Bona Fide proof

[jambey2510 0]

Hi there!

Been stalking a little bit but have a few questions to ask myself.

My fiance and I are going to have a courthouse marriage in December so we can begin a CR-1 application for me to move over here to be with her. We will have been together 1 year and 2 months by then. I met her through a dating app and we hung out for the three weeks I was in Chicago and we got along well. We stayed in touch, and decided we liked each other a lot to give it a go. She travelled Europe with her sister and met me for 3 days in London. I have since been to visit her for 5 weeks in Feb and I'm currently here visiting her for 8 and a half weeks. We have spent sufficient time together, and spoke about our futures enough that we know this is what we want.

The reason we want a courthouse marriage is because we are both starting up school (she's a 5 year PhD student getting a good stipend, and I'm a trainee teacher back in England) so we can't afford a full blown ceremony and reception (we will save up for these in the future though once we are earning enough). However, we know we want to be married and live together ASAP, so when I've finished my teaching course.

We will file the I-130 for the CR-1 along with the relevant forms to go alongside this as soon as we get our wedding certificate. We are confident with all other aspects of the application except for the bona fide proof. It seems to suggest only after marriage stuff which we won't have as we will have just married. As we are both young (she's 23, I'm 25), we don't have joint accounts, finances etc! So can't provide any of that kind of excellent evidence. What we can provide are photos together, copies of letters and cards we have mailed to each other, screenshots from conversations, screenshots of my emailed and confirmed flight receipts from when I visited her and also hotel/airbnb booking receipts.

Would the above evidence be good enough to prove a bona fide marriage? We are crazy in love with each other, and worry they won't be able to see that!

[j&ana 380]

That is good enough evidence. When I apply for my wife we did not have any joints accounts or any kind of finances together most people do not when they are first married and one of them is living in another country. passport stamp will be better then the flights receipts. If you both flew together somewhere the receipt will be good also but otherwise the stamp is better as it proves that you were actually in her country

I sent in about the same stuff for my wife when I file for her. She has been in U.S a little over a year now

Edited July 18, 2016 by j&ana

[Lainie B 465]

Are you in the US right now?

OK nevermind, I didn't read your post properly. Since you are in the US right now, you have the option of marrying and filing the I-130 and I-485 concurrently and skipping the visa part altogether.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Lainie B

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Wondering why you are waiting until December. It can take a year. If you get married next weekend, you can cut five months off when you actually move here.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,417]

Or stay, marry and AOS now, you would not have to be apart.

It's 100% OK, as you did not intend to do this when you came to the US.

[JFH 12,191]

I think he wants to finish his teaching course so staying might not be the best option.

I agree with Nich-Nick that if it's just a courthouse wedding why not do that tomorrow and get the ball rolling with the paperwork.

Edited July 18, 2016 by JFH

[jambey2510 0]

That is good enough evidence. When I apply for my wife we did not have any joints accounts or any kind of finances together most people do not when they are first married and one of them is living in another country. passport stamp will be better then the flights receipts. If you both flew together somewhere the receipt will be good also but otherwise the stamp is better as it proves that you were actually in her country

I sent in about the same stuff for my wife when I file for her. She has been in U.S a little over a year now

Thank you. I was worried it may not look enough at all. But I'm glad it will be. Passport stamps? The stamp the Officer puts in my passport at my POE to show I'm entering the country and when I need to leave by? I travel to the USA on the VWP.

Are you in the US right now?

OK nevermind, I didn't read your post properly. Since you are in the US right now, you have the option of marrying and filing the I-130 and I-485 concurrently and skipping the visa part altogether.

Hey! Well, we want me to finish my course before I move over, more so that I can get into teaching over here too, as it's something I really want to do and is a career I am passionate about. The idea is good if we both didn't have school to finish up!

Wondering why you are waiting until December. It can take a year. If you get married next weekend, you can cut five months off when you actually move here.

We are currently at her place for school and it's just us two. It is something we have only just recently spoke about doing, and therefore she wants to let her family know what our plans are so she explain to them why and how we are going to do it. I would do it tomorrow if we could, but I have to respect the fact that she wants to tell her family first I know it can take a year, but with my 1 year course we should be in the last month or two of the visa process, so hopefully it won't even feel too long!

Or stay, marry and AOS now, you would not have to be apart.

It's 100% OK, as you did not intend to do this when you came to the US.

I know, however I want to do my course and tell my family and friends my plan, I don't want to just suddenly leave everything behind.

I think he wants to finish his teaching course so staying might not be the best option.

I agree with Nich-Nick that if it's just a courthouse wedding why not do that tomorrow and get the ball rolling with the paperwork.

Hi, I respect that suggestion, but I don't want to force my girlfriend into doing that, as she wants to be able to tell her family our plans and what not. So we are going to wait!

Further question - what if when I visit her for Christmas the officer at the POE decides to ask if I plan to marry her? What do I say? I don't want to lie!

[JFH 12,191]

Always be truthful.

If he asks if you plan to marry and you are getting married on that visit then you must say so.

I was worried that I would be asked about marriage on the visit that I went to get married. As luck would have it, on that particular day the CBP officer was more concerned that my fair English skin would burn during the heatwave they were experiencing and told me to be careful in the sun. He didn't ask anything about getting married or future plans.

[jambey2510 0]

Hey guys,

another question! I know that the forms etc has to be filed and filled in by my girlfriend, which is fine by us.

However, are we okay to use screenshots of conversations from whatsapp etc that have been screenshot from my phone? Or do they have to be from her phone? I only ask as she doesn't keep our older chats but I have them all, the screenshot shows her at the top and nothing of me? Is this going to be sufficient enough at all as proof?

[afortunada 182]

Hey guys,

another question! I know that the forms etc has to be filed and filled in by my girlfriend, which is fine by us.

However, are we okay to use screenshots of conversations from whatsapp etc that have been screenshot from my phone? Or do they have to be from her phone? I only ask as she doesn't keep our older chats but I have them all, the screenshot shows her at the top and nothing of me? Is this going to be sufficient enough at all as proof?

Screen shots can be from either phone

She can/should also write out a letter detailing how you met and how your relationship progressed, etc.

Good luck!

[jambey2510 0]

Screen shots can be from either phone

She can/should also write out a letter detailing how you met and how your relationship progressed, etc.

Good luck!

Thank you, that's put our minds at rest!!!!

Okay, that's a good plan. So like a brief one page story of how we met, what we have done together etc?

[afortunada 182]

Well, it depends how much she enjoys writing, ha! But yes, just lay out a timeline of your relationship. So start with how you met, how you continued communicating, what things you've done together, your plans together for the future, etc. etc. etc. and then she will need to sign and date it as well (does not need to be notarized, though you can if you'd like).

Also, in relation to the WhatsApp logs, make sure you have the time/date stamp in the shots, too.

[jambey2510 0]

Thank you guys. We are all sorted I think now! We have an evidence document which includes a summary of our relationship by her, photos of us together, social media posts, screenshots of whatsapp chats, cards and letters we gave or sent each other, scanned passport stamps from us both showing we have visited each other in our countries, then some receipts from gifts, meals out together and an airbnb receipt from a weekend away. This should be sufficient evidence to prove we are entering/have entered the marriage in good faith right?

[jambey2510 0]

My girlfriend will use her passport as her proof of her being a USC. What EXACTLY is needed to be photocopied? Surely not every single page?

[Ryan H 3,834]

My girlfriend will use her passport as her proof of her being a USC. What EXACTLY is needed to be photocopied? Surely not every single page?

Yes, it has to be every single page to include the front and back cover.