K-1 Visa Tips for Proving a Bona Fide Relationship

Some K-1 visa interviews end like this:

Interviewer: “Okay, so things look good here.”

Applicant: “Really? But don’t you want to see any of my photos or evidence? I brought a photo album and–”

Interviewer: “No, thanks. I’ve already seen all that I needed in your petition… It all looks good. You’re approved”.

It’s funny, sometimes officers don’t even want to look at new evidence if you’ve already done a great job frontloading your I-129F.

Which is all well and good.

But let’s say you’ve already frontloaded your I-129F petition.

Let’s say you did everything you thought possible to improve your evidence.

Now, is there anything else you can do?

● What ELSE helps improve your case…any tips before you mail out my I-129F?

● How can you give your case the “final touch”?

● Or is there anything MORE you can do before the K visa interview?

Yes, in fact, there’s a lot you can do to improve your bona fide relationship evidence.

Before we find out what that is, you probably know by now… I’m not really a “tips” kind of guy. Because I believe you should have fundamentals nailed perfectly before you think about tactics.

But today I DO want to share 6 tips / strategies for your fiance visa proof of relationship that help set you apart and help give you that extra edge.

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Tip # 1 – Don’t show too many staged photos

Imagine if all the photos you have in your I-129F are of you two dressed in formal suits and looking nervous inside of a photo studio. Almost like you were told to stand there, behave, while someone took a photo.

Something like that will probably make an officer sneer “looks like they’re ‘in love’ against their will”.

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You don’t want to show you’re nervous around one another. Instead, you want to show that you’re comfortable and relaxed. That helps prove you’re genuine, involved and excited –not that you’re potentially doing it as a scam.

The way to do it is to mix of photographs in formal and informal settings.

So, in addition to the photos from a formal photo shoot, you may also have photos of you two watching a football game surrounded by family on a Sunday afternoon. Don’t you think that gives someone a better impression about your genuine relationship?

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Tip # 2 – Social Media can be your friend or foe

Use Social Media to your benefit. If you’re close on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. then that’s good evidence you’re genuine.

Why? Well, since your family and friends can see what’s going on in your life, it will persuade consulars that you openly share this part of life. It proves there’s no secretive or suspicious relationship (i.e. no scam or red flag).

So, most of the time, social media is your friend.

But keep in mind, officers can look at your social media accounts to verify that what you’re saying is actually true. So, you have to be truthful.

For example, does your status say “married” or “engaged”? Or does your profile contradict what you say in your I-129F petitions? Is your fiance’s name “Samantha”, but you write romantic poems for “Sonya”?

Be careful and mindful of this. It’s perfectly legal for US authorities to check social media (DS-5535). In fact, in rare cases K-1 visa cases were denied due to what officers found on the applicant’s social media… (in which case, social media can sometimes be a foe).

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Tip # 3 – It’s safe to redact personal things

If you want to show some evidence, but it’s kind of personal, you can redact parts that you find inappropriate. Meaning, you can take a permanent marker and cross out, block, or erase parts of things you want hidden.

It’s like saying “please take a look at other proofs but don’t look at that [photo, or line of text, or whatever]”.

For instance, if you talked about wedding plans in an email but also get personal with details, you can block those personal parts out (yes, physically with a black marker).

You don’t even need a reason to redact something — it could be something as simple as privacy. And it’s generally safe to redact anything without fearing officers will suspect you’re hiding something.

But there’s also another major reason to redact things. Historically, there have been instances where officers misinterpreted evidence.

A common example is when couples got too excited and call each other “husband” or “wife” in text messages or emails, etc. That invites officers to misinterpret and assume that you’re already married. Which is a clear reason to deny your K-1 visa. (Read “can we marry before a K-1 visa?”)

So — when in doubt, redact it out.

Here’s how a redacted text message proof looks like. By the way, this is a bad example. You don’t want to redact too much because it defeats the purpose of sharing proof of relationship.

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Tip # 4 – Be mindful of your fiancé’s culture

Your foreign fiancé’s culture is important.

Consular Officers are aware of the country’s norms and culture. They know what’s acceptable, not acceptable, what’s common and what’s uncommon. Your bona fide evidence should be within the acceptable context of the society.

For instance, it’s unacceptable in many countries for an unwed woman to meet her fiancé alone for recreation. Rather, most activities are family based.

If those kinds of cultural / religious restrictions apply, then be sure you gather whatever evidence you CAN while still respecting social boundaries.

● Many cultures expect some sort of engagement ceremony

● Many cultures expect you to involve family

● Many western cultures expect you to “ask a parent’s permission”.

Whatever the case is, it’s usually great evidence because it shows you took the time out to really understand and appreciate your fiance and his/her culture. Which of course means you’re truly in a relationship.

It also means your relationship was “approved” and supported by family or society. All of these things help dispel red flags, too.

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Tip # 5 – Begin collecting proof right away

Think about relationship proof before you even meet your fiance face to face. Keep that in mind even if you’re going to meet your fiance for the very first time.

Then, as you progress further and further into the relationship, keep a running collection. Don’t wait until the last minute or leave it for later… because you won’t have the time or energy at the K-1 visa interview.

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This also means you have to keep on top of your communication proof.

Example # 1: Telephone records. Some telephone companies delete old logs from your account. They may span only 30, 60, 90 days, etc. after which, it’s gone forever. So, you should download your call history to cover the time period of your relationship.

Example # 2: If you want to use financial commingling as evidence of a bona fide relationship, then you’ve also got to start early. Most banks take long to process your request for paperwork. And you don’t want to be waiting the last minute.

Example # 3: Just like phone records, older social media records can also be deleted. So, take screenshots of your FaceBook, Twitter, Skype, WhatsApp, etc. when interacting.

So, as soon as you finish reading this entire blog post, go and get those time sensitive proof of relationship. (Read “how much fiance visa proof of relationship do you need?”)

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Tip # 6 – Use a checklist

And finally, since you’ve got a lot to keep on top of, use this checklist to track your progress and see if you have the right types of evidence.

For your I-129F packet

● Do you have a mix of proof of relationship?

● Did you frontload your I-129F?

● Are the proof from the last 2 years? Are they older?

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After filing I-129F (While you wait for processing)

● Check USEmbassy.gov for requirements at the K1 interview

● Maintain an ongoing relationship: Communication, visits, planning wedding, etc.

● Gather bona fide evidence to address any “red flags” like age difference

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For the Fiance(e) K1 interview

● Collect and organize all proofs

● Choose most important quality evidence

● Have evidence from each category: communication, meetings, finances, family, wedding preparation

● Create an organized binder. Practice narrating the timeline of your evidence

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The complete guide on selecting great proof of relationship

Remember, anyone can slap together a bunch of text messages and photos and pass that along as proof of relationship.

But when you really take time to give it that final touch, it resonates with officers at a different level. It helps them truly believe that you’re genuine. It shows you took the time out and deserve their attention. (What proof of relationship is best for your I-129F?)

Besides the tips we just talked about, there are certain types of proof are critical to have in your I-129F packet. Things like travel documents, certain types of photos, communication, and so on.

Those are the basic ones that officers immediately look for when they’re flipping through your proof of relationship. And it’s important you get that perfectly correct. It’s like you’re giving them exactly what they want to see.

Sign up below and I’ll send you my 10-page pdf guide on the types of proof of relationship you need for your I-129F or fiance K-1 visa interview.

With that, it won’t be a mystery about what’s good proof, what’s required, and how much… you’ll know exactly the types of proof that make officers believe you.