How to prepare your Fiance visa proof of ongoing relationship

How do you convince them you’re a real couple?

Show proof you’re a genuine couple AND not involved in a sham relationship. 

Imagine walking around Times Square in New York and asking random people for a car ride home. How many people would stop and say “okay, sure, stranger”?

Not many. In fact, most would probably have a scared look before quickly walking away.

But if you stopped and thought about it, it makes perfect sense. You’re a random person and they don’t know you. There’s no trust. No credibility. Nothing. How can they know you’re not a con artist?

And it’s almost the same thing when we start talking about proof of relationship for the fiance visa.

Immigration officers have to judge whether or not your relationship is real based on what evidence you present. So – how can they know you, trust you, and approve you if it’s the first time they see you?

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That’s why we have to ask ourselves:

● What kind of evidence can we show complete strangers to make them believe that we’re genuine?

●What’s the right kind of evidence?

● What’s enough? What’s too much or too little?

● Do I frontload the I-129F? or wait until the K visa interview?

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As far as the USCIS / US Embassy is concerned, unless you show them great proof, you’re as untrustworthy as a random stranger in Times Square.

But if you DO place great evidence in front of them, it makes the difference between approval or denial. There’s plenty of ways you can. Let’s discuss the main ones. (Get my complete tutorial for FREE, download by signing up to my email list).

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Why do I show bona fide evidence for the fiance visa?

Let’s get the basics out of the way, what’s “bona fide relationship” all about?

Well, the government has no issue granting you a fiance visa. But the problem is that they don’t know whether you’re a genuine couple OR a scammer trying to get a visa.

And that’s where the trouble lies. Because there’s so much visa fraud all around, the government is critical on everyone. Good or bad. It’s like how airport security makes EVERYONE go through scanning. It’s annoying, it’s slow… but it’s for our safety, right?

Just like that, the USCIS and US DHS views everyone’s case with the same eye of suspicion that they would do for a scammer.

So, it’s our responsibility to distinguish ourselves from fake couples, and prove we’ve got a bona fide relationship (in “good faith”) not meant to deceive the government.

This whole concept of proof of relationship gets more complex because:

▀ No one tells you exactly what kind of evidence the USCIS or US Embassy considers “good”. What do they want to see? What’s good? Bad? Too much or too little? (we’ll talk more about this below).

▀ Trump’s tight immigration policies mean there’s less tolerance for mistakes or for suspicion of fraud. It’s more important to show a solid relationship than ever before. The fact is, you don’t even want to be mistaken for a sham couple. 

▀ Couples with red flags find it a lot more difficult and nerve-wracking to try to separate themselves from frauds. The biggest fear is: “how can I prove we’re a real couple despite our differences?”.

Examples of these include big age differences or different ethnic backgrounds.

It’s almost like if you’re the Times Square stranger and on top of everything, you’re also dressed suspiciously.

▀ Some “high Immigration Fraud-risk countries” need more convincing. Although I disagree with this concept, it’s true that in some countries you’re scrutinized a lot. Those officers have seen so many fraud cases and they’re not easily convinced of real ones.

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There’s many more reasons why proof of relationship is required. But we don’t need to get into that right now. What you should know is that we’ve got two opportunities to to be on their “good side” and present proof of relationship:

○ In your I-129F packet
○ At the K-1 visa interview

Let’s look at both of these separately.

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Including Proof of Relationship in your I-129F and Interview

Most of us try to put something in our I-129F packets without really knowing why. And if you look through the I-129F instructions, it doesn’t help clarify things. In fact, the USCIS doesn’t even say to submit proof you’re in a real relationship.

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Instead, notice that the I-129F instructions ask for other evidence:

◉ proof that you met in person in the last 2 years

◉ proof that you intend to get married (a simple letter)

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They don’t ask for text messages, photographs of you holding hands, or phone records to show you talk. No proof of relationship.

But if you step back and look at it from a different perspective, you can see that “proof of relationship” is actually a form of “intention to get married”… Think about it: only if you’ve got a genuine relationship then you’ll end up married.

For example, if you had an engagement ceremony, it shows you’re serious about the relationship… and therefore “intend” to get married. So, in a way, the I-129F instructions do ask for proof of relationship.

But that’s not the main reason we include proof of relationship in our I-129F packets. The real reason is to “front load” your case.

Take a look at sample instructions from the US Embassy France (K visa). Clearly, they want us to show relationship proof at the K visa interview (not in the I-129F):

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But notice, these brief instructions leave a lot open to question:

○ What exactly do you want to see?

○ How many pages?

○ From which time periods?

○ Do they prefer one type over another?

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So, instead of being frustrated with all these vague instructions, we front load our case (or “Flash Flooding” as I like to call it) — which means putting lots of great evidence in your I-129F so that both the USCIS and Consular officer can have a positive glimpse of your relationship before you’re interviewed at the Consulate.

For that, you place proof in your I-129F packet, and when it’s time for the interview, everything is already primed for approval. That way, you’re not relying just on the interview to get approved. You improve chances before even stepping foot in the Embassy.

And this works for ALL cases (whether straightforward or with red flags). That’s the big idea behind “flash flooding” your I-129F.

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What’s important to show?

There’s a proper way to “flash flood” and put your proof together. Think back to the concept about the “complete stranger”: how the US government doesn’t know you, your fiance, or your relationship.

To convince a complete stranger like that, you have to present solid proof. We can’t assume that a few pieces of weak evidence will persuade them. We’ve got to take this seriously because it’s harder than it looks to get someone to trust you. (see why Proof of Relationship is important for the K-1 visa interview).

