evidence of bonafide

[bestofboth 1]

Hi!

So i'm preparing our AOS package to send to the USCIS and read in the guides that along with the i-130/i-485 application the USCIS now requires that you send 'evidence of a bonafide marriage' e.g joint ownership, joint bank account etc. However i've read the instructions for all the forms in the AOS package and i can't see where they request these documents. I know that the instructions on these forms are sometimes outdated but i just want to double check before i go to the trouble of gathering and sending all this extra documentation - where did VJ get this info from? Because so far if i hadn't found this site i'd have no clue that your supposed to send this evidence along with the application - i mean i know we'll need it for the interview but if they want it sent in the application as well wouldn't they explicitly state this somewhere? Or am i missing some really obvious resource somewhere?

The reason i'm concerned is at this moment we haven't succeeded in contacting the landlord in order to add me to the lease, and due to the slow (people) turn around times at the DWP etc. we only have a couple of bills with both our names on. We only got married just over a week ago and we're going to open a joint bank account tomorrow. We have plenty of photos documenting our relationship but do i really have to print and send all these?? I guess i can just choose a few key pictures but i just want to double check before i stress myself out even more.

Thanks!

[bestofboth 1]

Hi!

So i'm preparing our AOS package to send to the USCIS and read in the guides that along with the i-130/i-485 application the USCIS now requires that you send 'evidence of a bonafide marriage' e.g joint ownership, joint bank account etc. However i've read the instructions for all the forms in the AOS package and i can't see where they request these documents. I know that the instructions on these forms are sometimes outdated but i just want to double check before i go to the trouble of gathering and sending all this extra documentation - where did VJ get this info from? Because so far if i hadn't found this site i'd have no clue that your supposed to send this evidence along with the application - i mean i know we'll need it for the interview but if they want it sent in the application as well wouldn't they explicitly state this somewhere? Or am i missing some really obvious resource somewhere?

The reason i'm concerned is at this moment we haven't succeeded in contacting the landlord in order to add me to the lease, and due to the slow (people) turn around times at the DWP etc. we only have a couple of bills with both our names on. We only got married just over a week ago and we're going to open a joint bank account tomorrow. We have plenty of photos documenting our relationship but do i really have to print and send all these?? I guess i can just choose a few key pictures but i just want to double check before i stress myself out even more.

Thanks!

Not to worry - i've just re-read the i-130 instructions.... and i noticed the 'or' part which means the bank account alone should be sufficient...

[sasaqlain 24]

Hi!

So i'm preparing our AOS package to send to the USCIS and read in the guides that along with the i-130/i-485 application the USCIS now requires that you send 'evidence of a bonafide marriage' e.g joint ownership, joint bank account etc. However i've read the instructions for all the forms in the AOS package and i can't see where they request these documents. I know that the instructions on these forms are sometimes outdated but i just want to double check before i go to the trouble of gathering and sending all this extra documentation - where did VJ get this info from? Because so far if i hadn't found this site i'd have no clue that your supposed to send this evidence along with the application - i mean i know we'll need it for the interview but if they want it sent in the application as well wouldn't they explicitly state this somewhere? Or am i missing some really obvious resource somewhere?

The reason i'm concerned is at this moment we haven't succeeded in contacting the landlord in order to add me to the lease, and due to the slow (people) turn around times at the DWP etc. we only have a couple of bills with both our names on. We only got married just over a week ago and we're going to open a joint bank account tomorrow. We have plenty of photos documenting our relationship but do i really have to print and send all these?? I guess i can just choose a few key pictures but i just want to double check before i stress myself out even more.

Thanks!

Not to worry - i've just re-read the i-130 instructions.... and i noticed the 'or' part which means the bank account alone should be sufficient...

Actually the bank account alone is not sufficient. Neither is a joint lease or joint bills. Co-mingling of accounts, joint assets, Insurances, especially children are many other factors that will establish a bonafide relationship. Best of Luck.

[bestofboth 1]

Hi!

So i'm preparing our AOS package to send to the USCIS and read in the guides that along with the i-130/i-485 application the USCIS now requires that you send 'evidence of a bonafide marriage' e.g joint ownership, joint bank account etc. However i've read the instructions for all the forms in the AOS package and i can't see where they request these documents. I know that the instructions on these forms are sometimes outdated but i just want to double check before i go to the trouble of gathering and sending all this extra documentation - where did VJ get this info from? Because so far if i hadn't found this site i'd have no clue that your supposed to send this evidence along with the application - i mean i know we'll need it for the interview but if they want it sent in the application as well wouldn't they explicitly state this somewhere? Or am i missing some really obvious resource somewhere?

