Evidence of Bona fides of Marriage

[Changnoi 410]

Below is from the VJ wiki page. "It says include as many as apply". I had a son through my Thai wife and received a consular

report of birth abroad birth certificate from the US Embassy that has my name and that of my wife listed as parents. My son now

has a US passport and SSN. Do I need anything other than his birth certificate as evidence?

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/IR1_and_CR1_Immigrant_Visas

(include as many as apply to you)

• Affidavit from petitioner and beneficiary verifying the marriage or relationship
• Affidavit from witnesses to the relationship/marriage (parents, siblings, other relatives, close friends)
• Wedding announcements, invitations
• Church certificate
• Wedding pictures
• Joint bank account letter (when opened and balance) and recent statements
• Joint credit card statement - including receipts from charges made by both of you
• Evidence of joint life and cohabitation: monthly bills, insurance, assets etc.
• A deed showing co-ownership of your property or a lease agreement with both of your names on the lease
• Receipts of money transfer (if applicable)
• Phone bills showing your conversations
• Receipts of gifts sent online or otherwise
• Transcripts of IM chats or Skype calls
• Copies of letters and/or e-mails
• Copies of holiday cards addressed to you both
• Birth certificate of any child that has been born to your marriage
• Airline ticket receipts showing trips taken together or to visit each other -- including boarding passes
• Copies of the passport stamps from any visits to your spouse's country
• Pictures of you together on vacation and/or with family and friends. It's best to include a range of times, not just a bunch of photos from a short period of time

Edited July 16, 2013 by Changnoi

[squirrelisan 23]

I think you need to be a little more specific in your question. Are you asking if you need more evidence of a bona fide marriage (other than your son's birth certificate), for your wife's CR-1 visa?

[Changnoi 410]

I think you need to be a little more specific in your question. Are you asking if you need more evidence of a bona fide marriage (other than your son's birth certificate), for your wife's CR-1 visa?

My focus in the OP and the link was to determine if providing my sons birth certificate would be enough.

The Visa Journey wiki page seems to open the door to provide "all that apply"

Below is a quote from the I-130 instructions from the US Gov. which is quite different from VJ wiki.

My original question is the same. Would my sons birth certificate issued by the US Embassy showing

His Thai mother and me as parents be enough evidence of Bona fides of Marriage.

NOTE: In addition to the required documentation

listed above, you should submit one or more of the

following types of documentation that may evidence

the bona fides of your marriage;

E. Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or

F. A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or

G. Documentation showing co-mingling of financial resources; or

H. Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, the

petitioner, and your spouse together; or

I. Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties having

personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital

relationship. (Each affidavit must contain the full name

and address, date and place of birth of the person

making the affidavit his or her relationship to the

petitioner of beneficiary, if any, and complete

information and details explaining how the person

acquired his or her knowledge of your marriage); or

[squirrelisan 23]

Oh, in that case...I think it's always better to provide more evidence, if you have it. There are many different opinions here on this board, but I'm a fan of what's called "front loading" where you load the I-130 petition with as much evidence as you can find. My I-130 petition was about 1 inch thick by the time I was done (mostly email phone records, but had a lot like having same health insurance, sole beneficiary to my life insurance, etc). My reasoning is, an RFE (request for evidence) later in the process can delay your application another month or two. Some people will say it's unnecessary, as long as you just provide what is "required" and you do not have any "red flags" such as multiple marriages, beneficiary is from a high-fraud country, criminal history, etc. Ask around and come up with your own opinion.

I've stories of a lot of folks from China, India needing to provide a huge swath of evidence, due to fraud. Your country/situation may be different, and may just be rubber stamp approved like the majority of cases. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule where you need to gather x,y,z evidence of a bona fide marriage. These are humans reviewing your case, without a specific formula. It's not like going to the DMV and getting "points" for each kind of identification you have.

If you've been together for years, then it's probably assumed you would have more evidence. If you have been living in the same country together, then for example they would expect you to be able to show proof you have been living together at the same address. Perhaps having joint bank accounts also....and less phone and email records. Vice versa if you have been living apart. Pictures though seem to be something everyone includes at least. Pics of you two together at various time periods, at various events, with various people.

If you search for "evidence bona fide marriage" in the website search, you will see tons of conversations on what people include (and why). Good luck.

[Changnoi 410]

Oh, in that case...I think it's always better to provide more evidence, if you have it. There are many different opinions here on this board, but I'm a fan of what's called "front loading" where you load the I-130 petition with as much evidence as you can find. My I-130 petition was about 1 inch thick by the time I was done (mostly email phone records, but had a lot like having same health insurance, sole beneficiary to my life insurance, etc). My reasoning is, an RFE (request for evidence) later in the process can delay your application another month or two. Some people will say it's unnecessary, as long as you just provide what is "required" and you do not have any "red flags" such as multiple marriages, beneficiary is from a high-fraud country, criminal history, etc. Ask around and come up with your own opinion.

I've stories of a lot of folks from China, India needing to provide a huge swath of evidence, due to fraud. Your country/situation may be different, and may just be rubber stamp approved like the majority of cases. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule where you need to gather x,y,z evidence of a bona fide marriage. These are humans reviewing your case, without a specific formula. It's not like going to the DMV and getting "points" for each kind of identification you have.

If you've been together for years, then it's probably assumed you would have more evidence. If you have been living in the same country together, then for example they would expect you to be able to show proof you have been living together at the same address. Perhaps having joint bank accounts also....and less phone and email records. Vice versa if you have been living apart. Pictures though seem to be something everyone includes at least. Pics of you two together at various time periods, at various events, with various people.

If you search for "evidence bona fide marriage" in the website search, you will see tons of conversations on what people include (and why). Good luck.

Thanks for your excellent reply. I will take your "front load" approach. It is my hope to benefit from all the experience here and have a quicker journey.

[christeen 966]

A baby alone is not proof of a bonified marriage... Sine you have years together, it should be easy to send in some additional evidence along with the child's birth certificate... Just choose some from your list and add it to your package...

[Rahstyles 10]

Just do like 2 notorized copies like from her dad and her mom saying they where at there marriage .. i got approved