@member23626: "As much as I'd LOVE to think that this will be my last question for a
while........
I've noticed that on some timelines, after the 129F is
received, then there is no RFE, but on others, they have to send in a
RFE. 
This might sound really stupid, but why is that??? Did some
people include pictures, and other good stuff like that with the 129F ?
Could that be a reason why they didn't have to do the RFE?
Posted via <url>"
    @member18489: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
think that this will be my last question for a while........
I've noticed that on some timelines, after the 129F is received, then
there is no RFE, but on others, they have to send in a RFE. 
might sound really stupid, but why is that??? Did some people include
pictures, and other good stuff like that with the 129F ? Could that be a
reason why they didn't have to do the RFE?  
I sent precisely
what was asked for in the instructions. Nothing more, nothing less. I
did not receive an RFE (request for evidence). Others do. I suspect
there is a random element.
Many people get an RFE for simply not
following the instructions: forgot to include something that was asked
for, forgot to fill something out, whatever.
Posted via <url>"
    @member16206: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
think that this will be my last question for a while........
I've noticed that on some timelines, after the 129F is received, then
there is no RFE, but on others, they have to send in a RFE. 
might sound really stupid, but why is that??? Did some people include
pictures, and other good stuff like that with the 129F ? Could that be a
reason why they didn't have to do the RFE?  
A couple could
receive an RFE for not including the correct documents. I.e. incorrect
divorce certificate, marriage certificate, birth certificate, don't sign
the forms (yes this happens). Or a couple may not include enough
evidence that they have met, so they would need to send in more
pictures, boarding passes and copies of passport stamps as proof of
travel to the countries in question, receipts of hotel stays or other
receipts that could be used as evidence. You could also receive an RFE
for filling out the I-129f or G-325 forms incorrectly - i.e. putting N/A
vs. 'None.'
And sometimes, it's sheer bad luck - you've included
everything correctly, but USCIS manages to 'lose' a few docs.
Posted via <url>"
    @member23626: "Originally posted by sunflwrgrl13 
<quote>
receive an RFE for not including the correct documents. I.e. incorrect
divorce certificate, marriage certificate, birth certificate, don't
sign the forms (yes this happens). Or a couple may not include enough
evidence that they have met, so they would need to send in more
pictures, boarding passes and copies of passport stamps as proof of
travel to the countries in question, receipts of hotel stays or other
receipts that could be used as evidence. You could also receive an RFE
for filling out the I-129f or G-325 forms incorrectly - i.e. putting
N/A vs. 'None.'
included everything correctly, but USCIS manages to 'lose' a few docs.
Should I send some further evidence along with my original
129F? My passport was just renewed, and only has 2 stamps . Should I
include copies of my old passport (with the 19 UK stamps) Just to be on
the safe side?
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
further evidence along with my original 129F? My passport was just
renewed, and only has 2 stamps . Should I include copies of my old
passport (with the 19 UK stamps) Just to be on the safe side? 
Hi Gemma,
Many people confuse the "proof of having met in person
within the last two years" with "proof of relationship".  All you have
to document is that you have been physically together in the same spot
within the last two years.  Passport stamps, boarding passes,
photographs, etc will show that you were in the same place at the same
time.  Hotel receipts with both your names on them if possible will also
show this.
Some people send in things like love letters, copies of
cards, emails, phone bills with the other person's number on them, etc.
This will show that you are in contact with one another and have a
relationship but doesn not prove that you've physically met.  This type
of information is not required and will not fulfill the requirement of
proof of meeting.
As Jamie said, there are many reasons that someone
might get an RFEmistakes filling out the forms, not submitting what
is asked for, and yes, we've heard about people who have sent in
everything and got asked to send in something already sent.  My husband
and I were in the pool of lucky ones-no RFE, although we waited as NSC
for 181 days........  
Just out of curiosity, what service center are
you under?
~SecretGarden
Posted via <url>"
    @member23626: "Originally posted by SecretGarden 
<quote>
people confuse the "proof of having met in person within the last two
years" with "proof of relationship".  All you have to document is that
you have been physically together in the same spot within the last two
years.  Passport stamps, boarding passes, photographs, etc will show
that you were in the same place at the same time.  Hotel receipts with
both your names on them if possible will also show this.
people send in things like love letters, copies of cards, emails, phone
bills with the other person's number on them, etc.  This will show that
you are in contact with one another and have a relationship but doesn
not prove that you've physically met.  This type of information is not
required and will not fulfill the requirement of proof of meeting.
