Affidavits

[mfa 1]

Please tell me more about affidavits, and the use/necessity for CR-1 visa (married people).

Are their alleged necessity simply based on experience at individual embassy's...or am I missing something in packets 3 and 4 where it actually TELLS ME to get affidavits?

I've heard some people not use them and I've heard other say get "lots."

Somehow I just don't see every CR-1 citizen and beneficiary parading a group of people into notaries in order to obtain lots of affidavits when they have wedding certificates, invitations, photos, health insurance docs, bank docs, etc easily at hand.

[smrowe 12]

My husband and I included 3 affidavits because we are recently married and while we have pictures of us together and evidence of our visits, we don't have any intermingling of our finances, or both names on a lease, that sort of thing. So it is an alternative form of evidence, rather than a completely necessary one.

Oh, and while they have to be signed, they don't have to be notarized.

[mfa 1]

My husband and I included 3 affidavits because we are recently married and while we have pictures of us together and evidence of our visits, we don't have any intermingling of our finances, or both names on a lease, that sort of thing. So it is an alternative form of evidence, rather than a completely necessary one.

Oh, and while they have to be signed, they don't have to be notarized.

Wow, thanks!

Really??? Affidavits don't need to be notarized???

So I could simply speak to our friends/family, prepare the templates for affidavits, print them out, have the people sign them, and bring with me to interview?

That would be great!

Did your interviewer actually request affidavits and examine them when you pulled them out?

[Que Saudade 284]

Couples going through higher fraud countries will tend to have more affidavits to add to their evidence. Some couples do the "overkill" (sometimes it is warranted) and then post they are approved, people from other countries naively read that post and adopt it as the sovereign approach to affidavits in all situations.

Many couples follow the CR1 guides exactly here on VJ combined with any requirements sent from the consulate and are approved.

Of course, if they are lacking some of the evidence, the affidavits come into play more.

Good luck with your journey

[Que Saudade 284]

Wow, thanks!

Really??? Affidavits don't need to be notarized???

So I could simply speak to our friends/family, prepare the templates for affidavits, print them out, have the people sign them, and bring with me to interview?

That would be great!

Did your interviewer actually request affidavits and examine them when you pulled them out?

Be careful with the template. You don't want the officer thinking you went out and got people to sign a letter you wrote for them

From the link I gave you, read in the section of "evidence of Bonafide Marriage" Instruction #5

[Anh map 2,098]

Wow, thanks!

Really??? Affidavits don't need to be notarized???

So I could simply speak to our friends/family, prepare the templates for affidavits, print them out, have the people sign them, and bring with me to interview?

That would be great!

Did your interviewer actually request affidavits and examine them when you pulled them out?

Affidavits aren't worth much. Who submits a bad one?

Having friends sign templates would likely make the interviewing officer more suspicious of the petitioner and beneficiary.

Affidavits are mentioned as possible pieces of evidence. If your amount of evidence is small, go ahead and include 2 or 3 affidavits.

[pushbrk 12,249]

Please tell me more about affidavits, and the use/necessity for CR-1 visa (married people).

Are their alleged necessity simply based on experience at individual embassy's...or am I missing something in packets 3 and 4 where it actually TELLS ME to get affidavits?

I've heard some people not use them and I've heard other say get "lots."

Somehow I just don't see every CR-1 citizen and beneficiary parading a group of people into notaries in order to obtain lots of affidavits when they have wedding certificates, invitations, photos, health insurance docs, bank docs, etc easily at hand.

Rarely are affidavit meaningful. Move on to the other forms of evidence. Read those I-130 instructions again and when you see the words, "In addition to the required..." consider the list that follows as simply "NOT required".

[NinaD 6]

We too are recently married and don't have a joint account or lease together etc...

Affidavits are merely supporting evidence, they are not sole proof, and the USCIS sees them as secondary.

So we filed 4 Affidavits:

One from me (spousal Affidavit)

One from my husband (spousal Affidavit)

One from my mother (third party Affidavit)

One from my husband's brother (third party Affidavit)

You might as well get them notarized too. It only costs a few dollars (at least in North America) and it shows that a notary checked the ID's of the people signing the letters.

I also included a copy of my retirement account showing my husband as the beneficiary.

We sent some photos, I think 5-6 from the wedding, two from his trip to Canada and about three other photos from my trips to the USA.

I think sending at least a few things to support your relationship is good, just don't send reams and reams of paper, it might bog the officer down and be overkill.

