taj'samericanwife

im just putting my I 130 together and i just wanted to make sure. im still waiting for some more documents...anyway i did specify my husbands country of origin and his address is in a different country. also can i include pictures in the I 130 packet as evidence of bona fide marriage...i mean i have all the others but i was wondering if i should include photos too? or can i include photos?

what if your husband is in another country and living there and you want the consulate where he is living in do the visa processing? i.e. my husband is from pakistan but he lives in the philippines and i want the u.s. embassy in the philippines do the interview and medical exam and all that...did anyone else do it this way? i emailed the us embassy in the philippines and they never answer back giving you the appropriate answer...they only tell you they have their website blah blah but i will try to call them...just want to know if anyone else did it this way...spouse is not in origin country and living somewhere else and you want to do it in that country's consulate?

what do you mean? alls im saying is...some immigration lawyers dont know everything and im surprised more people here gave a more realistic and straight forward answer that could actually do good for me...it was just very strange when she said file one I 130 and your son will automatically be on it? im like what? when i read online that you have to file separate I 130 for each relative...and someone in VJ told me i had to file one each meaning two I 130's? how could an immigration lawyer make that mistake? then she started saying it is a not an easy process when your just submit forms and that is it...but isnt that what it is...send the forms completely and then wait?

you are a grown woman and you are married, you are very capable of making decisions for yourself and your husband and the future family you will both start. you made the decision to marry this man, it is what it is. and what is done is done. its going to be a long journey and a tough one but if you know yourself you can make it work then nothing is going to stop you.

when i met my husband...and we started dating...i knew it was against his religion and his pakistani culture to 1. have a relationship 2. have a relationship with a non muslim and non pakistani...but i said to myself i want this man as my husband and i can do this and i can make it work for us. it didn't end there, my father hates him and i know he still does even though his grandson brings joy to him. people (and yeah even my family members) make fun of my husbands religion and that he just came from a third world country who is on the brink of poverty. and that he probably wont be able to make it here in the united states...his family never talks to me or never gives an a$$ about what's going on with me here in america but you know what...he is my husband and i decided for him to become part of my life and will join my life here in america. remember mumtaz money comes and goes but education will stay (i hope i don't sound like your mother or sister now) but its just another advice from a pakistani's wife to another.

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hey all...this came very strange to me...one of the immigration lawyers who i asked a question with gave me a wrong answeR? i asked if i had to file separate I 130's for my husband and son? and she said no? then i called the USCIS and they told me i have to file one I 130 for each...one for my husband and one for my son (im his biological mother) and one check for my husband and one for my son...also when i posted my case...someone did say yes, file separate I 130 for your husband and your son...very strange...she made a mistake?

mumtaz, i agree with rahma...sorry i know you probably hate me already...but i did exactly what she did...i finished school and got through...every single criticism my parents and my family say about him and every single criticism his family says about me. if i stayed behind with my husband and begged someone to be our co sponsor just for the sake of staying and being together would not be very mature for us. we decided to marry which means the both of us can stand without any help. and the fact that i left my son and my husband alone to come to america and to work, be a nurse and be established here made our relationship stronger. yeah i could have filed through dcf and that would probably mean more time spent with my husband and my son but i was thinking of our FUTURE and not just thinking of the present so we can be together at that time.

i didnt mean to say that you are doubting your husband. alls im saying is when people say they might assume he is using you for the visa, dont act all defensive. he is not period...

and about being the woman not being able to work because pakistani women are not suppose to work and your father or husband is against it well that is your call...

i just wish you good luck

asking you to get a job doesnt mean you are doing all the work or whatever, its just so you can have something to show for the AOS. that you are stable and you have a job. believe us when we say it is going to help and you guys really need it.

well mumtaz you have to get on your feet on this...you cant just be saying oh yeah my husband will do this and that...you are the petitioner which means it is your responsibility.if you really want your husband here then it means breaking out and getting your own life. if your parents want you to continue studying then good but you can still hold a job on the side. as for visiting him...i suggest you save that money.

if you have known each other for a while now even before you were married then it wouldn't be so hard to show your bona fide marriage. trust in your marriage, it seems to me you are having doubts that your hubby is using you for the visa?

