Evidence of bona fide relationship included in initial cr1 filing?

[pushbrk 12,110]

My opinion is a little different but not so much.  I don't see a problem with  marrying on the first visit, in and of itself.  A combination of reverse age difference, marrying on the first visit, AND filing before any MORE visits is a recipe for failure though.

 

Let's know some more?   What IS the age difference? (actual ages)  How long will she stay on the first visit?  When can she visit again and for how long.  It's not how MANY visits.  It's how much time together in person.

 

On the other hand, I think many responders are assuming a short first visit, a huge age difference, and an immediate filing.  THAT is definitely where I would advise the OP to rethink her plans drastically, or forget about this relationship altogether.  Only something like losing a child could I imagine to be worse than going through a failed visa process and having a spouse half way around the world that you can never be with.

[SalishSea 16,770]

Even if the petition is approved initially, I foresee many, many years of AP for you, based on the volumes of anecdotal evidence here on VJ.

[Russ&Caro 1,548]

As a point of reference, I visited my wife 15 times in 8 years before we got hitched. Even with all that prior knowledge and face to face time, we went through some rough emotional patches both during the immigration process and her early time adjusting in the US.

[thatguyuknow 147]

This stinks. You’ve not even met the guy or are married and you’re worried about evidence of relationship. 

 

Fact is is you have none atm. 

 

Why not not just go for a visit, apply for a k1 then apply to be on TLC? Sounds right up their alley. 

[O&GForever 387]

My husband is from Ghana...one of the most difficult embassies to go through. We didn’t have read flags yet I visited 5 times in 2 1/2 years. We had to go through the visa process twice...both with lots of front loading and side loading vidence. I have watched many older women go to Ghana get married on the first trip and be denied. Several are still dealing with the embassy 4 or 5 years later.

 

I tell you this because I know what it takes to get through a tough embassy. I worry if you ignore the advice of what others have told you already, it’s only going to lead to heartbreak and disappointment. For difficult embassies like Egypt, the best evidence you can provide is time spent together...especially if you have other known red flags like a large age gap and the woman being older which is not customary for the country. Please consider more trips and more time together. I know the waiting sucks. No one wants to be apart from a loved one. But you have to play the game to be successful. 

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Listen to pushbrk.

[OlayemiLoray 172]

15 hours ago, MaryJean said:

My fiance and I met almost 2 years ago online. He lives in Egypt, and I will be flying there in March and we will be getting married on our first visit.  I know already that getting married on the first visit is going to be a red flag, and I'm also older than he is which is another red flag.  I have heard differing information about what evidence needs to be included in the initial CR1 filing. Obviously I will be including boarding passes and photographs while I'm there and anything else that I can collect from my trip.  However,  Some say that all of the screenshots of the video chats and call logs that I've been collecting since the first day of our relationship don't need to be included in the initial filing... only that you bring it to the interview. Is that correct? Has anyone had any experience with a similar situation at the US Embassy in Cairo?  I know that that is a tough Embassy to deal with, and because of the red flags in our relationship wouldn't it be best for me too front load all of our evidence with the petition, so that the consular officer sees it before the interview?  Thanks.

You said it yourself you know it will be a tough embassy you will be dealing with is hint enough to have good, quality evidence to show a bonafide relationship....Please take the advice from those of us who has been through this process..I, myself dealt with a tough embassy so I had to make sure to have quality evidence to frontload to USCIS and to sideload (optional) to the NVC, but I will tell anyone dealing with a tough embassy to sideload as well...You already have 2 red flags going against you, one being the age difference and the marriage on 1st visit, so you will need to try to overcome both obstacles by getting more visits in besides just one..I wouldn't file after my first trip if I were you...I didn't file (Cr1) until after my 2nd visit and got a 3rd trip in while our petition was still in process at USCIS..Get in more visits, gather good quality evidence, frontload, and sideload..Good luck on your journey!

[PaulTheSheik 20]

Unfortunately it appears like OP is the kind of person who solicits advice and when provided with overwhelming evidence that their proposed course of action is fraught with problems and likely doomed to failure, ignores such advice and proceeds because one or two other people in the past had success under similar circumstances.  In statistics such few success stories are called outliers.

 

You do not make decisions based on outliers unless you believe you’re special, like perhaps you’re the Presidents daughter, best friend, a Nobel Prize winner, Michael Jackson, the Pope etc. Why do you think you will meet with success when most others have failed?

 

Anyway coming to your actual question, YES am a firm believer in front loading if you have quality evidence and your relation is genuine. In your case I do not see how front loading can hurt although as others pointed out front loading in itself will not overcome the presumption by embassy officials that this is a standard Green Card marriage because for all intents and purposes to my untrained (but experienced) eye the probability that it’s a green card marriage is conservatively 90%+.

 

Please watch 90 Day Fiance, Season 2 (Mohammed and Danielle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90_Day_Fiancé#Danielle_&_Mohamed in your spare time. My fiancée and I have a 17 year age difference and I have already visited twice however I am moving to live in her country for four months before filing the petition both for my immigration and our own sakes.

[thatguyuknow 147]

1 hour ago, PaulTheSheik said:

Please watch 90 Day Fiance, Season 2 (Mohammed and Danielle) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90_Day_Fiancé#Danielle_&_Mohamed in your spare time.

Best advice in this entire thread 

Edited December 30, 2018 by thatguyuknow

[pushbrk 12,110]

9 hours ago, thatguyuknow said:

This stinks. You’ve not even met the guy or are married and you’re worried about evidence of relationship. 

 

Fact is is you have none atm. 

 

Why not not just go for a visit, apply for a k1 then apply to be on TLC? Sounds right up their alley. 

A fiance visa in this set of circumstances is even more doomed to fail.  Unless you just want to be on TV during the failure, it's a waste of time.

[Soup Dragon 104]

Just curious, whose idea was it to get married on the first visit?

 

Try suggesting to him that you will move to Egypt after the wedding and see what his reaction is.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[John & Rose 7,237]

15 hours ago, bakphx1 said:

It’s a textbook Green card marriage.  But the USC in these cases is always in love and is sure this time it’s different.  OP should save her time and money.

Maybe the OP is not necessarily in love.  She is an older woman who hasn't had that kind of attention in a while.  She is blinded by the possibility of having a young man on her arm.  She is lonely and he is fulfilling her desire to feel young again.  Love is blind.  

[pushbrk 12,110]

7 hours ago, John & Rose said:

Maybe the OP is not necessarily in love.  She is an older woman who hasn't had that kind of attention in a while.  She is blinded by the possibility of having a young man on her arm.  She is lonely and he is fulfilling her desire to feel young again.  Love is blind.  

Maybe, but the issue is really not whether SHE is in love.  It isn't about love at all, actually.  Arranged marriage folks have bona fide marriage relationships.  It's about whether one or more of the parties is in it for the immigration benefit.  Really about a judgment call on that question.  If it walks and quacks like a duck, they are probably going to think it's a duck, even if it isn't.  

[John & Rose 7,237]

46 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Maybe, but the issue is really not whether SHE is in love.  It isn't about love at all, actually.  Arranged marriage folks have bona fide marriage relationships.  It's about whether one or more of the parties is in it for the immigration benefit.  Really about a judgment call on that question.  If it walks and quacks like a duck, they are probably going to think it's a duck, even if it isn't.  

That is an excellent point. I didn’t look at it that way. They will still have a battle but that is a different view than I previously had. 

[debbiedoo 2,339]

so .... let us know how all this works out.