After you have filed the application, work on getting some more meaningful paperwork established. Open a joint account, get added to your spouses health insurance, etc... That is what we have done. Then, if they ask for more evidence, you will have it ready.

Edited August 25, 2012 by NinaD

[pushbrk 12,249]

We too are recently married and don't have a joint account or lease together etc...

Affidavits are merely supporting evidence, they are not sole proof, and the USCIS sees them as secondary.

So we filed 4 Affidavits:

One from me (spousal Affidavit)

One from my husband (spousal Affidavit)

One from my mother (third party Affidavit)

One from my husband's brother (third party Affidavit)

You might as well get them notarized too. It only costs a few dollars (at least in North America) and it shows that a notary checked the ID's of the people signing the letters.

I also included a copy of my retirement account showing my husband as the beneficiary.

We sent some photos, I think 5-6 from the wedding, two from his trip to Canada and about three other photos from my trips to the USA.

I think sending at least a few things to support your relationship is good, just don't send reams and reams of paper, it might bog the officer down and be overkill.

After you have filed the application, work on getting some more meaningful paperwork established. Open a joint account, get added to your spouses health insurance, etc... That is what we have done. Then, if they ask for more evidence, you will have it ready.

Your own list sounds like overkill to me, particularly from Canada. Country and circumstances have a great impact on what is prudent to send with the petition but affidavits are usually the least value evidence you could provide.

[NinaD 6]

Your own list sounds like overkill to me, particularly from Canada. Country and circumstances have a great impact on what is prudent to send with the petition but affidavits are usually the least value evidence you could provide.

Sigh...Your comment is directed at my case in particular (and I suspect, from past dealings with you, just to bully me), and it has no bearing on the OP question.

7 pieces of paper is not overkill. I have heard of people sending in 7lbs of paperwork (copies of phone records, texts, photos, affidavits, etc..) THAT is overkill.

I have been told (and even see in this thread) that other Canadians have sent 3-4 Affidavits when they had no other "documentation".

My answer to the OP was:

"Affidavits are merely supporting evidence, they are not sole proof, and the USCIS sees them as secondary".

Also (now that I have re-read the OP first question) is seems to me, that the I-130 has been approved and they are working on Packet 3 & 4. No reason why you couldn't take a few Affidavits to the interview as back up evidence.

Edited August 25, 2012 by NinaD

[pushbrk 12,249]

Sigh...Your comment is directed at my case in particular (and I suspect, from past dealings with you, just to bully me), and it has no bearing on the OP question.

7 pieces of paper is not overkill. I have heard of people sending in 7lbs of paperwork (copies of phone records, texts, photos, affidavits, etc..) THAT is overkill.

I have been told (and even see in this thread) that other Canadians have sent 3-4 Affidavits when they had no other "documentation".

My answer to the OP was:

"Affidavits are merely supporting evidence, they are not sole proof, and the USCIS sees them as secondary".

Also (now that I have re-read the OP first question) is seems to me, that the I-130 has been approved and they are working on Packet 3 & 4. No reason why you couldn't take a few Affidavits to the interview as back up evidence.

You make yourself more famous than my memory allows. My comments are for the reader, including the OP. They are my opinion. Take it or leave it.

[dwheels76 5,463]

For Canada there isn't really a great need for affidavits. Take my situation high fraud and age red flag. I got affidavits from his mum, auntie, uncle and best friend. I lived withmy husband for 6 1/2 months. We stayed with mum and auntie so their statements of watching our relationship grow and my daily wifely duties, and how his mum grew to love a women her age and all that. It was more a story than a "I swear this is a bonafide relationship".

She was very indepth of her feelings and how they grew to love. But this is Nigeria we are dealing with. You are Canada. you are pretty okay with the standard basics you see posted from your country people.

[D&Q 8]

Couples going through higher fraud countries will tend to have more affidavits to add to their evidence. Some couples do the "overkill" (sometimes it is warranted) and then post they are approved, people from other countries naively read that post and adopt it as the sovereign approach to affidavits in all situations.

Many couples follow the CR1 guides exactly here on VJ combined with any requirements sent from the consulate and are approved.

Of course, if they are lacking some of the evidence, the affidavits come into play more.

Good luck with your journey

Which are the "higher fraud countries"?

[pushbrk 12,249]

Which are the "higher fraud countries"?

Third world countries and most second world countries. Think any country from which people might be highly motivated to commit fraud to get to the USA.

[D&Q 8]

Third world countries and most second world countries. Think any country from which people might be highly motivated to commit fraud to get to the USA.

Is Peru one of those?