Proof of bona fide marriage question

[Thaer 0]

Hello All, I been browsing these forums for months and have gotten lots of knowledge. Now im stuck in a pickle and need some advice please.

Last year I filed I-130 for my wife June/2015. This month I got I letter saying they need proof of bona fide marriage. Now since she lives in Jordan and I live in the U.S. we have no rental, property, bank accounts, etc.. in our name. but I have proof of wedding with lots of pictures, pictures of us at different family events and gatherings. I also have proof of a trip we took Venice Italy this year. would that be enough?

I also don't have any phone records because we use calling apps like viber/whatsapp.

So I plan of putting together a "evidence packet" should I state that we don't have any property, bank etc... together due to the fact we are thousands of miles away from each other. or should I just not mention it and just show the evidence I got?

Thank you

[JFH 12,190]

What did you send with the petition?

Send copies of passport stamps, flight tickets, hotel reservations for the times you two have spent together. Photos of the two of you with both families would be good.

It's normal that couples going through this process have never lived together so don't worry about rental contracts or bank accounts. Is your wife listed as the beneficiary on your life insurance or pension?

Send screenshots of your communication with one another. Be selective and don't overdo it. They don't need pages and pages of hearts and smilies or "I love you". I sent a sample from each month and made sure I included conversations where we discussed the kind of things married couples would discuss - money, medical appointments, what to buy my mother for her birthday, whether to spend Christmas with his brother or his sister's family, news and gossip about other relatives and friends, work. I showed that we have normal, day to day conversations and not that we spend hours on Skype typing kisses and sweet nothings.

[JFH 12,190]

*~*~*moved from "CR-1 spouse visa case filing and progress reports" to "process and procedures" as OP wants help with how to satisfy the petition requirements and demonstrate a bona fide relationship*~*~*

[Cathi 5,763]

My husband is from Jordan and we only had a joint bank account in Amman that we opened on my first trip to Jordan. Other than bank statements I sent copies of emails we exchanged, Skype conversations, copies of text messages and phone calls (from my cell phone statement), passport stamps and boarding passes from the trips I took to Jordan , hotel receipts from our honeymoon in the South of Jordan(Aqaba), pictures of us together, pictures from our wedding party with family and friends. There are many things you can send to prove your relationship. Good luck!

[Thaer 0]

Thanks everyone for the help! My wife is also from Jordan! How should I put together the pictures/evidence? Should I just throw a bunch of pictures in a envelope or should I make a presentation type set up with explanations of certain pictures? I was thinking of making a pdf type with info/pics and just print it out.

Thanks again!

[Cathi 5,763]

Thanks everyone for the help! My wife is also from Jordan! How should I put together the pictures/evidence? Should I just throw a bunch of pictures in a envelope or should I make a presentation type set up with explanations of certain pictures? I was thinking of making a pdf type with info/pics and just print it out.

Thanks again!

You cannot send a PDF or anything electronic, they do no accept them. You MUST submit physical copies of everything you send. If you do a search here on VJ you can find many different examples of how people sent and presented their evidence. You don't need to do anything elaborate. The few pictures I sent I put in a plastic baggy and put the date the pictures were taken, who is in the pictures along with our case number on the back of each photo. Keep in mind that pictures are only secondary evidence-I only sent 4 pictures-you need to concentrate on sending evidence that proves an ongoing, bonafide relationship.

[MrHanky 1,377]

You cannot send a PDF or anything electronic, they do no accept them. You MUST submit physical copies of everything you send. If you do a search here on VJ you can find many different examples of how people sent and presented their evidence. You don't need to do anything elaborate. The few pictures I sent I put in a plastic baggy and put the date the pictures were taken, who is in the pictures along with our case number on the back of each photo. Keep in mind that pictures are only secondary evidence-I only sent 4 pictures-you need to concentrate on sending evidence that proves an ongoing, bonafide relationship.

If they haven't lived together what's primary evidence of an ongoing relationship?

[PK_Bazm 13]

I just filed for my wifes I-130. Here is what I incuded

3 sworn affidavits by people who knew us and know that we are still married.

Have you ever sent money to her via Western Union, Moneygram etc. If so, that a very good way to provide a bonafide marriage.

I supplied a copy of my translated to English and attested by the court, of my marriage certificate and the nikah document

A copy of your entry and exit stamps by customs officials in both countries

[Lenchick 133]

Thanks everyone for the help! My wife is also from Jordan! How should I put together the pictures/evidence? Should I just throw a bunch of pictures in a envelope or should I make a presentation type set up with explanations of certain pictures? I was thinking of making a pdf type with info/pics and just print it out.

Thanks again!

I wrote on the back side of the pictures short comments of who is in the pic, when and where it happened. For example: Jan 2011, my spouse and I on holiday in Turkey.

[quesma 10]

Send everything you have. Photos, receipts, screenshots of viber whatsapp etc, plane tickets and gift receipts (non-cash only). They need evidence that you guys are a couple who is apart only because of visa. Compile the evidence nicely and send it to them.

