RFE: Petitioner & Beneficiary Have Met in Person

[Habibati & Habibi 21]

hi

I need help, my fiance came to me to Algeria to visit me for the first time what I noticed is that they neither d not stamp her passport when she left the US nor when she entered Algeria.After all when she left Algeria they stamped her passport . W are experiencing RFE and we need to prove that she entered Algeria is there any way we can prove that she left USA, does US airport issue a document or a paper or a form showing leaving US borders?

could any body help please ,thank you

[usmsbow 802]

1 hour ago, Tawfik & Marzanna said:

hi

I need help, my fiance came to me to Algeria to visit me for the first time what I noticed is that they neither d not stamp her passport when she left the US nor when she entered Algeria.After all when she left Algeria they stamped her passport . W are experiencing RFE and we need to prove that she entered Algeria is there any way we can prove that she left USA, does US airport issue a document or a paper or a form showing leaving US borders?

could any body help please ,thank you

So does she have one exit stamp from Algeria but no entry stamp? Is that what happened? Did she need a visa to visit? if so, did you provide a copy of the visa with your petition?

 

And do you have any evidence of her flights? Boarding pass would be ideal, but if you have a ticket receipt. that would be better than nothing. 

 

To answer your question. no, there is no form or paper showing someone left the US. 

[zilchfox 296]

17 hours ago, Antonia & Dian said:

Received an RFE for having met in person on May 30th. 

Anyone else received this type of RFE and what kind of evidence did you submit? 

I sent in a copy of my flight ticket and stamp in passport for entering Bulgaria but I guess it's insufficient. 

 

AKA submit photos of you actually being together.

Edited June 1, 2017 by zilchfox

[Maria1989 403]

2 hours ago, Tawfik & Marzanna said:

hi

I need help, my fiance came to me to Algeria to visit me for the first time what I noticed is that they neither d not stamp her passport when she left the US nor when she entered Algeria.After all when she left Algeria they stamped her passport . W are experiencing RFE and we need to prove that she entered Algeria is there any way we can prove that she left USA, does US airport issue a document or a paper or a form showing leaving US borders?

could any body help please ,thank you

Her boarding passes, luggage tags have your name and flight number on them, photos together, receipts, credit card statements with any purchases. If she has joined the airline frequent flyer clubs it logs all past trips. 

 

 

[Maria1989 403]

Please dont take this as being rude. Its not my intentions at all. Put this process requires preparation. If you cant prove that you actually met, how do you propose to prove a bonafide relationship to a Immigration Officer, especially in Algeria. Thats going to be even harder than proving that you were in each others space at the same time. Was she only there once? If you submit photos, even try to show the date and time stamp. I have an Iphone, I can go into my phone they will show the date and time stamp on each photo. Not sure if that will help tho. Where did she stay, does she have a hotel reciept, me and my fiance went to Goree Island they give a reciept for that. Try and put all the pieces together to hopefully complete a picture of evidence of meeting. How long was she there? It really boggles my mind how a US citizen can fly to another continent and not have solid proof, especially with a process like this being put together. I know how I lose things, I took photos of my boarding passes. I just trying to pull things out my head to see what you may have that could help paint a picture. I use a time clock system at work where I can print my calendar and show

my days off. Maybe if she has somthing like that along with her flight schedule, the exit stamp, and photos that may work. Obviously you cant exit if you were never there, I think they just want a full picture and not have to guess. 

[geowrian 22,338]

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I only sent 2 photos in my I-129F package...one of her and a ring, and the other of us together. I doubt either played a role in the decision, actually. The primary evidence (boarding passes on the same plane, endorsed JR passes, etc.) was well more than sufficient. You have to show more than you were just in the same country as her. I'm not against having photos, but they very, very rarely show a verifiable date and location. The simpler items (boarding passes, event receipts and tickets, hotel receipt/records, etc.) tell a more compelling story IMHO.

 

I do understand how one does not have all types of proof (besides photos) off-hand...especially if the immigration process was not in the cards until after the trip.

[Maria1989 403]

6 minutes ago, geowrian said:

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I only sent 2 photos in my I-129F package...one of her and a ring, and the other of us together. I doubt either played a role in the decision, actually. The primary evidence (boarding passes on the same plane, endorsed JR passes, etc.) was well more than sufficient. You have to show more than you were just in the same country as her. I'm not against having photos, but they very, very rarely show a verifiable date and location. The simpler items (boarding passes, event receipts and tickets, hotel receipt/records, etc.) tell a more compelling story IMHO.

