Do Notarized Witness Statements Need To Be Originals?

[BlueberryMuffin 2]

Hi everyone,
I'm new here and have been reading through the forum and I'm getting a lot of conflicting information due to some of it being outdated.

I am submitting 2 or 3 witness statements that will be notarized stating that these people saw us together as a couple and believe we're in a legitimate relationship and plan to get married.
I've just seen a lot of conflicting information if I should send the original notarized letters or if copies are ok. According to the instructions it seems like copies are ok for everything (including the intent to marry letter) but I've seen posts saying they all have to be "wet ink" signatures. Is that just outdated information or should I still send the originals and keep copies?

ETA: This is for the initial I-129F petition.  

Thanks so much in advance and I look forward to participating in this community 😊

Edited August 18, 2019 by BlueberryMuffin

[payxibka 10,044]

3 minutes ago, BlueberryMuffin said:

Hi everyone,
I'm new here and have been reading through the forum and I'm getting a lot of conflicting information due to some of it being outdated.

I am submitting 2 or 3 witness statements that will be notarized stating that these people saw us together as a couple and believe we're in a legitimate relationship and plan to get married.
I've just seen a lot of conflicting information if I should send the original notarized letters or if copies are ok. According to the instructions it seems like copies are ok for everything (including the intent to marry letter) but I've seen posts saying they all have to be "wet ink" signatures. Is that just outdated information or should I still send the originals and keep copies?

Thanks so much in advance and I look forward to participating in this community 😊

Are careful read of the instructions will indicate that copies of original or certified documents is the standard. When in doubt,  follow the instructions of the rule maker 

 

However,  affidavits are of little to no utilitarian value 

Edited August 18, 2019 by payxibka

[BlueberryMuffin 2]

6 minutes ago, payxibka said:

the instructions will indicate that copies of original or certified documents is the standard

Ok, that's what I thought when I read the official instructions but some posts here threw me off.

 

6 minutes ago, payxibka said:

However,  affidavits are of little to no utilitarian value 

I know they aren't the most useful proof, but people offered to help and I figured it couldn't hurt to have an affidavit from the minister who will marry us and a friend who saw us the day we got engaged. We have the standard proof (airline tickets, hotel receipts, airbnb's with both our names on them, passport stamps, etc.)

Thank you! 

Edited August 18, 2019 by BlueberryMuffin

[payxibka 10,044]

7 minutes ago, BlueberryMuffin said:

Ok, that's what I thought when I read the official instructions but some posts here threw me off.

 

I know they aren't the most useful proof, but people offered to help and I figured it couldn't hurt to have an affidavit from the minister who will marry us and a friend who saw us the day we got engaged. We have the standard proof (airline tickets, hotel receipts, airbnb's with both our names on them, passport stamps, etc.)

Thank you! 

I actually have a totally different opinion.  I believe in  quality and not quantity.   You don't get any extra credit.  

[BlueberryMuffin 2]

1 minute ago, payxibka said:

I actually have a totally different opinion.  I believe in  quality and not quantity.   You don't get any extra credit.  

That is a fair opinion that I do agree with. It's 2 extra pages that I feel adds quality. You can disagree, I didn't come here to debate whether or not it's of any value, just wanted clarification on if the "wet ink" thing was, in fact, outdated information. Thank you.

[JFH 12,189]

London embassy? They won’t even be looked at. They add absolutely nothing to your case. As if your friends and family would say anything negative anyway! Of course they are going to write a nice positive letter about what a good couple you are. 

 

It’s worth pointing out that USCIS agents are strictly instructed not to approve/deny a petition on whether they think the relationship will “go the distance”. They focus on legality (whether the petitioner is legally able to petition you and whether you are legally free to marry one another). The London embassy is where the validity of the relationship is looked at. I’ve yet to see anyone from London take out any “relationship evidence” of their bags. London takes the sensible approach that there is little, if any, economic advantage for the average Brit to lie their way into emigrating to the USA. 

Edited August 18, 2019 by JFH

[Wuozopo 4,285]

2 hours ago, BlueberryMuffin said:

 

I know they aren't the most useful proof, but people offered to help and I figured it couldn't hurt to have an affidavit from the minister who will marry us and a friend who saw us the day we got engaged. We have the standard proof (airline tickets, hotel receipts, airbnb's with both our names on them, passport stamps, etc.)

Thank you! 

This is a LOT easier than you are imagining for somebody from the UK.