Proof of Bona Fide Marriage Document

[Rennie1502 0]

Hello,

My spouse and I are in the process of putting together our proof of BF marriage document and we are planning to include chat messages, call logs and screenshots of video calls. We are planning on having 6 sections in the document:

Section 1. Screenshots of video calls, chat messages, and call logs before our first meeting

Section 2. Photographs of our first in person meeting with the passport stamps

Section 3. Screenshots of video calls, chat messages, and call logs after our first meeting 

Section 4. Photographs and passport stamps from our second meeting 

Section 5. Screenshots of video calls, chat messages, and call logs after our second meeting. 

After that, we will each include a paragraph explaining how we met and how our relationship developed. 

We also are going to include a affidavit from a long time friend confirming the legitimacy of our relationship and a bank statement and insurance statement showing we have co-mingled our finances. I wanted to ask and get information about how much should we include in Section 1 because we didn't meet for over one and a half years because of Covid. How many screenshots of messages should we include over the one and a half year period before our first meeting? How many should we include after our first and second meetings? 

We were also thinking of including around 12 pictures for both of our in person meetings, including our wedding pictures. Does this sound like enough evidence/photos? 

If anyone should have any feedback or advice on how we should structure the proof of BF marriage document, it would be very appreciated. Thanks in advance! 

[Chancy 6,241]

9 minutes ago, Rennie1502 said:

we are planning to include chat messages, call logs and screenshots of video calls.

 

What consulate?  Please update your VJ profile with the beneficiary's country.  It matters where the beneficiary is from, whether the kitchen-sink approach to front-loading the petition would be recommended.

 

[Rennie1502 0]

Thanks for the reply! The beneficiary is living in Vienna, Austria. I will update my profile.

[Chancy 6,241]

2 minutes ago, Rennie1502 said:

The beneficiary is living in Vienna, Austria.

 

In that case, I would not recommend the kitchen-sink approach.  This is how I would organize the evidence you listed above --

1. Relationship timeline -- no need for long paragraphs; just bullet points outlining important dates
2. Passport stamps from 1st meeting
3. Photos from 1st meeting
4. Passport stamps from 2nd meeting
5. Photos from 2nd meeting
6. Wedding pictures
7. Bank statement showing both names
8. Insurance statement showing both names

No need for 3rd-party affidavits, video calls, chat messages, and call logs.  Keep the focus on your stronger evidence listed above.  Best is documentary evidence of time spent together in person (eg. passport stamps), supported by photos together.  Evidence of shared finances is good too.

 

If you have not seen each other for an extended time AFTER your most recent in-person meeting, maybe include some excerpts of your chat messages and voice/video call logs, to show continuing communication.  But if you are filing the I-130 soon after a visit, chat/call logs would just clutter your evidence.

 

Our evidence of bona fide marriage was all of 12 pages, mostly of our trips/vacations together.  We had more in-person meetings than you did, so we included around 20 pictures.  We did not include chats or call logs.  Our I-130 was approved without RFE.

 

[randy32 165]

 

14 minutes ago, Chancy said:

• Bank statement showing both names
• Insurance statement showing both names

I have questions about these items if your spouse is not yet in the US.

 

While I don't doubt that some banks/insurance companies will add the beneficiary's name, most will not especially without the person being there or have a SSN.

 

USCIS understands that to be the case so I say don't "force" any proof that is not there.

1 hour ago, Rennie1502 said:

We also are going to include a affidavit from a long time friend confirming the legitimacy of our relationship

This is weak evidence, would not hurt. Anyone can swear to an affidavit.

 

Travel, time together, pictures with friends and family, passport stamps, boarding passes, hotel receipts, kids. These are some of your strong proofs/evidence (not a conclusive list)

Edited May 3, 2022 by randy32

[Rennie1502 0]

22 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

In that case, I would not recommend the kitchen-sink approach.  This is how I would organize the evidence you listed above --

1. Relationship timeline -- no need for long paragraphs; just bullet points outlining important dates
2. Passport stamps from 1st meeting
3. Photos from 1st meeting
4. Passport stamps from 2nd meeting
5. Photos from 2nd meeting
6. Wedding pictures
7. Bank statement showing both names
8. Insurance statement showing both names

No need for 3rd-party affidavits, video calls, chat messages, and call logs.  Keep the focus on your stronger evidence listed above.  Best is documentary evidence of time spent together in person (eg. passport stamps), supported by photos together.  Evidence of shared finances is good too.