As Jamie said, there are many reasons that someone might get an RFE
mistakes filling out the forms, not submitting what is asked for, and
yes, we've heard about people who have sent in everything and got asked
to send in something already sent.  My husband and I were in the pool of
lucky ones-no RFE, although we waited as NSC for 181 days........  
~SecretGarden  
Accoriding to USCIS, I send everything to
Philly, but according to Philly, they don't process I-130's. So, I'm at
a loss there. Can I send it to the NBC myself? 
As for the proof, where
I'm confused is that when I looked at the sample 129F, there was nothing
on the form that mentions showing proof of relationship.
I just want to
be clear, so I don't make any mistakes! 
Thanks!
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
send everything to Philly, but according to Philly, they don't process
I-130's. So, I'm at a loss there. Can I send it to the NBC myself? 
As for the proof, where I'm confused is that when I looked at the sample
129F, there was nothing on the form that mentions showing proof of
relationship.
No, that's what I'm saying........you don't have
to show proof of relationship, only proof of meeting in person.  Some
people send much more than they need to send, thinking that they also
need to show they are truly in love and committed to one another.  You
don't need to send that.  The directions only ask for proof of having
met, so I would send in any documentation you have that shows just that.
(If it were me, I would copy the old passport as well as long as those
visits were in order to see your stb-hubby).
My now-husband and I went
through this process as K1ers, so I'm going to have to defer your
question about the I-130 to a K3 member of the group.  You've already
learned a valuable lesson-never trust anything the mis-information
line tells you! :)
~SecretGarden
Posted via <url>"
    @member23626: "Originally posted by SecretGarden 
<quote>
saying........you don't have to show proof of relationship, only proof
of meeting in person.  Some people send much more than they need to
send, thinking that they also need to show they are truly in love and
committed to one another.  You don't need to send that.  The directions
only ask for proof of having met, so I would send in any documentation
you have that shows just that.  (If it were me, I would copy the old
passport as well as long as those visits were in order to see your stb-
hubby).
I'm going to have to defer your question about the I-130 to a K3 member
of the group.  You've already learned a valuable lesson-never trust
anything the mis-information line tells you! :)
Thanks! I'll get copies from his passport as well. We take
turns seeing each other, so I have a year or two missing in my passport.
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
from his passport as well. We take turns seeing each other, so I have a
year or two missing in my passport.  
Absolutely.  Include
anything that he has which will show you were both in the same place at
the same time.  Does he have any credit card receipts showing purchases
in the US which correspond with dates of travel?  Or maybe bank
statements with debit transactions listed, specifying US purchases?
After awhile you start to think about saving all these things to help
you through other steps in the process.  During one of the visits right
before we sent the petition in, we purposely asked an innkeeper to put
both of our names on the room confirmation, and he also wrote a note
saying how lovely it was going to be to see us again.  We took pics by
the sign of the inn.  I can't tell you how many times in three years
we've looked at one another and said, "This is evidence!!!"  :)
Takes
some of the romance out of it all, having to plan it that way, but
whatever it takes to be approved and together!
~SG
Posted via <url>"
    @member15505: "I took a dated photo in from of the Aruban Parliment building showing
the two of us together and then a notorized affidavit from the person
who took the photo stating the date time and location of the photo and
that they knew us...blah blah blah. We then went the K-3 route and
didn't need it.
Originally posted by SecretGarden 
<quote>
Absolutely.  Include anything that he has which will show you were both
in the same place at the same time.  Does he have any credit card
receipts showing purchases in the US which correspond with dates of
travel?  Or maybe bank statements with debit transactions listed,
specifying US purchases?
saving all these things to help you through other steps in the process.
During one of the visits right before we sent the petition in, we
purposely asked an innkeeper to put both of our names on the room
confirmation, and he also wrote a note saying how lovely it was going to
be to see us again.  We took pics by the sign of the inn.  I can't tell
you how many times in three years we've looked at one another and said,
"This is evidence!!!"  :)
having to plan it that way, but whatever it takes to be approved and
together!
~SG 
Posted via <url>"
    @member15505: "Another note...I recall one of the attorneys that post here stating that
by proceedure the Conoff has to read all evidence submitted. Sooo you
really shouldn't submit 10,000 love letters or e-mails. They don't
appreciate the extra work. You may wish to keep just in case; but, don't
swamp them with unrequested materials.
