omgslay

We mailed our concurrent 485/130/131/765 filing on Mar 27. USPS said it was delivered to Chicago Distribution Ctr on Mar 28, but never delivered to the lockbox destination. After a million calls to USPS and a missing mail search, we just accepted that it's probably lost. Today (Apr 19) my wife received emails from USCIS, logged into her account, and saw receipt notices for each form we filed, dated April 1. Great news -- USPS is just incompetent! However, the checks still haven't cleared. When I called and spoke to a USCIS agent, he said that the cases are "pending payment" or something along those lines. And that I may want to contact my bank to ensure everything is fine or it'll get rejected. I called Chase, everything is fine. I thought they wouldn't even scan the documents without payment? Has anyone else received NOA without the payment clearing first? If so, how long did it take for payment to clear?

Yeah, that makes sense. I can see that the form data isn't currently being encoded into the barcodes, so I'm mailing 99% printed with 1% handwritten. As I'm sure many others have done.

Upon some further testing, it appears the barcodes don't change based on the filled form fields, whether you save / print from Chrome or Adobe, or even the paid Adobe Pro. I tested I-130, I-131, I-485, I-864 and I-765 -- basically all the forms with barcodes at the bottom. Furthermore, all barcode scanning apps display the encoded contents as just the form name, edition date, and page number. That would suggest that filling in the form, printing it, and handwriting to complete should be fine, since they will have to scan the contents of the form anyway. Can anyone corroborate this?

The 2D barcodes on most AOS forms contain all the information you've filled into Acrobat. USCIS uses this to speed up scanning and presumably remove the need for OCR or manual entry. There's a lot of advice on VJ about handwriting answers into computer-filled PDFs, such as writing "Unknown" into I-131s planned trip destination and trip dates, etc. Another glaring example is that I-94s can now be alphanumeric but the stupid I-130 form has validation that says "Numbers Only" for that field, making it impossible to fill via Adobe Acrobat. Our solution, until now, was to print everything 99% completed in Acrobat, and hand-write the fields that cannot be filled. But the 2D barcode on the bottom will obviously NOT reflect the handwritten changes. This means they may easily be missed by the person scanning them in. What is the solution? I don't want to handwrite entire forms, that seems ridiculous. Ugh, how frustrating -- yet another reason paper forms are inferior.

Hi OldUser, yeah we actually started with a Word doc w/ multiple photos and text, because I had an online I-130 ready to go. However, I don't have a color printer and didn't want to print crappy black and whites. And at Walgreens the 4x6s are $0.40 whereas color documents or 8x10s are quite a bit more, so it made the decision easy. I'm not worried about them being unable to scan or store actual photos. Yeah, we also researched this, but since there seems to be a lack of consensus on this topic, we decided to go the safer route. If they don't need extra copies, they can toss 'em. One of the downsides of filing on paper, which is an outdated medium. Thanks boss, I might just do that when I mail the packet. Btw, would love to hear if you have any opinions on the rest of my post.

Hi all ! We're on the verge of mailing our packet, so I thought I would share the contents of our assembled packet to both get feedback and share with others. Our filing is a bit unique in the sense that my wife is a UHP parolee and we're filing from Puerto Rico, and I haven't really seen UHP filers post about their AOS process, so maybe it'll help someone. Sadly there are no "AOS filers for <month>" monthly threads in this forum, like there are in the K1/K3 forums. @Crazy Cat maybe we can do something about that? Anyway, @pushbrk made a convincing, albeit a bit depressing argument that a concurrent paper filing bears less risk of screw-ups, so I'm abandoning my online I-130 idea and including the paperwork all together in a single mailed packet. Without further ado, here is the meat of our cover letter and the submission contents. If anything seems wrong or missing, I would appreciate some feedback. Cheers and thanks! ASSEMBLY: Everything from the top, starting with the checks up until the end of I-130 (see below) is in one binder clip. The rest, starting with I-485, is in a secondary larger packet with a second binder clip. On the bottom of each of those 2 packets (stacks) are a bunch of colored tab markers that let you jump to any individual bullet point item within that stack. All photos, both 2x2 and 4x6 are grouped into plastic ziplock bags, with writing on the bag itself and on the backs of the photos, which are then stapled to an empty sheet of paper. The only thing holding each stack's papers together is that stack's binder clip. USCIS Attn: AOS P.O. Box 805887 Chicago, IL 60680 March 26, 2024 COVER LETTER ORIGINAL SUBMISSION RE: Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) Application for Adjustment of Status (Form I-485) Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765) Application for Advance Parole (Form I-131) Petitioner: John Smith Beneficiary/Applicant: Jane Doe Dear Adjudicating Officer, I, John Smith, a citizen of the United States, am filing petition I-130 for my spouse, Jane Doe, whose port of entry was San Juan, Puerto Rico and who entered as a UHP parolee. Concurrently filed, you will also find applications I-485, I-765, and I-131, along with additional supporting forms and documents, in this order: Check for $535, I-130 Filing Fee Check for $1,225, I-485 Filing Fee and Biometrics G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance I-130 PETITION FOR ALIEN RELATIVE Completed and signed form I-130 Completed and signed form I-130A Proof of petitioner’s status: copy of US Passport Copy of marriage certificate Copy of certified translation of Marriage Certificate, since 2 sections were in Spanish Copy of joint lease Copy of joint bank account Copy of ID cards as evidence of shared residence Copy of common health insurance 2 passport style photos of petitioner 2 passport style photos of beneficiary Relationship photographs (18 glossy 4x6), chronologically arranged, with info on the back I-485 APPLICATION TO ADJUST STATUS Form I-693, Sealed Medical Examination Completed and Signed form I-485 Two passport-style (2x2) color photos of beneficiary Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian international passport (biographic page in English & Ukrainian) Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian birth certificate Certified translation of beneficiary’s Ukrainian birth certificate Copy of beneficiary’s passport page with U.S. Department of Homeland Security stamp (UHP) Copy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Notice of Parole Copy of I-94 Arrival Record Copy of beneficiary’s Marriage Certificate (Puerto Rico, USA) Certified translation of beneficiary’s Marriage Certificate, since 2 sections were in Spanish Affidavit of Support and Supporting Documents: Completed and signed form I-864 Copy of sponsor’s proof of status (US Passport) Tax transcript for 2022 Tax transcript for 2021 Tax transcript for 2020 Pay stubs for 2024 I-765 EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION Completed and signed form I-765 Two passport-style (2x2) color photos of beneficiary Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian international passport (bio page in English & Ukrainian) Copy of I-94 Arrival Record Copy of beneficiary’s passport page with U.S. DHS stamp (UHP) Copy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Notice of Parole I-131 ADVANCE PAROLE Completed and signed form I-131 Two passport-style (2x2) color photos of beneficiary Copy of beneficiary’s Ukrainian international passport (bio page in English & Ukrainian) Copy of I-94 Arrival Record Copy of beneficiary’s passport page with U.S. DHS Security stamp (UHP) Copy of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Notice of Parole

