Evidence of bona fide marriage CR-1

[tvn0521 1]

I was in Vietnam for the summer to do the marriage certificate. I am officially married in Vietnam, I got the marriage certificate but no wedding celebration yet. I am back in the US now. My wedding celebration is set December 24 which is in a few months from now. I just book my plane ticket for wedding in December. Since now that I have the marriage certificate on hand and I can file for CR-1 before the wedding celebration in December. What should I send in as evidence of bona fide marriage??? I can't send any photos of my wedding celebration because it didn't happen yet, it is set in December. Thanks everyone for you help

[BinhJerome 14]

I was in Vietnam for the summer to do the marriage certificate. I am officially married in Vietnam, I got the marriage certificate but no wedding celebration yet. I am back in the US now. My wedding celebration is set December 24 which is in a few months from now. I just book my plane ticket for wedding in December. Since now that I have the marriage certificate on hand and I can file for CR-1 before the wedding celebration in December. What should I send in as evidence of bona fide marriage??? I can't send any photos of my wedding celebration because it didn't happen yet, it is set in December. Thanks everyone for you help

Start with a copy of your marriage license. Then any of your emails, chat logs, and ANY photos of the two of you. Did you take any photos while signing the documents? Did you take any photos of the two of you together holding the marriage certificate? If so make sure to send those in. How long has your relationship been going on? When did you first meet her, and was it online or in person? How many trips have you made? These are just questions so I can better evaluate what your situation is, and what things you could send in to help with it. Jerome

[Dau Que 6]

I was in Vietnam for the summer to do the marriage certificate. I am officially married in Vietnam, I got the marriage certificate but no wedding celebration yet. I am back in the US now. My wedding celebration is set December 24 which is in a few months from now. I just book my plane ticket for wedding in December. Since now that I have the marriage certificate on hand and I can file for CR-1 before the wedding celebration in December. What should I send in as evidence of bona fide marriage??? I can't send any photos of my wedding celebration because it didn't happen yet, it is set in December. Thanks everyone for you help

What's the rush for? I know someone living together with his K-1 wife here in the US, yet when it's time to file for Adjustment of Status from temporary 2-year Green card to Perm 10-year card, the INS still calls both of them in for an interview. You know why? Because they don't believe those 2 people are actually living together as husband and wife.

You and her are half the world away from each other and you think the INS will actually believe in your marriage certificate, which is only a piece of paper? BE patient! Let the TIMELINE roll out and it'll be beneficial to both of you later on. If I were you, hold your horse til way after the official wedding. Then come back for one more follow-up trip (honeymoon). Then it's the right time to file your petition.

Edited September 4, 2010 by Dau Que

[tvn0521 1]

Start with a copy of your marriage license. Then any of your emails, chat logs, and ANY photos of the two of you. Did you take any photos while signing the documents? Did you take any photos of the two of you together holding the marriage certificate? If so make sure to send those in. How long has your relationship been going on? When did you first meet her, and was it online or in person? How many trips have you made? These are just questions so I can better evaluate what your situation is, and what things you could send in to help with it. Jerome

Our relationship has been going on for 6 years now and a total of 4 trips to Vietnam, we have hundreds of pictures from the 4 trips that I visited her during our 6 years relationship. I met her in person when she was 17 and I was 20, now she is 23 and I'm 26. Both of us were still in school at the time, didn't plan on getting marry too soon. I just recently graduated so I went back to Vietnam during the summer to do the marriage certificate. I actually never thought about taking pictures while signing the certificate, well that's too late now. When I first met her (6years ago) we chatted on yahoo almost everyday but never thought about saving all the chat log or email until 2 years ago. So 2 years ago I started to save all chat logs, screen shot pictures of us voice chatting on yahoo. As for phone record, at the beginning of the relationship I always buy a calling card online so no record of calling at the beginning of the relationship and also until 2 years ago, I use this calling company called v247, they actually do phone record print out for me. Then my cell phone company which is Metro Pcs, they came out with unlimited international call for only $5 a month. I can access the calling record on Metro Pcs website to print the call records. So basically I have 2 years of phone record, chat, and voice chat with screen shot, and hundreds of photos from my 4 trips. I also kept all the airplane ticket stub for all 4 trips that I went to Vietnam. Can I send in the I-130 before the wedding celebration? My celebration/ceremony is set on Dec. 24, invitations will be print out in October. My brother, mother, father, and I just got our plane tickets to go do the wedding/ceremony in Dec.