Originally posted by
SecretGarden 
<quote>
show you were both in the same place at the same time.  Does he have any
credit card receipts showing purchases in the US which correspond with
dates of travel?  Or maybe bank statements with debit transactions
listed, specifying US purchases?
about saving all these things to help you through other steps in the
process.  During one of the visits right before we sent the petition in,
we purposely asked an innkeeper to put both of our names on the room
confirmation, and he also wrote a note saying how lovely it was going to
be to see us again.  We took pics by the sign of the inn.  I can't tell
you how many times in three years we've looked at one another and said,
"This is evidence!!!"  :)
having to plan it that way, but whatever it takes to be approved and
together!
~SG 
Posted via <url>"
    @member23626: "Originally posted by lpdiver 
<quote>
one of the attorneys that post here stating that by proceedure the
Conoff has to read all evidence submitted. Sooo you really shouldn't
submit 10,000 love letters or e-mails. They don't appreciate the extra
work. You may wish to keep just in case; but, don't swamp them with
unrequested materials.  
I figured that the passport stamps
from both of us, should be fine. You have to copy every page of your
passport anyway. 
Thanks!!! This all helps so much!
Posted via <url>"
    @member184: "gemma,
No, you don't have to copy every page of your passport.
I
suggest that you should have a consultation with an immigration attorney
experienced in marriage-based immigration.  You may not need to hire the
attorney to handle your case for you, but you do need a good overall
review of what is involved.  The piecemeal approach that you are going
through with the newsgroup is revealing a lot of misunderstanding.
Regards, JEff
Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
figured that the passport stamps from both of us, should be fine. You
have to copy every page of your passport anyway. 
Thanks!!! This all
helps so much! 
Of course, the Internet also tells us that hot naked women want to befriend us, so we can't be 100% sure about everything we read there. (Dave Barry)
Posted via <url>"
    @member23626: "Originally posted by jeffreyhy 
<quote>
don't have to copy every page of your passport. 
Jeff,
This
came from the visa journey website. 
Gem
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
the visa journey website. 
My understanding is that you
would use the passport copies to 1.  show citizenship and 2. show stamps
that would relate to the requirement of meeting in person.  I don't
recall the directions saying that you need to copy every page of the
passport.
~SG
Posted via <url>"
    @member18489: "Originally posted by jeffreyhy 
<quote>
copy every page of your passport.
You do. It says so in
the I-129F instructions.
Posted via <url>"
    @member18489: "Originally posted by jeffreyhy 
<quote>
copy every page of your passport.
You do if you are using
the passport as evidence of US citizenship. It says so in the I-129F
instructions.
Posted via <url>"
    @member23626: "Originally posted by SecretGarden 
<quote>
that you would use the passport copies to 1.  show citizenship and 2.
show stamps that would relate to the requirement of meeting in person.
I don't recall the directions saying that you need to copy every page of
the passport.
This is what was on the visa journey
site:
 Assembling the I-129F Package: Checklist
#9. Copy of the Birth
certificate for the US Citizen (front and back) or a copy of ALL pages
of the US Citizen's passport. This is used to establish citizenship.
I'm assuming that the package will have more specific instructions!
Thanks all, for being patient with me! ;)
Posted via <url>"
    @member18489: "Number 1 reason for RFE's: failure to read the instructions on the form.
This is the form: ]<url>
129F.pdf[/url]
Find instruction 3(D).
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by gemmacat 
<quote>
visa journey site:
#9. Copy of the Birth certificate for the US Citizen (front and back) or
a copy of ALL pages of the US Citizen's passport. This is used to
establish citizenship.
specific instructions! 
I stand corrected.  (Thanks Calgary!)  I just checked the
directions for the I129F and it does say that if you are going to use
the passport to prove US citizenship, then you must copy ALL pages.
However, Gem......if you have a valid US birth certificate, that's all
you need to show citizenship.  In filling out the I-129F you are only
required to prove citizenship on yourself, not on your fiance.  
Have
you taken a look at the I-129F itself?  You can download the whole thing
(directions and all) by going to <url>  and hitting
the Forms, Fees and Fingerprinting link on the left.
~SG
Calgary.....I
think it was probably safe to assume that she'd be sending in her birth
certificate to show US citizenship, therefore she wouldn't need the
complete passport, but thank you for the clarification! :)
Posted via <url>"
    @member15505: "Apparently I dodged a bullet with this requirement. I just sent in a
copy of the main page and had np problems.
