5 Specific Tips from past approved K-1 visa couples for your I-129F petition

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You’ll find plenty of “tips” on the fiance visa process online. In fact, if you google it, dozens of websites show up.

But, why doesn’t it feel like anyone offers anything substantial?

It’s funny, one time I read someone’s grand # 1 “tip” for the I-129F petition to be (drumroll): “don’t forget to sign the form.” 

When I looked at that, I rolled my eyes: “is that all you can come up?”. It was obvious no thought went behind their list.

I kept wondering:

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“Aside from doing the best we can with paperwork and proof of relationship, what else gets us the best outcome? What improves our I-129F and visa interview?”

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So, to find out, I reached out to actual past approved couples and asked them what they felt was their biggest insight. Since tens of thousands of couples visit Visa Tutor every month … and because I have a great relationship with many, they were thrilled to share exact tactics.

Their responses were incredible– with tips ranging from: “buy your fiance a better cell phone service if they live in a remote area where cell coverage isn’t that great… that way, you can get great bona fide relationship evidence”– all the way to– “create an online cloud sharing account”. 

These tips were specific and actionable. And I liked them much better than what big-name companies who said “don’t forget to sign the form”.

So, I gathered all the best ones I could in this article (specifically the I-129F petition).

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USCIS’s official tips for filing the I-129F petition

Before I share my personal tips, let’s review the official USCIS’s form filing tips. These you’re already aware of because they’re all over the place on how to prepare your I-129F petition.

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The USCIS’s main concern is that you include all the important stuff and include your payment. They want you to make sure you(r)

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● I-129F application is as accurate as possible

● Sign forms

● Make sure the edition date is not expired

● Don’t make smudges or highlights on forms

● Print single-sided

● Pay the I-129F fees according to the instructions

● and so forth

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They even ask you to assemble your I-129F in a certain way to help the lockbox facility:

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● Place your payment on top

● the G-1145

● the actual I-129F form just below that

● and then supporting documents go underneath

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You shouldn’t use binders or heavy staples if it means that the documents may be damaged if they attempt to disassemble it. 

Finally, the USCIS suggests you mail out the packet neatly in a marked envelope and courier it with either UPS, DHL, Fedex, or the USPS. 

You can read the complete set of tips from the USCIS website… but we just covered the main ones on making the process smooth and quick.

Now, the USCIS’s tips for the I-129F are found everywhere. But, I wanted to go deeper with real-world tips from past approved couples because those actually make a difference in your experience.

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Tip # 1: Share a cloud storage while preparing your I-129F

Couples who share documents are better prepared for the K-1 visa interview. Normally, consular officers review your I-129F at the interview and ask questions accordingly.

To have the best chance of visa approval and avoid RFEs or delays, it’s vital to know exactly what your I-129F has so your answers match with the documents. 

The easiest way to do this is to fill out your I-129F petition with your partner using a cloud share service. So, while preparing your fiance visa petition, share:

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● Documents

● Pictures

● I-129F form

● Procedures

● checklists

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In fact, everything you download from Visa Tutor — like checklists and templates — can be uploaded to your shared account. I recommend free cloud services: Google Drive, Dropbox , Microsoft, or Amazon. 

My personal preference is to use Google Drive. Here are steps on getting started:

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Steps to set up a shared Google Drive for Fiance visa paperwork

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● Log in with your account (if you don’t have one, sign up free)

● Create a new folder by clicking on “drive” and selecting new folder.

● New folder is created and named

● Then select the sharing options

● Enter your fiance’s email to share the folder and all the documents within

● Once inside the folder, upload documents.

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The documents you can share, for example, are your I-129F, I-797 approval letters, I-134 Affidavit of Support, or even RFEs, etc.

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Tip # 2: Have a “documented proof” mindset

Whenever you interact with your fiance, take pictures or screenshots of your text messaging, video chats, emails, or whatever you do together. Every now and then take a few samples. 

As you know, in the I-129F petition, your fiance should front load and present evidence of relationship to the USCIS. By taking photos routinely, you have a running collection of good proof before the I-129F submission and the K visa interview. 

