evidence of bona fide marriage, How does this look?

[mytruelove18 608]

6 hours ago, Tilde333 said:

How does this look for bonafide evidence?

Thank you all for your help.  hoping to send package on monday

 

Timeline of our relationship with photos and letter

1. Copy of birth certificate of our deceased son  ******
2. Copy of birth certificate of our 8 month old daughter ******
3. Copy of all pages of M’s U.S. passport indicating visits to Costa Rica and consecutive time spent with KAPH in Costa Rica and Panama
4. Copy of pages of daughter’s U.S. indicating the 4 months spent with mother and father in Costa Rica, including a family trip to visit Bocas del Toro, Panama to see more family
5. Affidavit signed by H, mother to the petitioner MMD and mother-in-law of the beneficiary KAPH 
6. Copy of pool passes from neighborhood pool showing joint residence at MMD’s parent’s house.
7. Copy of car insurance on the Donovan family car with USAA for KAPH

 

My cousin went to his interview last june 6, his wife is 15 years older than him, no children, they didnt have nothing togetherlike lease, bank acount, etc, his wife usc, told to the officer that she didnt add him on her bank acount because he wasnt working and she is who pay everything, and because that no made sense add him if he wasnt working and no helping with money to the account, about the lease, she told him that the lease was made on november and he arrived on december and she will add him on next december.

All they had was pictures together, evidence that they traveled to Puerto Rico.

They were approved without problem.

You have a lot of evidence, more strong the children birth certificate.

 

Edited June 30, 2018 by mytruelove18

[geowrian 22,337]

If having a child was enough to show a bona fide marriage, a lot of scammers would go that route. Yes, having  a child obviously makes you responsible for them (both morally and legally), but it would be a fairly easy way to get through the process. Heck, even scammers want children and to be a good father/mother.

 

I'm not saying don't include that evidence, but it likely is not enough in itself. The other items people noted are great items to add and should go a very long way to present a good case. if you can't get them with the initial filing, get them as son as you can and provide them at the interview. You'll be fine.

Edited June 30, 2018 by geowrian

[janet3 1,170]

First of all... I am sorry for the loss of your son.

As for AOS....do you have documentation from the hospital, power of attorney, financial documents.....bills with both your names on them...for either children? Or you yourselves?..,.Is your child in daycare? If so get copies of the paperwork you completed (which would list both parents)....just a couple of ideas.

[NancyLyz 58]

4 hours ago, Tilde333 said:

Hi Nancy! Thanks for your reply.  We have loads of pictures as we have been married for 2 years and together for 4.  We have 2 kids together and family photos and affidavits, so lots of evidence of that sort.  My dilemma is that while we have a joint account in Costa Rica and just got him on the car insurance. We are living at my parents house (no rent or way to add him into anything there).  And we are just starting up a life here.  But we desperately need him to start working.  My mom has cancer and I'm taking care of her and the baby and we have like $0 haha my dad is the joint sponsor.  I am trying to figure out how to prove this and I just feel like no one will believe it because there are no big financial ties. 

 

only taxes, health insurance, life insurance and joint account in Costa Rica....

 

Thank you all for your continued helo. 

In that case, just go ahead and provide everything you have already. Do provide a certified translated copy of everything if they're not in English. USCIS does not accept documents that are not in English (as far as I know). 

[Ischnura 285]

 I wasn't a joint bank account holder here when we went through AOS - no SSN. It helps to co-mingle your finances if you can but if the bank won't allow it there's not a great deal you can do. 

 You can, however, add one another to other stuff like life insurance, wills, POA, health insurance, credit cards, student loans, taxes, daycare contact info, lease, utilities etc. Anything proving you live at the same address helps really.

 

 You can't produce what you don't have. 

 

 We sent in health insurance with all of us on, our Son's BC, two leases with both of us on, copies of military ID's, the bank's family info listing me (not an account holder just a family member) tax returns and a handful of photos of us with our Son and various relatives from both sides of the family. The interviewer said it was solid evidence provided. Quality is key.

[Highmystic 234]

18 hours ago, Alabamak1 said:

I agree that you seem to be lacking good evidence and no financial stuff there.

 

We have already:

 

a) Proof of joint account at local credit union

b) credit cards in joint account(s)

c) beneficiary from my work 401k, medical HSA account, work travel insurance and more work stuff

d) mail from different sources government, private mail (friends and relatives), other non governmental mail pieces to proof address

e) apartment lease with both names on it 

f) Working how to get her name on my current loan for my car, close to getting her a vehicle for herself also with both names in registration

g) other legal documents where my wife is beneficiary at not related to work...

 

sorry, but your evidence is a little insufficient on proof of bonafide marriage.  we have this in less than a month of being married already and working on more, lower level of acceptance, photos, trips and such

 

 

 

I've had issues with Ref F on your list,   DMV will not add her to the registration unless she is on the title,  and I can't get my late wife name off of the title unless I refinance the vehicle.  It took a week to get here  on a joint account on one of my banks,  due to no picture ID in her married name.  Just the SS card, and her Passport still in her maiden name.  DMV won't even give her an ID, so until she gets her EAD card,  it will be her first gov issued ID card with a picture. We jumped the gun by getting her SS card in her married name, since she needed an SS# for the banks, etc. but that left her with only her PP in her maiden name and no picture.  In hindsight, we SHOULD HAVE gotten her SS in her maiden name, would have saved a lot of hassles.  Then change it after she gets the EAD or GC.  Live and learn..

