Affidavits of Knowledge of the Bonafides of Marriage

[Marisol73 0]

Hello

I am preparing information to submit the I-130 for my husband. I working on the Evidence that bonafides my marriage.

We have a baby, so I think that will work as evidence, but also I will get affidavits from family and friends. I have two questions about it:

1) The affidavits must be in English? (or if they are in Spanish.. do I need to attach translations?)

2) The affidavits must be notarized?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Darnell 8,478]

I'm not a DCF'd case - but

1. English or translated to English.

2. I notarized mine.

[Marisol73 0]

I'm not a DCF'd case - but

1. English or translated to English.

2. I notarized mine.

Thank you

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I did NOT have mine notarised, but instead sworn to in front of a solicitor. I did this because there was nowhere in the RFE I received from the consulate for the affidavits an instruction that they must be notarised. Since there was an in-house solicitor in my office willing to do it for the price of some drinks after work, I had three of my co-workers who knew both my husband and me sign and swear in front of the solicitor in her guise as an officer of the court. No problem. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone going through any other consulate without checking first though with the consulate in question.

[Darnell 8,478]

elmcitymaven - alas - this is actually covered in the I-130 instructions.

I notarized mine because of the language used - ie - 'sworn affadavits'.

what the #### is sworn, in Houston and Wuhan?

In these 2 cities, is analgous to 'depositions' - and

depositions require a notarial process.

To have a solicitor in UK sign off, though - trumps all, IMO.

Also, IMO, Mexico is a bit different, aye?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Long story short -- the version of the I-130 I used was out of date (thank you/####### you London Embassy, for not having up-to-date forms on your website -- and no, this was before I knew anything about VJ and the importance of checking the latest version) and the instructions from the embassy contained a specific enjoinder NOT to provide any sworn statements, bills, etc or they would be thrown out and not considered part of the application. Three months later, what do they want? Bingo. The RFE asked for a sworn affidavit. Technically, in England and Wales, it is possible to provide an affidavit without notarisation; signatures may be attested to by a commissioner for oaths. A solicitor, as an officer of the court, is a commissioner for oaths in England and Wales. It is not cheap to get things notarised in the UK (I almost completed my two-year notarial postgraduate diploma before I left -- would have been a nice little earner had I stayed) so I plumped for the cheaper option and took advantage of the situation.

Again, this may work only in England and Wales (my legal background is in this jurisdiction -- no clue about Scotland or NI) and I would not recommend it if you are outside of this jurisdiction, which is why I said: check with your consulate before attempting such legal chicanery.

[jhphi 0]

Again, this may work only in England and Wales (my legal background is in this jurisdiction -- no clue about Scotland or NI) and I would not recommend it if you are outside of this jurisdiction, which is why I said: check with your consulate before attempting such legal chicanery.

Just a quick note for those filing in London who may be reading-- we got a RFE asking for affidavits, and they did not have to be notarised or witnessed by anyone, just needed to include specific wording that they list on the RFE. Pasting in below. I'd actually already gotten notarized affidavits in advance (notarized free by a coworker in the US), but they did not include the exact wording of that statement, so I submitted un-notarized versions of the affidavits, and we were approved as soon as we sent them in. Like stated above, this is just an example of what worked for me in London-- I know that other consulates have different requirements and guidelines, so what worked for me would not work for everyone in the DCF process.

"Please provide three (3) affidavits that comply with 28 U.S.C. sec. 1746 sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of your relationship with the beneficiary. (Each affidavit must contain the full name and address, date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit; his or her relationship, if any, to the petitioner, beneficiary and complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge. The affiant may be required to testify before an immigration officer about the information contained in the affidavit.)

The person submitting the affidavit must include the following statement on his/her affidavit: 'I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on (date). (Signature)'"

[Marisol73 0]

Just a quick note for those filing in London who may be reading-- we got a RFE asking for affidavits, and they did not have to be notarised or witnessed by anyone, just needed to include specific wording that they list on the RFE. Pasting in below. I'd actually already gotten notarized affidavits in advance (notarized free by a coworker in the US), but they did not include the exact wording of that statement, so I submitted un-notarized versions of the affidavits, and we were approved as soon as we sent them in. Like stated above, this is just an example of what worked for me in London-- I know that other consulates have different requirements and guidelines, so what worked for me would not work for everyone in the DCF process.