hey mumtaz...relax and read everything, all the information you can find on this website. seems to me you are really anxious! much of what everyone says here is opinion and it all depends on what you want...which is obviously to be with your husband.

but anyway...you said you are in school or something like that? and what i have read in your thread so far is that the most likely problem that will arise is proving a bona fide marriage...what i would suggest is stay in america and file in america. im not quote sure if you said you are studying right now but i would finish up with that. or if you have your GED...get a job! any job, that could help you with your financial support that would help you and your husband. plus it wouldn't give you so much pressure on the financial support thing you would have to present. i'm sure you could get a job that pays at least 10$ an hour! and why do you worry about how to mail the forms and recieving your forms...yeah rent a mailbox at the post office if you have issues with receiving your mail. and if you have problems with going out on the streets to the post office because you don't drive or have a car...well for christ's sakes im sure you can take public transportation like the bus or the subway to go downtown to a post office nearby.

as for taking pictures to show evidence and all that...like i said get a job...work for about 5 months...save up then go visit your hubby in pakistan. the proving of the bona fide marriage (pictures and stuff) will come later in the interviews to show the consular. in the meantime get Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship from anyone...like a cousin...a friend to help you...maybe the witnesses at your wedding (you did have witnesses didnt you?) or you can get from your husband's family to make those documents for him.

i know it's very hard for you. i know how you feel. i went through the same thing. when i was still a student, my family didnt want to help me...all it took for them was to sign a couple of papers (affidavit of support) so my husband and son could have come with me here to america. but they didnt even lift a finger...so you know what i did...i graduated and i had to leave my 6 months old son with his father...(imagine a mother leaving her child) got a job here in america and work my ### off...to prove that yeah i can feed my son and my husband and put a roof over their heads...

you're 20 years old...you are old enough to petition your husband and you are old enough to get a job...besides it's only two households...a 10$ / hour job would do. if your family dont wanna help you then help yourself if you really want your husband with you. this is america girl...remember that...the land of oppurtunities.

hi rami and waheed! thanks for the reply! it sounds right to file separate I 130 for them and file at the same time. but the

thing i am just worried by sons will be ready first before my husband and of course i would want them to come at the same time...how could i take care of my son alone? i am the one supporting the both of them so far. my husband just graduated, no job yet too. also, when they both come here, at least i can work and my husband can take care of our son while they are settling in and eventually when my husband gets a job, i can work less and stay home more for our son.

im sure you both know that life in america is not that easy...esp with kids...having a nanny and day care and all that. its not like back home where you can get help easily. and like i said, i had to do everything for my family...imagine leaving my son back in the philippines because no one wanted to help me with being a co sponsor or fees with the forms because at that time i was still a nursing student? it all goes back to how the family is...well i guess its working out okay because i am now proving myself...that a can do this for my family...and to think im a woman! you guys are just lucky that ur USC spouse's family helped out

also rami filed though the dcf and im so surprised how fast it went. my husband is pakistani and he is living in the philippines...and we will file in the us embassy in the philippines. i hope it won't take that long for him, he might even be put on AP! oh my goodness i really hope and pray not! what i am still deciding is to file I 130 for my husband first then after 2 months my son so my husbands will at least be first in the race because my son's will most probably get his done in 3 -4 months and how can i take care of a baby alone and work? what im saying is i want both of them here and to come at the same time...visas ready same time... i can not do it myself if my son comes first...any more advice brothers?

gus 21 are you the child under 21 unmarried of a USC?

which bank allows you to add someone to have a joint account even if they dont have an SSN? i know bank of america won't do it because you gotta show an SSN number...what about the ING account or other banks?

Note: Evidence of a Bonifide Marriage

The USCIS now requires that when filing an I-130 for a spouse that you include evidence of a bonifide marriage. They list examples of acceptable evidence as:

1. Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or

2. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or

3. Documentation showing co-mingling of financialresources; or

4. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, thepetitioner, and your spouse together; or

5. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties havingpersonal knowledge of the bona fides of the maritalrelationship (Each affidavit must contain the full nameand address, date and place of birth of the person makingthe affidavit, his or her relationship to the petitioner ofbeneficiary, if any, and complete information and detailsexplaining how the person acquired his or herknowledge of your marriage); or

6. Any other relevant documentation to establish that thereis an ongoing marital union.

i dont know the photos might be considered in number 6?