[Adil & Jeanne 296]

Immigration does realize that when you filed 2015 tax returns you could claim your spouse by filing an application for ITIN and this also shows bona fida marriage / it helps to prove you intend a life together

ITIN also allows you to add to checking account as i did / not to get debit card until in the US but joint accounts

normailly other countries do not have to do all this but some embassies expect to see commingling of accounts

[Cathi 5,763]

If they haven't lived together what's primary evidence of an ongoing relationship?

The marriage certificate and marriage contract, passport stamps stamps,boarding passes, any property owned or leased together (I added my husband to my lease before he moved to the US, you can also add a spouse to a deed if it's property) joint utilities(I added my husband to my electric and natural gas heating accounts before he arrived) joint bank accounts(we opened a joint account In Jordan while before we were married-we both deposited money into the account, I did it at an ATM here in the US he deposited his paycheck in Jordan.I also used my debit card all the time when I was in Jordan and in the US and we paid our bills in both countries from it), joint health insurance(I added my husband to my health insurance before he arrived) wills with each other as beneficiaries, phone statements showing communication back and forth, That's all I can think of at the moment, I know there's more. Also there are many people who do or have lived together or spent significant amounts of time together before they decided to immigrate or the lived together while awaiting the visa to be approved. I visited my husband several times before and after we married and spent a significant amount of time in Jordan while we were waiting. There was about 7 months between NOA1 until his interview date, during those 7 months I took 3 trips back to Jordan for a total of about 4 months, not including the 8 week trip I took to attended the interview with him. I traveled to Amman 2 weeks before the interview and stayed an additional 6 weeks after the interview. He was put into AP so I decided to stay for as long as I could.

[Cathi 5,763]

Immigration does realize that when you filed 2015 tax returns you could claim your spouse by filing an application for ITIN and this also shows bona fida marriage / it helps to prove you intend a life together

ITIN also allows you to add to checking account as i did / not to get debit card until in the US but joint accounts

normailly other countries do not have to do all this but some embassies expect to see commingling of accounts

Oh yes, I forgot about tax returns. We filed one tax return together during the visa process, he worked in Jordan and he had to claim his foreign income. I did not send that with the I-130 petition because it was after the fact. When I flied the affidavit of support it showed we filed a joint US tax return. So it was additional evidence at the interview stage. Some people have that as evidence for the I-130 petition.

[MrHanky 1,377]

The marriage certificate and marriage contract, passport stamps stamps,boarding passes, any property owned or leased together (I added my husband to my lease before he moved to the US, you can also add a spouse to a deed if it's property) joint utilities(I added my husband to my electric and natural gas heating accounts before he arrived) joint bank accounts(we opened a joint account In Jordan while before we were married-we both deposited money into the account, I did it at an ATM here in the US he deposited his paycheck in Jordan.I also used my debit card all the time when I was in Jordan and in the US and we paid our bills in both countries from it), joint health insurance(I added my husband to my health insurance before he arrived) wills with each other as beneficiaries, phone statements showing communication back and forth, That's all I can think of at the moment, I know there's more. Also there are many people who do or have lived together or spent significant amounts of time together before they decided to immigrate or the lived together while awaiting the visa to be approved. I visited my husband several times before and after we married and spent a significant amount of time in Jordan while we were waiting. There was about 7 months between NOA1 until his interview date, during those 7 months I took 3 trips back to Jordan for a total of about 4 months, not including the 8 week trip I took to attended the interview with him. I traveled to Amman 2 weeks before the interview and stayed an additional 6 weeks after the interview. He was put into AP so I decided to stay for as long as I could.

Thanks that's really helpful.

I visit every few weeks so I have plenty of flight receipts and passport stamps, and will continue to.

I'll have to see about the other things, I wasn't sure if I could do some of them if she wouldn't have an SSN yet.

[Cathi 5,763]

Send everything you have. Photos, receipts, screenshots of viber whatsapp etc, plane tickets and gift receipts (non-cash only). They need evidence that you guys are a couple who is apart only because of visa. Compile the evidence nicely and send it to them.

I also forgot about cash transfers via Western Union. Before we had a joint bank account we sent money back and forth a few times for various reasons and we used Western Union. Some people say not to send these receipts if you have them, but we sent them because the money went both ways and we were never questioned about it. Western Union is expensive so during my next trip to Jordan we opened a joint checking account. I guess some people have been scrutinized for doing money transfers because it may send up a red flag because they say if the beneficiary sends money to the spouse in the US it may look like they are paying for a green card, or if the petitioner sends money to the beneficiary it may look like the US citizen is being used by the beneficiary for their money. I have seen threads where people say they were questioned at the interview because of money transfers, but in the almost 5 years I have been on VJ I have never seen anyone say that they were actually denied a visa because they sent or received money. I can understand why this would be a red flag if the beneficiary is either from a high fraud country, or a poor country or if the beneficiary sends a large lump sum/sums to the petitioner.