Does the intent to marry have to be the original document?

[wrestling289 7]

Hello community

I will be applying for a K-1 Fiance Visa shortly and I am curious about how strict they are regarding the Intent to marry documents being original copies?

I have searched the web and can hardly find any information on this. I surely can't be the only one with this problem. Obviously I will send in an original copy as the petitioner, but my Fiance lives in Ukraine and I live in the U.S. so it will add an additional 2 weeks to our wait time for her to sign the intent to marry and ship it to me in America. Can she just sign the document in blue ink and scan it in color and send it to me over email?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

[CowBoE 429]

Of course it should be in original signature form...

but...shhhh...

there have been plenty of users who have admitted

to sending in the copy...and I've not heard anyone

getting RFE for it.

Only RFEs I've read have been...

1) they forgot to send it

2) they only sent in for one person

3) they omitted signature

4) they omitted "intent to marry within 90 days" which

is the whole purpose of writing the letter.

Edited May 8, 2015 by DualityOneness

[JolyDan 13]

Make sur you have the original one for the interview! I was place in AP because I had a copy of my fiancé's letter!

[Cody and Daisy 373]

Not recently but there have been in the past RFEs for ORIGINAL signatures.

Of course nowadays people get away with copies.

But that's the gamble you alone have to decide.

[wrestling289 7]

Thanks for the feedback! When you say not recently does that mean several months or years? If recent statistics are in my favor I would be willing to "gamble"...

[Unidentified 2,930]

Hello community

I will be applying for a K-1 Fiance Visa shortly and I am curious about how strict they are regarding the Intent to marry documents being original copies?

I have searched the web and can hardly find any information on this. I surely can't be the only one with this problem. Obviously I will send in an original copy as the petitioner, but my Fiance lives in Ukraine and I live in the U.S. so it will add an additional 2 weeks to our wait time for her to sign the intent to marry and ship it to me in America. Can she just sign the document in blue ink and scan it in color and send it to me over email?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!

Isn't it better to do it right from the beginning instead of "gamle" and you might have to do this later on? Can't she just use DHL or another shipping company and have it over in a day? I did. No problem at all. Pricey yes, but worth it for the peace of mind knowing it would be accepted by USCIS.

[wrestling289 7]

Thanks Maria. I will most likely take the route that you suggested because I like certainty. I am just perturbed that half the people on this site seem to get away with cutting corners and the other half swear by playing it safe. I wish the process was more clear cut so nobody could advise subjective info...

[baron555 934]

Hello community

I will be applying for a K-1 Fiance Visa shortly and I am curious about how strict they are regarding the Intent to marry documents being original copies?

Yes, need original signatures on the Letters of Intent and G-325A forms from the beneficiary.

[usmsbow 801]

Thanks for the feedback! When you say not recently does that mean several months or years? If recent statistics are in my favor I would be willing to "gamble"...

Years. The last time this discussion came up, someone dug up a few examples, but the most recent was from the Spring of 2013. The first example was due to the OP not including a date and two of the others were in fact original, but USCIS didn't think so.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/542942-letters-of-intent-must-be-original/page-2

I am a proponent of the "gamble" method.

Edited May 8, 2015 by usmsbow

[shellymarie 24]

Thanks for posting this because...I'm going through the same thing right now. Same scenario...my fiance lives in Brazil, and the time it would take to mail it is weeks, and neither one of us are in the position right now to spare the money for the expedited shipping.

I sent the letter of intent and the G235A as scanned copies...and to make it worse, I didn't even think to have him use blue ink and then print it in color lol...I received my NOA1 in the mail yesterday, now I'm just (impatiently) waiting with my fingers crossed, to see if I get my NOA2 with no RFE's.

I did some research, really just using Google, and came across a document directly from the USCIS (an "internoffice memorandum") (granted, the document is from 2005, but I never came across anything more updated)...apparently the G325A can be a scanned signature...or even left blank and they are not "supposed" to deny or even issue an RFE for that, because it's something that can be signed during the interview. However, I've yet to find anything saying that the letter of intent must be an original signature.

I can't imagine that an "official document" such as the G325-A can have a scanned signature, but something as simple as a personally typed "I will marry ________ within 90 days of entering the country" has to be an original signature. But what do I know lol

And now...I play the waiting game...very nervously lol. I am having my fiance mail me the originals in the mean time, that way if I do get an RFE, I will already have the info in hand to submit.

Good luck!

Edited May 8, 2015 by shellymarie

[shellymarie 24]

P.S. I agree that the original should be used for the submission when possible. To be honest, I didn't even think about it and I just assumed it would be ok to have the scanned copy. I was so excited to start the process, that I really only visited this site to see the necessary info and documents I would need to submit...I didn't really start looking around the site until I had already submitted my packet. Sorry, I just don't want to step on anyone's toes. I *now* know the "proper" procedure...just hoping I'm one of the lucky ones that gets through. But I'm prepared for either scenario.

[wrestling289 7]

Thank you guys for the info!!!

[Elprofe 0]

Two weeks ago I utilized a scanned letter of intent plus a picture of my fiancé holding the letter to answer a RFE. I got approved.

[shellymarie 24]

That's awesome! I just want to make sure I understand...did you originally send just the scanned copy of the letter? And then later you got the RFE and then sent in the same scanned copy with your fiancé holding a picture of the original? And they accepted that? That's so cool, what made you think to do that? Haha I never would have thought of that! Congrats!

Two weeks ago I utilized a scanned letter of intent plus a picture of my fiancé holding the letter to answer a RFE. I got approved.