I-129f Engagement photos?

[Yaa81 6]

I'm reading several threads regarding front loading engagement photos as a bad idea for  proof of bona fide relationship for K1 visa. Has anyone ever been approved?  Were you questioned about it at the interview?  Did it benefit your petition? I would like hear positive feedback if any.  

Edited April 16, 2018 by Yaa81

[Josephine Ann 56]

2 minutes ago, Yaa81 said:

I'm reading several threads regarding front loading engagement photos as a bad idea for  proof of bona fide relationship for K1 visa. Has anyone ever been approved?  Were you questioned about it at the interview?  Did it benefit your petition? I would like hear positive feedback if any.  

We sent about 6-8 engagement photos together with other travel and family photos (about 20+). Nothing questioned. Also bought the same set (we made 2 sets for this) for the visa interview. No problem at all. Just make sure to put descriptions and dates of the events at the back side of each photo. I am pretty sure my husband (just got married) placed the engagement photos at the top of the other photos but putting them in chronological order would help the adjudicator understand the story of your relationship better.

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

We have not been approved yet, so I can't be sure if my way is the right way. But it is consistent with many others here on VJ who have gone before us.

 

We did the same thing as Josephine Ann. We had about 20 pictures of both our trips together in June and December. He asked me to marry him in December and we were lucky to have bystanders take pictures of it. We added those in chronological order. The text beneath the pictures shows the date and the occasion (visiting a theme park or Christmas celebration ect).

I understand pictures are not considered hard evidence since pictures can be manipulated. That is why we made sure to support every picture with evidence (a ticket to the theme park, ect).

 

What I would be careful with is if the culture you are from (or your beneficiary is from) has engagement parties that may look to the officer as being a wedding party. That will put you at risk of the dreaded status of being "too married for K1 but not married enough for CR1".

[O&GForever 387]

4 hours ago, Yaa81 said:

I'm reading several threads regarding front loading engagement photos as a bad idea for  proof of bona fide relationship for K1 visa. Has anyone ever been approved?  Were you questioned about it at the interview?  Did it benefit your petition? I would like hear positive feedback if any.  

If you are taking about simple engagement photos like photos you would include in a wedding announcement, you’re fine. 

 

If you are talking about photos from a traditional Ghanaian engagement party with you two in matching clothing do not submit them. The embassy will very likey interpret them as a traditional marriage. Our K1 was denied for that very reason. We had a party with his family...no rings or vows exchanged. We were not married, didn’t consider ourselves married, but the CO didn’t care and denied us. This meant I had to travel back to Ghana get married and start all over with a CR1 visa...which luckily was successful. There are many on the Ghana portal and some other countries who have done such parties/ceremonies and been denied. Please learn from our mistakes. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by O&GForever

[Yaa81 6]

Thank you all for the feedback. @O&GForever our matching outfits that were submitted are not traditional prints. It was regular Makola market fabric lol.  Also it was just for going out purposes.  I just hope they would never misinterpret that.  It clearly states we were at a family function in our description under the  photo. 

[javadown2 308]

6 hours ago, Yaa81 said:

Thank you all for the feedback. @O&GForever our matching outfits that were submitted are not traditional prints. It was regular Makola market fabric lol.  Also it was just for going out purposes.  I just hope they would never misinterpret that.  It clearly states we were at a family function in our description under the  photo. 

I have a feeling that with the way you worded your question that you might be in the same scenario as the other poster (O&G Forever), since you stated specifically "engagement pictures" and you had on matching outfits. And why did you search for an answer AFTER you already sent it off, it's going to be too late to rectify it now!  Hopefully they won't see it this way but you might have issues. 

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

24 minutes ago, javadown2 said:

I have a feeling that with the way you worded your question that you might be in the same scenario as the other poster (O&G Forever), since you stated specifically "engagement pictures" and you had on matching outfits. And why did you search for an answer AFTER you already sent it off, it's going to be too late to rectify it now!  Hopefully they won't see it this way but you might have issues. 

Because some people unfortunately don't find the forums until it's too late.

It may seem obvious to us cause we seen so many cases. But if you just read the paper forms and the requirements it doesn't seem obvious that a ceremonial engagement party could threaten your visa cause, well... you're not married. It's an honest 'mistake' to make which in my mind is not a mistake at all. I think it's ridiculius. Most embassies are very big on following native traditions but a traditional engagement ceremony all of a sudden is taboo. It's cow poo. But unfortunately ts is stuck with it now. I truly hope it wont affect your visa. 

