ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWe're getting an RFE
I just got a text message and an email saying that we're getting an RFE. I can't imagine what they want because I totally front-loaded our petition. I pray it's something we have and can produce. Please pray for us!!
LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-11-16 22:30:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresInterview Scheduled!!!
Fantastic!!! Congratulations to you!! I wish the best for you and your family:)

Dear Friends,
I am glad to announce that our Consulate interview is scheduled on Dec 2, 2010 at 9:00AM :thumbs:

Loto


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-11-12 13:28:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHi Everyone
Thank you and the best of luck to you both with the interview:)

Thanks for the info and good luck with the rest of your journey.


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-12-10 15:27:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHi Everyone
Good advice too, thanks:) I'm going to plan a trip after the beginning of the year. I was going to go this year after we got our NOA2 but that didn't happen so I am still here. I am stuck as to when to go because if we are approved I want to be here for the NVC stage, I don't want any more delays. How long is it usually between I-130 approval and when you turn all the documents in at NVC? I would love to be there for his interview, that's an idea too. But that depends on how far away that will be, as we are missing each other so much. It's so hard........

(

Great advice! I would add US passport showing trips to visit throughout relationship and any money transfers such as Western union receipts. Gifts help too. These items saved us. We came so prepared the CO asked my wife how she knew to bring all of these things. I knew from VJ! Also, although they may give you a difficult time at the consulate, the petitioner should come to the interview. I was able to get in. In tough cases where the petitioner is not let into the embassy, they sometimes tell the beneficiary to get the petitioner if present. My wife would not be with me today if i had not gone. Especially for high fraud countries as directed above.

Also, I know they said that credit reports don't matter but our case ws randomly selected to be reviewed by the Fraud Prevention Unit. They reviewed my credit report. The fraud investigation indicated that I have multiple tax liens several years ago. I wondered why I was asked about taxes and accused of not paying them which was ludicrous to me but apparently that was a red flag for fraud. Be prepared and careful.


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-12-10 15:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresHi Everyone
Hi everyone,

I have been extremely busy trying to get all the documents, photos, letters etc. together for our RFE. I'm hoping and planning to get everything sent to the attorney on Monday, and my husband is going to scan and then mail everything as well.

My attorney has advised me to stay off the blogs, so I'm going to listen to her advice and do that for now. However, I do want to pass along some good information. If you are filing for the IR1/CR1 visa for your spouse, and especially if he is from a country that is considered a high fraud country (apparently Morocco is one, I guess you could google it to find out):

  • MAKE SURE your packet is FULL of evidence and proof of your marriage. Don't only follow the guides as I did.
  • Include your birth certificate AND all pages of your passport including front and back covers, for you AND him.
  • Include proof of payment for your flight (credit card statement or bank statement, etc.) If someone else paid for it, include a letter from them (maybe notarized as well)
  • Include VERY detailed letters from family and friends, stating details that they know how you met, where you met, when you met, how often they see you and talk to you, things you said to them throughout your relationship, details that they know how your relationship turned serious, details that they know about your wedding plans and travel arrangements, if they attended your wedding and if not, why
  • Any receipts from hotels if you stayed in any, and credit card statement or bank statement showing proof of payment
  • A personal statement from you and your husband with details about how you met, your courtship, how you came to the decision to marry, your wedding arrangement, your current situation (how often you speak, how often you travel there, etc)
  • LOTS of photos of family (very important!) and the day of your marriage, wherever you celebrated (If most of you are like me, you had a civil wedding without a large ceremony and a small family gathering or dinner,etc) We had some, but most of our photos were of us. My attorney said we needed to submit a minimum of 40 up to 100 with the original petition, I submitted 27, now I have to submit 100
  • Correspondence (If you chat, make sure it is a site where you can print out a log. We talked on MSN and it didn't say anywhere on my chats when I printed them out from my received files that they were from MSN-Windows Live, and I didn't notice that...and probably wouldn't have realized that it mattered.
  • If you had a wedding announcement or had a honeymoon, include photos of them. If you didn't, write something about it in your personal statement

  • Other things that I have to include are a letter from my employer stating the dates I was gone and my salary then and current salary, bank statements three months before and two months after my trip, if I traveled alone or with someone (if with someone include a notarized statement from them); US relatives, birth certificates of children born to either of us; but this is mainly RFE stuff.
Just trying to save anyone else from going through what we are going through now. I wish I would've had an attorney from the beginning. She said I followed the guides, but our packet was lacking sufficient detailed information, which is what I listed above. To everyone that has gotten approved recently, congratulations to you! And to anyone that is waiting, good luck to you. I hope the best for everyone here so we can all be with our loved ones. I miss my husband ALOT....this month is our 1-year wedding anniversary, and it has been 8 months since we filed our petition....and we are still at the beginning. Please pray for us. All I want to see now is the text message that says "Your I-130 petition has been approved" .....:))

And Merry Christmas to everyone!











LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-12-10 14:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWife has her CR-1
That's fantastic!! Many congratulations to both of you!!

Just wanted to let my friends know I am off to Bogota in the morning to get my wife. She received her visa this morning and we will have a POE Atlanta on Wednesday. Thanks to all my VJs...Jkelly, Richi, pshbrk, loto and many others.


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-12-28 11:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDo touches mean anything?
I haven't had any touches on mine either, since just a few days after I received my NOA1.

I noticed lots of touches on some of the VJ'ers time-line here. Does this indicate that approval is right around the corner? I haven't had any touches since my NOA1 and i am beginning to worry if my case is collecting dust somewhere. :( :help: :bonk:


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2010-10-05 12:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
Also, she said she didn't see any red flags in our file except that I had gone there and married on my first trip. But geez....we had spent literally a zillion hours chatting on mic for a year before I went there. We knew everything there was to know about each other by the time I made the trip there, you know? Anyway, that's our story..... and thanks;)

That is disgusting... 1 year it will be and still no NOA2....I have already pre-contacted 2 senators and 2 congressmen in case of trouble. I am from California originally so I will contact all if USCIS drops the ball lol. It may or may not help........


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-11 19:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
That's a good idea, I hope it all goes smoothly for you but if not, be prepared and have help. We only had a touch when they received our file and then nothing for five months. I thought it was lost. That's when I decided to start calling...I hired an attorney to help get us through the RFE because so much time has already gone by and I didn't want any more setbacks (mistakes, anything forgotten, etc)....so we'll see. I thought he would be here by now or at least close to it. It's very saddening.....

That is disgusting... 1 year it will be and still no NOA2....I have already pre-contacted 2 senators and 2 congressmen in case of trouble. I am from California originally so I will contact all if USCIS drops the ball lol. It may or may not help........


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-11 18:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
I have no idea...I really don't understand any of it. We didn't have any touches for months...after the five month mark I called and they told me to call back after six months. I did, and they put in a service request. At the same time I called and faxed to the senator's office. About a week later I received a letter from USCIS referencing the inquiry saying we were in extensive background checks. A couple of days later we had touches two days in a row and then I got a text message and email that there was an update on our case. I went to the website and it said we were receiving and RFE. A few days later (2 or 3) we got a 3-page RFE in the mail with 45 days in which to respond. About a week later we received a letter from the senator's office saying that they inquired into our case and found that we were under extensive background checks....-_- My personal feeling is that our file wasn't even looked at until they got the inquiry and then bam!, an RFE. But, who knows. I know many have made it through with less documentation than we had. I don't know why this is happening to us. We're both good people, come from good families, have good jobs, etc. It's very disheartening and now it's almost nine months and we are still waiting............I never in my wildest dreams expected this.....:(

Just curious why did it take 7 months to receive an RFE???
Seems like a waste of precious time


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-11 18:20:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
LOL....well that's great! Most people probably would've been wondering and thinking the same things as you, I know I would've. Glad to hear it and glad you can now check your status :)

lol I worried for nothing.. My mom snet pictures she developed of trip to Georgia and didn't tell me anything. I am now in they system and I can check on my staus and receive email notification. :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: :wacko: My wife called me a ####### haha


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-11 17:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
So what did you find out?? :)

I will call them tomorrow also. I want to know how they can give me email notification if my receipt # is invalid on their web site


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-11 17:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
For some reason it won't let me send a regular reply....



That is really annoying...well I hope it isn't an RFE but if it is, I hope that it's something that you can quickly and easily fix. Good luck to you.
LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-09 17:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
You aren't able to sign in on the USCIS site?

I guess I'll never get email because I never could add my number:(


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-09 17:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE
I got a text and an email that I had an update, went to the USCIS site and saw that I had an RFE. I got the hard copy in the mail a few days later. It sounds like it may be something else for you although I'm not sure what it could be. Good luck to you;)

I was wondering how USCIS notifies you on RFE. I just recevied a hard, white envelope or parcel from USPS. It wouldn't fit in mailbox so I have to wait until Tuesday to pick up. I received recipt number and all I was wondering is this the way USCIS notifies you?? Its the weekend and I am worried something may be amiss....


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-09 17:04:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidence of Bono Marriage
I would make sure you include your birth certificate and all pages of your passport, some affidavits from family or friends, phone records, emails, and chats...Itinerary, plenty of photos (with family inc) and anything else that you have for proof of your marriage.

Seems that all we need for our situation is our daughters birth certificate, however I see a lot of people on these threads gathering tons of evidence (pics, chat history, travel documents). Should we gather these documents as well? Is this something USCIS will want to see even with our child?