 

I do understand how one does not have all types of proof (besides photos) off-hand...especially if the immigration process was not in the cards until after the trip.

But it seems as if you chose to only send 2 photos. Not that you didnt have more. You dont need these things off-hand, but when you are sending in a petition that says provide evidence that you have met couldn't you gather them. I dont think this is a process where you grab things off hand. Further going to another continent requires paperwork, documents and planning. Even if there was a mistake and someone didnt stamp a passport, there are flight documents, hotel reciepts, credit card statements, register reciepts, purchase reciepts, something.......

 

I guess maybe I sent too many photos but, my fiance is a journalist so naturally he took tons of photos. I have photos on my phone, the Ipad, camera, and his phone. 

[geowrian 22,338]

17 minutes ago, Maria1989 said:

But it seems as if you chose to only send 2 photos. Not that you didnt have more. You dont need these things off-hand, but when you are sending in a petition that says provide evidence that you have met couldn't you gather them. I dont think this is a process where you grab things off hand. Further going to another continent requires paperwork, documents and planning. Even if there was a mistake and someone didnt stamp a passport, there are flight documents, hotel reciepts, credit card statements, register reciepts, purchase reciepts, something.......

 

I guess maybe I sent too many photos but, my fiance is a journalist so naturally he took tons of photos. I have photos on my phone, the Ipad, camera, and his phone. 

You just send what you have, really. There wasn't a lot of 3rd-party-sourced paperwork in my case. Sure I had invoices for hotels and such from my credit card (booked online in advance), but I didn't retain any receipts during the stay (including that for hotels). We didn't plan for anything with immigration until after our last trip where I proposed, so we weren't gathering any evidence on purpose. Luckily my fiancee retained our boarding passes and JR Passes together. Otherwise I would only have had photos + passport stamps + some credit card records.

 

We have several hundred photos together, but chose to just send what they are asking for. Less is more IMHO.

[doggieandsam 765]

7 hours ago, OutOfThisWorld said:

Seems like a good opportunity to ask:

What kind of receipts prove being at the same location at the same time?

 

Hotel reservations ether do not have a space for the second person name or allow you to put arbitrarily any name; so that does not prove anything.

I submitted movie ticket stubs, with credit card receipt, and the photo of the two of us in front of the movie theater. But since the photo is secondary, the receipts do not prove anything again.

 

Any ideas for receipts that actually prove being together?

 

One I am thinking about is taking a foreign trip together, and providing named boarding passes AND matching border crossing stamps in both passports. Boarding passes by themselves again, do not prove anything, as I can purchase tickets, check in and get boarding passes without the other person actually present.

Any other ideas?

Some hotel reservations do allow you to put in two names. Same with package tours, dinner reservations etc

[Scandi 4,186]

8 hours ago, OutOfThisWorld said:

Seems like a good opportunity to ask:

What kind of receipts prove being at the same location at the same time?

 

Hotel reservations ether do not have a space for the second person name or allow you to put arbitrarily any name; so that does not prove anything.

I submitted movie ticket stubs, with credit card receipt, and the photo of the two of us in front of the movie theater. But since the photo is secondary, the receipts do not prove anything again.

 

Any ideas for receipts that actually prove being together?

 

One I am thinking about is taking a foreign trip together, and providing named boarding passes AND matching border crossing stamps in both passports. Boarding passes by themselves again, do not prove anything, as I can purchase tickets, check in and get boarding passes without the other person actually present.

Any other ideas?

Tickets to places you've visited that shows the date and then photos of the two of you at that particular place. Me and my husband sent copies of our tickets to Sea World, San Diego Zoo etc, and when there we took pictures of the two of us (and his mother) standing in front of the Sea World sign, a San Diego Zoo statue and so on. 

[OutOfThisWorld 87]

13 hours ago, iamdegie said:

Some hotel reservations do allow you to put in two names. Same with package tours, dinner reservations etc

Exactly: I can put Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, on that reservation. It does not prove she stayed at the hotel with me.

