Declaration of Meeting: Include all?

[eeo 0]

I have a question about the Declaration of having met within the past two years. I first met my fiance on a trip to Cuba in Sep 2007. Then I went back to spend a month with him June 15 - July 17 2008. Then I most recently spent February of this year there.

My question is: If I don't have proof of being in Cuba the first time we met, should it be included? Should I just just lay out the date we met and the dates we were together, and state that I don't anymore have proof of the first meeting, but here is evidence from the last two times we were together?

Also: The last time I was there I brought all the paperwork and we signed the documents at the very end of February. I am just now able to send in the package - hopefully within the week. Is this passage of time going to affect us?

Thanks for the help!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I have a question about the Declaration of having met within the past two years. I first met my fiance on a trip to Cuba in Sep 2007. Then I went back to spend a month with him June 15 - July 17 2008. Then I most recently spent February of this year there.

My question is: If I don't have proof of being in Cuba the first time we met, should it be included? Should I just just lay out the date we met and the dates we were together, and state that I don't anymore have proof of the first meeting, but here is evidence from the last two times we were together?

Also: The last time I was there I brought all the paperwork and we signed the documents at the very end of February. I am just now able to send in the package - hopefully within the week. Is this passage of time going to affect us?

Thanks for the help!

It's not required to provide proof of every meeting. You only need to prove you met once within the last 2 years. You can mention the first meeting, if you want. I doubt it will hurt anything, and may clarify things at the interview when they ask your fiance how and when you met.

The passport style photographs submitted with the I-129F are supposed to be taken within 30 days of the filing. That shouldn't be a problem unless the photographs have dates on them. Other than that, I don't know of any specific problems with document dates for the initial petition. Many people spend some time collecting their petition documents.

[msu17 0]

Yes, you want to include the first meeting. You don't want them to ask at the interview about the first meeting and you slip up and mention an earlier visit. That will look awfully suspicious. They only want proof that you met in the last 2 years, it doesn't have to be from every trip.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have a question about the Declaration of having met within the past two years. I first met my fiance on a trip to Cuba in Sep 2007. Then I went back to spend a month with him June 15 - July 17 2008. Then I most recently spent February of this year there.

My question is: If I don't have proof of being in Cuba the first time we met, should it be included? Should I just just lay out the date we met and the dates we were together, and state that I don't anymore have proof of the first meeting, but here is evidence from the last two times we were together?

Also: The last time I was there I brought all the paperwork and we signed the documents at the very end of February. I am just now able to send in the package - hopefully within the week. Is this passage of time going to affect us?

Thanks for the help!

They want a description of how you met in person within the last two years. One or two sentences, plus some travel documents and photos will work. It does not matter if it was your first meeting, 2nd, 3rd...or 23rd. As long as it was within the last two years. The other things you present as proof of relationship. I wrote a two sentence description, attached ONE photo and passport stamps for the trip. I met my now wife by accident (note Jim, I said "accident"not "mistake" ) and didn't know she would be my wife or I would file for a visa for her when we met, so obviously did not gather lots of "evidence" What I sent was enough. I was lucky to find even ONE photo of us together.

[Otto 83]

If it were me - I might mention/summarize all the meetings (or at least some of them if there are more than a few) in your statement of how you met.

Example: "I've traveled to Cuba 3/several times in the past X-years, 2 of which are documented with evidence...."

As for the passage of time since completing the paperwork - I think you'd be fine - if you're terribly concerned about it - you could simply recreate most of the forms and sign/date them again with a more recent date.

[eeo 0]

Thanks everyone! It is a lot more clear now, thank you.

[TBoneTX 43,340]

Follow what JimVa says. The following refers only to USCIS. Keep it acutely in mind that some consulates will play evil games and refuse to accept evidence brought to interviews, whereas if evidence is included with one's USCIS petition, the consulate cannot deny its existence.

They want a description of how you met in person within the last two years. One or two sentences

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

trip. I met my now wife by accident (note Jim, I said "accident"not "mistake" ) and didn't know she would be my wife or I would file for a visa for her when we met, so obviously did not gather lots of "evidence"

"By chance" might be even better. It implies that some luck was involved. Nobody here will care, but Alla might appreciate it!

Follow what JimVa says.

Just call me Jim. The word "va" means "and" in Vietnamese, as in "Jim And Phuong".

[brlukath 1]

Since your SO is from Cuba and there are significant travel restrictions with respect to Cuba, I think you should lay out all trips you have made to Cuba. You should at least have passport stamps from all of your trips and you are required to get permission to go to Cuba as a US citizen, so you could use that documentation, as well. In fact, I would include proof that each of my trips to Cuba was lawful/authorized by the US government, just to be safe.

On the off chance that you traveled to Cuba illicitly (i.e. without authorization from the US government through some country that does not have embargo issues), I might talk to a lawyer about how to pursue your petition and would at least query users here with Cuban SOs who might have dealt with similar situations.

Edited June 19, 2009 by brlukath

[MayaLar 0]

Hi there!

It's better to submit complete and strong proof that the two of you have met within 2years prior to the application. Our K1 application was denied by USCIS because we failed to established evidence that the 2 of us have met within 2years. Now we are awaiting for our appeal.......