[O&GForever 387]

41 minutes ago, javadown2 said:

I have a feeling that with the way you worded your question that you might be in the same scenario as the other poster (O&G Forever), since you stated specifically "engagement pictures" and you had on matching outfits. And why did you search for an answer AFTER you already sent it off, it's going to be too late to rectify it now!  Hopefully they won't see it this way but you might have issues. 

I will add to the reponse from @Little_Vixen , sometimes people read things on this site like "submit engagement pictures, its good evidence," but they don't look at who's posted that comment and what country they are dealing with. Also VisaJourney is a great site, but there are times people, who while well-intend in their answers, don't consider the complexities of going through high fraud embassies like Ghana. People forget that what might work with most embassies doesn't always work with every embassy. There are many things people dealing with the Ghana embassy have to consider and deal with that people going through other embassies don't have to. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by O&GForever

[O&GForever 387]

7 hours ago, Yaa81 said:

Thank you all for the feedback. @O&GForever our matching outfits that were submitted are not traditional prints. It was regular Makola market fabric lol.  Also it was just for going out purposes.  I just hope they would never misinterpret that.  It clearly states we were at a family function in our description under the  photo. 

I hope for your sake they don't, but be prepared for questions about if you did an traditional engagement ceremony and possibly scruitny about the pictures. My husband...love him dearly...thought the pictures were great evidence because it showed family support and was something important for his culture since his family wouldn't be able to attend our wedding in the states. I told him not to take the photos, but he did. Nothing he said would change the COs mind and we were stuck going through everything again. More money...more stress...more trips...more time apart.

 

It may seem unfair to deny for that reason, but unfortunately in the past Ghanaians at times held the ceremonies to actually get married, then not register the marriage, and apply for the K1 visa to shorten the time apart. There are also people who only hold that ceremony and say they are married. Therefore they can't accept it as a marriage for a CR1 and let someone holding the same ceremony get through on a K1. (I hope that makes sense.) 

[javadown2 308]

1 hour ago, Little_Vixen said:

Because some people unfortunately don't find the forums until it's too late.

It may seem obvious to us cause we seen so many cases. But if you just read the paper forms and the requirements it doesn't seem obvious that a ceremonial engagement party could threaten your visa cause, well... you're not married. It's an honest 'mistake' to make which in my mind is not a mistake at all. I think it's ridiculius. Most embassies are very big on following native traditions but a traditional engagement ceremony all of a sudden is taboo. It's cow poo. But unfortunately ts is stuck with it now. I truly hope it wont affect your visa. 

I think the safest thing to do is have the ceremony AFTER you get your visa in hand. This is what we did, we had a small "engagement party" for my wife's family when I came to assist my wife in her travels to the US after she received her K-1 Visa. 

 

But...... I agree with you, it seems like they are really over the top for denying a Visa because a couple had an engagement party.  I did my fair share of searching and reading before I ventured into the visa process, and I made for darn sure I was doing it right before sending it off. 

 

I think that Thailand is right up there on the list of you better know what your doing before you get started. Ghana is a higher fraud country, all the more reason to research on what to do. 

[Jeanne Adil 1,651]

1 hour ago, javadown2 said:

I have a feeling that with the way you worded your question that you might be in the same scenario as the other poster (O&G Forever), since you stated specifically "engagement pictures" and you had on matching outfits. And why did you search for an answer AFTER you already sent it off, it's going to be too late to rectify it now!  Hopefully they won't see it this way but you might have issues. 

It will be 

We have seen this with many from Ghana

the other countries that responded are not the same as our African embassies and engagement parties can be seen as normal there

[NJI751 12]

Trust this forum's advice and go very light.

 

Do not show anything that looks too formal or religious. A lot of people have gotten into trouble over that.

[Brittani 484]

We sent in over 20 pictures. Our petition was I think like 80-90 pages in all. We got approved we're just waiting on getting a case number from NVC now. I think it just depends on your relationship. I've been with my fiance for going on four years and we've had several visits within those years so we had a lot to share.

[Naes 12,205]

23 minutes ago, Brittani said:

We sent in over 20 pictures. Our petition was I think like 80-90 pages in all. We got approved we're just waiting on getting a case number from NVC now. I think it just depends on your relationship. I've been with my fiance for going on four years and we've had several visits within those years so we had a lot to share.

Problems with these kind of evidence usually occurs at the embassy stage not uscis stage.

 

embassy knows more about customs & traditions and can decide the couple is too married. 

Edited April 17, 2018 by Naes

[Brittani 484]

14 minutes ago, Naes said:

Problems with these kind of evidence usually occurs at the embassy stage not uscis stage.

 

embassy knows more about customs & traditions and can decide the couple is too married. 

Oh wow, I didn't know. Is this something I should be worried about?