[dawning 212]

20 hours ago, Tilde333 said:

That makes sense, but children are strong evidence too right? Otherwise I'll wait another week to submit until I can put him on my life insurance and get him health insurance and make a joint bank account.  Right now he has travel, bc this was supposed to be just travel. I am the beneficiary on his travel insurance, would that count?

I think having children together is fairly good evidence, especially more than one child.  Some people say it doesn't mean anything, but I personally would much rather open a bank account with someone for a scam than have a child with them.  Money is replaceable, children are not.

However, ideally you would have financial co-mingling as well. 

 

I would think that evidence of your account in Costa Rica would be good evidence as you have been living there.  There hasn't been any reason or ability for you to financially co-mingle in the US, if I understand your situation correctly, but you did in CR because you were living there.

If it were me I would send evidence of your financial co-mingling in Costa Rica and a cover letter explaining that your lives were co-mingled in CR, and why you haven't started that process in the US until now. 

 

If you have photos together, in social and family contexts for the duration of your relationship, that to me is some kind of evidence as well.  If I were reviewing the file, I would be  think it unlikely that you spent 4 years generating photos before starting a scam filing.  Again, a cover letter might help to point out the context of those photos and how they show your relationship sustaining over those 4 years.

 

I applied for a marriage visa for my husband, and had no evidence of financial co-mingling as I was always visiting his home country rather than residing there, so I couldn't be on his financial documents as a non-resident.  I explained this with the evidence of bona fide relationship I sent.  After his visa was approved and he came to the US, it took us some time (a few month) to get bank accounts together, add him to my old account, and so on.  And we also live with family and don't have any rental agreements.  It also took time for him to get a driver's license, be added to the family insurance,  and other financial steps.  So when we went to remove conditions I sent the evidence I had, and just explained in the cover letter that the evidence reflected us slowly moving towards our financial goals as busy people, rather than any unwillingness to co-mingle.  We were approved without an RFE, but I had been saving evidence of co-mingling throughout the time we were waiting, in case we needed more evidence.  My advice is to read through the suggestions here, send as much as you can of what you DO have, and keep collecting evidence in case they want more down the road.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[dawning 212]

10 minutes ago, dawning said:

I think having children together is fairly good evidence, especially more than one child.  Some people say it doesn't mean anything, but I personally would much rather open a bank account with someone for a scam than have a child with them.  Money is replaceable, children are not.

However, ideally you would have financial co-mingling as well. 

 

I would think that evidence of your account in Costa Rica would be good evidence as you have been living there.  There hasn't been any reason or ability for you to financially co-mingle in the US, if I understand your situation correctly, but you did in CR because you were living there.

If it were me I would send evidence of your financial co-mingling in Costa Rica and a cover letter explaining that your lives were co-mingled in CR, and why you haven't started that process in the US until now. 

 

If you have photos together, in social and family contexts for the duration of your relationship, that to me is some kind of evidence as well.  If I were reviewing the file, I would be  think it unlikely that you spent 4 years generating photos before starting a scam filing.  Again, a cover letter might help to point out the context of those photos and how they show your relationship sustaining over those 4 years.

 

I applied for a marriage visa for my husband, and had no evidence of financial co-mingling as I was always visiting his home country rather than residing there, so I couldn't be on his financial documents as a non-resident.  I explained this with the evidence of bona fide relationship I sent.  After his visa was approved and he came to the US, it took us some time (a few month) to get bank accounts together, add him to my old account, and so on.  And we also live with family and don't have any rental agreements.  It also took time for him to get a driver's license, be added to the family insurance,  and other financial steps.  So when we went to remove conditions I sent the evidence I had, and just explained in the cover letter that the evidence reflected us slowly moving towards our financial goals as busy people, rather than any unwillingness to co-mingle.  We were approved without an RFE, but I had been saving evidence of co-mingling throughout the time we were waiting, in case we needed more evidence.  My advice is to read through the suggestions here, send as much as you can of what you DO have, and keep collecting evidence in case they want more down the road.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Forgot to mention our evidence also included birth certificates of 2 children, and photos of us together and with family and friends over the duration of time in the US.

[Alabamak1 688]

8 hours ago, Highmystic said:

I've had issues with Ref F on your list,   DMV will not add her to the registration unless she is on the title,  and I can't get my late wife name off of the title unless I refinance the vehicle.  It took a week to get here  on a joint account on one of my banks,  due to no picture ID in her married name.  Just the SS card, and her Passport still in her maiden name.  DMV won't even give her an ID, so until she gets her EAD card,  it will be her first gov issued ID card with a picture. We jumped the gun by getting her SS card in her married name, since she needed an SS# for the banks, etc. but that left her with only her PP in her maiden name and no picture.  In hindsight, we SHOULD HAVE gotten her SS in her maiden name, would have saved a lot of hassles.  Then change it after she gets the EAD or GC.  Live and learn..

well what is done is done. try to gather for more reliable proof of marriage. it's on you to prove it and not on them to accept what you give them. Some IO might be much more relaxed on the rules than others. I had one of those stern believers nothing can or will be slightly deviated from the broad rules of evidence. Talking about my N-400 and got delayed for a month although I had a photocopy of certified judicial outcome in court. Not good enough she said and put me on the back of the line.