biggish data

Employment letter

Yes, the point is to prove that you are employed. That means pay stubs and/OR an employment letter.

Instructions for filing AOS on the DOS website:

"Ensure that evidence of current employment or self-employment including a recent pay statement, or a statement from your employer on business stationery, is attached. A letter from your employer must show the date you began employment, the type of work done, and your income."
http://travel.state..../info_3200.html

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-04-03 22:07:00

Shipping AOS packet before fee shows as "paid"

And the barcode sheet is available right after you submit payment, you don't have to wait for it to say PAID before you can print it.

Roosha

Female

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2013-04-04 10:07:00

I-30 with USC Husband and USC minor child?

Are you talking about cases filed directly with a Consulate abroad? That's not the situation here.

No, these are cases where DCF is unavailable. DCF is a whole different timeline, I know. These cases are like mine, USC lives with beneficiary in a country where they can not file directly with the embassy and so must send the petition to Chicago lock box.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-04-05 06:49:00

I-30 with USC Husband and USC minor child?

It did for a little while but then stopped. Can you show me some current evidence to support this claim? I would love to eat crow on this.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/357465-usc-petitioner-living-abroad/page__st__405__p__6064633__fromsearch__1#entry6064633

Probably won't make you eat crow, but the last two pages are people who have filed from abroad and gotten approved in 35-45 days in the last month. Not exactly a guarantee, but worth a try if the USC does live overseas!

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-04-04 20:03:00

I-30 with USC Husband and USC minor child?

You can stay together in Australia until the process is done. It will take 6 months if you get lucky in the filer abroad queue, 8-10 months if you don't. Your daughter is already a USC with a passport so she doesn't need a visa or anything.

Roosha

Female

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2013-04-03 22:01:00

CR-1 what is package 4

The email that NVC sends you when they assign your interview date, after case complete.

Roosha

Female

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2013-04-09 12:14:00

US taxes while in I130/IR1/CR1 proceedings

@AKSinghSingh

The IRS still hasn't finished processing my returns so I can't give you first hand information but my brother (also a USC) who lives and works in Dubai has filed his taxes the past two years and he never sent in any pay stubs or any kind of proof of income, it's just what he claimed on the forms, and everything was processed fine. So I really don't think you need that paperwork.

Oh and thanks so much for this thread Speedwell! Hope it'll come up in lots of searches since we see this question so much.

Edited by Roosha, 21 February 2013 - 05:42 PM.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-21 17:41:00

I-864 Taxes for NVC Red Flag

Like I said, you won't get any flack from the IRS for filing single. But the question most people worry about is not the IRS, but whether immigration will look at this as a red flag. A lot of people freak out thinking it'll look bad that you've filed single when you're actually married and it will somehow affect your visa approval. I personally don't think it will. No one is saying that the IRS is going to have a problem with it.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-08 13:22:00

I-864 Taxes for NVC Red Flag

Lee you need to stop over thinking. Don't attach a letter and don't make it a big deal b/c it's not. If there are any questions asked at the interview just state that this is what your tax adviser said to do and that you'll amend when you arrive to the states. Your timeline says your spouse is in the Philippines which as far as I know is not a high fraud country and so you shouldn't have problems if you've got other evidence. Make sure you've got records of communication between you and your spouse, skype and chat records/emails etc, that is also strong evidence.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-08 03:23:00

I-864 Taxes for NVC Red Flag

@Lee, I wouldn't worry about it. They don't look at taxes as concrete evidence of your marriage. If you've sent other evidence and it's solid then you don't have to worry. I'd leave it as is until you have your wife in the states and she has her SSN. Then amend your return. I'm sure you're not the first case they've processed who filed single when they should have filed married!

For reference here are the filing statuses and how they apply to our situation:

Single: No, you're married and you shouldn't choose this option. However, this status offers the least tax breaks so no one is going to come knocking on your door or take you off to jail for it.

Married/Jointly: You have to get a ITIN for your alien spouse, and the requirements include copies of passport that are certified from issuing agency. The requirements can be a lot of trouble for people in certain countries.

Married/Separately: Easiest choice, just put "NRA" (stands for non-resident alien) in the box where it asks for your spouse's SSN and you're good to go.

Head of Household: You can also use this status but you have to be careful b/c there are a lot of requirements, one being tha "You pay more than 50% of the expenses of maintaining the household." and that you have another dependent that is not your spouse (a child or infirm parent or something).

