Friend testimony to relationship- Does this have to be notarized?

[eav123 0]

If I have my friends who know my fiance and myself write their accounts of how my soon to be husband and I met, and trips we've gone on, etc., does that need to be notarized or can they just write letters with "To Whom It May Concern" on it and send it to me? How does this work? Since we are a new couple, we don't have joint bank accounts, we don't live in the same country (yet), etc. etc. so we're depending on friend testimonies. And, how many should I collect?

THanks!

[Sarah Elle-Même 660]

If I have my friends who know my fiance and myself write their accounts of how my soon to be husband and I met, and trips we've gone on, etc., does that need to be notarized or can they just write letters with "To Whom It May Concern" on it and send it to me? How does this work? Since we are a new couple, we don't have joint bank accounts, we don't live in the same country (yet), etc. etc. so we're depending on friend testimonies. And, how many should I collect?

THanks!

You posted in the spouse visa section, not K-1. This is the format my mother used for her affidavit. Yes it should be notarized if you can manage that. I also sent in a copy of my mother's ID. Good luck!

**

AFFIDAVIT

I, ___________________, residing at ___________________________________, solemnly state and affirm as hereunder:

1. I am a citizen of _____________________.

2. I was born on ________________________.

3. I am ____ years of age and have resided in the _____ since birth.

4. This affadavit is being submitted on behalf of ____________ and _______________.

5. I am the _________ of the Petitioner, _________________.

This affidavit is being made by me for the purpose of assuring the U.S. government

that _____________ and ________________ have a true and loving

relationship and an engagement that was entered into in good faith, and is not for the

purpose of circumventing immigration laws. I acquired my knowledge of the relationship

between them in the following manner:

** List out the ways they came to know about your relationship - personal knowledge**

A)

B)

C)

ATTESTATION

I affirm that the contents of this affidavit are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Signature of person making this affidavit: _______________________________

Affirmed before me this ____ day of _________, ____at ________________________.

[Ryan H 3,812]

If I have my friends who know my fiance and myself write their accounts of how my soon to be husband and I met, and trips we've gone on, etc., does that need to be notarized or can they just write letters with "To Whom It May Concern" on it and send it to me? How does this work? Since we are a new couple, we don't have joint bank accounts, we don't live in the same country (yet), etc. etc. so we're depending on friend testimonies. And, how many should I collect?

THanks!

Such statements are not required and carry little to no weight. If you choose to include them, they should come from people who have interacted with you both as a couple on some level (and they do not need to be notarized). USCIS does not expect couples living apart in separate countries to have things such as joint bank accounts, property together, etc. Your best evidence is evidence of time spent in person.

[eav123 0]

The example forms on the guide section are confusing, and at the bottom of the examples, there is space for it to be notarized. I also read other threads about these, and others said you do NOT need to have it notarized. I'm looking for the most streamlined, effective and simple form/template to use, and am spinning with all the different choices. We have nothing else to prove our relationship besides emails and friend testimonies since we are newlyweds, so I'd like to do whatever necessary to have it be legit. Also, if my friends are the ones writing them, they're the ones who would take it to the notary? Or would I do that? I am 100% clueless. I asked about this topic before, but can't find the thread--if anyone has any advice to be able to find a past thread you wrote without having to comb through weeks of forums, that'd be appreciated too!

Thanks for any advice

[Ryan H 3,812]

I asked about this topic before, but can't find the thread--if anyone has any advice to be able to find a past thread you wrote without having to comb through weeks of forums, that'd be appreciated too!

On the upper right corner of the screen, you will see your username. Next to your username is a white arrow, click that arrow and a drop down menu will appear. One of the options in that menu will say "My Content" - click on that option and it will take you to all the threads you have started and posted in.

I have sent a report to the Moderation Team to have this thread merged with the earlier thread you posted on this topic.

[charlesandmerle 4]

If I have my friends who know my fiance and myself write their accounts of how my soon to be husband and I met, and trips we've gone on, etc., does that need to be notarized or can they just write letters with "To Whom It May Concern" on it and send it to me? How does this work? Since we are a new couple, we don't have joint bank accounts, we don't live in the same country (yet), etc. etc. so we're depending on friend testimonies. And, how many should I collect?

THanks!

[charlesandmerle 4]

Number one you are on the wrong thread, hopefully you are doing a fiance visa. For a fiance visa you just need evidence the you have met in person, photos with landmarks in the background, many photos, a copy of you passport showing you have entered that country and a copy of your airline ticket. Letters from friends have no value for that type of visa.

If you want to get help go to Rapid Visa and they will prepare all documents for you and all you need is to sign them. You just need a printer to download and print everything.

I am using them and I am glad I did but it is for an I-130. You do not have to pay until you are ready to download so you can sign up no money needed and they will do it right the first time.

So good luck it's a long journey

[eav123 0]

Number one you are on the wrong thread, hopefully you are doing a fiance visa. For a fiance visa you just need evidence the you have met in person, photos with landmarks in the background, many photos, a copy of you passport showing you have entered that country and a copy of your airline ticket. Letters from friends have no value for that type of visa.

If you want to get help go to Rapid Visa and they will prepare all documents for you and all you need is to sign them. You just need a printer to download and print everything.

I am using them and I am glad I did but it is for an I-130. You do not have to pay until you are ready to download so you can sign up no money needed and they will do it right the first time.

So good luck it's a long journey

I'm already married and am filing for the CR-I and am sending in the I-130 packet soon as my husband is leaving to go back to Portugal next week. So no fiance visa for us....and on the form it states that they need proof of bonafide marriage which we don't have except for friend testimonies, his plane ticket here, pics of us when we met and subsequent trips we took, and a joint gym membership. Nothing else. And everyone else on this forum suggests friend testimonies as "other" examples of evidence of a marriage/relationship. Am I wrong in thinking I need friends to write these for us?

