Fiance Visa: Does financially supporting your partner show a bona fide relationship?

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What if you send money to your Fiance visa partner? maybe you pay for rent, bills, school tuition, or even for an airline ticket to come visit you.

Maybe you helped pay for the medical exam or travel to get a Police Clearance certificate right before the K-1 visa interview.

Should you print out Western Union money transfers and proudly place them in your I-129F petition? or bring them to your interview? after all, financially helping your partner is good “bona fide relationship”, right? 

Turns out: sending money to one another, although it feels good, may be seen as a red flag. It’s best to keep the entire thing personal and not volunteer information unless officers ask you at the interview — otherwise it may be mistaken as a scam.

Let’s talk about why it’s important to be selective about financial commingling…

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Is it a genuine relationship or are you “buying love”?

You know, sending money to a fiance visa partner is not an uncommon thing. And if you’re not familiar with why that is, allow me to explain.

Many fiance visa applicants come from second- or third-world countries. They’ve got bills to pay, groceries, elderly parents, or even kids to put through college. So, sometimes US petitioners provide them a better life.

Johnathan, here, was no different:

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He proudly sent money to his fiance to help care for her kids. To him, it’s a serious sign of commitment and trust. It shows he’s indeed vested in her happiness.

The other reason is to help pay for the Fiance Visa process costs. There are thousands of dollars in filing fees, medical exams, getting a Police clearance, etc. So, Johnathan’s doing his best to help pay for those, too.

And since he has red flags (age difference and multiple recent divorces), he’s eager to use this as a way to prove this current relationship is solid in his fiance visa paperwork. So, it makes sense to frontload his I-129F with all of this.

But, let’s step back and separate the emotions from logic. Is it really wise to share international money transfers to demonstrate that you’re a legitimate couple?

Would it be perceived the same way by the USCIS and US Consulate? What if they’re asking a completely different question than you are: “Is she manipulating you for money? is this a scam? are you trying to ‘buy love’?”

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Why the consulate may consider it a red flag

You see, Embassy officers are confronted with a plethora of complex immigration scams and crimes which force them to scrutinize red flags with a sharp eye.

Before you casually walked into your K-1 visa interview this morning, they’ve already thwarted 5 scammers from getting visas. All in a day’s work. Who’s to say you’re any different?

This mentality is especially prevalent in third-world countries where there are high rates of visa fraud. Some folks masquerade fake relationships and pay US petitioners a way into the US.

The government wants to protect you from potential scammers. So, to them, if it seems like you’re being scammed, they’ll deny the K visa.

Realize, they don’t care that you send money to one another. Rather, they want to be sure you’re not trying falling victim to a crime in order to “buy” the love and affection from your foreign beneficiary with cash or expensive gifts.

(Although there’s nothing legally objectionable with that — you can give whatever you want — but be mindful of the perception. Will this resemble a typical marriage fraud or scam that officers are used to seeing?)

Interestingly, consulates are also responsible to keep unsuspecting foreigners “safe” from unscrupulous US petitioners who lure them in only to abuse them later on (9 FAM 502.7-3).

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The final twist to the already-complex situation is if the foreigner sends money to the US petitioner. This is rare, but it compels officers to ask, “are you paying the US citizen to help you get a visa?”

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Which proof is okay to show? Which isn’t? 

So, now that you know that it’s a complex topic to the USCIS and US Embassy, is there a policy, guide, or law on what you should do? Do the I-129F instructions say if it’s okay to put 3 pages of Moneygram receipts?

Well, as expected, the USCIS and US Department of State offers few hints about what’s considered good proof of relationship.

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Most consulates, like the above example from France, don’t say whether or not sending money is acceptable evidence. 

Experience shows, however, that it’s not. But, it depends on a number of things:

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• ► What is the dollar value and / or frequency?
  If you send thousands of dollars to your fiance every month, then it’s probably not seen positively. But, if you send a bit of money every now and then for routine expenses, may be it’s okay to show in your evidence. 

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• ► Do you have any additional Red Flags?
  Most-importantly, it depends on if you have additional red flags. Meaning, do you also have other factors that further feed their suspicion of your relationship? (we’ll talk about a real example further below).

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All things considered, to steer clear of potential issues, I suggest forgoing this proof entirely.

As a side note: is there a time when it’s okay to show this proof? 

I think in rare cases, it’s acceptable (even good) to show money exchange. An example is if your foreign fiance gives birth to your child. Then it may be acceptable to show that you send money for the child’s expenses, well being and upkeep overseas.

But for most other situations, it’s not recommended.

Notice that: exchanging gifts, presents, or other purchases is fine. For example, purchasing an engagement ring is completely acceptable to include as proof of relationship. Direct cash deposits, however, are probably a trouble area.

See my free guide on which proof of relationships are actually beneficial to frontload your I-129F. Download the list here: 

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What kind of Proof of Relationship should I show them?

Download the FREE EBook [pdf] to learn
what 6 things they want to see in your
Fiance visa Packet for an easy approval

Plus some more emails to 
help in your K-1 visa process.

