I-129F pictures (proof of relationship)

[Superman1 0]

Hi everyone,

We (me and my fiancée) had engagement ceremony in India according to Hindu customs. She will be going to Mumbai, India consulate. I attached following pictures to my I129F petition. I am worried if consulate will think that these are wedding picture, however the fact is that these pics are from engagement ceremony and we are not yet maried. I am scared, any advice?

Pic 1&2: Me and My fiancée in traditional Indian clothes putting ring on each other.

Pic 3&4: Me and My fiancée in traditional Indian clothes and priest putting tilak (mark) on our forehead.

Pic 5&6: Me and My fiancée and family members in traditional Indian clothes.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I wouldn't worry about it. The people at the consulate are well aware of local customs. They should be able to recognize a Hindu engagement ceremony. In fact, if the ceremony is customary then the consulate might suspect your relationship is not legitimate if you DON'T have it.

BTW, you don't need proof of a relationship for the I-129F. You need to prove you've physically met each other within two years. If you've supplied sufficient proof that you've met, then it doesn't hurt to add some evidence of a relationship.

[Elghazi2008 4]

Hi everyone,

We (me and my fiancée) had engagement ceremony in India according to Hindu customs. She will be going to Mumbai, India consulate. I attached following pictures to my I129F petition. I am worried if consulate will think that these are wedding picture, however the fact is that these pics are from engagement ceremony and we are not yet maried. I am scared, any advice?

Pic 1&2: Me and My fiancée in traditional Indian clothes putting ring on each other.

Pic 3&4: Me and My fiancée in traditional Indian clothes and priest putting tilak (mark) on our forehead.

Pic 5&6: Me and My fiancée and family members in traditional Indian clothes.

If the things in these pictures are customary in engagement ceremonies, you really shouldn't worry about anything. No worries, I'm sure you're just fine. My fiance and I included pictures of our engagement rings, my henna, and so on and we had no troubles.

[Superman1 0]

Thank you for the feedback.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hi everyone,

We (me and my fiancée) had engagement ceremony in India according to Hindu customs. She will be going to Mumbai, India consulate. I attached following pictures to my I129F petition. I am worried if consulate will think that these are wedding picture, however the fact is that these pics are from engagement ceremony and we are not yet maried. I am scared, any advice?

Pic 1&2: Me and My fiancée in traditional Indian clothes putting ring on each other.

Pic 3&4: Me and My fiancée in traditional Indian clothes and priest putting tilak (mark) on our forehead.

Pic 5&6: Me and My fiancée and family members in traditional Indian clothes.

Then they should not have been included in the I-129f package which only requires a letter of intent and proof you have met in the last two years (one or two photos together and some evidence you have been there)

Hopefully the USCIS will not mistake your photos for wedding photos and reject your application or send and RFE. The consulate, much more familiar with local traditions probably will not. I don't know what this ceremony is. It is an "engagement ceremony"? Not a wedding? This is one of those "way too much information" cases. Save this stuff for the interview.

When the USCIS asks for "proof of meeting" and an intent letter, I tend to let it go at that.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I wouldn't worry about it. The people at the consulate are well aware of local customs. They should be able to recognize a Hindu engagement ceremony. In fact, if the ceremony is customary then the consulate might suspect your relationship is not legitimate if you DON'T have it.

BTW, you don't need proof of a relationship for the I-129F. You need to prove you've physically met each other within two years. If you've supplied sufficient proof that you've met, then it doesn't hurt to add some evidence of a relationship.

His problem may be that this is not sent to the consulate, it is sent to USCIS at the CSC or VSC...it is the petition, not the visa application and I can assure you the people in Vermont (don't know about California) have no clue what an Indian engagement ceremony is. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, Vermonters will mistake it for a duck and shoot it, if it is duck season.

I suppose if it gets through USCIS and makes it to the consulate there will be no issues. My advice is to keep such photos to yourself for the petition and send some smiling photos together at the beach or something.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I wouldn't worry about it. The people at the consulate are well aware of local customs. They should be able to recognize a Hindu engagement ceremony. In fact, if the ceremony is customary then the consulate might suspect your relationship is not legitimate if you DON'T have it.

