Evidence of Meeting: What's the chance of approval/RFE?

[superd 0]

Hi everyone,

I'm from Canada. My fiance and I are hoping to get married in September. Originally, we were going for May 2015, and to file our petition in March. I'm visiting again in December and we'll be sure to get lots of evidence then!

But since we have changed our plans and are hoping to get married next fall, we know we need to mail in our petition really soon. My concern is that we don't have a lot of evidence of meeting. We have some pictures, but that's secondary evidence. The only primary evidence I have is a credit card transaction (both the receipt and the bank statement showing the transaction) from my last visit (I didn't keep anything from past ones). Do you think we will get an RFE for this? Because if so, we simply cannot provide any more primary evidence until December, which would really ruin our plans!

Another thing is that we need to book our wedding venue soon, if it's going to be next year, which requires a deposit very soon. It is a rush, really. I'm not sure how realistic this all is.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? It is a risk to do it now, but is it doable, or do we a greater chance of getting an RFE than of actually getting approved?

Thank you for your help!!

Edited August 16, 2013 by superd

[Harpa Timsah 13,263]

Credit card receipts in foreign country will work just fine, and don't put a deposit on a venue yet.

[superd 0]

Thank you so much for your quick response, Harpa! The problem is we want an outdoor venue for the wedding, and there is only one that we've been able to find, and reservations for it fill up quickly! We only have one credit card receipt/transaction, though, and I"ve read others getting RFEd for having much more!

[Harpa Timsah 13,263]

Thank you so much for your quick response, Harpa! The problem is we want an outdoor venue for the wedding, and there is only one that we've been able to find, and reservations for it fill up quickly! We only have one credit card receipt/transaction, though, and I"ve read others getting RFEd for having much more!

You heard wrong, and you can always contact your cc company and get past statements with other transactions on it. Most people don't get what this is about and say they sent in a "ton" of evidence of meeting, but really none of it is sufficient (like a ton of photos, or a movie stub with no name on it, which are not good enough). Don't believe those stories.

You might want to explain how you see each other in your cover letter though, just to spell it out. "Dear XX, we drive to see each other every X weeks. Please find enclosed X receipts from transactions in Canada from Mr. USC as proof of being in Canada with Ms. CanCit." (not sure who is who, so sorry if I got it backward)

You can do the deposit if you want, but be prepared that you won't get the visa in time and lose out on the deposit. And you will be really stressed out the whole time the visa is processing. If you want time to plan the wedding you want, consider getting married at a courthouse once the visa is issued, and then plan a big family celebration wedding 6 months or so after that.

Edited August 16, 2013 by Harpa Timsah

[superd 0]

Thanks again for your thoughts, harpa!
What I've read is that credit card transactions are good, but it's also true that anyone could have used your card, so having the actual receipt to go along with the statement would be excellent. Unfortunately, I only have one receipt.

I will discuss my concerns with the timing with my fiance. Thanks!

[Harpa Timsah 13,263]

Good luck and congrats on the engagement!