Responding to the RFE

[charles732 0]

Hello all.

I received an RFE last Friday for my i130 application for my spouse. We met while I was working abroad in 2016, I left Japan in 2018 and we got married in 2019. The RFE is requesting more evidence for proof of a bona fide marital relationship, and I have a few questions about what I am planning to submit. 

 

Originally we submitted 5 affidavits from family and friends in both countries, and about 15 photographs with captions explaining how they fit in our relationship. I believed that would be enough at the time and chose not to provide more evidence due to time constraints (stupid me). I have compiled a few different pieces of evidence over the past weekend for this RFE but I feel some of it is redundant and would love some feedback on them. So far I have gotten our chat/call records from Facebook Messenger and Line and have selected about 30 pages spanning the 4 years of our relationship. My wife and I have also scanned copies of postcards and letters sent back and forth from us and our parents, and my wife has scanned all her travel tickets while I only have the most recent one. My main question is about the photo album/timeline I am making; the RFE asks for evidence of meeting, courtship, relationship, and wedding. The timeline I am creating has detailed explanations of our meeting, time together, and then apart, and I am including about 2-3 pictures per entry of the timeline. But, some of the pictures I am using were already included in the original submission so I am concerned they will not closely examine the timeline album. Is this a possible problem?

 

Also, the RFE discusses our wedding and asks that if family members did not attend they provide explanations as to why. My parents had planned to hold a Catholic celebration when my spouse arrived in the US, and in Japan we held two wedding parties; one for friends and a separate one for family. Will explaining this in the timeline album suffice or should I get written statements from them?

 

In advance I thank you guys for any insight or knowledge. This community has helped me a great deal already.

[databit 328]

Have you included extensive mixing of finances? Shared bank accounts, credit cards, car and life insurance, apartment leases, etc.?

[pushbrk 13,195]

8 minutes ago, databit said:

Have you included extensive mixing of finances? Shared bank accounts, credit cards, car and life insurance, apartment leases, etc.?

Not expected from newlyweds who never lived in the same country.

[pushbrk 13,195]

1 hour ago, charles732 said:

Hello all.

I received an RFE last Friday for my i130 application for my spouse. We met while I was working abroad in 2016, I left Japan in 2018 and we got married in 2019. The RFE is requesting more evidence for proof of a bona fide marital relationship, and I have a few questions about what I am planning to submit. 

 

Originally we submitted 5 affidavits from family and friends in both countries, and about 15 photographs with captions explaining how they fit in our relationship. I believed that would be enough at the time and chose not to provide more evidence due to time constraints (stupid me). I have compiled a few different pieces of evidence over the past weekend for this RFE but I feel some of it is redundant and would love some feedback on them. So far I have gotten our chat/call records from Facebook Messenger and Line and have selected about 30 pages spanning the 4 years of our relationship. My wife and I have also scanned copies of postcards and letters sent back and forth from us and our parents, and my wife has scanned all her travel tickets while I only have the most recent one. My main question is about the photo album/timeline I am making; the RFE asks for evidence of meeting, courtship, relationship, and wedding. The timeline I am creating has detailed explanations of our meeting, time together, and then apart, and I am including about 2-3 pictures per entry of the timeline. But, some of the pictures I am using were already included in the original submission so I am concerned they will not closely examine the timeline album. Is this a possible problem?

 

Also, the RFE discusses our wedding and asks that if family members did not attend they provide explanations as to why. My parents had planned to hold a Catholic celebration when my spouse arrived in the US, and in Japan we held two wedding parties; one for friends and a separate one for family. Will explaining this in the timeline album suffice or should I get written statements from them?

 

In advance I thank you guys for any insight or knowledge. This community has helped me a great deal already.

So...Now you've learned that affidavits from third parties don't help and can make you look desperate.  Evidence of time spent together in person is the strongest evidence.  Photos are secondary evidence of that.  Boarding passes and/or passport stamps are the primary evidence.  You mention "tickets" but the passport stamps with entry and exit dates are as good or better than the boarding passes.  Yes, explain your "wedding plans".  Your RFE is mostly borderplate, they send when they want relationship evidence.  Don't think of it as specifically applying to you.  With the addition of passport stamps, I think you will have it well in hand.

[charles732 0]

27 minutes ago, databit said:

Have you included extensive mixing of finances? Shared bank accounts, credit cards, car and life insurance, apartment leases, etc.?

We were unable to mix finances while living in Japan and so far here I have been unable to get her joint on my bank account, my bank requires an SSN. 

 

14 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

So...Now you've learned that affidavits from third parties don't help and can make you look desperate.  Evidence of time spent together in person is the strongest evidence.  Photos are secondary evidence of that.  Boarding passes and/or passport stamps are the primary evidence.  You mention "tickets" but the passport stamps with entry and exit dates are as good or better than the boarding passes.  Yes, explain your "wedding plans".  Your RFE is mostly borderplate, they send when they want relationship evidence.  Don't think of it as specifically applying to you.  With the addition of passport stamps, I think you will have it well in hand.

I did send in all passport stamps (should have mentioned that) from both mine and my wife's passport showing that we had traveled to see each other, but they only show up in 2017 when we met in mid 2016. My passport also had my work visa from the government of Japan as well. Photocopying my foreign residence card for my two years working there should be okay as well to show I was a resident there while courting my spouse. I did know affidavits were shaky at best so I am not completely surprised. I could also get records of my taxes filed while living in Japan, would that show I was truly over there and not living in the states during that time period?

Edited May 5, 2020 by charles732
clarification

[pushbrk 13,195]

3 minutes ago, charles732 said:

We were unable to mix finances while living in Japan and so far here I have been unable to get her joint on my bank account, my bank requires an SSN. 

 

I did send in all passport stamps (should have mentioned that) from both mine and my wife's passport showing that we had traveled to see each other, but they only show up in 2017 when we met in mid 2016. My passport also had my work visa from the government of Japan as well. Photocopying my foreign residence card for my two years working there should be okay as well to show I was a resident there while courting my spouse. I did know affidavits were shaky at best so I am not completely surprised. I could also get records of my taxes filed while living in Japan, would that show I was truly over there and not living in the states during that time period?

Sounds like you were randomly selected for an RFE.  I doubt it's because of the affidavits but it could be.  What you have should be ok but it wouldn't hurt to include a letter explaining how you met and courted, and outlining your time spent together in person.

[charles732 0]

14 minutes ago, pushbrk said:

Sounds like you were randomly selected for an RFE.  I doubt it's because of the affidavits but it could be.  What you have should be ok but it wouldn't hurt to include a letter explaining how you met and courted, and outlining your time spent together in person.

Wow, really? I read  on here that those are possible, I didn't think it would happen to us. On the plus side they don't need any more official documentation of our marriage, which can be frustrating to get from Japan. I will definitely include a cover letter, letter, and then the aforementioned stuff in my package and send it in ASAP. Is there anything else you think would help to send in, just because?