 

If you have not seen each other for an extended time AFTER your most recent in-person meeting, maybe include some excerpts of your chat messages and voice/video call logs, to show continuing communication.  But if you are filing the I-130 soon after a visit, chat/call logs would just clutter your evidence.

 

Our evidence of bona fide marriage was all of 12 pages, mostly of our trips/vacations together.  We had more in-person meetings than you did, so we included around 20 pictures.  We did not include chats or call logs.  Our I-130 was approved without RFE.

 

Thank you for your response! Did you include timestamps with dates showing when the photos were taken? Do you think that is necessary?

[Chancy 6,241]

5 minutes ago, Rennie1502 said:

Did you include timestamps with dates showing when the photos were taken? Do you think that is necessary?

 

We wrote a short description for every photo, with info on who, what, when, where -- eg. Thanksgiving dinner with MrChancy's brother's family at Xyz City, Louisiana (Date taken: Nov xx, 20xx).

 

[blchaddy 15]

3 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

We wrote a short description for every photo, with info on who, what, when, where -- eg. Thanksgiving dinner with MrChancy's brother's family at Xyz City, Louisiana (Date taken: Nov xx, 20xx).

 

We did the same thing for our photos-date, location, brief, description of what we were doing, and the names of family/friends in the photo with us.
We also tried to use photos that showed us in different settings  i.e. standing in front of stonehenge in one, axe throwing in another, etc. 

Edited May 4, 2022 by blchaddy

[Chancy 6,241]

2 minutes ago, blchaddy said:

We also tried to use ones that showed us in different settings  i.e. standing in front of stonehenge in one, axe throwing in another, etc. 

 

Same, but without the dangerous weapons 😆  We made sure to have a mix of photos of us at touristy spots, or hanging out with family/friends, or just enjoying daily life (eg. having lunch at a restaurant, strolling at the neighborhood park).

 

[Rennie1502 0]

Thank you for your reply! The bank document is showing that the beneficiary has a authorised user on the credit card and adding the authorised user didn't involve signing anything and the insurance is through the workplace and that didn't involve any formal paperwork either. Since this is the case, do you think this is not viable evidence?

[Chancy 6,241]

21 hours ago, Rennie1502 said:

do you think this is not viable evidence?

 

Include those bank/insurance documents.

 

[Rennie1502 0]

Hello, thanks so much for everyone's feedback! We have photos of the passport stamps and airline boarding passes taken against a flowery bedsheet. Would that be okay, or would it be better to take them against a plain black or white background? Easy to overthink this stuff! 

 

Another question - we have PayPal transaction history of us sending money back and forth to each other, would this also be helpful to include?

 

Thanks again!

[Redro 4,611]

31 minutes ago, Rennie1502 said:

Hello, thanks so much for everyone's feedback! We have photos of the passport stamps and airline boarding passes taken against a flowery bedsheet. Would that be okay, or would it be better to take them against a plain black or white background? Easy to overthink this stuff! 

 

Another question - we have PayPal transaction history of us sending money back and forth to each other, would this also be helpful to include?

 

Thanks again!

I would try to crop the photo with passport stamps so the bedsheet doesn't show or take photo on white background. 

You do not need to include PayPal transactions. 

The evidence you've got so far sounds good enough. And the existing financial evidence (authorized user/ insurance) is solid. 

You've spoken about sections but how many pages total are you planning on submitting? 

 

Edited May 8, 2022 by ROK2USA

[Rennie1502 0]

We are including close to 50 photos, showing holidays together like Christmas and New Years, our wedding, from nights out at the movies, dinner, some with friends during a movie night at my apartment, all of these are over the course of our two visits which were 18 days and 2 months. We also have plane ticket stubs, passport stamps, hotel receipts, the credit card and insurance documents.

With all of this evidence, do we still absolutely need chat logs? These personally feel a little intimate for us to share. We also have several screenshots of us during video calls which we feel more comfortable sharing. 

We have read so many different accounts, some submitting 100 pages of chat logs and some submitting none. I am a permanent resident of Austria and will be interviewing in Vienna, so would there be less need because of the low fraud risk plus the other evidence we have?

Thanks again everyone!

[Chancy 6,241]

On 5/14/2022 at 6:17 PM, Rennie1502 said:

With all of this evidence, do we still absolutely need chat logs?

 

Like I said before, no need for chat messages/logs.