Red flags

[livindadream 156]

the most important is different age, and the majority of couple ahave this red flag, woman is 45 for example and the guy 27 or the guy is 50 and girl 20 mostly from philipine or black ppl, and sorry religion is not red flag cause how can uscis or embassy know religion its not automatic that u leave in cathloic or muslim country so u are in this religion, ME I SAY EACH CASE IS SPECIFIC, and lot of couples here are fake, u can see it just in pictures, thanks

Probably the most ignorant post I've read to date. Get your facts straight before you post please.

[stewartlam 0]

The country you are from. Meaning the country that issued your passport and/or where you are permanently residing.

Lol, no u are so wrong, its case by case, if couple looks normal and no like big age difference and some anomalies, its will be ok for all of u, coz i know cases from great britain took almost year to get approved and some cases from middle east take only 4 months, to just inform u, the immigration dont make difference between countries, they look at the case.

[clairegie 265]

Lol, no u are so wrong, its case by case, if couple looks normal and no like big age difference and some anomalies, its will be ok for all of u, coz i know cases from great britain took almost year to get approved and some cases from middle east take only 4 months, to just inform u, the immigration dont make difference between countries, they look at the case.

1. Please fill out your timeline

2. Country matters because some have customs/traditions regarding relationships and engagements and not being able to adhere to it is a red flag

[Tim/Mav 305]

Probably the most ignorant post I've read to date. Get your facts straight before you post please.

I Hold the Record for Ignorant replies.. My record is unbeatable. I've seen silly questions and this is not the first.

A human typed this question and treat it as such. I already replied earlier.

Immigration is a hard matter if you don't know anything like I did. (Not knowing anything). Give Newbies a break.

[stewartlam 0]

1. Please fill out your timeline

2. Country matters because some have customs/traditions regarding relationships and engagements and not being able to adhere to it is a red flag

i repeat dont be ignorant, not all people of country have same tradition or customs, for example if u are from ukrain or italy its not necessary u have the culture or custom of those country, its why ppl here in visa journey dosent understand, be smart, they look at cases, u can live in muslim or catholic country but u dont have same customs, and of course this is red flag if an old american guy is with young fillipina girl, its for sure the girl want only to immigrate to the USA and there is no love, thanks

[stewartlam 0]

I Hold the Record for Ignorant replies.. My record is unbeatable. I've seen silly questions and this is not the first.

A human typed this question and treat it as such. I already replied earlier.

Immigration is a hard matter if you don't know anything like I did. (Not knowing anything). Give Newbies a break.

the red flags are difference of age only mostly fillipina girls marry old american guys thats it, and i think its big shame, and its why immigration ask a lot

[Tim/Mav 305]

the red flags are difference of age only mostly fillipina girls marry old american guys thats it, and i think its big shame, and its why immigration ask a lot

I dis-agree with that Comment. 4 years ago I would have agreed. (it really bugged me)

Proof of Love is the Requirement. Mav and I have a 16 year spread in age.

You are No position to Judge Others and say its a Shame.

Live your Life and let others live theirs.

[clairegie 265]

i repeat dont be ignorant, not all people of country have same tradition or customs, for example if u are from ukrain or italy its not necessary u have the culture or custom of those country, its why ppl here in visa journey dosent understand, be smart, they look at cases, u can live in muslim or catholic country but u dont have same customs, and of course this is red flag if an old american guy is with young fillipina girl, its for sure the girl want only to immigrate to the USA and there is no love, thanks

Sure some couples may not follow whatever customs their country has, but that doesn't mean the consulate will not wonder why they don't. Hence, it being a possible Red Flag.

Edited December 15, 2013 by iammrsregi

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

the most important is different age, and the majority of couple ahave this red flag, woman is 45 for example and the guy 27 or the guy is 50 and girl 20 mostly from philipine or black ppl, and sorry religion is not red flag cause how can uscis or embassy know religion its not automatic that u leave in cathloic or muslim country so u are in this religion, ME I SAY EACH CASE IS SPECIFIC, and lot of couples here are fake, u can see it just in pictures, thanks

You are making a ridiculous biased assumption on looks by stating most couples on VJ are fake according

to their pictures.

