i-134 questions

[jojake2000]

Hello all. I am in the process of petitioning to bring my fiancée from Colombia to the United States, and I have numerous questions about the I-134. Please bear with me.

1.   the forms repeatedly say to fill out a form for each person. She has an eleven year old son. Am I supposed to send a second I-134 for him even though he is listed  in question #3?

2.   in question #10,  do I list his name as well as my fiancee’s?

3.   it says I need duplicate copies of  the employer letter and bank letter. Do they have to provide me 2 copies, or can they give me one copy, and I can make copies.

4.   since I just sent my I-129f in about a month ago, we are nowhere near the point where they will be sending her the packet which contains the I-134. I will be going to Colombia in a little over a week and , since I can download the I-134 and fill it out, I would like to give it and all the related materials to her at that time.
will it be a problem if all the dates on the materials are before the date she receives her packet?

thanks

[Ray]

Good questions!

1.They will both need separate I-134’s, but they usually accept a Xerox copy of the original for a K-2 if they will interview together. (Check with the consulate’s Immigrant Visa Branch to confirm or you can just notarize the Xerox copy). Xerox copies of original supporting documentation should be good for the K-2 applicant.

2. Although I believe item #10 was technically meant for previous visa beneficiaries, I would go ahead and list them both here just to be safe. For relationship, use “fiancée” and “child of fiancée”.

3. Duplicate copies means original plus a photocopy. All copies should include both sides of any pages with anything on the back.

4. The notarized affidavit is technically valid for a year, but some consular officers may prefer a more current version. I would say within 3-6 months should be O.K.  However, your supporting documentation should be as current as possible. Employer letters and payroll stubs should be dated within about a month of the interview to be safe (use FedEx?). If your income from employment is well above the minimum (100% of poverty level), then they may not even need to see a bank letter or evidence of personal assets, but to be safe you can submit the bank letter anyway. If it becomes a big hassle getting a signed bank letter, submit several recent bank statements instead.

I believe that the I-134 is no longer considered legally binding, but they use it primarily as a tool to judge your ability to support your beneficiaries financially.

They ask for photocopies of your most recent complete tax return, including W-2’s and all attachments. I would have the last 3 years tax returns available at the interview, just in case they see something that needs clarification. Submit most recent but have others available to cover you. Note: You will need the last 3 years tax returns anyway for the AOS I-864 later down the road.

Make sure you have the affidavit notarized by a U.S. notary!

Since you submitted a month ago before the new form came out, I was curious if you received your RFE yet, asking for info on past criminal convictions and Marriage Broker info. Did you meet through a “Marriage Broker” agency?

Ray

[jojake2000]

thanks for the reply.

i found my fiancee through latin american introductions.

i have not received the rfe which will have the additional questions, and i keep checking the net for info as to whether they have even started sending them yet, but i have not found anything.

thanks again

[Ray]

Here's some info from CIS on those RFE's:

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/statements/IMBRA_061306PN.pdf

[Houndog]

Rays info is pretty spot on. I would have 4 copies of everything, two for them 1 for you & one for your fiancee for when she has her interview in Bogota at the embassy. FedX a complete copy set to her.

This is the Gov you're dealing with (Buearocrats) that don't really work for a living, they just show up. So covering yourself on the front end is always the best policy.

[Ray]

I would have the last 3 years tax returns available at the interview, just in case they see something that needs clarification. Submit most recent but have others available to cover you. Note: You will need the last 3 years tax returns anyway for the AOS I-864 later down the road.

I take that back. They just changed the rules so you only need the single latest tax return instead of the most recent three years for the I-864. But you should be saving those payroll stubs because you will need to submit the latest 6 months worth with your I-864.