© Visa Tutor LLC

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Real life example of when things go right

I’m going to share two examples: one of when sending money is no problem; the second, when sending money is a red flag and gets you denied.

Here’s the first example: when sending money doesn’t affect the fiance visa interview. Fred, here, is describing his fiance’s interview experience and approval:

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See how the officer casually asked if they sent money to one another. And when the applicant said “yes,” it’s almost like the officer shrugged and kept going with other questions…almost like just one simple, routine and completely harmless question.

This entire interview was smooth and cordial. Fred’s fiance was approved even though he sends her money and paid for several of her K visa related expenses.

No red flags = no problems with money exchange.

Most likely, the officer saw nothing to suspect that the relationship was fraudulent and gladly approved them.

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Real life example of when things go wrong

Now, I want to share Jeremiah’s example and how his fiance’s interview played out.

Before we start, note the reason for this example is to learn how things can go wrong. I don’t want you to be scared or worried. There’s a 90% probability it WON’T happen to you, so there’s no reason to panic.

Rather, use this example to understand how to react and behave if things go wrong (I’ll discuss that below, too).

So, Jeremiah used to send money to his fiance overseas to help with travel, kids’ college expenses and a bunch more. In fact, just ahead of his fiance’s interview, he sent $2,000 to pay for her travel and do her K-1 visa medical exam.

He wasn’t expecting any issues because everything had worked out perfectly so far. So, the sudden fiance visa denial came as a shock.

You see, the Consular officer first asked routine questions. However, it got intense once she realized there was an age disparity (almost 30 years). That red flag prompted the officer to dive further in. Very soon she discovered there was a money exchange going on.

After that, it quickly went into a downward spiral and lead to a “short and abrupt” denial. 

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What was the result? Denial. 

The officer thought there was visa fraud and an attempt at extorting money from the petitioner in exchange for the woman’s affections.

The truth was that he didn’t really send her money like the way the officer understood it. Jeremiah instantly recognized the mistake his fiance made explaining. But unfortunately, they missed their opportunity.

Red flag = more scrutiny with money exchange.

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If you’re asked whether you send money to your fiance

Interestingly, they may not directly ask if your fiance sends money. Instead, they can ask 

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• ► Who paid the I-129F filing fee?
• ► Who paid for your K visa fee?
• ► Who paid for your K visa medical exam?
• ► The police clearance?
• ► If your K-1 visa is approved, who’s paying for the trip?
• ► Who paid for the engagement?

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If you’re asked any of these at the K visa interview, how should you respond? 

Well, the truth.

In our last example, Jeremiah had a huge age gap. That’s why the officer began to get inquisitive and one thing lead to another. The money for the daughter’s college tuition just happened to be the final straw.

And interestingly enough, none of this was their fault.

Step back and notice: Jeremiah and his fiance didn’t advertise the fact that they had money exchange in their paperwork or proof of relationship. They didn’t put cash receipts of Western Union into their I-129F nor did they bring them to the interview.

Rather, the officer just happened to home into the topic on her own. There wasn’t really anything Jeremiah’s fiance, Rosy, did wrong. 

However, there are several things she could have done right to improve the negative perception. 

Rosy could’ve said, “although he helps with the college tuition, it’s not necessarily the entire explanation”. In addition, if she proactively noticed that things were going downhill, she could have addressed it head on. 

How, you ask?

Well, for one, she could’ve said: 

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“Ma’am, if you’d like to see how much we actually transferred, please allow me to submit the statements and evidence. But this relationship is based on a lot more than just him helping me out financially.”

Instead, Rosy got nervous and fell silent, which perpetuated the officer’s suspicion further.

This example goes to show you that sometimes even if you don’t volunteer the information up front in your I-129F petition, you may still be asked this question — to which you must answer honestly.

However, be sure to have a good, logical explanation if there are misconceptions. The truth will likely be believable to the officer. So, be clear in discussing issues you feel may be blocking your path. 

Be cognizant if you have red flags that compound the situation, such as: a big age gap, a high fraud risk country, etc. etc.

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Know how to react and respond at the K visa interview

I want you to really internalize this message:

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• ✔ Don’t go out of your way to present money transactions voluntarily as it usually not good proof.
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• ✔ However, if you’re asked, answer truthfully and explain the situation.

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Keep in mind that exchanging gifts, buying clothes, jewelry, etc. are fantastic evidence. Direct cash transfers, however, are the trouble spot.

Although there’s a bit of risk of being suspected for a scam, be truthful and keep your story straight. If you feel officers are misinterpreting your relationship, you must be vocal. Explain what needs explaining and clearly give the right message.

To understand which proof of relationship are best to show at the K visa interview or to frontload your I-129F packet, sign up for my email list. You’ll get an instant download of my 10-page pdf guide on which proofs actually make a difference in your fiance visa case.

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What kind of Proof of Relationship should I show them?

Download the FREE EBook [pdf] to learn
what 6 things they want to see in your
Fiance visa Packet for an easy approval

Plus some more emails to 
help in your K-1 visa process.

© Visa Tutor LLC