Looking for advice on RFE

[Kartea 1]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I received a RFE with this wording: "Submit information regarding the circumstances under which you and beneficiary met to establish the relationship. (How were you and beneficiary first introduced?)" It then goes on to talk about IMBs indicating I need the additional documentation if one was used. I've seen the many posts related to this in the IMBRA sub-forum so I don't really need more information there.

My actual problem is that I don't really have any direct evidence of how we were introduced. We used the website www.asiandating.com and quickly moved to Skype/WhatsApp for communication. We did have initial e-mails on the site, but the mailbox on the site automatically deletes all e-mails older than 2 months. Those e-mails were long gone before I even considered going down the K-1 Visa road.

I have some evidence that kind of shows we used the site, but I'm not sure how great it is. I have some Skype conversation history that shows us talking about it (with abbreviations) early on when we asked questions like, "Are you talking to anyone else on AD?" I can also show small things like how long ago she added me as a favorite on the site via the 'who favorited me' page.

I'm hoping to get some advice on what to send back in the RFE. Should I just write up a statement explaining that we met on asiandating.com and sign it, or should I also include any of the other items I mentioned above? I already have the terms of service and a response from the site explaining why they aren't an IMB, so I believe that part is taken care of.

Thanks for any help!

[Tahoma 2,291]

Just tell them you met on asiandating.com, and send them the terms of service and the email stating they are not an IMB.

Back in my day, we didn't have to send those things to the USCIS, but lately they want them. I wonder when they will finally figure out that the site is not an IMB.

[tyler007 26]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I received a RFE with this wording: "Submit information regarding the circumstances under which you and beneficiary met to establish the relationship. (How were you and beneficiary first introduced?)" It then goes on to talk about IMBs indicating I need the additional documentation if one was used. I've seen the many posts related to this in the IMBRA sub-forum so I don't really need more information there.

My actual problem is that I don't really have any direct evidence of how we were introduced. We used the website www.asiandating.com and quickly moved to Skype/WhatsApp for communication. We did have initial e-mails on the site, but the mailbox on the site automatically deletes all e-mails older than 2 months. Those e-mails were long gone before I even considered going down the K-1 Visa road.

I have some evidence that kind of shows we used the site, but I'm not sure how great it is. I have some Skype conversation history that shows us talking about it (with abbreviations) early on when we asked questions like, "Are you talking to anyone else on AD?" I can also show small things like how long ago she added me as a favorite on the site via the 'who favorited me' page.

I'm hoping to get some advice on what to send back in the RFE. Should I just write up a statement explaining that we met on asiandating.com and sign it, or should I also include any of the other items I mentioned above? I already have the terms of service and a response from the site explaining why they aren't an IMB, so I believe that part is taken care of.

Thanks for any help!

Hi Kartea, As it turns out I met my gal on asiandating.com as well. My questions to you are: on I-129F for #35 did you meet through IMB? What did you put? I put NO as I do not consider and they should not either a dating sight as a marriage brokerage. My other question is did you mention asiandating.com ANY where in your package? I was not going to initially but penned it in at the last minute. I did NOT attach any terms of service or chat logs from asiandating. We only exchanged less than a dozen messages before we transferred to another free texting app.

Please let me know.

Hoping the best for you here.

Thanks

Jim

[Darnell 8,478]

I say write a letter of attestation outlining what you wrote in post #1.

[Kartea 1]

Hi Kartea, As it turns out I met my gal on asiandating.com as well. My questions to you are: on I-129F for #35 did you meet through IMB? What did you put? I put NO as I do not consider and they should not either a dating sight as a marriage brokerage. My other question is did you mention asiandating.com ANY where in your package? I was not going to initially but penned it in at the last minute. I did NOT attach any terms of service or chat logs from asiandating. We only exchanged less than a dozen messages before we transferred to another free texting app.

Please let me know.

Hoping the best for you here.

Thanks

Jim

I put NO regarding whether we met through an IMB. I looked at the terms of service from asiandating.com to verify that when assembling my initial package. I'm definitely convinced that was the correct answer.

I also did not mention asiandating.com at all in my initial package.

I say write a letter of attestation outlining what you wrote in post #1.

Would you suggest including anything like the Skype logs I mentioned as well?

[jal8485 4]

Hello Kartea, I did exactly as Tahoma is advising you to do and got my nao2 in 2 weeks after replying to the rfe. I had also used Asiandating.com and marked no on the question of international marriage broker. Just tell them you met there and switched to another form of communication shortly after meeting. Mention they are not an IMB and send in the email stating so from Asiandating.com along with the terms and conditions.

[baron555 934]

Just tell them you met on asiandating.com, and send them the terms of service and the email stating they are not an IMB.

Back in my day, we didn't have to send those things to the USCIS, but lately they want them. I wonder when they will finally figure out that the site is not an IMB.

Everyone NEEDS to read USCIS's definition of a IMB. One part of that is if you paid any money to access information....then they are a IMB.

It's then very simple and harmless to list them on that part of the 129f form. Wasn't an issue for us.

Send them the info as requested and don't worry about it.

But again, we need to follow the USCIS definition of an IMB, not anyone else's.

[Mike-eeh and Odie 192]

Everyone NEEDS to read USCIS's definition of a IMB. One part of that is if you paid any money to access information....then they are a IMB.

It's then very simple and harmless to list them on that part of the 129f form. Wasn't an issue for us.