An unreasonable assumption? Their own instructions tell you to provide a copy of the I-130 online receipt notice in the mailed 485 packet. What do you think they'll do with that notice, toss it out?

If I'm understanding you correctly, we're now discussing 2 possible options: A) Prepare & file everything on paper, which we'll have ready by Monday. B) File the I-130 online, take the NOA1 that is provided immediately after filing, and mail the rest on Monday. Either way, the 485 package isn't going out any earlier than Monday. So what if the I-130 just sits? The 485 can't get there any sooner whether the I-130 is included on paper or not.

Do you mean to say I shouldn't even include photos, much less stamps or travel bookings?

You wrote this in another thread: "Considered? Yes. Actually concurrently filed? No. The difference is the timeline delay while you wait for the receipt and wait for them to join the files. You'll be completing a total of 8 forms, only one of which can be filed online. Is it worth it? You decide." Do you have any actual evidence or source that there will be a timeline delay or is this speculation? In the same thread, a user (Skyman) states that his paper 485 had the same PD as the online I-130, despite being filed months later.

We're adjusting from the US. She was paroled via UHP and I see no forum relevant to parolees who can adjust, so I picked what I thought was the next best place to post the question. In hindsight it may not be, so if there's a better place, I'd kindly request the mods to move this post. I have 95% of the online I-130 completed and don't wish to abort and convert to paper at this point, since I see no point. I'm a software engineer and prefer to avoid mailing dead trees around or do something the old way just because it was always done that way. Everything will be online eventually and we should be encouraging people to file online so USCIS continues the transition to digital. That said, I understand why you're suggesting it, but since I know for a fact that an attached NOA1 from the online submission would make the subsequent paper 485/131/765/864/693 filing concurrent, I'm willing to go the more novel route. With that out of the way, I plan on a) uploading all pages of my passport to the "Proof of Citizenship" section, even though it's probably not necessary but I already have the full PDF and so I might as well overkill. And b) unless you believe it cannot possibly help, I will upload the same passport stamps, my wife's passport stamps, and our travel booking emails to the "Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage" section, along with a cover page telling them they can cross-reference our travels as proof of time together before she entered the US in 2022. I know you're an advocate of precisely following instructions and I also value precision. We call this RTFM in my line of work. However, I find the instructions for "Additional Proof of Marriage" to be wanting, particularly on the last part: We're already meeting their "one or more" requirements with a joint lease & joint bank statement. Since they don't clarify the last bullet point, it leaves people like me questioning what that means. In the interest of avoiding RFEs, I plan to attach photos, same-address IDs, and maybe the travel bookings. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thanks! If the goal is to show evidence of time spent together -- well, we have been living together for over a year already in the US. We have a joint lease agreement and driver licenses with the same address, as well as a joint bank account. With this in mind, would you still provide passport stamps / bookings that show travels before my wife came to the US? If the answer is yes, should I upload the passport & stamps in just the Proof of Citizenship section? Or in both that section and the Evidence section? And are stamps sufficient on their own, or should I write up a PDF suggesting they cross-reference the stamps & booking emails?

Hi all, Since I print boarding passes at the airport and discard them after travel (like a sane person 😁), the only travel evidence I have are booking confirmation emails and my US passport stamps. I'm filling out the I-130 online and decided to use the combination of stamps and booking emails as evidence of travel. So, should I upload the stamped passport pages under "Proof of US Citizenship" only, with the booking itineraries under "Additional Proof of Marriage", and hope they cross-reference the two as evidence of travel? Or upload the passport under both sections? In either scenario, should I also upload a PDF document under "Additional Proof" telling them they can cross-reference my travel stamps with the email itineraries and hotel stays? Or is this implied? Cheers!

Let me know if you're still game, Crazy Cat.

Hi Appleblossom! I'm talking about the fact that they're asking me to upload a PDF document containing my wife's name and address in her native (non-Roman) language, which would then become "a document in a foreign language", while advising me that any PDFs uploaded in a foreign language will require English translations. This seems to be yet another place where the paper form has no such ambiguity, because on paper they just ask you to fill it in. They don't then advise you to translate "foreign documents", because fields in the I-130 form itself never become "a foreign document". The online I-130 is much more ambiguous and unnecessarily confusing... I guess I just answered my own question?