What do you know about the people in this forum ?! Nothing. Keep it up and see how much help you will get yourself

here throwing insults about decent VJ members.

Very judgmental and narrow minded and shallow thinking by looking on the outside of a person.

Who died and made you king of the VJ profile pics ?

[del-2-5-2014 1,339]

the most important is different age, and the majority of couple ahave this red flag, woman is 45 for example and the guy 27 or the guy is 50 and girl 20 mostly from philipine or black ppl, and sorry religion is not red flag cause how can uscis or embassy know religion its not automatic that u leave in cathloic or muslim country so u are in this religion, ME I SAY EACH CASE IS SPECIFIC, and lot of couples here are fake, u can see it just in pictures, thanks

Am assuming that this thread won't be up for much longer but until then do you care to expand this red flag scheme of yours and how it relates to black ppl?

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Proof of Love is the Requirement.

No, proof of a relationship that is not solely for immigration purposes is the requirement and whatever subjective things that the CO determines that to be.

How would a person prove love?

[TBoneTX 43,516]

Participants: Please think twice before painting entire groups of people with a broad brush (stereotyping).

VJ Moderation

Edited December 15, 2013 by TBoneTX

[Jawaree 717]

CO looks for prove of bonafide relationships and love

red-flags can be not knowing much about each other,

huge age gaps,not being able to speak each other languages,

older woman 50-+(sometimes)with 20+ yr old guy who has no

kids, meeting the person one time and getting marry then &

not enough proof of relationship.

Don't know what color or being philipina got to do with it, if it

was meant as an insult to some , that's fine, U just showed your

ignorancy re: the system ...peace out

[livindadream 156]

I Hold the Record for Ignorant replies.. My record is unbeatable. I've seen silly questions and this is not the first.

A human typed this question and treat it as such. I already replied earlier.

Immigration is a hard matter if you don't know anything like I did. (Not knowing anything). Give Newbies a break.

What are you talking about? I didn't say the posters question was ignorant!!! There is never a dumb question....only a dumb answer and I had quoted the answer someone gave, not the question, as being ignorant. Please check what I was referring to. "mostly Philippine or black people"......what the heck!

Edited December 15, 2013 by AYOsGirl

[maricel3155 1]

Here are my two cents on red flags..

Let's separate two important things here - what a "red flag" is, and what it is not.

A red flag is a metaphor used for peculiarities in a particular case. By peculiarity I mean something that might make a USCIS adjudicator, or consular officer decide to look a little closer at the case. Since this is a K-1 thread, I'm only going to discuss marriage based cases. To understand why your case might stand out, it really pays to look at your case from an outsider's perspective, rather than seeing it from your own biased view. I do not mean to offend anyone by saying biased, but let's face it, we are all all biased towards our own case because that is the only case we are not seeing from an outsider's point of view. No matter what evidence you have, no immigration officer will ever feel what you feel. They can only see the facts as they are presented to them.

An immigration/consular officer's job is to make a subjective opinion, often in a very short amount of time, based on the facts presented before them. Marriage based cases differ from other cases in that they are not presented with firm evidence such as a birth certificate or DNA to show a family relationship. Rather, they are presented with a certain set of (somewhat relevant) facts and evidence on which to make the decision of whether a legitimate family relationship exists. These officers generally go through multiple cases on any given work day. Naturally, certain things will stand out more than others. That's the essence of what a "flag" is - something in your case stands out from the other cases in the pile.

What makes the flag red is when the peculiarity, the thing that stands out, actually makes your case either seem less probable, or, that the flag is in the form of a motive for why the person would potentially want to marry someone whom they do not love.

A red flag is not an automatic denial. No one can be denied a visa because of a red flag. A visa denial comes from a complete package of evidence and facts weighed up against one another. A red flag is not an immigration officer's bias against you or your spouse, it is not an attack so to speak against you. It is simply a fact that makes your case stand out, and in the eyes of the immigration officer, makes your case differ from the norm, thus prompting any experienced officer to take an extra look. Keep in mind also that what might be a red flag to a consular officer in Morocco, might not even be worth a second look to a consular officer in the Philippines. This is due to certain facts being common in one country, while it might be socially unacceptable in another.

