RFE meeting help!

[Jeraboo 0]

I would really appreciate all the advice that I can get on this problem....

After exactly five months from receiving the first noa from the california service center, we received an rfe that asked for last meeting circumstances to establish relationship and for primary and secondary evidence to establish meeting took place in the past two years. It's says "primary evidence may include copies of passport pages that includes identification page and admission stamps, military order(s), or letter from commanding officer or any other evidence that will help the service determine that the beneficiary hasn't the petitioner within then two years" secondary evidence include ticket stubs or receipts, credit card or ATM transactions, Flight itineraries on airline or travel agency letter head. Then it goes on saying "Secondary evidence is used to support any primary evidence submitted".

Also there is a paragraph that says that if we met in a country other than that of the petitioner (which is the case) then we need to provide the passports pages and ticket stubs and receipts. We received this RFE the beginning of November and we have until January to submit the evidence.

Here is the problem: the necessary stamps to show that we met in this country are in my finances diplomatic passport, his country takes these passports when he goes back home and once the passport expires, which was the case last year, they dump them with thousands of other expired passports ( I'm sure you can tell it's a third world country by now). I have my stamps. We have our itineraries which we have sent in the first package along with our picture with a landmark (secondary evidence). Other than that we don't use ATM or credits cards in the country we met because it is also a third world country and all transactions are handled in cash. Both our families have apartments in this third country so no hotels. No ticket stubs, no military evidence...so ultimately all we have is my primary evidence, not his, and weak secondary evidence....

I really don't want to see our application get rejected especially since his country is dangerous and I'm worried about him every single day because of the constant bombing and killings between government forces and civilians because of mass demonstrations...it's really frustrating that one passport stamp will affect us and where we get married and where we live...please help... What other primary evidence can we provide? Will videos work? Affidavits from people who saw us both there? ...

[EAbbas 213]

put together everything you have...copy everything so you have back up copies. Write letters explaining the situation. Get Affadavits from people who know about your relationship... if he's in the military see if his commanding officer will also write one... have several of them from different people telling about his trips etc and your relationship have them notarized. photos of anything you have as well... (copies of cos so you have them for interview)That's about the best you can do.

Edited November 13, 2011 by EAbbas

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

If you can give a clue about what countries you are referring to maybe someone has experience.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I would really appreciate all the advice that I can get on this problem....

After exactly five months from receiving the first noa from the california service center, we received an rfe that asked for last meeting circumstances to establish relationship and for primary and secondary evidence to establish meeting took place in the past two years. It's says "primary evidence may include copies of passport pages that includes identification page and admission stamps, military order(s), or letter from commanding officer or any other evidence that will help the service determine that the beneficiary hasn't the petitioner within then two years" secondary evidence include ticket stubs or receipts, credit card or ATM transactions, Flight itineraries on airline or travel agency letter head. Then it goes on saying "Secondary evidence is used to support any primary evidence submitted".

Also there is a paragraph that says that if we met in a country other than that of the petitioner (which is the case) then we need to provide the passports pages and ticket stubs and receipts. We received this RFE the beginning of November and we have until January to submit the evidence.

Here is the problem: the necessary stamps to show that we met in this country are in my finances diplomatic passport, his country takes these passports when he goes back home and once the passport expires, which was the case last year, they dump them with thousands of other expired passports ( I'm sure you can tell it's a third world country by now). I have my stamps. We have our itineraries which we have sent in the first package along with our picture with a landmark (secondary evidence). Other than that we don't use ATM or credits cards in the country we met because it is also a third world country and all transactions are handled in cash. Both our families have apartments in this third country so no hotels. No ticket stubs, no military evidence...so ultimately all we have is my primary evidence, not his, and weak secondary evidence....

I really don't want to see our application get rejected especially since his country is dangerous and I'm worried about him every single day because of the constant bombing and killings between government forces and civilians because of mass demonstrations...it's really frustrating that one passport stamp will affect us and where we get married and where we live...please help... What other primary evidence can we provide? Will videos work? Affidavits from people who saw us both there? ...

If he travels on a diplomatic passport can't he get some form of official verification that he made this trip at this time? This would fall under the classification of "miltary orders". Boarding passes showing he actually got on an airplane going there and coming back are also good

Unfortunately secondary evidence is that which can either be easily faked (photos) or is not confirming documentation (itineraries) Videos are not accepted, affidavits are secondary.

Also, unfortunately, this process has requirements and when you visit each other you need to be cognizant of the evidence you need to generate and need to be sure you generate/save it. So you are staying in a private home with no hotel receipt, do not use debit cards or credit cards (they are accepted everywhere for at least some things) can't retain passport stamps do to the type of passport he has...you can't do that.

I would go for getting some sort of official verification in writing

If you cannotm then I suggest your response to the RFE be a withdrawl of the petition, plan to visit again soon and refile another petition

The problem is that if you do not meet the RFE needs the petition will be denid but they make take many weeks to do so and you cannot file a new petition until this one is denied or withdrawn. If you are not going to be able to meet the RFE, the fastest route is to withdraw the exiting petition and start over.