[CoolHand2x2y2z 0]

Again, what's the rush?

It's not about if you are legit; it's about those monkeys at the U.S. Consulate.

I'd contact an immigration attorney (who knows about the Vietnam situation) and ask for advice. IOM is also another option, and they can help you do the forms and everything.

Of course, I didn't do any of this and look at me and my wife. By the way, I hold two masters' degrees. It's not about intelligence and being able to follow instructions on the I-130.

I wish you all the best!

[BinhJerome 14]

If you want to, you can, since it is ultimately your decision on what to do. Some people say don’t rush, you have already been waiting for 6 years, and the flipside to this is that you WILL have it done before the interview. Know that HCMC is a very hard consulate to get a visa through. There are plenty of people that were denied last year filing for the CR1. Does this mean you would be one for this year NO that doesn’t mean anything except that HCMC is a hard consulate. With all your proof you have, you SHOULD be good to go, but I will not even attempt to make promises. With a 6 year wait already behind you I can totally understand why you do not want to wait any longer. A logical person would say that there is no need to wait, however HCMC is not logical and many people here have already expressed their concern for you to wait. But this is YOUR life not theirs, if you wait will it help, maybe, if you don’t wait will it hurt? No one can say yes to either question. The choice is yours, and if I was in your shoes I would go ahead and file since you have so much evidence. Even though we were denied, I would have still filed when I did and everything just because I felt and feel so strongly about our case. Good luck on what you choose to do, and if you do file, send copies of the plane tickets, and a few of those screen shots and tons of pictures, make sure they are dated before you send, also make a copy of what you send them for your own file so you know exactly what photos and what chat logs or screen shots you sent. Jerome and Binh

[tvn0521 1]

If you want to, you can, since it is ultimately your decision on what to do. Some people say don’t rush, you have already been waiting for 6 years, and the flipside to this is that you WILL have it done before the interview. Know that HCMC is a very hard consulate to get a visa through. There are plenty of people that were denied last year filing for the CR1. Does this mean you would be one for this year NO that doesn’t mean anything except that HCMC is a hard consulate. With all your proof you have, you SHOULD be good to go, but I will not even attempt to make promises. With a 6 year wait already behind you I can totally understand why you do not want to wait any longer. A logical person would say that there is no need to wait, however HCMC is not logical and many people here have already expressed their concern for you to wait. But this is YOUR life not theirs, if you wait will it help, maybe, if you don’t wait will it hurt? No one can say yes to either question. The choice is yours, and if I was in your shoes I would go ahead and file since you have so much evidence. Even though we were denied, I would have still filed when I did and everything just because I felt and feel so strongly about our case. Good luck on what you choose to do, and if you do file, send copies of the plane tickets, and a few of those screen shots and tons of pictures, make sure they are dated before you send, also make a copy of what you send them for your own file so you know exactly what photos and what chat logs or screen shots you sent. Jerome and Binh

With all my evidence on hand I feel pretty confident to file the petition. But who knows whats going on in those consular's mind. I will send in 2 notarized affidavit from third parties witnessing our relationship for evidence of bona fide marriage along with 2 sworn statement of how my wife and I met from my wife's friends in Vietnam, marriage certificate, and some photos from all the years we have been together, I think I gotta save some evidence for the interview, right??? Do you think this is good enough??? Thank you for your help.

[BinhJerome 14]

With all my evidence on hand I feel pretty confident to file the petition. But who knows whats going on in those consular's mind. I will send in 2 notarized affidavit from third parties witnessing our relationship for evidence of bona fide marriage along with 2 sworn statement of how my wife and I met from my wife's friends in Vietnam, marriage certificate, and some photos from all the years we have been together, I think I gotta save some evidence for the interview, right??? Do you think this is good enough??? Thank you for your help.

