How to avoid Fiance visa RFEs (I-129F)

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There’s little that can “speed up” your K-1 visa case. But there’s a lot you can do to prevent it slowing down.

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Make a strong I-129F with these top 2 ways that prevent RFEs and delays.

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The processing timeline for the I-129F is bad enough, but it’s worse when problems in your petition slow you down.

It feels like you’re wasting time when you have to sit and wait the average timeline of 5-10 months. And, it’s natural to wonder if there’s a trick to “speed it up”.

Sadly, there’s no trick to quicken your case. And it’s difficult to get an expedite (special cases that the USCIS processes immediately). Unless it’s a really big reason, an expedite isn’t an option.

To me, it’s critical to make sure nothing prevents your I-129F petition from a quick approval rather than worry about “how can I speed it up?”. 

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Now, there are some things you don’t have control over.

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• ✘ Delays due to criminal checks
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• ✘ Delays due to background verification
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• ✘ Some others…
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But, there are things in YOUR power to influence. Like avoiding RFEs, delays or rejection by fixing the top 2 I-129F mistakes that lead to RFEs:

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• ✔ Missing or incomplete documents
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• ✔ Not verifiable evidence of meeting
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Let’s look at why you want to avoid RFEs and what top 2 ways prevent case delays or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID).

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What is a Request for Evidence (RFE)

A quick summary: When the USCIS actively review your case, they may find things are missing, unclear, or inadequate in your I-129F packet.

They stop what they’re doing and mail you a Request For Evidence (RFE). In this notice, it explains what’s missing and what you must submit. Until you respond back, your case is frozen (read the entire RFE page for more info).

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If I were you, I’d ask, “So, what’s the big deal? You’re missing a few things but you get a chance to fix it, right?”

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Why you want to avoid RFEs

Yes, most of the time, you get a chance to fix your case. But there’s a lot more you don’t see. Here’s what RFEs and poorly-constructed cases do:

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Delays
After your initial shock subsides, you have to figure out how to respond. You spend time to collect the missing evidence or documents.

Now, imagine if the RFE asks for something that takes long. Maybe your fiance has to mail over paperwork from overseas. Depending on what’s requested, it can take 2 days or 2 months (especially true for criminal cases).

The biggest pain is that it adds several weeks to your timeline on top of the months it took to get to your case. And this includes mailing letters and evidence back/forth to the USCIS.

Finally, something else nobody realizes — there’s a ton of stress and suspense. The USCIS doesn’t say what’s the RFE about until you actually read the notice in the mail. So, in between that time, you lose some sleep fearing the worst.

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Quality
The second topic is quality. An RFE should be a “wake up” call. Typically when a case gets an RFE, it’s a precursor of future problems. You may not easily realize this, so let me explain.

The USCIS is relatively easy going and ignores many things. It’s true, they bend over backwards to give you a chance at an approval. Now, if THEY see flaws, what does that spell about the quality of your case? How serious does it make you look?

Now think how this I-129F petition is going to look in front of the Embassy. They have stricter rules and regulations. And typically don’t hesitate to deny applicants if the case isn’t up to standards. How serious will they think you are about your K-1 visa case? How will they judge your case?

Just to give you an idea of how important this is — I’d prefer you have a good, quality case rather than a speedy one.

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How you can prevent an I-129F RFE

So, you see it’s best to avoid an RFE because it slows your case down considerably and makes your case look bad and lead to further problems (See what happens when you mail out your I-129F to the USCIS)

The best way to avoid delays is to send an oustanding I-129F packet. But, I’ll go one step further and tell you the top 2 reasons people get RFEs and how to fix them.

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The # 1 Reason for RFEs (missing documents)

Forgetting to submit important paperwork gets you in trouble. It’s the top reason for RFEs. Not just any document — we’re talking about important ones like divorce papers.

See, the USCIS’s main objective is to figure out if you’re eligible to file the I-129F and bring your fiance to the US. They can’t do that unless you give them the right proofs.

But, I also get your frustration because the I-129F instructions are hard to follow. This is the first time you’re doing an immigration petition and it’s understandable that you’ll miss a few steps.

So, I’ll give you a few examples of what RFEs are about. You should pay special attention to:

• ➢ Example: Passport photos. A typical problem is to submit the wrong size passport photos. Why does this happen? Because countries have different passport sizes photos while the US uses 2 inch by 2 inch.
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• So, when your fiance sends you a passport style photo, be sure it’s 2×2 (or at least close to it). Or else you have to find an alternative.

• ➢ Example: Divorce documents. Another reason is not submitting all pages of your (or fiance’s) full divorce decree. I can understand why this happens… just look at the I-129F instructions below. It doesn’t clearly say what’s required. Sometimes people only submit the first page or last page.
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• ➢ Eight (8) more common reasons.  I’ve noted several others over the years: including incomplete I-129F, IMB proofs if you met online, missing signatures, missing translations, and so on.

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The main idea is to make sure you submit EVERYTHING asked. Pay attention to instructions. Below, I will show you how.

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The # 2 Reason (unverifiable evidence of meeting in the last 2 years)

Now think about this one: The USCIS can only see what you send with your I-129F. A lot of times they can’t verify certain facts unless you help them. Other times you have to PROVE facts to them.

For instance, let’s say you only submit photos of you two meeting but no boarding passes, airline tickets, or immigration stamps. How can they verify WHEN you met by simply looking at photos (even if they have date stamps)?

Remember, they want you to prove that you met in the last 2 years. If you attach immigration/passport stamps, then it helps to demonstrate that. Otherwise, you won’t convince them.

And you must send in a combination of good proof of meeting. What’s “good” proof?

It’s best to submit passport stamps, boarding passes, variety of photographs, tickets, itinerary, hotel receipts, travel receipts, affidavits of witnesses, etc. These are hard, documented and real proof of meeting. So, you won’t force the USCIS to just take your word for it.

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What it means if you don’t get an RFE

If you don’t get an RFE, it’s a good thing. You get the Notice of Approval (I-797, NOA2) in the mail.

If you follow the advice from above, you should see a painless I-129F process. This only happens after submitting a great I-129F packet. But, a good case without RFEs is much more than just painless…

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No slow down

There won’t be unnecessary weeks added to processing time. Instead, as soon as your case reaches the USCIS adjudicator, it’ll be processed quickly. Which means you’re with fiance as early as possible.

On average, RFEs set you back anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. Add that on top of typical 5-10 months of the entire timeline.

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Quality Case

Secondly, a case without an RFE means it met USCIS standards. You’ll have confidence that you did a good job and the case flows smoothly from one agency to another.

It sets a good precedent to the US Embassy about the quality of your case.

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First step to a quick approval: fix your I-129F

All these great things hinge on your I-129F packet being perfect. To make a quality I-129F petition, that gets you quick results, you need to know what exactly the I-129F packet requires.

And I’ve made a free checklist just for that. Sign up to download my 14-point checklist. It covers exactly what’s required in the I-129F, so you avoid all kinds of problems and delays.