Evidence of a bonafide marriage

[Andrew_Soriya 0]

Besides a marriage certificate, I'm trying to find the easiest way to show that my wife and I are tied together. I called to my bank and credit card companies to add her to the account, but every single time they asked for a social security number. How can I proceed with showing proof without her having a valid social security number? Thanks and this is a tremendous site to assist me with all my immigration questions and I look forward to the day when this is all done.

-Andrew

[pushbrk 13,066]

Besides a marriage certificate, I'm trying to find the easiest way to show that my wife and I are tied together. I called to my bank and credit card companies to add her to the account, but every single time they asked for a social security number. How can I proceed with showing proof without her having a valid social security number? Thanks and this is a tremendous site to assist me with all my immigration questions and I look forward to the day when this is all done.

-Andrew

The proof for marriages between people who don't live together generally consist of proof of visits and ongoing communication. Provide this proof for her to take with her to the interview.

[walls1010 3]

SS# is required in any bank to open a bank account. Why not let her get a SS#? She need a SS# if she'll work someday, and you need SS# also in filing a joint federal tax, and getting a state ID or driver liscence. It's not hard to apply a SS#. Another proof of bonafide marriage is put both names to your utility bills (electric, gas, water), and telephone bills.

[Andrew_Soriya 0]

SS# is required in any bank to open a bank account. Why not let her get a SS#? She need a SS# if she'll work someday, and you need SS# also in filing a joint federal tax, and getting a state ID or driver liscence. It's not hard to apply a SS#. Another proof of bonafide marriage is put both names to your utility bills (electric, gas, water), and telephone bills.

Thanks guys! I'll simply add her to my utility bills. Also, I looked into establishing her a SS#, but thought that I needed to receive the K-3 before I can proceed. Can I get this done for her or does she has to do it herself?

[NikkisPrecious 0]

Pictures will help, Affidavits sworn by 3rd parties, phone bills, purchases, basically use anything you DO have.

I feel where your coming from though, how a marriage certificate itself doesn't show a bonafide marriage is beyond me. I know people try to cheat the system but surely wedding photos of everyone together is a damm good bit of evidence

Good luck with everything

[Robor007 0]

Besides a marriage certificate, I'm trying to find the easiest way to show that my wife and I are tied together. I called to my bank and credit card companies to add her to the account, but every single time they asked for a social security number. How can I proceed with showing proof without her having a valid social security number? Thanks and this is a tremendous site to assist me with all my immigration questions and I look forward to the day when this is all done.

-Andrew

I tried to add my wife to my existing bank accounts and was told it's not possible. She needs a SSN and must be present to sign the paperwork. I was able to get an additional checking account in my name with my wife second on the account though. I think they called it 'ITF' (In Trust For) or something like that. Once the check card arrived I mailed it to her. The check card still has my name on it but she can use it to withdraw money from our account without having to pay Western Union or another expensive money transfer service. The bank also gave me a printout of our account and it has her name on the document so it not only saves $$$ but adds to proof of relationship.

[pushbrk 13,066]

Pictures will help, Affidavits sworn by 3rd parties, phone bills, purchases, basically use anything you DO have.

I feel where your coming from though, how a marriage certificate itself doesn't show a bonafide marriage is beyond me. I know people try to cheat the system but surely wedding photos of everyone together is a damm good bit of evidence

Good luck with everything

A marriage certificate proves a legal marriage. That's enough for the USCIS when filing a petition for a spouse. Proof of a bonafide ongoing relationship is what a Consular Officer is looking for at interview for the visa or for adjustment of status. The standards are different for the three different contexts.

1. That you were both free to marry and actually got married in person is enough proof to approve a petition but this only gets you to the visa application process.

2. For spouses who don't or have never lived together before the visa is issued, pictures and communication records are generally sufficient to prove a bonafide ongoing relationship for visa issuance as long as there is not also evidence to the contrary. If you can do more, do it.

3. For adjustment of status after arrival in the US, such things as joint bank accounts and utility bills to show that you cohabitate, are easy to do and expected extra evidence that the marriage is bonafide and ongoing.

If your spouse has a SSN, or you've lived together in a place where you could have a joint bank account, by all means, include it with your petition. If you've never lived together, all you need at petition time is a legal marriage certificate. More can be better if you have it but remember the USCIS must evaluate every document you include. If it isn't needed or could raise extra questions, I think its better to leave it out.

[Imgone 0]

I don't know about your auto insurance but i added my wife on my policy. I use progressive and they allowed her to be added. So now the bill comes with both our names on it.

[Niels Bohr 72]

PM me brother. I am more experienced in this matter. You can also PM Jackson81 on my friends lists. He worked with many fiancees and spouse visas in the past helping our Cambodian people.

Edited April 16, 2007 by consolemaster

[mendeleev 68]

It is not a legal requirement that all account holders on non-interest bearing checking accounts have Social Security Numbers. So I converted my checking accounts to non-interest bearing accounts and made them joint accounts with her. (The amount of interest my checking accounts earned didn't amount to anything -- other than creating a headache when I balanced those checkbooks!) Not all banks will do this. The fact that I had a longstanding relationship with my bank probably helped. They also let me name her as the beneficiary of my money market and certificates of deposit. As my wife, she is automatically the beneficiary of my 401K because of the way it is set up. It would have been possible, if we already had a TIN for her (which you get with a W-9) to add her to my interest-bearing bank accounts but the paperwork was too complicated for us to figure out.