So this is it, it all comes down to filing the needed paperworks. Make sure that your fiancé IS a US Citizen. Only US Citizens can file a I-129F and there's no other what if's here.

One of the most useful website I've been to is Visa Journey where there are sooooo many helpful people who could answer most of all the questions you have about it. So until now, if I need to clarify something, I just post the questions there and wait for people to comment on it.

So with this post, we will follow the Step-by-Step Guide on How to File for a K-1 Visa for your Foreign Fiance(e) and show you sample images of how we've handled our DIY I-129F.

Let's get started.(Photos have been blurred out as these are exact print screens of what we have submitted to USCIS and therefore has private information on it. And since we both never married before, never imprisoned, never had a name change, we didn't have paperworks for those.)

1. Payment as required by USCIS -- amounting to $455. My Fiancé used personal check. For check format, please see this link. It's the official USCIS instructions. It's a PDF file and check instructions will be on Page 5.

2. Cover Letter. -- This is like a table of Contents of everything you've placed in your package.

3. Form I-129F: Petition for Alien Fiance(e) -- the most important part of the packet as you will need to fill out important details about the USC and the Foreign Fiancée.

4. Declaration of how you met in person in the last two years. This should be a single typed page attachment regarding question 18 of the I-129F. Make sure to sign and date it. 

5. Original statements (from both the US Citizen and foreign fiance) certifying an intent to marry within 90 days of entering the US on a valid K-1.

6. Proof of having met in past two years. -- Suggested list will be seen in VJ too. Here's one part of ours, photographs with labels like dates, where the picture was taken and who are present in the picture. 

And J's passport stamps.

7. G-325A filled out by the US Citizen AND another copy filled out by Foreign Fiancée, signed and dated. Some websites would suggest submitting 4 copies. Nobody will get hurt, so we did submit 4 copies of each of our G-325As.

8. Passport-type photo of the US Citizen AND Foreign Fiancée, one for each. Write the full name at the back. Place in a plastic bag and label the bag "Photo of ." Attach the bag to a sheet of paper and place behind the corresponding G-325A.

9. Copy of the Birth certificate (front and back) for the US Citizen OR a copy of ALL pages of the US Citizen's passport issued with a validity of at least 5 years OR a copy of the US Citizen's naturalization certificate (front and back). This is used to establish citizenship. With J, we had some problems with the naturalization certificate as there was nothing printed on the back but has a seal which cannot be captured by the copier he has back home. So just to be sure, he sent in a photocopy of his passport too.

  

We front loaded our application with adding more details proving a genuine/ongoing relationship. Here are so of the things we've attached: Phonebills with highlights

when my J called me, money transfers and of course the popular wall-to-wall conversation in Facebook.

Here's a closeup of the labels.

These are just guides to help you visualize what the contents will look like. On my next post, I'll show you our folders and mailing envelopes, too. Ciao!!