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How should an RFE response be structured?

Key answer

There is no real template: you answer only what the officer asked for. Points he did not mention are considered accepted. The working structure from the chat: quote the objection, thank them for the specifics, present the data on that point (repeating it if it was already there) plus new evidence with references to exhibits, letters and articles, and conclude why the point should count. The key: everything must be clear from the response itself, without the officer having to open the exhibits.

Community answers

The answers below are translated from the original Russian - the language of the community chats.

  • There is no specific template; you need to respond only to what the officer asks. I wrote something like this: you say that in this section, it lacks certain information. Response: thank you for pointing out the specifics of what was lacking for the decision; this section includes the following data (I duplicate it if it has already been provided), and I also draw attention to this (new data with links to exhibits), which is confirmed by certain letters and reflected in certain articles. Data from various sources is sufficient to confidently assert that the criterion is met, thus, according to USCIS rules, this section should be accepted.

  • Look at the sample response formats in the database. You should write only what the officer asks. It is assumed that for other points, if he did not mention them, he has taken them into account and has no objections.

  • The main point: although we provide links to exhibits, everything should be clear to the officer without needing to go through these links, because if everything is stuffed into the exhibits, he will not go there. I already mentioned salaries: there should be one page with a table and comparison, not a reference to a stack of documents.

The answers are anonymized community experience from the public chats, not legal advice. Officers may decide similar cases differently.

Sources

All questions on: RFE and denialsAll questions on: The petition and formattingAll questions on: Process and timelines

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A reference page built from community experience, not legal advice. Requirements and practice change - verify on uscis.gov.

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