Jump to content
Tracie

Evidence of Bonafide Marriage (PICTURES)

 Share

10 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Filed: AOS (apr) Country: Canada
Timeline

You can put the date and where it was. anything more is unnecessary.

 

 

i 485, 130, EAD and AP

04/09/2019    NOA1 received/check cashed i 485 and 130 (direct adjustment)

11/7/2019      Interview- Norfolk

11/10/2019    APPROVED (notification rec'd 11/10, approval dated 11/8)

DONE FOR TWO YEARS!!! ;)

 

Filed everything ourselves with no RFE's or delays.

 

CR1 for Child under 21 (20 at time of filing)- Filed by LPR Spouse for his son

4/4/20     Mailed packet

4/12/20   NOA1 rec'd

10/14/21 (havent heard anything... when do i start to get worried?)

9/15/22 APPROVED! Now to wait for NVC and interview....

 

ROC

10/14/21 Mailed to AZ PO Box. Let the waiting begin. Again.

10/16/21 Received at PO Box

10/19/21 Received Text NOA1

10/23/21 Received Mailed NOA1

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/26/2019 at 6:24 PM, debbiedoo said:

You can put the date and where it was. anything more is unnecessary.

Yeah, I would only add a brief note for clarity. Pictures in general are weak evidence on their own, but they could corroborate other evidence of shared life experiences. For instance, if you both went on a trip together, you can submit boarding passes + hotel reservation + 1-2 pics at the travel destination. A brief note saying where it is is helpful.

 

For example: "Spouse 1 and Spouse 2 at World of CocaCola, Atlanta GA, July 2, 2019." 

 

For more on ROC evidence, see my previous post below (click the arrow to go directly to the post).

 

Edited by afrocraft
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Canada
Timeline

I added the location, month & year of the photo. It doesn't really add much in the way of evidence as you can literally write down any date you want, but it helps form a timeline. Adding the details doesn't hurt. For me it helped layout a timeline of our relationship and it showed us in front of a lot of iconic places which helps show that we spend time together in person and correlates back to the plan ticket stubs. 

I think it's one of those things where providing more details doesn't hurt you, but providing the bare minimum might lead to more questions. 

I once got a visa for England years ago. When I showed up for my interview, the couple in front of me was very unorganized. They didn't have much evidence and it was all scattered. They were called into a little room. When I went up there with my ridiculous binder which was categorized with labeled tabs, they quickly went through it, checked off a few things, then told me to sit down and wait for my visa.

So now I always try to organize everything, label it, and make sure it's easy to sort through (without going overboard).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Nigeria
Timeline
18 hours ago, afrocraft said:

Yeah, I would only add a brief note for clarity. Pictures in general are weak evidence on their own, but they could corroborate other evidence of shared life experiences. For instance, if you both went on a trip together, you can submit boarding passes + hotel reservation + 1-2 pics at the travel destination. A brief note saying where it is is helpful.

 

For example: "Spouse 1 and Spouse 2 at World of CocaCola, Atlanta GA, July 2, 2019." 

 

For more on ROC evidence, see my previous post below (click the arrow to go directly to the post).

 

Thank you so much afrocart for this detailed write up. Another issue I have is that I have had about 6 travel visits/ itineraries to see my spouse during the course of our 6yr relationship but the issue is we hardly took pictures, intact we started taking pictures in the last couple of years. So what should we do in terms of evidence compilation. Any response will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Tracie said:

Thank you so much afrocart for this detailed write up. Another issue I have is that I have had about 6 travel visits/ itineraries to see my spouse during the course of our 6yr relationship but the issue is we hardly took pictures, intact we started taking pictures in the last couple of years. So what should we do in terms of evidence compilation. Any response will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Stop fussing about pictures! Instead, please spend more time compiling stronger evidence that shows a well-rounded view of your marriage. The reason for that is that USCIS' standard of review for ROC is a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that the overall message you send through your evidence is more important than any one piece of evidence. I can't stress this enough: It is better to have 3 well-chosen pictures and strong evidence in other areas than 3000 pictures and poor evidence in other areas. Trust me.

 

In the link in my previous post (click on the arrow), I lay out four areas that you should provide evidence on:

  • Cohabitation (evidence showing that you and your spouse live together);
  • Co-mingling of finances (showing that you share financial responsibilities or jointly own property, businesses, etc.);
  • Shared life experiences (such as joint travel, raising a family together, etc); and
  • Planning for the future together (such as retirement, death, etc.).

As you can see, pictures only fall under one area (shared life experiences). You should aim to provide 2-3 types of evidence in each of the four areas above, but do your best to submit documents from marriage to the month you apply. For example: for cohabitation, submit apartment lease agreements for the year of marriage, the 2nd year, and the 3rd year) AND both of your driver's licenses showing your residential address.

 

But stop obsessing about pictures. I submitted only 6 pics and got approved without an interview, but I had strong evidence across those four areas from marriage to application date.

Edited by afrocraft
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Nigeria
Timeline

Thanks for your response, but we are still in the I-130 stage. I live in Nigeria and my Husband is in US, we don't live together and we only got married barely a month ago. That's our issue, we have a lot of trip evidence, joint account, chat/log history but not enough pictures evidence to support all our trips, we never taught to take any pictures  the first few years of our relationship for we were just having fun not really thinking that far ahead. I read how detailed your cover story was at that stage and realized we don't have enough exhibit pictures to defend the first 3yrs of our relationship. That's where we are now I'm afraid. 

Edited by Tracie
Typo errors and omissions
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/4/2019 at 2:01 AM, Tracie said:

Thanks for your response, but we are still in the I-130 stage. I live in Nigeria and my Husband is in US, we don't live together and we only got married barely a month ago. That's our issue, we have a lot of trip evidence, joint account, chat/log history but not enough pictures evidence to support all our trips, we never taught to take any pictures  the first few years of our relationship for we were just having fun not really thinking that far ahead. I read how detailed your cover story was at that stage and realized we don't have enough exhibit pictures to defend the first 3yrs of our relationship. That's where we are now I'm afraid. 

My bad. I thought I was in the ROC forum.

 

You read about my I-130 cover story? Wow, it's been a few years... Yeah, even for that, I wouldn't worry too much about pics. I remember arguing with someone back then who claimed you need like 200 pics to be successful. Rubbish! I submitted only about 12 pics!

 

Your story matters much more:

 

- How you met: Describe it briefly in the cover letter, then look for evidence to support the claims in your story. Emails exchanged around that time, 2-3 pics with both of you and friends, if possible etc.

 

- How you stayed in touch: Carefully selected emails, chat logs that show planning for the wedding, for instance, or phone bills that show constant communication (about once a quarter), trip bookings (these are much, more important than pics that can be faked)...

 

- Your wedding. You should have certificate + tons of pics, but only pick 2-4 pics that 1) show both sides' family members & friends, and 2) wedding venue, attire, etc. Don't pick pics just because you like them; use them to corroborate your story! Your story could be that you had a very public wedding, witnessed by so many family & friends, so how can they say it's not bona fide?

 

- Your plans for the future. 1-3 email exchanges describing your plans to move to the US, employment when you get there, having kids, etc.

Edited by afrocraft
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
Didn't find the answer you were looking for? Ask our VJ Immigration Lawyers.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
- Back to Top -

Important Disclaimer: Please read carefully the Visajourney.com Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service you should not access or view any page (including this page) on VisaJourney.com. Answers and comments provided on Visajourney.com Forums are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Visajourney.com does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board. If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by contacting us here with a url link to that content. Thank you.
×
×
  • Create New...