Evidence of Bonafide Marriage

[Helen&Dougie 0]

My husband and I of course do not live together, he is in England and I am in the US, I will be putting in the I-130 soon, and as far as evidence of marriage, i have our marriage certificate and some letters from friends and family affirmed by a third party (notarized hopefully will be acceptable?) who attended the wedding, the reception, and have knowledge of that our marriage is still good and ongoing. i cant include proof of joint ownership of property, because i bought my house 2 years before I met him, same with my car, and of course since he dont live here, all the bills are in my name, i was wondering if there were other items i might be able to include to prove an ongoing marriage and if so, what would that be? the only stuff i have really other than emails and such that we have sent each other since we were married, is cards that were addressed to both he and i shortly after the wedding. i have the guest book from the wedding, but that really doesnt prove anything. im not sure really how to establish to immigration that we have an ongoing marriage, can anyone help me with this? Would it be okay to send copies of the cards we recieved and some of the emails we have sent each other?

Thanks so much

Helen

Edited September 6, 2007 by Helen&Dougie

[YuAndDan 153]

Your evidence is acceptable, they are not as critical of bona fide marriage until you file to lift conditions on a green card in the USA.

[huhtaman 0]

Hi,

some things we attached to our petition:

1) phone records showing all the phone calls we make

2) documentation of my trips to visit my spouse (5 trips)

passport stamps,

plane tickets,

receipts from the ballet

pictures of us celebrating christmas, skiing, etc

3) a copy of our wedding dvd

4) jewelry receipts showing engagement ring purchases

5) a list of major gifts exchanged

6) emails and cards

7) joint credit card statements and expenditures

8) life insurance policy with my wife as the beneficiary

9) documentation of flowers given on special occassions (receipt + picture)

I hope this was helpful.

Neil

[pushbrk 12,167]

Your evidence is acceptable, they are not as critical of bona fide marriage until you file to lift conditions on a green card in the USA.

I haven't seen any evidence that anything more than a marriage certificate is required when using the I-130 to petition for spouse to apply for a visa, in cases where the couple has never lived together in the same country. These cases do however, require more bona fide relationship proof at the time of the visa interview but usually it is in the form of evidence of visits and communication.

Yes, I'm familiar with the new I-130 instructions. I'm also aware that the I-130 is multi-purpose form. The only optional documentation available to most couples who never lived together in the same country is affidavits. Just what would these affidavits swear to, that the people attended a ceremony and/or party. Newlyweds like these usually don't have evidence of bona fide ongoing relationship when they file their petitions. USCIS knows and accepts this.

[Helen&Dougie 0]

Your evidence is acceptable, they are not as critical of bona fide marriage until you file to lift conditions on a green card in the USA.

I haven't seen any evidence that anything more than a marriage certificate is required when using the I-130 to petition for spouse to apply for a visa, in cases where the couple has never lived together in the same country. These cases do however, require more bona fide relationship proof at the time of the visa interview but usually it is in the form of evidence of visits and communication.

Yes, I'm familiar with the new I-130 instructions. I'm also aware that the I-130 is multi-purpose form. The only optional documentation available to most couples who never lived together in the same country is affidavits. Just what would these affidavits swear to, that the people attended a ceremony and/or party. Newlyweds like these usually don't have evidence of bona fide ongoing relationship when they file their petitions. USCIS knows and accepts this.

I never looked it at that way. Thanks so much, you've been really helpful with all the questions I've asked, I really appreciate it.

Edited September 6, 2007 by Helen&Dougie

[Helen&Dougie 0]

Hi,

some things we attached to our petition:

1) phone records showing all the phone calls we make

2) documentation of my trips to visit my spouse (5 trips)

passport stamps,

plane tickets,

receipts from the ballet

pictures of us celebrating christmas, skiing, etc

3) a copy of our wedding dvd

4) jewelry receipts showing engagement ring purchases

5) a list of major gifts exchanged

6) emails and cards

7) joint credit card statements and expenditures

8) life insurance policy with my wife as the beneficiary

9) documentation of flowers given on special occassions (receipt + picture)

I hope this was helpful.

Neil

Thanks Neil, it did help, gave me a few ideals as to what else I use. I really appreciate the help.

Thanks again

Helen