london2008

Well further to my post of the weekend, my fiance (USC) and I (UKC) have decided to proceed with our K1 application without the help of a lawyer. I spent all morning completing forms and gathering documents. I already have a set of questions about the I-129F and G-235A forms. I've searched both this forum and the excellent visajourney.com but am still unsure about these things. I'm hoping the very helpful people over here can advise! So here goes:

1. Qu. 10 on I-129F asks for a certificate muber. Am I correct in thinking that this does not apply to the birth certificate (i.e. is only completed for a naturalization certificate)?

2. Should we send a copy of my UK birth certificate with the I-129F package (this is listed on some sites as optional)? I can not locate my certificate and have ordered it online. However it could take time to arrive in the UK and then it will need to be mailed to the US. Is it important enough to wait for or should we send the package without my birth certificate?

3. I am unsure whether my fiance has the correct form of birth certificate. The document he has is a "ceritifcation of vital record". It shows birth date, place, parent names and addresses. The bottom of the certificate says "This is to certify that the image reproduced hereupon is a true copy of the record on file in the San Francisco Department of public Health as of the date issued". The date stamp is December 12, 2002. There's only a front image and no back image (I-129F notes say to provide a copy of front and back). Is this the required document or should we send copies of his passport instead and/ or obtain a different format birth certificate?

4. Qu 12 on I-129F asks for Arrival/ Departure Record Number. I am currently in the US on VWP. Is this the Departure Number on the green card in my pasport? The number has a different format to the form (passport is XXXXXXXXX XX and I-129F form is XXX-XXXXXXXX).

5. Regarding form G-325A - my employment history. I am a freelance computer consultant and over the last 5 years have worked 6-9 months at a time with unemployment gaps between assignments. So my employment history looks something like this: August 2003 - January 2004 worked XYZ, January 2004 - July 2004 Unemployed, July 2005 - December 2004 worked XYZ, etc. Do I list every assignment and every period of unemployment? Do I provide an explanation of my unusual career history or is this irrelevant?

6. Regarding form G-325A - fiance's employment history. My fiance is a self-employed dentist and works for 3 different dental practices plus he is a Navy Reservist. Does he list all employers as separate lines but with consecutive employment dates. Is an explanation required why he has multiple employers at the same time? Does he include the US Navy as an employer?

Apologies for the long post and if some of my questions seem trivial. It's a time-consuming process and as I'm sure many of you appreciate, I'm nervous about making any errors.

Any advice is greatly appreciated .

Folinskyinla

Hi:

1. It is for the naturalization certificate.
2. Alien's BC is not needed for the I-129F. You will need it later, but not now.
3. If it is on the multi-colored paper with the fancy outline [like on money], that is the correct certificate. A photocopy should have the word "void" appearing all over it.
4. The number off your I-94W
5. No explanation needed. In fact, if it is kind of generalized but true, it is OK. Do not obsess too much over the G-325 other than it has to be true in a very general sense.
6. If he is a 1099 employee, then self-employed will be fine. Also, there is nothing wrong with overlapping employment dates.

Relax -- you seem OK and seem to be obsessing a tad too much. Being careful is one thing, but it can go overboard. BTW, at every interview I've ever attended, the examiner has a device to make corrections. The "red pen" has been around for a long time.

Noorah101

Correct.

The UKC's birth certificate is not necessary.

Sounds right to me, sounds like a certified copy of the birth certificate. Even if it's not, go ahead and send it in. If it's wrong, USCIS will let you know and ask for a different one. The I-129F won't be denied because of it.

Pretty irrelevant, just fill it out to the best of your ability.

Again, just fill it out to the best of your knowledge and ability. The G-325A forms are not looked over very carefully, and as long as you put your best effort into filling it out, you'll be fine.

Sounds like you're on the right track so far.

Best Wishes,
Rene

london2008

Thank you both for your very fast responses. Yes - I probably obsess just a little but I promise I still sleep at night! I definitely fall into the "anally retentive" category on this forum.