HTH and Good Luck!

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-07 00:43:00

putting together my I-130 package, do I need photo's

Pics on normal paper is fine, just make sure you include a caption for each picture stating the date, place, and naming everyone in the pic.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-05-15 06:43:00

my cr1 ... i864

My wife she is the petitioner and she got her SSN in 2012 because she were living outside USA since she were child. At 2012 she not has job. -at 2011 she worked one year outside USA. Is she need to fill taxes by this situation?
An attorney said before she don't have to pay taxes because all money coming from scholarship.

You're contradicting yourself, either her money is coming from a scholarship or she had a job, which is it? The years that matter are going to be 2010, 2011 and 2012. If she had a job or had any income in those three years then she needs to file a tax return. She will probably not owe anything since she can exclude her income using form 2555 but she still has to submit tax returns.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-04-04 20:00:00

my cr1 ... i864

Did your wife have a job or any income in the past three years? If she did, then she needs to file taxes. If she didn't she can just include a letter with her I-864 stating that she's had no income and therefore was not required to file taxes.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-04-04 09:56:00

The USC, if living overseas, can NOT move to the states after their spouse. Says so in the domicile part of the I-864 instructions.

Also, NVC reviews documents for completion, not for approval and that goes for anything. People have been told to get a joint sponsor at the interview even though the NVC accepted their documents and everything. Last word goes to the consular officer at the embassy, which is why domicile is so specific to country. (Technically last word is the border person/guard at the point of entry, but people are RARELY refused entry at the border if they've got an immigrant visa.)

Wingnut have you tried contacting the embassy for guidance?

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-03-01 20:22:00

Thanks for all the great information and ideas! My parents are the sort of people who would never ever accept rent from me though, and would be averse to even claiming otherwise. In this case I wonder if a letter might be just as good as a lease that just says "rent is free forever"....

That's exactly what my dad said yesterday. He's like ummm no you're not paying rent and I won't sign anything to that effect. So I just typed this up:

"I, [Father's name], a citizen of the United States, do hereby confirm that my daughter, [ME], and her husband, [My Husband], will be staying at my home in [City, State] when they arrive in America. They are welcome to stay as long as they need until they get their affiars in order.

If you have any questions or concerns on the above, please do not hesitate to contact me at [PHONE NUMBER] or [EMAIL]."

And of course put case number and stuff at the top. I wish he'd do a lease but whatever, this will have to do. Thank God the consulate here isn't that strict with the domicile requirement!

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-24 10:31:00

The lease I'm going to provide is going to state that I can stay rent free for a maximum of (2) months at which time rent will then become X amount of dollars if still occupying the premises past the (2) month mark.

I Think it sounds realistic and completely fair to my parents as well.

I do too, might just steal it but change it to four months :devil:

Thanks for the suggestion! Can you send me where you got your lease from? I can't seem to find one that would allow me to write that, they all want me to put certain dollar amounts per month...

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-23 09:45:00

Ok see I was just going to include a letter from my parents stating that they'll be hosting us until we get on our feet b/c I couldn't find a good lease. Now I can use this, thanks MeredythB!

One question though, we won't be paying rent (at least not at the beginning until we can) so should I put an actual amount on the lease or be honest and leave it at $0?

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-22 18:34:00

Also, contact the embassy and see if they can give you an idea about how strict they are about the domicile requirement. Or try to post in the forum for Taiwan here http://www.visajourn...st-and-pacific/ and see if any others have gone through this, they could also give you an idea about how worried you should be.

Here's my list, just so you can compare if you want

Steps I have taken to maintain US Domicile:
• Maintained my XXXX voter registration
• Maintained my Virginia drivers license

Supporting Documents for the above steps I have taken:
• Copy of Voter registration card showing permanent US address
• Virginia drivers license showing permanent US address

Steps I have taken to return to the US to take up residence:
• Made arrangements for us to move in with my parents
• Contacted XXXX Schools for requirements of things to bring to register my son in school
• Contacted shipping company for estimate of costs to ship belongings

Supporting documents for the above steps I have taken:
• Lease agreement between my spouse and I with my parents
• Email from XXXX regarding registration requirements as well as copies of all documents I have prepared so far
• Email from XXXX with estimate and correspondence regarding shipping our belongings

Will you be going back to the states in the next couple of months for any reason? If so, then you could open a bank account and put some money in there, that's also good proof. Have you paid state taxes by any chance? Include those if you have. Document any and all steps that you'll take in order to move back to the states and include all of it, everything helps!

