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How Would You Prove You Had a Genuine Marriage for Immigration?
The disheartening way the U.S. government verified ours
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
✓ airplane tickets
✓ railway receipts
✓ dozens of pages of Skype call logs showing duration, and time and date stamped.
✓ letters of support from friends and family
✓ pictures of each of us individually and together with family members
✓ Christmas, birthday cards, and other holidays
We submitted ‘evidence,’ of any place we went or activity we did together.
In the government’s eyes, once legally married, then you need to prove it’s authentic. They want to see you’ve intertwined your life together.
This requires an in-person interview with USCIS. You can produce evidence of your marriage and ongoing relationship. They want to see how the relationship has evolved, now that you’re married.
Could you do that? If so, how would you attempt it?
