TimandRae

After many months of prevarication, it’s time for us to take a deep breath and take the plunge with our I-130 petition to begin the DCF process via the London embassy.

My wife is the USC and I’m the UKC in our situation.

I’ve read and re-read the instructions countless times and I think we’ve got everything right.

I’ve just got a couple of quick questions that I hope the collective wisdom of BE might be able to help me with:

1. Am I right in thinking that we don’t need to send a copy of my passport with our I-130 petition? We’ve included a copy of my wife’s US birth certificate to establish her US citizenship and completed a G-325A form each. There’s no reference to my passport in the checklist, but I just want to double-double check that I don’t need to send it!

2. The very helpful checklist says to send a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope. Does anyone know what size this should be? I’d hate to send one that isn’t the right size/doesn’t have the right postage and delay the process!

Many thanks for any help you’re able to provide. Very excited to get going with it all. If it all goes well, we should be Boston-bound in September next year… Fingers crossed!

BibbyBear

I don't know the answers to your questions as I've done the K1 Fiance Visa route however; I just wanted to say hi as I notice that you are from North Wales too and coincidentally, I'm Boston bound

Where in North Wales are you from and where in Mass will you be settling eventually?

Good luck with the visa process, I'm sure it will go perfectly for you

Chrissy x

TimandRae

What a small world! We live in Llangollen - a small town about half an hour from Chester.

My wife's family live about an hour north of Boston on the New Hampshire border so the plan is to stay with them for a while and collect ourselves. Where we end up eventually is anyone's guess!

How about yourself?

BibbyBear

Very small world indeed! I love Llangollen, been there many times with my camera (a bit of an amateur photographer!). I live in Buckley, Deeside (nowhere near as nice as Llangollen!)

My fiance (soon-to-be-husband) lives in a small town on the outskirts of New Bedford, about an hour south of Boston.

We both LOVE NH.... we actually had our first in the flesh meet up in the White Mountains and that's where we are now going to go to get married, under a covered bridge And, we plan on retiring there eventually, in about 20 years LOL.

I wish you both the very best of luck with your journey......

Chrissy x

civilservant

It should be noted that recently we have had a couple of reports from members that with DCF they are getting RFEs for documents showing a bona fide marriage. If you haven't already included this information don't be surprised to receive one.

As to your questions, I can only answer the first. No you don't need to submitt your PP copy, this will be looked at at a later stage.

TimandRae

Thanks Civilservant - I had noticed a couple of these threads.

I've not sent any additional documents apart from our marriage certificate as the checklist supplied by the embassy explicitly says:

I guess we'll cross that bridge if we get to it! But thanks for flagging it up - I'll get the documents together in case they're needed.

holly2234

The envelope, it just needs to be able to fit an A4 size sheet of paper in it. They send NOA2 in that envelope. I used a 1st class large but normal first class will be fine. I only did that because i didnt know what was going to come back!

Have you also included proof that your wife has been in the UK for 6 months? I just sent a photocopy of my husbands UK visa in his passport and a copy of the entry stamp. You do not need a copy of yours.

I didnt sent any relationship proof and was not asked for any either and got NOA2 without any problems.

If you have followed the instructions exactly, then you will be fine. I do recommend recorded delivery to get it to the embassy for your own peace of mind

I also think you will be there waaay before september (unless youre delaying until then for a reason)!

TimandRae

Thanks Holly - that's a huge relief (especially as I've just got back from the post office!).

We included photocopies of her original work permit showing that she first entered the UK in October 2005 and a copy of her Indefinite Leave to Remain issued in 2010 so hopefully they should be satisfied that she's been in the country long enough.

I'm not usually one to follow instructions to the letter but made an exception this time!

We're planning on September to a. keep within the embassy's allow-10-months-before-doing-anything 'rule' and b. to give us a bit of time to get some money together. If everything gets approved earlier then it's happy days!

holly2234

It's looking like 4-6 months going by a lot of timelines recently. Im 3 months and 2 weeks in and i'm waiting for an interview date now. The medical was 1 week ago and im impatiently waiting!

SDB1985

I did exactly this too and have an RFE. Now its not definitely because we dont have that additional info as maybe they saw something in our application that flagged up futher check- but I can honestly not think of anything, so am thinking its the likely problem.

Hopefully you'll be lucky and will be approved with no RFE!

holly2234

Im thinking it might just be down to the person reading the petition. I didnt do anything different to a lot of people and got no RFE. So it's either down to length of marriage or the mood of the person looking at our files.

Noorah101

Keep in mind that you could get your visa interview as early as January 2013, and that the visa will be good for 6 months from the date of your medical exam. So, you may have to enter the USA using your Immigrant Visa as early as June 2013. Hopefully you'll be ready to immigrate by then, rather than September.

Rene

TimandRae

Thanks Rene - we've got that in mind. There's nothing actually stopping us moving earlier, it's just the timescale I've thought out mentally given the advice on the embassy website (ie 10 months and all that jazz). We're very flexible and ready to roll whenver we get the word (although if the MIL got her way it would be yesterday!).

TimandRae

Oh gawd. Hope it all goes ok. I'd be interested to hear why they asked for more info if you ever find out (and feel like sharing).

Fingers crossed!

Noorah101

The I-130 instructions say to include proof of your bonafide marriage (joint life together).

The embassy website instructions for filing I-130 directly to London specially says do NOT send extra evidence, such as proof of your bonafide marriage (joint life together).

However, lately people have been getting an RFE for the missing evidence when filing the I-130 directly to London. Yes, it's in opposition with what the embassy website says, but when you receive an RFE, you must respond.

Rene