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-21 10:13:00

I think your case is different, since you did DCF. Or at least I was under the impression that DCF was ALWAYS faster than regular "filing abroad" cases, since DCF is processed in the consulate where there are undoubtedly less I-130s to get through than at the regular service centers in the States.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, though.

No, you're right

DCF always takes a LOT less time, usually about 2-3 months start to finish depending on the country of DCF.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-03-21 15:54:00

Hi everyone! I've read through this whole thread a couple times already, but I can't remember if anyone posted a sample of their cover letter or not. I'm just looking to see what people wrote on their cover letter about their living situations abroad. If anyone could post their cover letters I would greatly appreciate it!

You might get more replies by starting your own thread and/or messaging people privately

I sent you mine in a message.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-03-04 12:46:00

I would say 56 days is auto-expedited. It's less than two months!

lol i was just about to say the same thing

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-20 12:49:00

You should probably start your own thread about what you have and ask for some feedback.

Exactly. Start your own thread, you'll get more views and more opinions that way. How strict the domicile requirement is depends on the consulate. Those coming from Canada get scrutinized pretty ruthlessly, there's a whole thread on how to prove domicile in the Canada forum. You might try asking in your country's forum for more specific information on how strict your consulate is about the domicile issue. Again, this is only my opinion, you should really start your own thread.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-19 06:18:00

As far as I can tell from the past month or so, yes they are. As long as the paperwork is filled out right (overseas address on the i-130 form wherever they ask it, mention it on your cover letter, etc.) and you make sure that you mark your file as "filed from abroad" in every way, you should get expedited. It won't be one or two weeks like before, but you can (hopefully) expect a processing time of about 40 days. Of course all of this goes out the window if they start transferring petitions elsewhere or change their procedures again!

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-18 19:53:00

I don't think the CRBA as it just serves to show that my son was born here, not necessarily that we're still here; he's 5 years old. And the bank account statement was from a year ago before we closed the account! So nothing current that's official.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-02 06:27:00

Mnt, 2 months IS expedited! I haven't seen many get it that fast who aren't abroad filers. There are a few but I think they're the exception more than the rule. And don't forget NBC probably got slammed with all the i130s before they put in a real procedure or had properly trained people to deal with them. I think now they're getting back on the ball!

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-02-01 21:43:00

K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures

1. Country USC resides in: Qatar
2. Is there a USCIS field office in this country / Is DCF still possible? No
3. When did you file the I-130: Dec 19 2012
4. How long had you been living abroad: 7 years
5. Do you reside in the country legally? Yes, residence permit
6. What is the reason for your residence: To be with husband
7. Did you list your foreign address on all forms in I-130 package? Yes
8. Did you send I-130 package from abroad? Technically, no. I sent it first to my mom so she could add the check then she fwd'd it to Chicago lockbox visa USPS
9. Did you include evidence of your residence abroad in the I-130 package? No
10. Did you mention the fact you reside abroad in the cover letter or write a letter describing your current situation and the evolution of your relationship with your spouse (mentioning your residence abroad)? Yes, mentioned in cover letter
11. Has your case been "auto-expedited"? How long between NOA1 and NOA2? Yes, 37 days

I didn't include any official evidence to prove my residence abroad, as in there was no lease with both our names or utility bills or anything like that, but all of our bonafide relationship proof took place in Qatar. My son's CRBA is from the embassy in Qatar, our marriage certificate is in Qatar, all our pictures were taken in Qatar, all the trips we took were to and from Qatar our joint savings account is in a bank in Qatar. So it was obvious that I live abroad. Also I do recommend writing FILED FROM ABROAD in big block letters on the outside of the folder and anywhere else where you think it will be visible.

Edited by Roosha, 31 January 2013 - 12:12 AM.

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2013-01-31 00:09:00

any revision

Which form are you asking about exactly? Most DS forms can be found on the USCIS website but w/out telling us what visa you're applying for or which form you're inquiring about exactly it's not easy to help...