LisamarieFemaleMorocco2011-01-17 17:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresInterview at Chennai,India
we just removed it from timline. i really don't remeber but my case finished in last week of sep 2009. as we all know mumbai embassy is preety busy thats why i got my interview date after 1 month of case compite. i really dont know howmuch busy chennai embassy is. it depend but maximum time limit for interview is 3 weeks to one month.
simpsMaleIndia2010-01-21 12:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresInterview at Chennai,India

NVC said my case is completed on 01/19/2010. Does any body know how long it takes to schedule an interview at chennai, india. Please share your experiences.



probably it will take 2 week to one month after cae finish.
simpsMaleIndia2010-01-21 12:22:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresQuestions regarindg G325a
Dan_P, doesn't your fiancee know her parents' birth dates?
ao_consNot TellingThailand2010-11-03 19:22:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresUpgrading F2A to IR1

Hi... I just want to know how long does it take to upgrade F2A to IR1? Thanks...



In my case it took less than 1 week. My case is in US embassy in Pakistan and was on F2A catagory and waiting for my priority date. I sent the proof of my wife's passport copy to embassy and they upgrade it within a week.


few days back i receive packet 3.5 from embassy.


Thanks
zakiMalePakistan2006-11-09 06:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresOther ways to pay for I-130 processing fee
I-797C, Notice of Action received. Now comes the long wait, da?
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-16 16:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresOther ways to pay for I-130 processing fee
Thanks for all the helpful replies. We've decided to wait until I return home before submitting the paperwork.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-10-20 13:53:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresOther ways to pay for I-130 processing fee
I am a US citizen and just got married to a Romanian citizen, and we are still in Romania. I see that when I submit the I-130 form, I am instructed to also send a check or money order. However, I don't use personal checks, and don't have access to my bank in order to send a money order. My first instinct was just to wait until I get back to the States, but was curious if there was another, electronic way, to pay the fee. I only send checks electronically via my bank's website. Thanks in advance for any advice.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-10-14 07:06:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresInterview Scheduled!!!

Dear Friends,
I am glad to announce that our Consulate interview is scheduled on Dec 2, 2010 at 9:00AM :thumbs:

Loto


Excellent news. I'm sure so many of us will continue to watch your path ahead, since you've obviously lit a way for many of us on the same path.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-13 10:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresBest ways to stay in touch
We use Yahoo Messenger, which provides both voice and webcam, almost daily. It's free. Pretty much the same for Skype, which I think may have better quality in both voice and webcam.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-27 12:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresDid I make a mistake?

Hello,
I petitioned for a K-1 Visa July 30, 2010. I listed my fiance son (who is 11 years old)on the I-129 as well as the 325 form. Am I supposed to petition any additional paperwork for him? I sure hope I havent delayed the process even more.
Thanks


Here is the forum for K-1 visas: K-1 Forum
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-27 13:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidences of Bona-Fide Marriage Relationship
Another thing I just thought of: my wife and I interacted on an online social network, so I also provided the URL for each of our profiles, which is viewable by the public. Here, one could see a long history of interaction between us, via the posts on our profiles. I also took a screenshot of these profiles and had it made into a photo.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-27 11:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidences of Bona-Fide Marriage Relationship
Because my new wife and my children from a previous marriage have a relationship also, I made sure to include lots of information and photos as evidence to support this. So, I'm not sure if this was included by Loto yet, but I think if you can prove that your spouse also has relationships with your family members, it can't hurt. A picture is worth a 1000 words, as they say, and a photo with my daughters, wife and myself together should speak volumes.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-27 11:26:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEvidences of Bona-Fide Marriage Relationship
I put all my evidence of bona-fide relationship in a folder, behind the rest of the the stuff for I-130. Here is an exact copy of the cover letter for this evidence, except I changed all the names. Notice, my wife and I do not live together, so we don't have co-mingling of assets or property:

Dear Sir/Madam:
I, John Smith, a citizen of the United States, submit the following evidence as support of my marriage to Jane Smith, our relationship since March, 2009, and evidence of a relationship between Jane Smith and my two daughters from previous marriage. I have flown to Romania to be with my fiance/wife seven times, and she has flown to the U.S.A to be with me once. Each document is numbered in the top left corner of the first page.
Please find enclosed the following required and supporting documents:
1) Copy of my U.S passport, along with stamps proving my travel to Bucharest, Romania.
2) Copy of Jane Doe's visa when she visited me in December, 2009.
3) Certified copy of Romanian document declaring me free to marry.
4) My flight itinerary and a boarding pass for one of my flights to Romania, October 2009
5) Flight itinerary for me and my daughters (Mary Smith & Sally Smith) when we visited Jane in Romania, June, 2010.
6) Booking confirmation and flight itinerary for Jane Doe's flight to U.S.A to visit me, December, 2009
7) Emails between Jane Doe and a car rental company in Bucharest, Romania
8) Email between River Spruce cabins in Estes Park, Colorado and myself in preparation for my trip with Jane Doe (we drove to Colorado from Kansas City after her arrival to the U.S.A.).
9) Two pages of screenshots of my email inbox showing constant email communication between Jane Doe and myself.
10) An email from Jane to me, discussing preparation of documents for our marriage.
11) An email from Jane to me, discussing that she got her tourist visa for her flight to visit me and my daughters in Kansas City, U.S.A.
12) An email between Jane and me, discussing my return flight from Bucharest, Romania to Kansas City, U.S.A.
13) A typical “I love you” email from Jane to me.
14) Two notifications of eCards sent between Jane and me.
15) Email between Jane and my oldest daughter.
16) Email between Jane and my oldest daughter.
17) Email between Jane and my oldest daughter.
18) Packet of photos, each photo numbered on back, with enclosed summary of photo descriptions.

I then included a cover letter in front of the packet of photos, describing exactly what was the nature of each photo.

I hope this helps.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-11-27 11:14:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAOS Income Taxes for past 2 years, making payments

I just noticed your timeline that you have submitted your I-130 on Nov 11. It is good step to clear up your things before it reach to NVC stage. I believe your I-130 might get approve in feb 11- mar11. AOS section they are only looking for most recent year tax return. So, i believe your most recent tax return would be 2010. Check the poverty guideline, if see how you qualified yourself & file for the return of 2010. Also you have to provide recent employer info with pay stubs. 2009 & 2008 would be your optional at that moment.:)

* Also your required to submit IRS tax trancript, Seem IRS couldn't provide you one until mid of May'11, you can go to local IRS office & get one certified tax return.:thumbs:


Thank you for taking notice of my particular situation. Since I'm self-employed, I won't be able to submit pay stubs, only bank records, I guess. I'm well above the poverty guidelines, so that's not a concern.

Edited by Burebista, 07 December 2010 - 12:12 PM.

BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-07 12:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAOS Income Taxes for past 2 years, making payments

You will need to provide your tax returns, and you will need to be "in good standing" with the IRS. A payment plan is fine, as long as you have this in writing from Uncle Sam.
Still, if you are hovering near the 125% minimum, you *might* encounter more scruteny about your ability to provide for a family.


Thanks Bob. Anybody else have anything to add? Or everybody agree with Bob? Anybody been in the same situation?
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-04 12:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAOS Income Taxes for past 2 years, making payments
In preparation for the AOS step in our journey, I am concerned about the I-864 Affidavit of Support. For 2008 and 2009, I filed no income taxes. Now, I am going to file them, and want to pay them on a payment plan rather than in lump sum. Does anybody here know if this is okay? Are they wanting to see that I've paid my taxes, or just want to see that I have filed (and that I am paying)?

Thanks in advance.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-04 11:24:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWhat is going on?
I'd be throwing a kiniption (slang for "emotional fit of outrage"), for sure. I wonder if you can claim 45 more days of interest from the money you already sent to them. :innocent:
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-15 10:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresEmails for Bonafide Evidence - I130
I did the same. I use one email address for correspondence only, and another for business stuff. So, when I wanted to print out emailed receipts for plane flights, I had to get those from my business email address.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-19 10:51:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNovember Filers !!

We gotta stay positive. i even saw a thread where a someone got approved in 56 day. Crazy :thumbs: . lets hope we get approved as quickly. :dance:


Maybe they've recently hired some administrators from the private sector, because the government almost never improves its efficiency, just more bogged down with red tape every year. :whistle:
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-21 10:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNovember Filers !!
I know the standard answer is "wait 5 months", but did you notice that some September filers were approved in about 3 months? Somebody else here said an October filer has been approved?
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-21 10:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNovember Filers !!

the above is a link to us october/november filers there alot of us playing the waiting game:) welcome to the board..pretty new here myself but willing to talk and listen..:) wishing u good luck on your journey:D with a happy ending:)



I wondered why other months got their own thread, but October & September were together. We filed in early November.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-19 10:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresToo Soon to be in NVC?

I think it's still at NSCIS because you haven't received an NOA2


This is what seemed logical to me, as well.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-24 18:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresToo Soon to be in NVC?
Seriously...is it really possible for an I-130 dated November 9 to already be at NVC??? It should still be at USCIS, yes?
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-24 13:59:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresToo Soon to be in NVC?
Na, my friend simply offered to see if her friend could see where it's at in the process. I doubt any one person at USCIS could move anything along any faster.
BurebistaMaleRomania2010-12-24 13:30:00