ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresTranslate Documents into English
I know I can do the translations myself....but does anyone know If I need to write out the certification for EVERY document, or can I mention them all as documentS in one certification? (ALL the evidence of my husband and I is in spanish, it would kill a lot of trees to print out that little certification so many times).
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-06-17 17:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduressend errored evidence??
for those reading this later....I did in fact send the info with my I-130 and i did not include a note...no RFE or anything...NOA2 in 12 days. they might ask my hubby about it in the interview, but i think being chilean they must understand how paperwork is done here, lol.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-01 19:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduressend errored evidence??

Do you think they will just see that it was OBVIOUSLY a mistake?

Also Jessica - I am also from Chile and will be filing in about a month and have just started collecting documents to bring on vacation to the US with me (I will be working on the package there since I will have time and leave it for my parents to send)

I just went to get our marriage certificate the other day and now they are digital and is literally a piece of paper with our information printed on it and a DIGITAL stamp and signature.. I am worried this isn't the right thing - like I might need something MORE official...Did they give you the same one or a different one?? Thanks :)



Hey! on my insurance thing it also says that I am not a foreigner.....idk, that part I am not too worried about, I wouldnt worry about he rental contract, but I am not the most experienced on this forum. I will let you know how my app goes though, I plan on sending it next week!

Yeah the new certificates are super CHANTA....I was surprised too, but that is the only version now for all documents, my husband got a new birth cert and it was the same, so i imagine USCIS has to accept it. Chile can´t be the only country that updates their documents. I thought about making a note about it for the person who reviews our case??
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-10 10:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduressend errored evidence??

Well he would have to be related to you to be on the insurance so I would say it still proves that you are in a family situation.


That´s what I think, but I am also a USC and have found that Chile often has a lot of laws/norms that I find somewhat nonsensical...I don´t know if I am just being paranoid :) I sometimes hear that USCIS does not, and neither is expected to read between the lines...I.E. - if it has the optino to list him as my husband and doesn´t, something is up.

Should I include a note??
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-05 23:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduressend errored evidence??
Hey all....We got married June 2nd, and I have spent the last month getting our paperwork together for the CR-1. As I went through and started to translate the evidence for a bona fide marriage, I realized that my health insurance company made a mistake...

On the doc where it lists the dependents on my plan, they can be classified as spouse, mother, father, child, or other, and for the love of pete they listed my husband as other. I didn´t realize until tonight.
Do I send the paperwork anyway (showing him as as my dependent) or will they question the fact that he is not listed as my spouse?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-05 22:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresorganizing i-130 packet
for those reading later....i sent a supplemental sheet listing all the ways we were id´d in the various documents (id #, bank#, nicknames, etc). i-130 approved no prob.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-01 19:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresorganizing i-130 packet

Also - What is the best way to indicate/explain things on evidence?? Is it ok to simply write whose phone number is whose on the cell records for example or would I need to attach a sheet?


is it appropriate to say in the cover letter something like -
While reviewing these documents please note that "petitioner´s name" is at times identified by her chilean national ID #12.345.678-k?

Or should I include an attachment listing our ID #s, account #s, and cell numbers as in certain documents/evidence we are identified by these?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-14 22:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresorganizing i-130 packet
hey all!! Getting my I-130 together to send tuesday, so I´ll cut to the chase. I am working on organizing the bonafide evidence part.

-My husband and I have been renting an apt together since jan 2012
-We don´t have a lease, since we rent from a friend (previously we lived all 3, now just my husband and I).
-What we do have is our friend´s affidavit which includes the fact that we lived together, and a couple of bank statements where we both deposited to said friend to pay the rent.
-I also have a police certificate that shows my address, but my husband does not have any documents showing our address (ID cards and many other documents here don´t include address).

Is this a problem? If so, can it be compensated by our bank statements of transfers between accounts, his additional line debit card on my account, photos, sworn affidavits by friends/family, our marriage book from the courthouse, copy of signing him onto my health insurance, copy of our cell records, and emails??