Here’s what officers are looking for:

◎ Show your honest intention to marry each other due to love
◎ Show you’ve got a genuine ongoing relationship

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And there’s no magic formula on how to assemble any of this. We’ve got to figure out what evidence we need AND how to present it clearly. Let’s talk about the top proof of relationship that have worked in the past.

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The top 4 types of Proof of relationship

Before we get into details, a quick reminder: your main goals are to show your…

◎ Intent to marry each other due to love
◎ Genuine ongoing relationship

With that, let’s break down the important types.

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# 1 – connected lives

Communication

❒ Phone. Logs of phone records showing number, range of dates called, frequency, and duration. It’s usually easy to get this from your service provider.

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❒ Social Media. If you use FaceBook™, Twitter™, Instagram™, etc. you may show sample messages, shared photos, group chat, tagged photos.

❒  Emails/Texts/Messages. Written correspondence such as emails, texts, or messages are acceptable. Print out selections of each.

❒  Letters, greeting cards, gifts. Present any handwritten evidence of communication. The same applies for greeting cards, gifts, invitations, etc.
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In-person meeting

Spending time together shows you go beyond the basic I-129F requirements, it proves that you happily commit time and money to see each other.

❒  Immigration documents. Include copies of passport stamps. Obviously, the timeline should correspond with other proofs you present. This is a basic proof – you need to include more than just this.

❒  Travel. Have you traveled to meet each other? such as: his/her country, home, workplace, etc.? Evidence can include airline tickets, boarding passes, bus, cab, train tickets, hotel reservations, etc.

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❒ Recreation. Activities such as dining out, watching movies, vacationing together, hiking, picnicking, and spending holidays together are some instances. Use photographs, receipts, or maybe credit card charges as evidence.

❒ Affidavits from Witnesses. If others personally witnessed your engagement, meeting, or bona fide relationship, get statements. Read (affidavit of witness for K visa).

❒ Children. Having children (or pregnant) is usually solid proof of a legitimate relationship. It means you’re serious about marriage. Supporting evidence includes birth certificates of child/ren or medical paperwork (if pregnant). (See CRBA for K visa)

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# 2 – common interests

Many couples who meet, either online or in person, are attracted to each other through common interests or hobbies. Do you have such things in common?

For example, some people meet online in chat rooms, forums, or even video games. Did something like that attract you two in the first place?

❒ Members of a Community

❒ Similar hobbies / background. Maybe you are both into health & fitness, movies, sports, adventure, education background.

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# 3 – preparations for a wedding

Although this isn’t required, have you planned anything for the wedding? Will it be grand, in an expensive resort, or a small family event? Show it if you’ve been preparing. (remember this isn’t required)

❒ Wedding venue. If you’ve started planning the wedding, bring documentation from the venue, the church, caterers, DJ, etc.

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❒ Wedding Expenses. Planning for a Reception Hall, DJ, Florist, wedding ring, expensive clothes? have proof of any of this? Receipts? contracts?

❒ Wedding Announcements. Any public announcements of your engagement or decision to marry? Did you announce your relationship? Post on FaceBook, invitation cards, other social media? How did they react?
(Read the full story on “do you need to go out of your way to plan a wedding for the K-1 visa?”)

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# 4 – family / friends involvement

Having your loved ones, friends, or coworkers aware of your engagement, relationship, or future marriage is important.

Meeting family, friends, colleagues. Have you met or introduced each other to your family? Does your fiancé talk to your parents as well?

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❒ Having support, approval, involvement. When you made the decision to get engaged or marry, how did your loved ones react?

Having your fiancé’s family involved is useful in most cultural situations where it’s socially unacceptable for unwed couples to meet. It also adds enormous credibility to your bona fide relationship.

There were just a few types of proof of relationship. You can download my entire free guide on how to select and submit great proof of relationship.

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How much proof do you need to show?

These top 4 types of proof are well and great, but how much exactly do we need? How many pages? How many samples? What’s the official rule?

Well, there’s no official guideline. And remember how the instructions look like for the Embassy? They’re not specific on any of it.

So, it’s up to us to figure out what variety we need AND how much.

According to the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), evidence needs to cover the time period since you filed the I-129F up until the K1 interview. But, it’s advisable to go beyond that.

Getting the “right” amount of proof of relationship is a big topic, I wrote a lot on this topic. When you have a minute, come back and read it (how much bona fide proof is enough for approval).

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But I’ll also summarize it:

▄ It’s equally harmful to present too much evidence and present too little. There’s no right or wrong answer on how much you need.

▄ Officers are strangers to your case. You have to figure out WHICH evidence and HOW MUCH of it would convince an officer.

▄ It’s all about the “gut feeling” your case gives. Even with red flags or a straightforward case, there’s a lot you can do to influence their decision. Think quality, don’t think number of pages.

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How to select and place proof of relationship

Remember, the USCIS and US Embassy officers are complete strangers and need to  see that you’re a bona fide couple. It’s our burden to place good, quality proof in front of their eyes to convince them.

But it’s not enough to print a huge pile of text messages and shove them in our I-129F packets. You’ve got to be more selective because you only have a few moments to win over the officers with your proof. So, use this opportunity well.

Sign up for my FREE 10-page Ebook on the proper way to select and prepare all 6 types of your proof of relationship – with a bonus: how to inject quality proof that boosts your chances of approval.

Years ago I charged for this ebook, now it’s available for free to download. So, use this content to help.

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Tips for this guide…

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