 

12 hours ago, Scandi said:

Tickets to places you've visited that shows the date and then photos of the two of you at that particular place. Me and my husband sent copies of our tickets to Sea World, San Diego Zoo etc,

Nether Sea World or San Diego Zoo put patron names on the tickets and check the IDs unless it is season tickets. With season tickets again, I can purchase them in any name, and just not go to the venue.

 

12 hours ago, Scandi said:

 and when there we took pictures of the two of us (and his mother) standing in front of the Sea World sign, a San Diego Zoo statue and so on. 

I have exactly the same issue, all my evidence hinges on pictures. Take the pictures away, and there is no proof of meeting in person. There is proof I had been to the fiancée country, and town; but no primary proof of actually being together…

 

So what I am thinking about is something like both of us being a part of an official happening, like being certified witnesses or maybe taking a certified food safety course together. Or maybe both of us signing a document in front of a notary, and having the notary certify that both of us appeared in front of her in person…

[Scandi 4,186]

4 minutes ago, OutOfThisWorld said:

Exactly: I can put Elizabeth II, the Queen of England, on that reservation. It does not prove she stayed at the hotel with me.

 

Nether Sea World or San Diego Zoo put patron names on the tickets and check the IDs unless it is season tickets. With season tickets again, I can purchase them in any name, and just not go to the venue.

 

I have exactly the same issue, all my evidence hinges on pictures. Take the pictures away, and there is no proof of meeting in person. There is proof I had been to the fiancée country, and town; but no primary proof of actually being together…

 

So what I am thinking about is something like both of us being a part of an official happening, like being certified witnesses or maybe taking a certified food safety course together. Or maybe both of us signing a document in front of a notary, and having the notary certify that both of us appeared in front of her in person…

The tickets with dates AND photos of you together right by the Sea World sign etc will be good enough proof, why make it harder than it is? Random photos of the two of you are secondary evidence though as it doesn't prove the pics were taken within the last two years. But the photo together with tickets with DATES on them will be good enough.

[OutOfThisWorld 87]

25 minutes ago, Scandi said:

The tickets with dates AND photos of you together right by the Sea World sign etc will be good enough proof, why make it harder than it is? Random photos of the two of you are secondary evidence though as it doesn't prove the pics were taken within the last two years. But the photo together with tickets with DATES on them will be good enough.

Well, yes, that is what I did. I already mailed my petition, and then I come on here and read that photos are not primary evidence and should not be relied upon.

[geowrian 22,338]

1 hour ago, OutOfThisWorld said:

Well, yes, that is what I did. I already mailed my petition, and then I come on here and read that photos are not primary evidence and should not be relied upon.

There's a difference between random photos at some place the adjudicating officer may not recognize and without a verifiable date, versus providing dated ticket stubs for an event and have a photo of you together with a sign stating the name of the event. It's possible those could be from 2 different visits, but it tells a pretty compelling story in addition to the other evidence provided. Very rarely would a single piece of evidence make or break a case here...it's about looking at everything together.

[Antonia & Dian 30]

17 hours ago, geowrian said:

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I only sent 2 photos in my I-129F package...one of her and a ring, and the other of us together. I doubt either played a role in the decision, actually. The primary evidence (boarding passes on the same plane, endorsed JR passes, etc.) was well more than sufficient. You have to show more than you were just in the same country as her. I'm not against having photos, but they very, very rarely show a verifiable date and location. The simpler items (boarding passes, event receipts and tickets, hotel receipt/records, etc.) tell a more compelling story IMHO.

 

I do understand how one does not have all types of proof (besides photos) off-hand...especially if the immigration process was not in the cards until after the trip.

I didn't send any photos in my I-129F package because I thought they were needed for the interview only. I sent a copy of my passport stamp of entering the country and also a copy of my flight ticket, but it makes sense that it doesn't prove that my fiance and I met during that time. We didn't have any reservations because I stayed at his house and with my relatives. Plus in Bulgaria there's no receipts for things like that with names listed, so it was hard getting good evidence. I responded to the RFE with my boarding passes, flight tickets (once again), new years pictures, pictures of his birthday (one with him and the cake, hopefully that's good enough), picture of his family and I on a trip, and I guess the most important one was a day trip we took to Turkey and we both have stamps of the entry point in our passports so I sent that as well with two pictures of us in Turkey. How do the officers know for sure that those photos were taken at a certain place? On my iphone when I take a pic it says the location and date, so I took a screenshot of the photo with it showing that info, I hope they don't think that is something made up.