As I said before, I think you have a strong case. Make copies of what you send, and send them only copies of things save the real thing for the interview unless it asks for originals. If you send photos, make duplicates and send them to the interview as well, I would just send copies of your plane tickets, and save the original affidavits for the interview. Just make sure that anything you send them you have copies of, this will help at the interview, and you can show them the same things that you submitted when you filed, that will not hurt anything. Good luck Jerome and Binh

[Dau Que 6]

Our relationship has been going on for 6 years now and a total of 4 trips to Vietnam, we have hundreds of pictures from the 4 trips that I visited her during our 6 years relationship. I met her in person when she was 17 and I was 20, now she is 23 and I'm 26. Both of us were still in school at the time, didn't plan on getting marry too soon. I just recently graduated so I went back to Vietnam during the summer to do the marriage certificate. I actually never thought about taking pictures while signing the certificate, well that's too late now. When I first met her (6years ago) we chatted on yahoo almost everyday but never thought about saving all the chat log or email until 2 years ago. So 2 years ago I started to save all chat logs, screen shot pictures of us voice chatting on yahoo. As for phone record, at the beginning of the relationship I always buy a calling card online so no record of calling at the beginning of the relationship and also until 2 years ago, I use this calling company called v247, they actually do phone record print out for me. Then my cell phone company which is Metro Pcs, they came out with unlimited international call for only $5 a month. I can access the calling record on Metro Pcs website to print the call records. So basically I have 2 years of phone record, chat, and voice chat with screen shot, and hundreds of photos from my 4 trips. I also kept all the airplane ticket stub for all 4 trips that I went to Vietnam. Can I send in the I-130 before the wedding celebration? My celebration/ceremony is set on Dec. 24, invitations will be print out in October. My brother, mother, father, and I just got our plane tickets to go do the wedding/ceremony in Dec.

Your love movie is 2-year long, not 6. Plan on explaining to the CO why the first 4 years were missing from the big picture. By the way, you didn't mention that you WROTE to her via snail mails. Do you know that the CO already knows emails and electronic chat logs can be faked? But old-fashioned snail mails can't?

Today is September, which is only 3 months away from the wedding. You can wait 6 years ( at least that's what you claim, but can't substantiate for the first 4 years anyway), but you can't wait another 3 months to file? If you try to time your petition so you can avoid her interview falling into the last few months of the USCIS fiscal year, the current waiting time from filing petition to interview is around 12 months. You want to avoid late July through September interviews anyway. So you do your calculation and do what's best for you.

Edited September 6, 2010 by Dau Que

[ScottThuy 140]

Agreed on the avoiding August September interviews... JMO...

[tvn0521 1]

Your love movie is 2-year long, not 6. Plan on explaining to the CO why the first 4 years were missing from the big picture. By the way, you didn't mention that you WROTE to her via snail mails. Do you know that the CO already knows emails and electronic chat logs can be faked? But old-fashioned snail mails can't?

Today is September, which is only 3 months away from the wedding. You can wait 6 years ( at least that's what you claim, but can't substantiate for the first 4 years anyway), but you can't wait another 3 months to file? If you try to time your petition so you can avoid her interview falling into the last few months of the USCIS fiscal year, the current waiting time from filing petition to interview is around 12 months. You want to avoid late July through September interviews anyway. So you do your calculation and do what's best for you.

Why do I have to avoid the July thru September interview??? What's the bad thing about it???

[cedwards001 18]

Dau Que,

When you say current wait times from petition filing until interview, you are talking about CR1 cases or K1 cases? I don't think I have heard K1 cases that long to get to the interview...

[hniHnitsuJ 8]

Dau Que,

When you say current wait times from petition filing until interview, you are talking about CR1 cases or K1 cases? I don't think I have heard K1 cases that long to get to the interview...

It's the same for K1 too, sometimes take longer, or shorter.

tvn0521 - I would wait if I would you.

good luck.

[luckytxn 2,264]

This consulate is very often a stickler for local traditions and possible see something wrong with no wedding ceremony pictures and the party after. It is only a few more months away. You already have a strong case going and just could possibly be causing a road bump by turning in a visa request a few months early. Why risk that? Since a few have already suggested you wait a bit and you come back and say why and explain how you are ready then go ahead and do it but then don't be surprised later if we come back and say I told you so.