Also - What is the best way to indicate/explain things on evidence?? Is it ok to simply write whose phone number is whose on the cell records for example or would I need to attach a sheet?

Finally - what is the best way to list attachments in the cover letter? Numbered seperately or simply "g-325A and attachment"?

Edited by jessicaruizw, 14 July 2012 - 09:16 PM.

jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-14 21:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBlue ink vs black ink.
fill in the blanks with black ink (to comply with the instructions to print information in black ink). the signature is not printed, and therefore can be blue.

when you stress, simply return to square one, read the directions, and do it over if necessary. for me it was worth printing the form again in order to not freak out over a potential RFE.
hope this helps!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-10 21:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresOriginal Documents and Certified Documents when ?

In other areas I see that originals or "certified" copies are needed but I don't know if that's just the items coming from ME after my husband-to-be uses copies of items with the I-130 petition.

I noticed you said husband-to-be...are you just really ahead of your game and will do the CR-1, or do you plan on doing the k-1 fiancee visa? (for which you would file the I-129f petition).
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-10 22:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNo longer sure how to file

Of course he can, he will have dual US/ Canadian citizenship.



I guess I was referring to this, I knew I had read something - "In order to lose U.S. citizenship, the law requires that the person must apply for the foreign citizenship voluntarily, by free choice, and with the intention to give up U.S. citizenship."

from http://travel.state....s/cis_1753.html

Penguin, are you still a dual national?? My husband and I are very interested in him maintaining his dual nationality.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-29 21:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNo longer sure how to file

Of course he can, he will have dual US/ Canadian citizenship.


Doh!!..total brainfart
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-29 21:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNo longer sure how to file
http://www.visajourn...-living-abroad/

that is the link about the expeditied processing times for when the USC is from abroad and how to file to "get it"...but you may note that a it does not seem to be working for canadians (comment on page 11). Maybe scan the whole thread for canadian replies.

Also...I noticed you said your husband was soon to be a Canadian citizen...did you perhaps mean resident? Because if he becomes a canadian citizen he won´t be able to petition for you.....

Edited by jessicaruizw, 29 July 2012 - 07:33 PM.

jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-07-29 19:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIV Application Processing Fee

Yes, thats what I did. While I was gathering AOS docs I pais IV application fee. Then I sent both (AOS and IV) packets together.


So you sent them in the same envelope and everything?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-14 09:25:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNVC...I am lost: experiences & help? (Spain)
on the coverpage (you can print or email this from when you log into the nvc payment site) it has an address. send it there.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-15 18:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresIV Bill vs. AOS Bill :/

will there be any complication from this 'as yet' unknown persons (my mother in law) making the payment for us? or it should be kosher?

if the "IV Bill" is the same as the Affidavit of Support fee? I have searched online for guidance with what the IV Bill is, but I am unsure if its just a different term or not?

Kelli - as per your first question, i don´t really know the answer, but i understand that as long as the bill is paid, they don´t much care who forked over the cash. maybe a VJer with more experience can respond?

for your 2nd question - study this, memorize this, paste it to your mirror if you have to. NVC is a lot of back and forth, and this pdf explains it well - http://www.visajourn...wchart_v1-2.pdf
you can see that the AOS and the IV are 2 seperate simultaneous tracks. you as petitioner take care of the AOS...your spouse or elected agent takes care of getting together the IV app.

also - take a look at the sept filers thread....http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/386421-nvc-filers-september-2012/page__st__510
the the first 2 posts have a ton of info.....get reading! :)
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-19 11:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE help

you can ring to ask for an intrview instead of waiting for them to send you a date. Thats what I did and it worked! :)

aoifemc did you call nvc or your embassy?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-01 19:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 - just how necessary are the last THREE tax returns?
The thing is I am a school teacher, and only one year did I make over the minimum to require filing (which is around 9,500 us). So for that year I filed. What I am asking about is your chilean taxes.....do you pay them by a "boleta de honorario"?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-03-06 08:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 - just how necessary are the last THREE tax returns?
Lemayz.....Do you have "boletas de honorario" or do you work with a contract?? I am about to do the same thing, and I am wondering what you will use as your tax evidence because like you, I have not filed that last years I have been in Chile (I did not make enough money to file).
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-03-04 20:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresMarriage certificates issued to both my wife and I
:time:
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-05 10:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHELP please?!
Whose fault was the error? If your husband paid for translations, he paid for a service and they company should pay to fix them.