Originally posted
by SecretGarden 
<quote>
checked the directions for the I129F and it does say that if you are
going to use the passport to prove US citizenship, then you must copy
ALL pages.
certificate, that's all you need to show citizenship.  In filling out
the I-129F you are only required to prove citizenship on yourself, not
on your fiance.  
can download the whole thing (directions and all) by going to
<url>  and hitting the Forms, Fees and Fingerprinting
link on the left.
~SG 
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by lpdiver 
<quote>
bullet with this requirement. I just sent in a copy of the main page and
had np problems.  
Tony, were you using the passport to show
your US citizenship or did you send a birth certificate too?  Maybe
since you sent both, they had what they needed.  All's well that ends
well.  :)
~SG
Posted via <url>"
    @member15505: "Possibly...I needed the birth certificate for the Colombian visa...It
may have been included with the I-129f app too. I'd have to go home and
check to be certain.
Originally posted by SecretGarden 
<quote>
Tony, were you using the passport to show your US citizenship or did you
send a birth certificate too?  Maybe since you sent both, they had what
they needed.  All's well that ends well.  :)
~SG 
Posted via <url>"
    @member18489: "Originally posted by SecretGarden 
<quote>
it was probably safe to assume that she'd be sending in her birth
certificate to show US citizenship, therefore she wouldn't need the
complete passport, but thank you for the clarification! :)  
I
only remember this because my wife couldn't find her birth certificate
and I stood at the photocopier at work copying her entire passport; got
a few raised eyebrows from co-workers.
Posted via <url>"
    @member4024: "Originally posted by CalgaryAMC 
<quote>
because my wife couldn't find her birth certificate and I stood at the
photocopier at work copying her entire passport; got a few raised
eyebrows from co-workers.  
:)
Reminds me of a question I
posted over a year ago on photocopying.......we photcopied our passports
using a color copier at Kinko's (thinking that the color copies would
look nicer and more impressive somehow) and were basically accosted by a
Kinko's employee who said that that was illegal to copy a passport and
that she was authorized to confiscate the passports and call the
authorities.  
I showed her the directions from the USCIS and she
relented, but did it ever scare the bejesus out of me!  
So, as a
caveat, be careful where you copy! :)
~SG
Posted via <url>"
    @nospam: "In the instructions for the I-129F (Section 3D), where it lists the
documents used to show US Citizenship, it says:
In place of any of the above, you may give INS a copy of your valid,
unexpired U.S. passport that was issued for at least 5 years. You must
submit copies of all pages in the passport.
- Eric S.
news:<email_address>
<quote>"
    @member11127: "Hello
All the information you need is available on the forms you will
need to fill in.  Ie.  On the I-130 and the I-129 it tells you exactly
what to send and what not to send including where to send it.  Have you
looked at the USCIS forms yet because you really need to if you want to
understand things more clearly.  Also, it's the INS that has the final
say not another web site even though they might be invaluable with
advice.  It's the instructions on the form that matter.  
Slow down and
take it one step at a time.  Once you are married file the I-130 and
wait for the 1st NOA, then you can think about the next step which is
the I-129.  Of course, you have a wedding and marriage ceremony to
orgainize first too!!!  However,  it can be done.  Good luck and try not
to worry too much....easier said than done I know!
Maggie
Originally posted by gemmacat 
Thanks! I'll get copies
from his passport as well. We take turns seeing each other, so I have a
year or two missing in my passport. 
Maggs
Posted via <url>"
    @member184: "Calgary,
This discussion has gone out of context - gemma posted that
she is providing a photocopy of her passport for the purpose of
providing evidence of having met and relationship.  For that purpose she
needs only the identification page and the pages with her entry and exit
stamps from her husband's country (or where ever they met).
Instruction
3 of the I-129f deals, as you noted, with proof of citizenship.  That is
not gemma's issue with respect to the passport.  And as far as proof of
citizenship goes, one does not need to submit photocopies of any pages
of the passport if they have a certified copy of their birth
certificate.
Agreed, failure to read can cause problems....
Regards,
JEff
Originally posted by CalgaryAMC 
<quote>
for RFE's: failure to read the instructions on the form.
the form: ]<url>
129F.pdf[/url]
Find instruction 3(D). 
Of course, the Internet also tells us that hot naked women want to befriend us, so we can't be 100% sure about everything we read there. (Dave Barry)
Posted via <url>"
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