Return to K-1 Visa main pageI-129F Petition for Finacé(e) Visa
Transplanted.org has some very good how-to information which explains this process, all of the forms, and has good recommendations on how to put it all together. That site, in its earlier incarnation as Jonathan and Che-Ning's K-1 Visa Site, was Becky's primary "instruction manual" while working on this. We recommend you check it out for more general information.
The forms you need can be requested free of charge from the BCIS web site. In addition, the BCIS also offers PDF versions of its forms, and some of them are even fillable. If you can find fillable forms for the forms you need and have access to a half way decent printer, we would recommend using the fillable forms because they are more legible, and you are able to fit all the information necessary into the tiny spaces.
- Contents of package to NSC
- How it was put together
- How it was mailed
- More about the I-129F
- More about the G-325A
Here is exactly what Becky sent (in exactly that order)
*note: everything is photocopies unless otherwise stated.
- check for $95 (note: current fee is $110)
- cover letter (original of course)
- I-129F (original of course)
- G-325A for Becky, with photo (US Citizen) (original of course)
- G-325A for Dan, with photo (foreign fiancé) (original of course)
- US Citizen Birth Certificate
- original signed letter of intent from US Citizen
- original signed letter of intent from foreign fiancé
- FC-029 statement about truth and accuracy of photocopies (original of course)
- attachment to I-129F question 19
- Proof of meeting:
- summary of evidence
- statement from Becky about meetings
- photographs with date & description
- Becky's passport (photo page, relevant stamps)
- Becky's student work visa
- Becky's itinerary
- Becky's used boarding pass
- Dan's passport (photo page, relevant stamps)
- Dan's used boarding passes & a ticket
- Dan's confirmation/invoice from most recent trip
- Evidence of relationship
- summary of evidence
- wedding ring receipt
- joint checking account statement
- envelopes of letters and cards sent to Becky by Dan (just a few from dates scattered over the course of the relationship)
- print outs of e-mails (remember that people will be viewing this - you probably don't want to print out a "racy" e-mail...)
- Becky's phone bills (just a few to show that you call each other)
- Dan's phone bills
Here is how Becky actually put it together
- Everything was 2 hole punched at the top and fastened with an ACCO prong fastener.
- She divided it into 8 tabbed sections
- I-129F
- G-325A
- Birth Certificate
- Letters of Intent
- FC-029
- I-129F Attachment
- Proof of Meeting
- Evidence of Relationship
- She couldn't find tabbed pages with tabs on the bottom, so she bought some medium card stock from OfficeMax and some attachable tabs (Avery Peel And Stick Index Tabs (#82000)). She typed the titles on the tabs using a typewriter so it would look nicer.
- The cover letter was the topmost piece of paper (before any of the tabs), and she put an extra card sheet behind the last paper in the packet.
- She attached the G-325A photographs to the forms by putting them in clear snack-sized plastic bags paper-clipped to the forms. The other evidence photographs were attached to pieces of card by rubber cement.
- She also printed out labels (Avery 5160 White Address Labels) with her name (she's the US citizen), "I-129F ORIGINAL SUBMISSION," and the date. Then she signed the labels (each one by hand - what a pain!). These labels were attached to every page except the dividers, the cover letter, and the INS forms.
- She paperclipped the check to the cover letter (top page of the packet)
- Becky made a backup copy which is exactly like the original, except that anything that was original in the original packet (INS forms, letters of intent) is photocopied and she did not put the stickers on the pages because, well, that really takes a long time.
Here is how Becky mailed it
- We used a 9"x12" document envelope
- We sent it USPS Priority Mail with Tracking.
Yes this will cost a bit more, but it is well worth the money. This way you will know when the INS receives your paperwork, or if something goes awry. It's much better to pay $4.00 to know it arrived safely than to wonder for a month while waiting to receive your 1st NOA. - We wrote "I-129F ORIGINAL SUBMISSION" on the envelope
Becky typed the form with a typewriter, as the fillable forms were not commonly available at that time. As of this writing (12/19/01) the I-129F fillable PDF form is available on the INS website. Make sure that you type "NONE" or "N/A" in places where you don't have the requested information.
At question 19 ("Your fiancé(e) has met and seen you. __Yes __No"), Becky checked "Yes", and in the teeny tiny space it leaves to describe the circumstances, she wrote "SEE ATTACHMENTS." This was her response to that question.
The G-325A is quite possibly one of the INS's most annoying forms. This is the "Biographic Information Form" where they want you to give your entire life's details, but only give you a tiny tiny space to put it in.
Use the fillable version of this. It is a godsend. There are conflicting reports as to whether you can just print it out on 4 white pages, or if you should get colored paper to match the original form. The generally accepted belief is that white paper should be just fine, but if you have the time and want to be extra sure, go ahead and get a few sheets of colored paper just in case. (Page 1: white, Page 2: mint green, Page 3: pastel pink, Page 4: baby blue)
In our case, the fillable version wasn't available (at least Becky didn't know about it) so she typed all of the information using a typewrite, except for the Employment history - there was too much information to type. (In subsequent applications, she has used the fillable PDF forms and printed on colored paper.)
At the bottom where it says "THIS FORM IS SUBMITTED IN CONNECTION WITH APPLICATION FOR:", Becky ticked "OTHER(SPECIFY)" and wrote "I-129F Petition."
As for the ADIT photos, Becky put them in snack-size clear plastic ziploc bags and paperclipped them to the G-325As.