definitely do the CR-1...i was torn between the K3 and CR-1...but finally decided on the CR-1. i know the K3 makes it seem faster and easier but its not as i have read in the threads here...i know you want your husband with you really bad...but in the long run, the CR-1 will be better for you guys plus he can help you out and work since you're still a student...

allah hafiz mumtaz

i dont think photos of you together is okay to show a bona fide marriage? double check it...statements from people is a good evidence to show the bona fide marriage thing but i dont think photos of you together are...thats for the interview i think

hey you all! wow this is interesting...anyway thanks im learning...not about the non muslim marrying a muslim...but the AP and everything.

mrs or mr pushbrk...thanks for the advice...we will file my sons and husbands together and we're on our feet already about it...i sincerely thank you

right on miss morocco! my husband never told me it was against for him to marry a non muslim like me, that would make him a jerk if he ever said that. religion was never a problem...he never forced me to convert...sometimes even comes to church with me...greets me on christmas stuff like that and i celebrate his muslim holidays too.

i read somewhere that maybe during the interviews they ask how two people from two different religions work out a marriage and in their situation a jew and a muslim. they has a child and all they said was they were to do their best to bring up their child to become a good person not to harm anyone. i know now that the different religion issue also comes up in interviews. but couples who are 10 years apart in age and they spouse hardly can speak english also comes up during the interview process. i just have to hope and pray like every single person in here does to get thru this visa journey...

and yeah im pretty worried how people will react when he comes to join me here in america...like at work i mention my husband is from pakistan and they say...thats interesting and i totally know what they are thinking in the back of their heads. stereotypes! but i told my husband to prepare for that because u will meet uneducated people along the way who are just so ignorant. see, that's why we got along so well...when we were getting to know each other, he felt so comfortable with me because when he was in the philippines everyone kept making comments like oh he is from pakistan...he's a terrorist blah blah...except for me...anyway he will most probably be amongst professionals and educated people when he gets a job...

also...i dont think my son's visa will be delayed because his father is from pakistan...isn't it two forms of I 130 anyway? and an IR-2 for a child wouldnt even have to wait for a number...

im a newbie here so i dont really know how to put a timeline on my profile...someone tell me how to do that...but here it is anyway

oct. 18, 2007 married after 3 years of going steady...civil wedding philippines

oct. 27, 2007 my son was born

december 2008 went to manila embassy to inquire about getting a US passport for my son but consular said I did not meet the require for living in the US for 5 years, she advised to petition my son

july 2008 - present came to america alone...found job...working 5 months now...and ready to start filing for my family to come...but still getting acquinted with the process...

before i sleep...could anyone tell me by their experiences particularly through the philippines us embassy which is faster? DCF or just send directly to USCIS?

yeah i guess i should expect for the AP (why do they do that for the pakistanis?)...that totally sucks though but i'm glad to know that a pakistani citizen can file in london too for a K1 visa...same as my hubby who will file in the philippines. i was also wondering, i wanted to post a new thread...which is faster? to do the I 130 at the DCF or thru USCIS. i know i'm already here in the u.s. but i will be going to the philippines to see my son and husband in march or april...should i just wait and file there or should i just go on and file in january at the USCIS chicago address? i saw that by DCF in the philippines...its pretty fast too....

and on yeah, not only do we have a son together who looks 50% me and 50% his father...so cute...our entire relationship went through the typical love @ first site thing...we dated for 3 years...now almost 2 years married so a total of almost 5 years being together...i knew he was the love of my life that day he came up to me and ask to borrow my notes! oh gush....im missing him so...

...ooopppss i mis spelled something...love @ first sight! not love @ first site! correction, we did not meet on the internet...silly me

hi waheed...what about your son? did you include him in your wife's I 130? did you file separate peitition for him?

hi...thanks for replying...im not filing through the consulate in pakistan... you see my husband and I met in the philippines...i am a US citizen and I was studying in the philippines and he was a pakistani also studying in the philippines...we have a son together, he is about 14 months now.

I had to leave them behind and come to america alone. i wanted to petition them when I was still in the Philippines but I just graduated from nursing school and I didn't have a job...and no family member wanted to help us. Also our son could not automatically get his US citizenship through me because I lived my life mostly in the Philippines...I grew up there and went to school in the Philippines. The consular at the US embassy in the Philippines said I would have to petition my son since he could not acquire citizenship by birth to an american parent because I lacked that one requirement of not living in the US for at least 5 years...

