I-130 Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage

[Konstantinos 1]

Hello VJers,

 

I am about to submit an online I-130 for my spouse and after a long time of gathering bona fide marriage documents, here's what i managed to gather. Would you be kind enough to provide me with your feedback?

 

                                Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage.

1. Multiple photographs in pdf of our relationship for the past five years (showing the two of us in different places, with friends and each other's family)
2. Wedding invitations, photographs and receipts for expenses
3. Power of attorney from Beneficiary to Petitioner
4. Power of attorney from Petitioner to Beneficiary for use in the foreign country along with certified translation
5. Certificate of studies for both of us showing that we studied in the same University, where we met.
6. Facebook chat logs between Petitioner and Beneficiary from 2015 till now (along with our chats with each other's immediate family)
7. Sample of messenger calls and video chats from 2016. Phone Call logs October 2019-February 2020 (couldn't retrieve more from earlier)
8. Emails we exchanged
9. Facebook posts including both of us in various places dating back to 2016
10. Love letters and notes/cards sent to each other with date and signature
11. Common trips taken together and hotel receipts (going on vacation together or visiting each other in various countries where we studied for our post-graduate degree)
12. Sample of Bank transfers before having a common account (4 from each side over the course of 3 years)
13. Affidavit of support and copy of passport’s biometric page attached
14. Proof of joint financial resources (1 Checking account with multiple statements and account movement and 1 Savings account with both our names on) + translations
15. Water bill in my name and Telecommunication bill in my spouse's name showing same address outside the US + translations

 

13 and 14 are documents from the foreign country of residence (spouse's country) where we stayed together for some time before me moving back to the States to start working. We do not have any bills or joint bank accounts from the US, as she has never been to the US before. Would you consider that as a limitation?

 

What do you think?

Thanks in advance

[SorrowL 138]

Look like plenty.

[Scott001 127]

I didn't see a copy of your marriage certificate listed. (Unless I missed it)

[Konstantinos 1]

I apologise, this is included as well along with the translation

[Khevinox 11]

14 minutes ago, Konstantinos said:

Hello VJers,

 

I am about to submit an online I-130 for my spouse and after a long time of gathering bona fide marriage documents, here's what i managed to gather. Would you be kind enough to provide me with your feedback?

 

                                Evidence of Bona Fide Marriage.

1. Multiple photographs in pdf of our relationship for the past five years (showing the two of us in different places, with friends and each other's family)
2. Wedding invitations, photographs and receipts for expenses
3. Power of attorney from Beneficiary to Petitioner
4. Power of attorney from Petitioner to Beneficiary for use in the foreign country along with certified translation
5. Certificate of studies for both of us showing that we studied in the same University, where we met.
6. Facebook chat logs between Petitioner and Beneficiary from 2015 till now (along with our chats with each other's immediate family)
7. Sample of messenger calls and video chats from 2016. Phone Call logs October 2019-February 2020 (couldn't retrieve more from earlier)
8. Emails we exchanged
9. Facebook posts including both of us in various places dating back to 2016
10. Love letters and notes/cards sent to each other with date and signature
11. Common trips taken together and hotel receipts (going on vacation together or visiting each other in various countries where we studied for our post-graduate degree)
12. Sample of Bank transfers before having a common account (4 from each side over the course of 3 years)
13. Affidavit of support and copy of passport’s biometric page attached
14. Proof of joint financial resources (1 Checking account with multiple statements and account movement and 1 Savings account with both our names on) + translations
15. Water bill in my name and Telecommunication bill in my spouse's name showing same address outside the US + translations

 

13 and 14 are documents from the foreign country of residence (spouse's country) where we stayed together for some time before me moving back to the States to start working. We do not have any bills or joint bank accounts from the US, as she has never been to the US before. Would you consider that as a limitation?

 

What do you think?

Thanks in advance

i only send like 5 photos, one of the wedding, another one with her parents my parents friends and thats it. i didn't provide anything else. just my marriage certificate, and for the interview all i took with me was my passport to show how often i traveled to visit her, but they didnt ask for any bona fide at all. good luck.

