China DCF: Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage

[nialresu 1]

Hey all,

My girlfriend and I have been cohabitating for a few years in China and we're planning to get married in the middle of January, and then shortly after file an I-130 in Guangzhou. Of course, we need to provide evidence of our "bona fide marriage" but we are going to be married like a week before we submit the I-130 in Guangzhou. All the evidence we have is really just evidence of our relationship (pictures spanning three years, airline tickets, my passport exit/entry stamps, my residence permits and visas, copies of my most recent contracts, etc...), we don't have any stuff showing joint assets or anything like that. I was planning on getting affidavits from two of my coworkers here in China and my current employer, but after researching around I've found that the affidavits that they'd write would need to be notarized (i'm assuming that they'd need to be notarized by the US Embassy or Consulate). But we live in Henan and it isn't practical or really possible to ask them to travel with us to the Embassy in order to affirm/notarize their documents.

I guess my question is: how screwed are we?

-Jake

[nialresu 1]

I probably should have posted this in the DCF forum...

[Ryan H 3,834]

Such affidavits do not need to be notarized.

[CowBoE 429]

Hey all,

My girlfriend and I have been cohabitating for a few years in China and we're planning to get married in the middle of January, and then shortly after file an I-130 in Guangzhou. Of course, we need to provide evidence of our "bona fide marriage" but we are going to be married like a week before we submit the I-130 in Guangzhou. All the evidence we have is really just evidence of our relationship (pictures spanning three years, airline tickets, my passport exit/entry stamps, my residence permits and visas, copies of my most recent contracts, etc...), we don't have any stuff showing joint assets or anything like that. I was planning on getting affidavits from two of my coworkers here in China and my current employer, but after researching around I've found that the affidavits that they'd write would need to be notarized (i'm assuming that they'd need to be notarized by the US Embassy or Consulate). But we live in Henan and it isn't practical or really possible to ask them to travel with us to the Embassy in order to affirm/notarize their documents.

I guess my question is: how screwed are we?

-Jake

Why do you think you are "screwed"?

I think you will be fine.

If you are getting married, that should provide additional evidence...

- wedding pictures

- wedding rings (and receipts)

- marriage certificate

Some US Citizen simply goes to overseas for few days and then get married,

but you've lived together so you should have stronger evidence.

If you haven't, it will probably help you to setup some joint accounts...

- bank

- investments

- rental contract / real-estate ownership

- Even utility, telephone, credit card joint accounts are good

Also things like setting up each other as primary life insurance beneficiary.

And of course, adding the spouse to the primary health insurance carrier.

Good luck & happy new year.

[Darnell 8,479]

fwiw - joint accounts on most things are unattainable in china. usually. are there exceptions? sure ! but is not the norm. your list is the norm, and mostly, not apply.

[Mike and Yaoling 46]

My wife and I tried to opening a joint savings account at the Bank of China. They only wanted a small deposit of ￥50,000. We just said no thanks and walked out the door.

Edited January 6, 2015 by Mike and Yaoling

[nialresu 1]

We've been co-mingling our finances for years too, we went to the bank last week and got a printout of all transaction and transfer records for the past two years. We just need to highlight the relevant items and translate the table headers. We're also collecting testimony letters from friends and of course we're going to include the typical relationship evidence (photos, emails, QQ chats, tickets, entry/exit stamps, etc...)

We should be solid.

Honestly, all we can do is try our best. There's no sense in fretting over things we can't change.

[Dan & Juan 12]

I think your cohabitation proof is very good. My situation is that I met my wife on Skype practicing English and we hit it off so well, I went to her city for the first time 8 months later meeting her for the first time and we married the first visit. I sent in the I130 a couple months later because I figured the life life journey would be able to fill in while the visa journey wound its way through the bureaucracy.

It was AFTER we were married that I made several more visits and had some things to furnish for bona fide. You have the benefit of living with your intended for a long time and having a lot more proof than I ever could when I was married.

I had a lot of strikes against me, married on first meeting, short time knowing each other, 13 year age difference etc, and we sailed through the interview process the next year.

If it is real it is real!

Good luck and congratulations