Regarding the US birth certificate, it is on fancy colored paper with a border and doesn't have void stamped on it. So I guess it's the right document.

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll be back with some more questions before the week is out. Our hope is to complete and send the package by Friday, it will be good to have the first stage in the proces complete...

Folinskyinla

Hi:

I see I was not too clear. The original multi-colored copy will not have the word void on it. However, run it through a copy machine, and the resultant copy will have the word "void" all over it.

Do not mail in the original certified copy -- send in the photocopy. In a strange sort of way, the appearance of the "void" notation shows you photocopied a genuine document, especially if the background is not interrupted by a cut and paste job!

london2008

Oh - now I am confused! The document my fiancee has (he actually has two) are I believe certified copies. Or at least that is what it says on the bottom of each document. These "certified copies" are on fancy paper with a border and in color but are not originals. I thought we should send in one of the certified copies - no need to photocopy them again. In fact, I did just try photocopying one and it came out without the word "void".

Noorah101

Your fiance has a "certified copy" of his original birth certificate. The original is on file at a government office. What YOU need to do is make a plain "photocopy" of the "certified copy", and send the photocopy with the I-129F.

The fact that it says "void" is a good sign. Send that one in with the I-129F. It shows that it's a photocopy of a certified copy.

Rene

london2008

Ok - so I now understand that we send a photocopy of the certified birth certificate. But, my point is that the photocopy I made does not say "void". Are we supposed to get ceritifed copies of the ceritifed copy made?! In other words, go to an institution that makes the photocopies for us and certifies that they have seen the original? Or is it Ok to send in plain black and white photocopies that we make using a home or office photocopy machine?

Thanks again for your help and your patience!

Noorah101

Just send in plain old black and white photocopies. No need to send in the real certified copies. And no need to get the plain photocopies notarized, certified, or anything. If it's not what they want, they'll let you know.

Sorry, I misread your post, where you said "without the word void". I still wouldn't worry...in fact, you can send a plain photocopy of the 2 versions of the birth certificate, plus a photocopy of his passport. USCIS just wants to make sure the petitioner is a USC.

Rene

london2008

Thanks, Rene. Your straight forward and sensible advice is a great comfort to someone just starting out on their visa journey!

Folinskyinla

Hi:

You do NOT need to send in the fancy colored copy -- you can send a photocopy of the colored certified copy. Perhaps the Clerk of the City and County of San Francisco use a different blank paper.

london2008

Thanks again both of you for your help. I have jut two more questions for the time being...

1) My fiance and I plan to get our passport photos for the I-129F tomorrow. Any suggestions on how many we should get? I assume we will need more pictures further down the line (and neither of us is in the habit of changing our appearance).

2) Any recommendations for assembling the package? I note the USCIS website talks about ACCO fasteners - is this recommended?

Noorah101

Just get as many as the instructions call for. Whenever you are asked again during the process for immigration-style photos, the photos should be no older than 30 days.

We didn't use ACCO fastners, and we didn't 2-hold punch anything. We stapled relevent pages together, and held it all together with one big binder clip (bulldog clip). That worked for us!

Rene

Folinskyinla

Hi:

1. The AmCit needs only one. The alien should get four. Notionally speaking, the photos are to be less than 30 days old, but unless you change your appearance [hair dye, shaving, etc], this is honored more in its breach.

2. Don't waste your money on Acco fasteners. I think each individual form or document should be stapled at the top left-hand corner if it is more than one page long. Please do not use two sided copying -- not that it will delay anything, just that if you ever need a copy of your file the back sides won't be copied. Don't obsess on how to assemble a file -- USCIS will tear apart what ever you do and will assemble it THEIR way. The attorneys who post here are often amused by the proud descriptions by "binder boys."

london2008

Thanks again both of you - keep it simple is very good advice! So, we're keeping to staples (for forms that have multiple pages) and a binder clip to keep the whole package together. I've already added tabs at the bottom for clarity - but since these can be easily removed all it cost me was about 10 minutes of my time (assuming USCIS pulls the whole thing apart and reorganizes in their own preferred way)!