How Would You Prove You Had a Genuine Marriage for Immigration?

The disheartening way the U.S. government verified ours

A.J. Bryant
4 min readMay 7, 2024
two manila folders stacked vertically, with a ruler measuring their thickness
Our relationship proof — Photo by author

I married Sasmita after she immigrated to the US on a K-1 fiancee visa. You have 90 days to marry after your intended spouse enters the country.

There’s a general familiarity with this process, it’s been parodied in films and television. There’s a reality show called ‘90-day Fiance’ about this unique immigration method.

It’s a two-part process. The first is demonstrating you have a real relationship and are planning to marry. The couples needs to illustrate that the reason for immigration is not solely financial or citizenship. Proving so will procure the K-1 visa.

The second step requires proving your marriage is genuine after the ceremony.

What documentation proves a real relationship?

The couple submits documentation to the United States government of a ‘real’ relationship.

We presented a one-and-a-half-inch stack of paperwork with our relationship bona fides, including:

✓ pictures of us together, taken all over India

✓ hotel copies of guest registration forms

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A.J. Bryant

Adopted from Kerala. I write about adoption, my intercultural marriage, contemporary India and more. Prawns are my love language.