Here are some common red flags:

1. A large age gap.

I see this one a lot, and there is a multitude of good reasons why immigration officers take a second look at some cases. This one also depends, as all other red flags, on the country and culture in question. A prime example: For example, a relationship where a 50 year old American male marries a 25 year old female from the Philippines. While the age difference is 25 years, most of these cases are approved, and I wouldn't even consider the age gap a red flag. However, if twisting it around and applying to another country, it makes a huge difference. A second scenario: A 50 year old American woman marries a 25 year old Moroccan man. This is absolutely a red flag, not because the consular officers are biased, but because it is simply very uncommon to see in Morocco.

2. Vast ethnic, religious or cultural differences.

Again, there is nothing illegal under US law about about interracial or inter-cultural marriage. It is socially acceptable in most places in the US, and for the most part, an interracial marriage will not be a red flag at all. However, to use an example: An American new-age hippie marries a practicing religious orthodox from a strictly religious culture. While completely legal, it raises questions as to the bona fide nature of the marriage because it is uncommon, maybe even socially unacceptable in the beneficiary's culture. So the consular officer's question will be "why is this person marrying someone who might actually get him/her disowned by their family?"

3. The beneficiary is from a high-fraud country.

This is guilt by association. Some consulates see a lot of attempted fraud. Some consulates see very little. If you are an immigration officer at a consulate where attempted fraud is a frequent occurrence, you will naturally be more suspicious.

4. The couple got engaged/married after a very short time of meeting.

It is uncommon in the US for couples to get married within weeks or even months of meeting one another. Why? Because marriage is a lifelong commitment, and two people generally aren't expected to know each other well enough to make a lifelong commitment after a very short time. In addition, it is easy for fraudsters and scammers to set up a fake marriage, but it is difficult to forge a scam to last a significant amount of time.

5. The couple have only met in person once, or on very limited occasions.

While the USCIS and State Dept are aware that online relationships are more common today than before, couples are still expected to have spent some time physically together before committing to a lifetime together. It is uncommon in the US to marry someone you have only met once, so the USCIS and State Dept views it as unlikely that an international couple would do the same. However, they are mindful that international travel can be difficult for some. The thing to keep in mind here is that you aren't trying to show then how hard it is to visit - you are trying to show that a bona fide marriage exists.

6. The beneficiary sends money to the petitioner.

I see plenty of people asking "should I show that I send my American husband/wife money?" - The answer is, only if you want the US State Dept. to believe that you are paying them for a green card. While it is normal to support your spouse here and there, this only looks good if you're helping out with shared expenses.

7. The beneficiary is in removal proceedings (for AOS cases).

A major red flag in an adjustment of status case is where the beneficiary is in removal proceedings, especially if the marriage itself happened after removal proceedings were initiated. The first thing on the USCIS' mind will be that the marriage is just a last ditch effort to stay in the country.

8. Substantial language barriers.

Very rarely will you be able to convince a USCIS or consular officer that you are in a bona fide relationship or marriage if you cannot communicate in a common language, be it English, Swahili or sign language. You are expected to be able to communicate with the person you are engaged or married to.

As I stated earlier. None of these alone are grounds for a denial, but the more individual red flags, the higher the burden of proof is. Also, these aren't "set" factors that will end your case up in some list, they are just factors that will make your case stand out from the norm. Certain factors, such as age difference, may be a huge red flag in some countries, but might not even stand out in others. To figure out of your case has any red flags, be honest and look at your case from an outsider's perspective - Is your case somehow abnormal? If you are the beneficiary, is your case abnormal in your country/culture? If you are the petitioner, would the average Joe look at your case and think "how did that happen?" Don't be biased and overly defensive about your case, because the best way to defend your marriage is to know what you're up against.

Hi,

Wow, that's a huge explanation I think you've covered most of it. I totally agree with your comments here. Unlike others, but no offense guys, he somehow explained it in both sides of the picture.