Send them the info as requested and don't worry about it.

But again, we need to follow the USCIS definition of an IMB, not anyone else's.

^^ Yes.

I met my wife via asiandating.com. I had our K-1 done via a visa service (easyfiancevisa.com) and they marked asiandating.com as YES to being an IMB. That said, we had no issues with our K-1 application or approval.

[Adil & Jeanne 296]

we got this in our RFE / also it stated if i paid for the dating site show how i paid for it

As we had both deleted our profiles when we decided to marry, i had to write to the company and ask them to email me the information

your time to respond to the RFE is limited and the holidays are now interfering in you getting answers when all are on vacation

Our RFE also came in November and i was in morocco at the time and had to hurry home to do the work for RFE

What i did was to include an affidavit with the proof of payment for the dating site

I did get the info from dating site in time to include in my packet

[Cathi 5,609]

Just tell them you met on asiandating.com, and send them the terms of service and the email stating they are not an IMB.

Back in my day, we didn't have to send those things to the USCIS, but lately they want them. I wonder when they will finally figure out that the site is not an IMB.

Actually according to USCIS definition they ARE an IMB

[Tm and Je 32]

Everyone NEEDS to read USCIS's definition of a IMB. One part of that is if you paid any money to access information....then they are a IMB.

It's then very simple and harmless to list them on that part of the 129f form. Wasn't an issue for us.

Send them the info as requested and don't worry about it.

But again, we need to follow the USCIS definition of an IMB, not anyone else's.

Well, no necessarily. I met my husband through E-harmony and both paid to access information. According to wikipedia, IMBRA is a United States federal statute that requires background checks for all marriage visa sponsors and limits serial visa applications. Additionally, the law requires background checks for US citizens using marriage brokerage services focused primarily on providing dating services between US citizens or residents and foreign nationals for a fee.

[baron555 934]

Well, no necessarily. I met my husband through E-harmony and both paid to access information. According to wikipedia, IMBRA is a United States federal statute that requires background checks for all marriage visa sponsors and limits serial visa applications. Additionally, the law requires background checks for US citizens using marriage brokerage services focused primarily on providing dating services between US citizens or residents and foreign nationals for a fee.

We are not talking about IMBRA reporting and disclosure regulations but the discussion is about what USCIS defines as an IMB, International Marriage Broker.

Here is their definition:

The term “international marriage broker” means a corporation, partnership, business, individual, or other legal entity,

whether or not organized under any law of the United States, that charges fees for providing dating, matrimonial,

matchmaking services, or social referrals between United States citizens or nationals or aliens lawfully admitted to the

United States as lawful permanent residents and foreign national clients.

So if you paid any kind of money to use the online service, regardless if they made IMBA disclosures or not, by the definition above, they are a IMB.

USCIS has just recently begun to RFE for this information; in past years many folks did not enter any information on their 129f forms and no RFE.

Personally, I interperted the definition as I stated and put the online service info and had not issues, but that was back in 2009.

[Tm and Je 32]

We are not talking about IMBRA reporting and disclosure regulations but the discussion is about what USCIS defines as an IMB, International Marriage Broker.

Here is their definition:

The term “international marriage broker” means a corporation, partnership, business, individual, or other legal entity,

whether or not organized under any law of the United States, that charges fees for providing dating, matrimonial,

matchmaking services, or social referrals between United States citizens or nationals or aliens lawfully admitted to the

United States as lawful permanent residents and foreign national clients.

So if you paid any kind of money to use the online service, regardless if they made IMBA disclosures or not, by the definition above, they are a IMB.

USCIS has just recently begun to RFE for this information; in past years many folks did not enter any information on their 129f forms and no RFE.

Personally, I interperted the definition as I stated and put the online service info and had not issues, but that was back in 2009.

Well, I agree with you, but I meant if someone paid for online service like me, it is not necessary a IMB. I filled out my 129F this year, I put "NO" in that question and I didn't receive any RFE.

Those kind of organizations are hired specifically to meet someone, date and marry. The other online services is for meeting people and eventually they decide to meet each other and get married, but the online services don't know about the background of any of them. The IMB does. That's the difference.

I suggest to the OP, submit a letter with the explanation and details about how you met each other.

[baron555 934]

Well, I agree with you, but I meant if someone paid for online service like me, it is not necessary a IMB. I filled out my 129F this year, I put "NO" in that question and I didn't receive any RFE.

And I would beg to differ with you....to me this part of the definition is very clear...

that charges fees for providing dating, matrimonial, matchmaking services, or social referrals

Those kind of organizations are hired specifically to meet someone, date and marry. The other online services is for meeting people and eventually they decide to meet each other and get married, but the online services don't know about the background of any of them. The IMB does. That's the difference.

I suggest to the OP, submit a letter with the explanation and details about how you met each other.

As I stated before, USCIS used to not make an issue with the answer to this but maybe within the past year we have seen a marked increase in the number of RFEs related to this.

My advice, is you used any kind of online service, and paid any kind of money to gain access to contact information, then you list them as a Yes. JMHO

[Mike-eeh and Odie 192]

As I stated before, USCIS used to not make an issue with the answer to this but maybe within the past year we have seen a marked increase in the number of RFEs related to this.

My advice, is you used any kind of online service, and paid any kind of money to gain access to contact information, then you list them as a Yes. JMHO

I'm inclined to agree with this. My friend is going through an RFE process as he checked "No" to asiandating.com being an IMB.