to J-1 Visa holders and marriage to an Active Duty military member. To my surpirse, there's more out there than I expected. However, I do still have a couple of questions and I'm hoping that they can get answered here within the next few days. Where to start...

My girlfriend, from South Africa, and I have been together for a year now. She came in the country on a J-1 Au Pair visa without the 2 year requirement. Her visa just expired, and she's currently in here grace period until October 15. We've been talking about getting married for a little bit now but more serious lately, without consideration of her visa. Back in may, she filed for a transfer to an F-1 Student visa because she wanted to go back to school. She recieved her receipt on it and frequently checks the status but has yet to receive anything else.

I understand the following forms need to be filed in the case that we do get married: I-130, I-130A, (2) G-325A, I-864, I-485, I-765, I-693, I-131. <-- Do correct me if any of these are wrong. I've looked up the checklist on here and other sites trying to cross-reference everything I can so I don't get it wrong. Filing the I-131 because in April 2018, she plans to go back home to attend a brother's wedding and then return back to the US. This is where my main concern lies. I understand that while her visa has expired, if we get married and apply for an AOS, that time where she stayed is null so far as she remains within the US for the I-485. The fact that she would be leaving, would the week/month she was in her grace period be considedered an "out-of-status" or "unlawful stay"? I understand the 180/360 day rule and it only triggers after they depart, but I also understand that an I-131 does not guarantee reentry.

I guess my main question is this (sorry for the confusion, my head is all over the place trying to figure this out):

09/15/17: Visa Expires (10/15/17 - Expected departure date)

09/15/17-10/15/17: Get married and start AOS application (forms mostly already filled out today, but just getting the money orders and follow-on documents)

Does the month window of her grace period classify as out of status and would it affect her reentry into the US if the Advance Parole is approved? We plan on filing everything together to ensure it all gets there. I would be traveling with her to her brother's wedding if that changes anything also? 

I just want to make sure that she'd be able to travel home with the I-131 and not have that week/month affect her reentry.

We will be talking to the JAGs at base legal on Monday and ultimately the USCIS branch in Virginia Beach on Monday as well, but I just want to calm my nerves and get everything set-up with no issues. 

Thank you for your time,

Ethan