You won’t have to go back through months of history to gather proof. It’ll all be done by the time. And you won’t risk losing good proof that you wanted to save in the meantime.

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Secondly, if you happen to meet again before mailing out you I-129F or going to the K visa interview, be sure to focus on getting photographs and receipts to prove you met: photos, receipts, witnesses, credit card charges, etc. 

The point is to be conscious and mindful to intentionally gather proof as you proceed. Read the full proof of relationship tips.

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Tip # 3: Review Beneficiary’s civil document

It’s a brilliant idea to review each other’s documents for accuracy. 

Things like passports, birth certificates, etc. should be checked early on to make sure you have proper names, dates of birth, address, and that the details match with the I-129F petition.

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If there are discrepancies, have them corrected right away before you file the I-129F. 

For instance, in a lot of countries, it’s routine to have spelling variations of names. So documents like birth certificates can sometimes have a name spelled slightly differently than on their passport. 

In some countries it’s legally accepted to have spelling variations, but in the US, this is usually not acceptable. So, go through the proper channels and fix any possible problems before starting. This helps avoid future RFEs or delays.

If you discover a problem like this, be sure to get it fixed before filing the I-129F packet. The last thing you want is to have a blank look on your face while holding an RFE which says “your passport name and your birth certificate names don’t match”. (read my 7 tips for the K-1 visa interview).

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Tip # 4: Arrange for open communication

This tip won’t apply to many people but for some it makes a huge difference. 

Make sure you have open communication with your partner. In some parts of the world, the internet or phone coverage isn’t great so your interaction time is going to be limited and that’s not good for your proof of relationship. 

In addition, lots of countries have huge time zone differences with the US and you may be forced to talk at certain hours of the day if one partner works or is a student (reducing your communication time even further).

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Work on making sure that you can have free, daily communication –however you may have to do that– for instance, you may have to get your fiance a good cell phone with a dependable phone coverage so that you can talk daily… Or you may have to pick out certain times of the day when you’re both available and free to talk (as some countries have 12 hours plus or minus time difference).

Then you can collect proof of on-going relationship. More importantly, the more you talk to each other, the more you know about one another and the more prepared you are for the K-1 interview. That’s the whole point.

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Tip # 5: Decide if you need professional help (most people don’t)

People ask whether they should hire a professional to do the I-129F or K visa for them. If your case is straightforward and you have a keen eye for detail, it’s a great to self file. 

And you should self-file because no one else pays attention and dedicates time to your case like you. It’s your case and your future. That’s what I always stress.

In addition, going through the fiance visa steps together helps create a bond between you two. It’s a learning experience and you work as a team. It’s a very satisfying feeling.

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However, if you’re not comfortable with paperwork, or you don’t have time, or you have some big issue (like a past felony) then you can seek professional help. But even then, don’t give legal professionals everything to do — only let them handle the big stuff. 

Don’t expect any miracles, though. Lawyers typically require you to do 90% of the work and they only fill out your paperwork. Then they charge you thousands. In addition, I and my readers have mostly had bad experiences where lawyers don’t fill out paperwork correctly, or return phone calls, texts, emails or update you with news. So, it’s your choice, but to me legal help is a last resort. (Read the full explanation on “should you hire a fiance visa lawyer?”)

I’m not trying to persuade you to buy my product rather than use a lawyer or doing it on your own. Instead, I’m just giving you the facts so you can make your own decision. 

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How to use these I-129F fiance visa tips

The tips for the I-129F petition make the biggest differences by:

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(1) Avoiding common mistakes and delays or missing documents

(2) knowing where to spend time and where to not waste time

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By following these 5 tips, you’ll improve the quality of your case and even make your K-1 visa interview experience better. (read my 6 rules for fiance visa success).

These tips come from past approved couples and my own personal experience. And these were the sort of things most of us wish we knew before starting.

Remember, follow the USCIS official tips first. Then, when you want to know how to improve your I-129F, follow my tips here.

In addition, there’s really no secret to I-129F approval because you already know about the 3 must-haves (paperwork, proof of relationship, and statements).

For more on what kind of things improve your I-129F, K-1 visa interview and the types of bona fide relationship evidence you should show them, sign up for my email list.

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