The reason i'm concerned is at this moment we haven't succeeded in contacting the landlord in order to add me to the lease, and due to the slow (people) turn around times at the DWP etc. we only have a couple of bills with both our names on. We only got married just over a week ago and we're going to open a joint bank account tomorrow. We have plenty of photos documenting our relationship but do i really have to print and send all these?? I guess i can just choose a few key pictures but i just want to double check before i stress myself out even more.

Thanks!

Not to worry - i've just re-read the i-130 instructions.... and i noticed the 'or' part which means the bank account alone should be sufficient...

Actually the bank account alone is not sufficient. Neither is a joint lease or joint bills. Co-mingling of accounts, joint assets, Insurances, especially children are many other factors that will establish a bonafide relationship. Best of Luck.

But that's for the interview right? In the i-130 instructions it says:

Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or

A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or

Documentation showing co-mingling of financial resources; or

Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, the petitioner, and your spouse together; or

Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship. (Each affidavit must contain the full name and address, date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit, his or her relationship to the petitioner of beneficiary, if any, and complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge of your marriage); or

Any other relevant documentation to establish that there is an ongoing marital union.

The "or" part suggest one of these things will be sufficient to send with the application. I can send pictures dating back 3 1/2 yrs, and mail showing we have lived together more than 2 years, car insurance and car title but this is going to be a lot of material to send if it's unnecessary. We were able to contact the landlord so we will have the joint lease now as well.

[sasaqlain 24]

Hi!

So i'm preparing our AOS package to send to the USCIS and read in the guides that along with the i-130/i-485 application the USCIS now requires that you send 'evidence of a bonafide marriage' e.g joint ownership, joint bank account etc. However i've read the instructions for all the forms in the AOS package and i can't see where they request these documents. I know that the instructions on these forms are sometimes outdated but i just want to double check before i go to the trouble of gathering and sending all this extra documentation - where did VJ get this info from? Because so far if i hadn't found this site i'd have no clue that your supposed to send this evidence along with the application - i mean i know we'll need it for the interview but if they want it sent in the application as well wouldn't they explicitly state this somewhere? Or am i missing some really obvious resource somewhere?

The reason i'm concerned is at this moment we haven't succeeded in contacting the landlord in order to add me to the lease, and due to the slow (people) turn around times at the DWP etc. we only have a couple of bills with both our names on. We only got married just over a week ago and we're going to open a joint bank account tomorrow. We have plenty of photos documenting our relationship but do i really have to print and send all these?? I guess i can just choose a few key pictures but i just want to double check before i stress myself out even more.

Thanks!

Not to worry - i've just re-read the i-130 instructions.... and i noticed the 'or' part which means the bank account alone should be sufficient...

Actually the bank account alone is not sufficient. Neither is a joint lease or joint bills. Co-mingling of accounts, joint assets, Insurances, especially children are many other factors that will establish a bonafide relationship. Best of Luck.

But that's for the interview right? In the i-130 instructions it says:

Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or

A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or

Documentation showing co-mingling of financial resources; or

Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, the petitioner, and your spouse together; or

Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of the marital relationship. (Each affidavit must contain the full name and address, date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit, his or her relationship to the petitioner of beneficiary, if any, and complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge of your marriage); or

Any other relevant documentation to establish that there is an ongoing marital union.

The "or" part suggest one of these things will be sufficient to send with the application. I can send pictures dating back 3 1/2 yrs, and mail showing we have lived together more than 2 years, car insurance and car title but this is going to be a lot of material to send if it's unnecessary. We were able to contact the landlord so we will have the joint lease now as well.

You have to send ALL supporting documents with the applications. The interview is to give a face to those applications and see FURTHER documents as well as the originals for the documents that you have sent. Your application might even get rejected due to insufficient supporting documents. In my case my I-130 was approved before my interview date due to the EXTRA load of documents that I sent along with the application. The "OR" is just so that a certain document may apply to one person and may not to another. So, attach everything you can think of. I sent Sonoscan copies of my unborn baby and got approved within days.