However, if you don´t fix it, I think it depends on the paper.....for example, is it the marriage cert, or a lease? i sent in some errored evidence (our health insurance plan lists my husband as "other" instead of spouse for example) because it was all I had. But in my case the original was incorrect, not the translation, so there was nothing I could do about it.

You could always include a note explaining the mistake. on some of my documents, my husband and I were identified by our nationa ID #s only, in others I have a not-true second last name included bc in some places in Chile they require you to put 2 last names on forms, etc. So I just included a supplementalsheet that said, I, Suzy Jane Q am referred to in the following documents as : bla, bla bla, or bla.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-13 12:53:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresafter arriving
I thought that the SS card arrived only if you checked that box on the DS-230....if not you had to apply for it...is that correct?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-17 19:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWhen To Submit The I-130
i sent ours in a month after (only bc i was waiting on some certs).....the only "shared" thing we had was our health insurance, and we each have an additional on our bank accounts, but we did that before we got married. also, one of our affidavits was from our roommate since we have never had a lease, we sent our emails, and made sure to include a variety of photos that included his and my family, etc. hope this helps!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-17 21:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresProof for I-130. Did I provide enough?
honestly, if you already sent the package, what´s done is done. if you need more, they will ask for it. :) welcome to the waiting game :)
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-17 21:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPost-interview problem - five weeks to get a visa!!
thanks for the kind words!! me and my husband plan on living it up while we are here....justo we are going to puerto montt next weekend and various other trips while we are waiting to take advantage of our querido chilito..and i totally agree with your when in rome....

in other news, between last night when i read this and today when i had the time to reply, we had our apt broken into and 3 of our windows smashed out....while we were home :wacko: I´m not saying there isnt delincuencia in the US, but this is one of the reasons I want to get outof dodge...my hometown has an extremely low crime rate and i´d like to walk downtown w/o being worried about fleites mugging me....

but, now I have the opportunity to learn about how to install glass, so there´s a silver lining, right? :lol: saludos chicas!

Edited by jessicaruizw, 12 October 2012 - 03:59 PM.

jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-12 15:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPost-interview problem - five weeks to get a visa!!

jessicaruizw....I have learned that you really can't plan around dates....you never know what will happen.

I have not done the consulate review yet, I've had lots on my plate, but plan to do it soon. In any case, they didn't really ask me anything at all.

for sure...my mom asks me everyday when we are coming home, my boss if i am going to renew my contract, etc....I refuse to tell them any date bc i know anything could happen! this whole process is such an emotional roller coaster :wacko:
I just have read several stories where people were told one thing (printing problems in your case, etc) and then POOF they were actualy in admin processing...i just find the whole thing sktechy on the part of the embassies.

I´ll keep an eye out for the review ;)...I will accompanying my husband and I know in some embassies they are very interested in the USC and other not. I also want to have the opportunity to put my foot down in the case they ty and pull printing problems or sthg similiar over on us because once you walk out, i feel like that´s sort of it as far as getting straight answers.

thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us!! we appreciate it!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-02 12:53:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPost-interview problem - five weeks to get a visa!!
lemayz..keep us updated......I am hoping for a nov/dec interview for my hubby and don´t want to get blindsided like this!

also...did you do an embassy review. I am curious how much they spoke with you, the petitioner :)

Edited by jessicaruizw, 30 September 2012 - 10:29 PM.

jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-30 22:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresPost-interview problem - five weeks to get a visa!!
Did you interview in santiago?!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-09-26 19:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-30 for pregnant wife and timeline
sharaby-....the best help/info you can get is to read the guides!!! all the info is there!!! :) good luck!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-18 11:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE for translations?