So we decided after graduation I'll come to america alone...I had to do it all for my family...come to america alone and work for them...save up...you know the deal. so I have been living away from them for 6 months now. I have a job, a very stable job now and I waited after 5 months of working so that i can file for my husband and child.

I also emailed the different US embassies in pakistan to explain my situation...telling them my husband is still in the Philippines on a student visa...and I am planning on filing his immigrant visa soon...what should i do? they emailed back saying that all he needs from pakistan are his original birth certificates and police clearance so i am assuming I can file through the us embassy in the philippines. besides...my husband is legal in the philippines, he is still on his student visa which will expire in about year...has his alien registration certificate in the philippines...he is all good there. and also my son is in the philippines. my mom takes care of him and I am getting a filipino passport for my son so i can file his IR-2 too. we decided not to get the pakistani passport for him.

I emailed the US embassy in the philippines to double check but they havent emailed back...besides we were married in the philippines...but i will call the us embassy in the philippines...

im wondering if anyone knows if my husbands visa might be Expedited if i file them together with my son's? my son's will take faster im sure of that and i am worried my husband will get left behind...

also in the US embassy in the philippines, they allow foreigners to file tourist visas there even if they are not filipino...his pakistani friends did that....

and i have no problem showing proof of our on going marriage...we have a son together...which i think is the best proof of any 'REAL' marriage to anyone...

please comment.

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

oh yeah and one more thing... "In my case I applied for IV for my child thru the US embassy- Jordan and it took almost a 25 days and finally they came to the US" so it only took 25 days for your daughter to get her visa...i was looking thru your timeline...wow...it was so fast and quick for you! i really wanted to file when i was still in the philippines with them but like i said i was still a student and no relatives wanted to help with the financial support. i had to show them and do it on my own and i thank GOD everyday for at least letting me find a job very quickly here in america...

so please answer my ??? since your wife did your visa and daughter's visa together...it went faster?

thank you so much!

Hi rami! How are you? Thank you so much for replying...i have a couple of questions more...

1. Did your wife file at the same time with you and your daughter? same time right? and you said only one (1) I 130 form for both of them since i would have to list my son's name under my husband's I 130...? someone suggested i file one I 130 for my husband and one I 130 for my son? so that means two payments of the I 130...i will try to call the USCIS to find out.

2. Since you and your daughter filed at the same time...did you have any problem with her immigrant visa coming first? or yours and your daugther's came at the same time? what I am very worried about is...if i file together my son and husband...my son's IV will come first...and the processing of my husbands will take longer...and when my son's IV will be issued he will have to travel within 6 months too right? what it is passed that 6 months and they have not given my husband's visa...my son would have to travel to the US without his father...and it would just be me and the baby and i have to work...OR since yours and your daugther I 130 were together...it speed up the process? because of your 10 months old daughter? where is she now? is she in the US with you? and your wife here too?

3. I understand that my son is exempted in that I 184 thing...but what will be the total income required that i have to show...for me and my husband only (2 household members only) since my son is exempted?

My husband and I have decided...we will do the IR-1 route...we are not married for 2 years...we will still be two years in october 2009. which is in 10 months...i plan to file in january only for my husband...because if i file same time...my son's might come up first and i can not take care of him alone here while working...and my husband will be very sad that me and my son are together and he is still waiting for his visa. but if i file theirs together and by doing that...it will make things faster...i will file them together...i just need to know from your experience.

actually my husband just graduated from medical school last oct. 2008...he is doing more studies...he is in his master's program in public health which will finish in november 2009...and he is also doing his internship in internal medicine which will finish in november 2009...so i hope the visa and everything will be ready by then...

we were deciding that my hysband come first...find a job too so that i will not be the only one working for our son...but maybe after 1 -2 months my husband arrives and he has a job, my son can come so i will not be working so much...

thank you again! looking forward to your next reply! GOD bless you rami...

hi everyone, i read some stuff about which petition came first, the I 130 or the K3? please share me stories those who got the I 130 approved first for his or her CR1 or IR1 then dropped the k3 or just abandoned that route because the CR1 or IR1 came first....share stories please