[wifetobe 2]

We didn't send any supporting docs with the AOS forms. Only the required passport photos x 6, copy of birth certificate/marriage certificate, the forms and that's it. We never received any RFEs. You are not required to send proof of a bonafide marriage in with the AOS forms. You would only need them for when the interview occurs!

[JERIII 8]

We didn't send any supporting docs with the AOS forms. Only the required passport photos x 6, copy of birth certificate/marriage certificate, the forms and that's it. We never received any RFEs. You are not required to send proof of a bonafide marriage in with the AOS forms. You would only need them for when the interview occurs!

You adjusted from a K1, the original poster does not have a K Visa. As a K1, you were not required to file an I-130, the original poster must, and the I-130 requires the proof.

OP- The instructions for the I-130 state:

In addition to the required documentation listed above, you should submit one or more of the following types of documentation that may evidence that bona fides of your marriage:

Note the "one or more," the point of this is to supply convincing evidence, not to meet the requirement in some formal sense. Some people on VJ feel that supplying a good selection of evidence with the I-130 will make the interview go smoother. I don't know, it's hard to collect data about interview outcomes. I can tell you that we sent in 3 or 4 proofs, and were not asked for anything else at the interview, which went very smoothly.

[Mary and Enrique 8]

Hi!

So i'm preparing our AOS package to send to the USCIS and read in the guides that along with the i-130/i-485 application the USCIS now requires that you send 'evidence of a bonafide marriage' e.g joint ownership, joint bank account etc. However i've read the instructions for all the forms in the AOS package and i can't see where they request these documents. I know that the instructions on these forms are sometimes outdated but i just want to double check before i go to the trouble of gathering and sending all this extra documentation - where did VJ get this info from? Because so far if i hadn't found this site i'd have no clue that your supposed to send this evidence along with the application - i mean i know we'll need it for the interview but if they want it sent in the application as well wouldn't they explicitly state this somewhere? Or am i missing some really obvious resource somewhere?

The reason i'm concerned is at this moment we haven't succeeded in contacting the landlord in order to add me to the lease, and due to the slow (people) turn around times at the DWP etc. we only have a couple of bills with both our names on. We only got married just over a week ago and we're going to open a joint bank account tomorrow. We have plenty of photos documenting our relationship but do i really have to print and send all these?? I guess i can just choose a few key pictures but i just want to double check before i stress myself out even more.

Thanks!

I know it's a huge pain in the butt, but I would do everything as up-front as possible, in time to mail with your AOS application. Immigration officers are familiar with your case and often seem to have made up their minds about whether you're legit or not before you even get to the interview, and it's better to have your application speak for you before you can speak for yourself. You will be nervous on the big day anyway, so it seems a lot better to me to stress out on your own schedule rather than in the moment you're getting grilled about the details of your interview.

I don't know anything about your case specifically, but if you are truly adjusting from a work, student, or tourist visa based on marriage, you may (like we did) have a higher burden than the average person to demonstrate that your marriage is valid. Our IO was very interested in when we opened our accounts, and even though I put my husband on all my credit cards, cell phone, checking account (...etc etc) in time to send a copy of it with our AOS package, he still seemed concerned that I didn't do a lot of those things as soon as we got married. Your IO will probably ask you when you established each account you're using as evidence, and the closer it is to your interview date, the less happy he or she is going to be about it.

We sent EVERYTHING, and we stressed about it a lot, but I think in our case that might have made the difference. Plenty of couples report getting by just fine without going through all that hassle, but when you think about how awful it would be to have to re-file, pay all these fees again, and indicate on another application that you have previously been rejected -- I really think it's worth it to do whatever you can to have your application be perfect.

Good luck!

[bestofboth 1]

Ok ok, you guys make a convincing case - i guess i'm just being lazy anyway!

[Anh map 2,098]

Ok ok, you guys make a convincing case - i guess i'm just being lazy anyway!

Resist that urge when it arises.

The immigration process is not about just hitting the minimums. Take the time to submit compelling evidence that your relationship is genuine. The immigrant being added to the USC health insurance, mail addressed to both of you, joint accounts & memberships, etc.

[BigBubble 1]

If you read the instructions, one document is enough. You will need more probably for the interview. I called USCIS and asked them if a lease together and some pictures woudl be enough and they said yes. We also got married recently so we still didnt have any accounts together.