Hello,

I want to know if it is absolutely necessary to have a picture of the married couple (K-3) during the embassy interview or other evidence will suffice. I have bunch of other information (E-mails, greeting cards, money transfer receipts, letters through snail mail, phone records etc), but no pics. Will this be a problem.

Any comments will be highly appreciated.

See post from earlier in the day: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=38965

But that's talking about a K-1's requirement to prove meeting in person in the two years preceeding petition filing, which is an absolute requirement for approval of the I-129F (though photos don't necessarily have to be used in order to meet the requirement).

The only absolutely required photos for the K-3 are the passport style ones that they explicitly say they require.

However, at the interview, you have the burden of proving that your marriage is bona fide. There are various ways of showing this. Photos of the two of you together may be one helpful item in proving a bona fide relationship. I doubt they're often the key "make it or break it" item, though.

The amount of scrutiny you receive depends on a number of factors, including fraud rate in the alien's country, how well the relationship matches cultural norms of the alien's country, and perhaps even the whim of the interviewing agent.

FWIW, we brought lots of photos to our interview and were approved without a chance to show them at all. The fact that the two of us showed up together at the interview was probably a factor in the interviewer's lack of interest in our other evidence. So yes, it's possible to be approved without photos.

I don't know what they'll look for. In these situations, I think it may be helpful to pretend for a moment that you're an officer who has to separate good couples from bad ones and try to look at it from their point of view. Evidence that would be easy for a fraudulent couple to fake isn't terribly impressive. Most couples, whether in love or not, can figure out how to get a few photos of them together. So photos don't guarantee an approval. On the other hand, most real couples have at least one photo of themselves together. I have never attended a wedding where there were no cameras. If you're an officer who already has doubts about a K-3 couple, and the couple doesn't have any photos whatsoever, you might wonder why, and you might use the complete lack of photos as evidence to confirm your suspicion.

LucyRich,

Thanks a million times, I think you clarrified my doubts. I plan on being there myself during the interview. If the interviewer will allow me to be present at the interview. Hopefully they will allow that, and ofcourse we can also take some pictures at that time.

Again thanks.

You posted the same question in two different forums. I answered you on K-3 forum. Anyway, you can be present during the interview and took some pictures together prior to the interview. But the consular officer will want to see your wedding pictures and your pictures together. It is a very common. You should answer why you did not take pictures together during the wedding. I agree that showing pictures will not be only reason for approving and not approving the visa, but the consular officer will want to see the pictures, it is guaranteed.