Thanks. And I apologize for not knowing which forum to use

[NikLR 13,227]

We sent in two affidavits. One from his best friend and one from my mother. Considering his best friend is a Staff Seargant in the USAF and my mother is the minister who married us, I hope they carry a little weight. If not, they don't hurt either.

You do not need to go to some website to have them fill in the information for you, nor a lawyer. You can do this on your own. Many of us do. My husband originally wanted a lawyer and I said, "With all the costs already in this, not including plane tickets to see each other, do you really need to pay some guy $1000-3000, on the low end, to do paperwork that we can do ourselves?" He agreed. The process is expensive enough as it is. Unless you have red flags or enjoy throwing away money, you'll be okay.

Include the boarding passes, the pictures together, the joint membership, and the friend and family affidavits. Your friends are the ones that have to get them notarized because that means signing the form, turning it into a legal document, in front of a notary or lawyer etc... But if they want to just write a personal letter saying how much they truly feel you two have a genuine relationship, then let it be that too. As long as they've actually spent time with you two as a couple. So including them in pictures you send would lend credence to what they are saying. You also can include emails, texts, skype or other IM or messaging. Call logs showing you call each other too.

Edited December 4, 2012 by NikiR

[The Mean Lady 604]

All that a notarization does is verify identity.

Basically the person would be notarizing it to prove that you are John A. Smith singing the document which is not what immigration cares about on an affidavit.

They do not have to be notarized.

No one can tell from a piece of paper if you are telling the truth which is why they hold little weight, but, if you feel you are short, you are welcome to provide them.

[NikLR 13,227]

Perhaps I look at a notarized document a bit differently because in Canada it is generally only done by a lawyer, judge, house of commons member, members of the legislate and senate or a notary public who has to be granted such as by the provincial government. I've had to sign travel consent forms for my daughter. I generally have to say what is in the document is the truth and my signature is my oath. I have to show that I am signing them and they hold a legal weight. I am giving legal permission for my ex to take our daughter out of the country. I can't just call back and say "hey no I don't want to do that." I just gave him legal permission to do so. He uses that document (and I have used one signed by him) to get through customs into the USA. Without it, or a sole custody order, or a death certificate from one of us, she wouldn't be going anywhere. I think it's only not been asked to be seen once, and then it asked to be seen returning to Canada.

http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/A/Affiant.aspx

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affidavit

They're sworn documents.

But there are lawyers galore on here who can probably say they're worthless so I'll sit on my fingers.

I hope you feel you can submit evidience at this time. You can also submit more at the NVC stage and bring more to the interview but there is no guarantee the CO will look or consider the evidence you bring to an interview. Good luck!

[The Mean Lady 604]

Perhaps I look at a notarized document a bit differently because in Canada it is generally only done by a lawyer, judge, house of commons member, members of the legislate and senate or a notary public who has to be granted such as by the provincial government. I've had to sign travel consent forms for my daughter. I generally have to say what is in the document is the truth and my signature is my oath. I have to show that I am signing them and they hold a legal weight. I am giving legal permission for my ex to take our daughter out of the country. I can't just call back and say "hey no I don't want to do that." I just gave him legal permission to do so. He uses that document (and I have used one signed by him) to get through customs into the USA. Without it, or a sole custody order, or a death certificate from one of us, she wouldn't be going anywhere. I think it's only not been asked to be seen once, and then it asked to be seen returning to Canada.

http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/A/Affiant.aspx

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affidavit

They're sworn documents.

But there are lawyers galore on here who can probably say they're worthless so I'll sit on my fingers.

I hope you feel you can submit evidience at this time. You can also submit more at the NVC stage and bring more to the interview but there is no guarantee the CO will look or consider the evidence you bring to an interview. Good luck!

When you're dealing with permission given, that is different than a statement about how you feel.

Permission given notarized means that the notary is verifying that the person signing it is the person giving permission.

It's still a verification of identity.

However, when you're just talking about someone's opinion of if they feel someone's relationship is true, sure the lawyers will be happy to take your money for a stamp and a signature, but it means nothing.

No one can verify that what you say is true just by reading the paper.

However, by reading a "permission slip" of sorts, you can verify right there that that person signed that paper so it's legally binding.

On a side note: Finding notaries in Canada is ridiculous.

I can walk into any bank during regular hours in the US and find one.

But the fact that every lawyer in town here wouldn't call me back to notarize something? Ridiculous.

Edited December 4, 2012 by KDubovik

[NikLR 13,227]

I think you're missing the "oath" part. "sworn oath"

And it should be harder than walking into a bank to find a notary. It's part of what leads me to believe they're more than just a signature witness, at least in Canada they are. You can find a signature witness standing next to you in line at a grocery store. Or doing drugs in a back alley. Just sayin'

Again... The USA makes it easy to become a notary and to do it. So I understand that US immigration would probably consider a notarized document is worthless even if it required a sworn oath in a court of law in the beneficiary's country to get something notarized. It's just how the USA works. Trust me, I get it.

When a person is just married, they don't have "42" pictures to send to the USCIS, they have what they have. It says in the I-130 instructions you can send them, so by all means, let someone send them. They're not the best evidence but they're better than sending nothing. You can send more at the NVC stage and hopefully the CO will look at evidence brought to an interview. There is no harm in doing it. Doesn't mean there is great benefit, but there is no harm either. If someone chooses to pay for a notary then say, sure if you want to, then do it. It may or may not make a difference to the person adjudicating your case.

Edited December 4, 2012 by NikiR