Turns out they want my husband's divorce decree from his prior marriage and our marriage certificate translated by a certified translator.

I am just wondering how common this is? I speak both English and French fluently, I am a French teacher, I have a Master's Degree in French, yet they are telling me that I am not competent enough to translate the documents? They accepted all of the other documents with my translations.


perhaps for this document you forgot the translation certification which must accompany it? bc i find that to be absolutely absurd!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-23 17:41:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAPPROVED after 3 weeks of AP! And Miami POE question
go lemayz!!! don´t forget about us lil ole vjers!! :)
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-23 18:01:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAssembling I-130 Petition and VISA Interview of Husband
I punched holes in the top of everything (including the forms) and used an acco fastener. my i-130 packet didn´t fit in just 1 acco clip, so I had 3 little stacks (each with an acco clip), and just clipped all 3 together with a giant binder clip. hope that helps.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-10-15 09:17:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresis this true
look up your country´s timelines to have a better idea. good luck! :thumbs:
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-11-15 14:31:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedurescr1 deferred sentence for domestic violence

you need to speak to a lawyer about this. I am not certain about it but you could be needing a waiver. discuss it with your lawyer.


the waiver is if the beneficiary has a criminal record involving moral turpitude, not the petitioner (USC). usually the petitioners record only comes into play when it is a k-1 in order to protect the "unkowing" fiancee. correct me if I am wrong, higher ups?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-11-16 21:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresExpediting INterviews
It has to be pretty dire circumstances to get an expedite, but it is always worth a shot! There is a VJ member here with pretty desperate circumstances but in her particular embassy, she wasn´t able to get an earlier interview. however, that is her embassy. if you don´t ask, the answer is always no. :thumbs:
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-11-16 10:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNVC required documents
hey...while preparing for NVC there are 2 things that really help....one is follow the monthly nvc filers threads. the first posts are suepr overwhelming, but all the info is there. my suggestion is to copy and paste into a word doc. here is december -
http://www.visajourn...-december-2012/

the other thing is explore the wiki -
http://www.visajourn...Jame's_Shortcut

and the flowchart - http://www.visajourn...wchart_v1-2.pdf
good luck!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-12-04 14:07:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHow to send pictures with my I-130
the most important thing about photos is the context...with a lot of different people (hopefully family), different places, different seasons, doing different things, etc.

when i assembled our package we had only been together 16 months (married 1), so i jus tpicked the most meaningful moments i could think of (trips, xmas, bdays, etc.). for the wedding i only included 1 with the judge, 1 with our fams, and 1 with our witnessess who had also signed affidavits for us.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-12-04 14:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHow to send pictures with my I-130
honestly i just printed mine out on regular old paper...i found it easier to type the information, and that way i didn´t have to worry about stapling or gluing the pics. also the overall weight of your package is smaller. i got approved no problem.

imho, i don´t think there is a specific format they really care about, i think whatever is easiest for you to send and thinking about what is easiest for them to review and archive.
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-12-03 10:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864ez Most Recent Tax Year
I understand that until taxes are due (april) nvc doesn´t ask for the current year tax returns. so if you are ready in february, they still won´t be asking for them. is this correct?
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-12-04 14:44:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-864 questions

Then if she wanted to include my fathers income on the I-864 HE would fill out the I-864a.... is this correct?? She actually isn't going to use his income - hers is enough, so then we don't need to use the I-864a at all right?

Thanks again Jessica, as always you are so helpful!

i say if she doesn´t need it, don´t worry about your dads income.

no prob!! i feel like recently there are more chilean couples on here, but we are still contados. we gotta stick together!
jessicaruizwFemaleChile2012-12-06 12:36:00