Roosha

Female

Qatar

2012-12-09 12:31:00

300 emails: how to present and how many useful

I understand your answer (you sent them an overview in the form of the list of emails like a table of contents). I like the simplicity of it. Did the idea of this simpler approach come from someone with lots of experience? I like to think there is safety in numbers, that is safety in this approach if it is more or less common enough.

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-21 20:24:00

300 emails: how to present and how many useful

My wife and I are staring to do the CR1 process and will submit the I-130.

We have over 300 emails over 3 year period. We want to be impressive and real but not overwhelm them. How *many would you include in the package? How would you select, organize and present them? The same goes for skype chat messages. Is it worthwhile to worry about how many we select and how we select/organize/present?

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-20 22:45:00

Front load the extra stuff at the early I-130 stage?

Did you read what I wrote? You can send in evidence with the I-130 or with the DS-230 which is at the NVC stage.

Oh, right, had misunderstood but now I got it.

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-22 22:02:00

Front load the extra stuff at the early I-130 stage?

In response, the country is Thailand. (I am the original poster.)

How does that affect things?

Next question: although I read a book, I haven't double checked what is the nature of each of the next steps. Is there not a second step that is specifically dedicated to providing the 2nd load, I mean, a step in which they will get the 2nd load and are dedicated to looking at it systematically before everything else (the interview)? I know, I should read all of the the website first. Maybe you can send me some links.

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-21 16:19:00

Front load the extra stuff at the early I-130 stage?

I and my wife are doing CR1 and we are at the initial stage preparing the initial I-130 package. I had understood that this initial stage does not request mountains of support documents such as communications, travel receipts, wedding pictures, etc. However, I have heard more lately that it is good and/or preferable to provide all of that up front at the start even though it is not requested. Do you agree? Why?

What are the cons and pros? Are there really significant benefits to it?

Do the US officials actually start working on the second stage based on the documents provided extra early in the first stage? On one hand, I would like to be proactive and early. On the other hand, maybe doing all those extra stuff will a few more weeks delay in getting the first package out.

Does it really matter one way or another?

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-20 22:56:00

Reducing Mountains of skype chat messages

My wife have know each other for a long time so we actually have over 1000 pages of skype chats. Any suggestions on how to represent it without including all of it? In lieu of other options, we might print one page from a month for the last two years. Are some messages or time periods more important than others. Any special considerations?

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-24 20:31:00

na or none for questions c9 and b/c12 (I-130)

A question like this has been raised in the past, but there is a new wrinkle due to the new I-130 form.

1. The first question is whether "none" is ok for question B9 (rather than leaving it blank).

2. Next, is blank ok for the date of prior marriage if there is no prior marriage.

I raise the question again because the new immigration I-130 form has intelligenT PDF software that prevents someone from writing characters instead of numbers (even if to write the word "None"). Does this now mean they want it kept blank, or is it ok to write "none" by hand?

It might seem like a small question, but I don't want to inconvenience the official.

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-24 14:18:00

Neutral facial expression on passport style photo

I have my photos made, but fate of fates I am smiling, while I see in the instructions now it says neutral facial expression. Has anyone every caught flack for smiling? Is it worth the hour trip to have new photos made?

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-24 19:23:00

Giving evidence of relationship at I-130 versus DS-230 stage

Can someone point me to guides on this website (or external links) that say:

The extensive evidence of bone fide relationship (eg emails, phone communications, pictures, travel receipts) are actually looked at in the stage when we file the DS-230 (the NVC stage). I am aware that it is ok and useful to provide some evidence in the I-130 stage, but I am swimming in paperwork, and would like to split it among stages, but only if it will actually looked at in the DS230 stage.

But I want to be reassured that the extra stuff is welcomed and is not considered "late" if provided at that DS230 time, providing that some key stuff is also provided preliminarily at the I-130 stage (eg some financials and two affidavits).

One post hinted about this, but I seek confirmation.

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-24 00:09:00

Giving evidence of relationship at I-130 versus DS-230 stage

In the CR1 process based on the I-130, is there a *intermediate stage, before the interview, at which a second stash of supporting evidence can be provided?

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-23 21:42:00

Giving evidence of relationship at I-130 versus DS-230 stage

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-24 00:09:00

Giving evidence of relationship at I-130 versus DS-230 stage

In the CR1 process based on the I-130, is there a *intermediate stage, before the interview, at which a second stash of supporting evidence can be provided?

flybird

Not Telling

2013-02-23 21:42:00