Evidence - letters from friends/family members vouching for our marriage

[hawaiiandreams 0]

Like folks have said earlier, a marriage certificate speaks more to the relationship than an affidavit. But if you want to include one, this is what we did.

Call it nitpicking or call it pedantic but a marriage certificate says nothing about the relationship. At just fulfills the requirement for evidence you are legally married. An affidavit from somebody who attended a wedding, can also say little about a bona fide ongoing relationship. I've seen no evidence that newlyweds who have never lived in the same country need any of listed "should include one or more...." items listed in the I-130 instructions.

I continually see people errantly interpreting "having personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship" as something like "attended our wedding". This is a gross misinterpretation that baffles me at least weekly.

For my I-130 petition (I'm the American), I was having two of my family members who attended the wedding certify that they (1) saw the marriage and that they (2) expected the relationship to last. I don't have much evidence beyond that, other than photos of visits/wedding, travel and lodging receipts (my name only - I have no receipts with my spouse's name), and the wedding certificate, so I thought I really needed to have someone's testimony.

But since the affidavits I'm about to send don't really express much about the ongoing relationship other than the expectation that the relationship will last, I'm assuming now it's better not to send these at all.

Has anyone sent minimal evidence (certificate, photos maybe) but then were asked for more evidence and affidavits? Or is there truly no reason at all to send the affidavits?

Thanks

I would send them. If they (the USCIS) don't think they they are useful I would guess they just wont use them. I sent a lot of supporting evidence with, not just the affidavits. I sent photos of our trips together, emails, copies of letters and cards, a wedding picture, and copies of boarding passes and of the visas section of my passport that showed the Japan immigration stamps. My affidavits weren't notarized but even if they don't accept them there is plenty of other evidence. If they wanted them notarized they should have expressly stated so. Also they are of the wedding taking place not our relationship, the other evidence shows proof of relationship. Even then they will still ask for other evidence at the interview and for removal of conditions.

So I would send it. It may not help but I can't imagine how it could hurt.

Just my two cents,

I agree that statements aren't very useful in the case of a CR1. The rules that we have to follow mandates that we (the sponsor) return to the U.S. to file the petition, in most cases, they won't issue a visa to our wife to visit the U.S., so those rules are rather self defeating to maintaining a bonafide marriagte. We can show a relationhip through phone records, chat archives, snail mail, greeting cards, remittances, some pictures together in various locations, etc. Proof of a bona fide marriage would come after we've had a chance to establish both names on a mortgage or lease, joint back accounts in the U.S., beneficiaries on one another's life insurance policies. pictures of trip in the U.S. together, etc. The removal of conditions is the time to submit these things and any statements you might want to provide from others stating that they know you, you live together, you are involved in ____ together. I think these things would only be need at the embassy interview if the visa would be an IR-1

Thanks for all of the replies!

[Aussiewoife 0]

We had affidavits drawn up by solicitors in Australia and they came up with very formal language to show that we had a long-term relationship, and submitted those in addtion to our marriage certificate. I don't think it's necessary but we just wanted to cross every t and dot every i.

Hi all,

I am going to have a few family members write letters about my marrige to my husband, vouching for our trips back and forth, meetings with him etc; I'm planning on taking these to our interview next week.

I know such a letter would need to be signed infront of and by a justice of the peace. Anyone got an ideas on the correct statement that should be on the letter? i.e. "I hereby certify that the above information is factual and correct".. (sign) or something to that effect?

Thanks for your help - had a look through the gallery but couldn't find any examples in there..