I-130 Package: Evidence of a bonafide marriage

[Anmol Yash 55]

Hi!

I am a USC living in California, petitioning for my husband's CR1 visa. We got married in a small, civil ceremony on July 24th 2019 in Mumbai, India and our parents were witnesses.

 

Questions:

1. We've been living together at my husband's home since our marriage, but there's no documentation - I'm going to fly back to San Diego next month and the stay is temporary. What evidence can we provide? We do intend to have a joint bank account in India, but there are no bills/lease agreements/official documentation of us living in his house. 

2. My husband and I met when I was studying in India (2012), and have pictures over a range of 7 years (we haven't taken trips together). Will that be good evidence?

3. I read a lot about affidavits being poor proofs of an ongoing marriage. We haven't requested them yet, but will it help if we had one each from my mother and his, considering we don't have much else to provide?

4. We are hosting a party for the rest of our family in a week, to announce our marriage. Should I wait to file a petition and include pictures from the party as well?

 

Thanks!

 

[LilyJ 1,258]

If you have proof of the joint bank account by the time you file, you can include that. Evidence of time spent together is some of the strongest evidence you can have, whether you were taking "trips" or not. The pictures you have over the past 7 years are very good evidence of your time you spent together, doesn't matter what the activity was. Affidavits won't really help, the evidence of time spent together is much stronger proof. Whether or not you want to wait until after your marriage announcement party to file is up to you if you want to include more pictures of you two with your family, but it seems like you already have plenty evidence of time together