[USS_Voyager 1,972]

Go light on the photos, chat logs and the like. What about US federal tax returns as married?

[Konstantinos 1]

6 minutes ago, USS_Voyager said:

Go light on the photos, chat logs and the like. What about US federal tax returns as married?

I guess it will take some time for my tax return to process as it would be first time filing MFJ and it has to be sent on paper along with W7 form to get my Non Resident Alien an ITIN. I had in mind to send the I-130 in the following days. Do you think I should file, wait for it to be processed and then get a tax return transcript and include it in the petition?  

 

[arken 4,197]

20 minutes ago, Konstantinos said:

I guess it will take some time for my tax return to process as it would be first time filing MFJ and it has to be sent on paper along with W7 form to get my Non Resident Alien an ITIN. I had in mind to send the I-130 in the following days. Do you think I should file, wait for it to be processed and then get a tax return transcript and include it in the petition?  

 

Your list looks more than good to be sent for i-130. Getting your tax return processed will take bunch of weeks due to ITIN request and paper filing. I say no need to wait for that.

[rkshokz 28]

I sent 5 pictures and that was enough so you should be good to go.

[USS_Voyager 1,972]

2 hours ago, Konstantinos said:

I guess it will take some time for my tax return to process as it would be first time filing MFJ and it has to be sent on paper along with W7 form to get my Non Resident Alien an ITIN. I had in mind to send the I-130 in the following days. Do you think I should file, wait for it to be processed and then get a tax return transcript and include it in the petition?  

 

In that case, don’t wait, just file

[carmel34 3,611]

2 hours ago, Konstantinos said:

I am about to submit an online I-130 for my spouse

You have a year or more to wait before submitting the I-864 with financial documents and tax returns, so you have plenty of time to file your 2019 and maybe even your 2020 tax returns before the NVC stage and visa interview abroad.  Also during that one or more year period, keep documents of additional time spent together like passport stamps, boarding passes, a few photos together and hotel receipts to upload at the NVC stage or to take to the visa interview as more evidence of bona fide marriage since filing the I-130 petition.  USCIS wants to see required documents.  Bona fide marriage evidence will be needed at the consulate where the visa interview will take place.  Good luck!

[Quarknase 1,072]

3 hours ago, carmel34 said:

You have a year or more to wait before submitting the I-864 with financial documents and tax returns, so you have plenty of time to file your 2019 and maybe even your 2020 tax returns before the NVC stage and visa interview abroad.  Also during that one or more year period, keep documents of additional time spent together like passport stamps, boarding passes, a few photos together and hotel receipts to upload at the NVC stage or to take to the visa interview as more evidence of bona fide marriage since filing the I-130 petition.  USCIS wants to see required documents.  Bona fide marriage evidence will be needed at the consulate where the visa interview will take place.  Good luck!

I was under this assumption too. When filing the I-130 for my spouse, we only submitted marriage tickets of traveling together (3 months total last year), approx 15 photos of us in different places and with friends, some social media screenshots. Along with the required documents of course. We received an RFE that we did not establish that we have a bona fide relationship. This time they'll receive a package with 50 pages of chats, 18 pages of photos (6-9 per page), affidavits from all family members, more boarding passes (and the old ones again just in case), passport pages with entry/exit stamps, personal affidavits, shared credit card, etc etc. I think it depends heavily on the country of the beneficiary if they ask a lot at this stage, or not.

[Bill Hamze 89]

What if you don't have the old boarding passes? Do booking confirmations work in that case?

[carmel34 3,611]

9 hours ago, Bill Hamze said:

What if you don't have the old boarding passes? Do booking confirmations work in that case?

Original boarding passes and passport stamps are the best evidence, as booking confirmations don't show that you actually travelled and can be easily fake.  Send whatever evidence you have, that's all you can do.  Maybe try contacting the airline to see if they can send you something that shows you boarded and took the flights.  My American Airlines frequent flyer account shows all past trips taken for example, with miles accumulated.  Financial co-mingling evidence is very good to submit too.  Good luck!

[Konstantinos 1]

Thank you everybody for your reply. I really appreciate your input.