BTW, you don't need proof of a relationship for the I-129F. You need to prove you've physically met each other within two years. If you've supplied sufficient proof that you've met, then it doesn't hurt to add some evidence of a relationship.

His problem may be that this is not sent to the consulate, it is sent to USCIS at the CSC or VSC...it is the petition, not the visa application and I can assure you the people in Vermont (don't know about California) have no clue what an Indian engagement ceremony is. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, Vermonters will mistake it for a duck and shoot it, if it is duck season.

I suppose if it gets through USCIS and makes it to the consulate there will be no issues. My advice is to keep such photos to yourself for the petition and send some smiling photos together at the beach or something.

There are many cultures, especially in Asia, where a formal engagement ceremony is traditional. All he needs to do is indicate on the back of each photo that it's an engagement ceremony. I noticed people in the Asia: East and Pacific forum mentioned they sent a couple of photos of their Vietnamese Dam Hoi ceremony along with their I-129F, and they didn't have a problem. To western eyes, a Dam Hoi looks a lot like a wedding, even including exchanging rings. There are a couple of attorneys that specialize in that area of the world, and they recommend including a couple of photos of the ceremony with initial petition. Their reasoning is that the CO who reviews the documentation will see these photos before the interview, whereas they might not ask to see any of the evidence the beneficiary brings to the interview. Also, anything presented to USCIS with the initial petition and subsequently approved cannot be used as a basis for denial by the consulate. Section 221(g) only allows the consulate to use information which they believe wasn't available to the USCIS when the initial petition was filed.

The people who work at USCIS are looking at pictures of people in foreign countries with their foreign SO's all day long. I doubt they'd just assume that if it looks like a duck in Vermont then it must also be a duck in India, especially if the photo is marked "THIS IS A GOOSE!".

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I wouldn't worry about it. The people at the consulate are well aware of local customs. They should be able to recognize a Hindu engagement ceremony. In fact, if the ceremony is customary then the consulate might suspect your relationship is not legitimate if you DON'T have it.

BTW, you don't need proof of a relationship for the I-129F. You need to prove you've physically met each other within two years. If you've supplied sufficient proof that you've met, then it doesn't hurt to add some evidence of a relationship.

His problem may be that this is not sent to the consulate, it is sent to USCIS at the CSC or VSC...it is the petition, not the visa application and I can assure you the people in Vermont (don't know about California) have no clue what an Indian engagement ceremony is. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, Vermonters will mistake it for a duck and shoot it, if it is duck season.

I suppose if it gets through USCIS and makes it to the consulate there will be no issues. My advice is to keep such photos to yourself for the petition and send some smiling photos together at the beach or something.

There are many cultures, especially in Asia, where a formal engagement ceremony is traditional. All he needs to do is indicate on the back of each photo that it's an engagement ceremony. I noticed people in the Asia: East and Pacific forum mentioned they sent a couple of photos of their Vietnamese Dam Hoi ceremony along with their I-129F, and they didn't have a problem. To western eyes, a Dam Hoi looks a lot like a wedding, even including exchanging rings. There are a couple of attorneys that specialize in that area of the world, and they recommend including a couple of photos of the ceremony with initial petition. Their reasoning is that the CO who reviews the documentation will see these photos before the interview, whereas they might not ask to see any of the evidence the beneficiary brings to the interview. Also, anything presented to USCIS with the initial petition and subsequently approved cannot be used as a basis for denial by the consulate. Section 221(g) only allows the consulate to use information which they believe wasn't available to the USCIS when the initial petition was filed.

The people who work at USCIS are looking at pictures of people in foreign countries with their foreign SO's all day long. I doubt they'd just assume that if it looks like a duck in Vermont then it must also be a duck in India, especially if the photo is marked "THIS IS A GOOSE!".

Well alrighty then! No worries. Vermonters would shoot a goose also.