Monday, April 25, 2011

USCIS I-129 Petition Relationship Proof

There were two occasions when my wife (fiancee at the time) and I had to provide some sort of relationship proof during the k1 fiance visa process.  The first time was when filing our USCIS I-129 petition and the second was when I filed my K1 Fiance Visa application.  In this post I intend to focus on the first occasion, the relationship evidence that we included with the I-129f (I intend to focus on the K1 application in a later post).

The I-129f relationship proof is meant to provide proof that the couple in question have met each other within the two years before the filing of the I-129 petition application.  In our case, my wife (fiancée at the time) was the us citizen applicant and I was the foreign fiancé, so it was she who put in the petition albeit with some supporting evidence from myself.

We were both legally able to marry, neither of us having being married before.  This made some things easier as there were no divorce papers etc. to submit to the USCIS as part of our relationship evidence.

We had met on a number of occasions, despite us living on opposite sides of the Atlantic, with me visiting Florida half a dozen times and my wife and her daughter coming to the UK twice to see me.  We therefore included photos of us together and photos of us with other members of our family.  My wife and I got engaged a month before we filed the I-129 petition, so we also included a photo of the engagement ring on my wife’s hand.

We included ticket stubs for some of the flights we’d taken to visit each other.

Although it probably wasn’t entirely necessary at this stage, we also included some sample copies of the conversations that we’d had with each other on Skype and Instant messaging.

I also wrote a statement, in which I stated that I intended to marry my wife (fiancee at the time) within three months of arriving in the USA.  I signed the letter and posted it to my wife, so that she could use it as relationship evidence.  My statement sample is below:

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to confirm that I began a romantic relationship with My Fiancee Name in 2009.  Although the relationship began online, we have since met six times in person in both the UK and USA.  Between visits, our relationship has continued through online chatting, webcam conversations, telephone, letters and email.

In Spring last year, we became engaged to be married.

I have not been married previously.

If a visa is granted, I intend to marry Fiancee Name within 90 days of my arrival in the USA and will make the necessary arrangements in order to do so.

yours faithfully

My name

19 comments:

  1. hello, thank you for your site, it's very helpfull especially for us who are processing it on our own. i just want to ask, is there a minimum of years that the couple should be together before they apply? i know that they have to meet within 2 yrs. pls help, thank you!

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  2. All I know is what it said in the requirements and that was as you said, that they have to have met within 2 years. I don't know any more, sorry. You could contact the USCIS if you are unsure maybe?

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  3. Paul, thank you for putting your experience online! I am just about to go through the whole process myself having met the woman of my dreams over Pennslyvania! Reading your experience has ironed out a load of queries I had! May I take this opportunity to thank you again for the valuable information, and wish you and your wife the very best for the future.
    Best wishes,
    Paul Bell.

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  4. Thank you for your kind words, Paul Bell. Best wishes to you and your fiancee! :-)

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  5. Please i need your advice my finance is very busy because he trains the us navy, he was able to visit me once since we met our case was expedite. And i have an my interv in jan. He was supose to be present for the interview but has a military assignment, am nervous if it can be a problem.?

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  6. Did the photographs you supplied have the date & time stamp on them? Also was the 2nd time you had to provide this information at interview or for AOS?

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  7. What do you do if you can't find your ticket stubs? Is using an online boarding pass or e-ticket sufficient? I lose tiny bits of paper all the time :/

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  8. Hi :)

    I just wanted to say what a terrific job you have done with this blog and thank you very much for sharing it :) Both myself and my Fiance are about to go through the very same thing and you have enlightened us very much to what needs to be done and possible timescales etc. The difference is I will be also taking 2 children with me and a cat and a dog!! I hope things run as smoothly for us as they seemed to run for you and your wife :)

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  9. Thank you, vikki. It's great to get positive feedback! This blog has built up gradually over time and I continue to add to it - the next post will probably be about getting a US driving license. :-)

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  10. Paul, thank you for the great info on your site. I have a question for you: My son is engaged to a woman from El Salvador and they have been together six months. He is getting ready to submit the paperwork for her K1 visa. Problem is he can't go visit her because he's on probation and they've never met. Although, they have numerous video calls, telephone calls and facebook chats; they don't have much more than that. He's hoping to be ok without visiting her due to the probation being a substantial reason for not visiting fiancee. Do you see this as a problem to getting the visa approved? I will also have to be a co-sponsor but that's fine. Any info is appreciated.

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    1. Certainly when I did it, I believe that it was a requirement for the K1 visa that my fiance and I had met up within the last couple of years

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  11. I'm trying to decide what documents to submit. Did that evidence get returned to you? When have some very sentimental love letters etc. We would rather not give those away and submit other evidence.

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    1. It wasn't returned. I wouldn't send personal letters that you wish to keep. Plane tickets, post cards, photos with family on visits is maybe better.

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  12. Thank you for your blog, it has helped A LOT to me and my fiancée! :D hugs from Mexico

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    1. Thanks for the positive feedback. I wrote the blog aimed at Brits, but I get comments from all over the world! :-)

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  13. May I use your example letter for my blog. I wrote article how to apply K-1 visa. Thank you...

    Your blog is really helpful for anyone who wants to apply K-1 visa...

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  14. Thanks for this info.....I am going thru the K-1 Visa Process...Is it possible that you can email me so I can ask you some questions not on here vybzmusiq@gmail.com

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  15. Hi paul thanks for all that information my fince am I are going for the fince visa i live in the Caribbean and he lives in the state .we are planning to meet befor the fince visa
    My question to you can we meet once then applied for the k1 visa ?his on child support can he also aplied ?and is passport was taken? Thanks

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  16. Hi Paul, how about if i already have B1/B2 visa? does i need to fill up the DS160 again?

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