"Please provide three (3) affidavits that comply with 28 U.S.C. sec. 1746 sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of your relationship with the beneficiary. (Each affidavit must contain the full name and address, date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit; his or her relationship, if any, to the petitioner, beneficiary and complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge. The affiant may be required to testify before an immigration officer about the information contained in the affidavit.)

The person submitting the affidavit must include the following statement on his/her affidavit: 'I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on (date). (Signature)'"

Thank you.. I will include the statement in my affidavits.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Just a quick note for those filing in London who may be reading-- we got a RFE asking for affidavits, and they did not have to be notarised or witnessed by anyone, just needed to include specific wording that they list on the RFE. Pasting in below. I'd actually already gotten notarized affidavits in advance (notarized free by a coworker in the US), but they did not include the exact wording of that statement, so I submitted un-notarized versions of the affidavits, and we were approved as soon as we sent them in. Like stated above, this is just an example of what worked for me in London-- I know that other consulates have different requirements and guidelines, so what worked for me would not work for everyone in the DCF process.

"Please provide three (3) affidavits that comply with 28 U.S.C. sec. 1746 sworn to or affirmed by third parties having personal knowledge of the bona fides of your relationship with the beneficiary. (Each affidavit must contain the full name and address, date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit; his or her relationship, if any, to the petitioner, beneficiary and complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge. The affiant may be required to testify before an immigration officer about the information contained in the affidavit.)

The person submitting the affidavit must include the following statement on his/her affidavit: 'I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on (date). (Signature)'"

Thanks for this jhphi! They have changed the wording since I did this 3 years ago so this is good to know. Everyone ignore everything I said on this topic!

[glenda jimenez 0]

Thanks for this jhphi! They have changed the wording since I did this 3 years ago so this is good to know. Everyone ignore everything I said on this topic!

CAN ANY ONE SENT ME AN EXAPLE OF AN AFFIDAVITS OF KNOELEDGE OF BONAFIDES OF MARRIAGE

[jhphi 0]

Glenda Jimenez,

My friend filed one for us, and followed this format:

INTRO: include full name and address and date and place of birth of the person making the affidavit

Example: I make this Affidavit to affirm having personal knowledge of a bona fide marriage between Jane Miller and John Doe. I presently reside at 123 Main Street, XYZTown, Connecticut, USA. I was born on March 14, 1970 in Anytown, California, USA.

PARAGRAPH TWO: describe how the person making the affidavit knows the couple, how they met, give an example of time spent with the couple

Example: Jane and I met as co-workers in Annapolis, Maryland, and have been close friends for several years. Jane and John had their first date on September 1, 2007. As we are very close friends, I heard often about their relationship, in conversations over the phone and by email. I met John for the first time in November of 2007, when the three of us took a day trip to Castleton. It was clear to me that their relationship was very serious.

PARAGRAPH THREE: give another example of meeting with the couple

Example: When Jane and John got engaged in June of 2008, Jane emailed me that afternoon to tell me the great news. I helped Jane with many of the arrangements for the wedding, as we kept in close contact. In August of 2008, I spent several days with Jane and John together again, when I vacationed with Jane’s family in the Outer Banks. Everyone could see that they were very happy and in love.

PARAGRAPH FOUR: give another example of meeting with the couple

Example: Jane and John were married on October 10th, 2009, in Annapolis, Maryland. I was present at their marriage, and was a member of the wedding party. During the wedding weekend, John’s family and friends shared many stories of Jane and John’s life together with us. To date, I have maintained a close relationship with the couple. Throughout the time I have known Jane and John, they have maintained a genuine romantic relationship, and I am sure their relationship will continue to grow in strength, now that they are married. At no time have I had any doubt as to the validity of their relationship.

ENDING: be sure to include the perjury statement word for word, with date.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on November 16, 2009.

Signature

Printed Full Name

[ingrid_rachel 18]

Thanks jhphi for the example...