Dawn

Does anyone have a sample letter from friends/ family attesting to marriage
that I could look at? I'm not quite sure what should be included in this
letter or how it should be worded.
Also, my husband and I don't have anything with both our names on it except
our tax returns and car insurance papers. I did co-sign on his car loan so
I could use that. We each have our own bank accounts/ credit cards and all
bills and mortgage are in my name. I don't think we have enough evidence.
Any suggestions?
Would it be weird or inadvisable to send a copy of our pre-nup agreement?
We decided before marriage to keep our finances separate since we've both
been burned in the past and have assets to protect. The pre-nup would
explain why we don't have any joint accounts. Any advice wouod be
appreciated. Thanks!

Folinskyinla

Hi:

IMHO, those letters are given very little weight and I don't waste time on them.

The documentation you describe appears pretty good to me. Also, do they show that you share the SAME ADDRESS? For example, YOUR Visa bill and HIS AmEx bill sent to the same address show that you share an address. The joint taxes and co-signing of a loan are good evidence.

Also, you mention a car loan, so I assume there is automobile insurance -- insurance companies are petty picky on people sharing households.

Rete

Also there are employer letters from both employers stating who is listed as emergency contact for each of you; beneficiary of company health, dental, 401K, life insurance, etc. plans.

Have you vacationed together or only separately? If together, do you have photos from your trips, itineraries, boarding passes if you flew?

What about cards and invitations that you received for holidays, birthdays or special occasions? Did you save them and the envelopes they came in?

Do you belong to any organizatons together or clubs or leagues. For example my husband and I belong to the same bowling league although not the same team. We used that as evidence.

Pallyn

Are you two on the same cell phone plan? We are, and I sent the itemized part of the bill that shows how often we called each others numbers or called the home number from the cells.

Folinskyinla

Hi:

Good ones. Back from my days of the 245A legalization, I was amazed on how creative people could be to demonstrate physical presence in the US. And since these people were here illegally, they often lacked conventional documentation. Since then, I have enouraged people to use their imagination in documenting a case.

Do NOT be constrained by the SUGGESTIONS on the form instructions.

BTW, a good suggestion for photo's together just might be a declaration from the photographer, especially as to where and how it was taken.

Each case is different and the quality of the evidence may vary. For example, lets go back to those photo's -- a picture of you two together at a restaurant is pretty meaningless. A picture of you two together with one set of the parents and the sibs and cousins is wonderful. [A declaration from the photographer or some of the people in the photo is good]. A photo of the two of you with Niagra Falls or Half Dome in the background is pretty good. [BTW, what with digital photos and the ability to manipulate them on a computer, I wonder if photos might become less useful in the future.]

Again -- case by case.

Jonathan McNeil Wong

Folinskyinla wrote:
    >>Also there are employer letters from both employers stating who is
    >>listed as emergency contact for each of you; beneficiary of company
    >>health, dental, 401K, life insurance, etc. plans.
    >>Have you vacationed together or only separately? If together, do you
    >>have photos from your trips, itineraries, boarding passes if you flew?
    >>What about cards and invitations that you received for holidays,
    >>birthdays or special occasions? Did you save them and the envelopes
    >>they came in?
    >>Do you belong to any organizatons together or clubs or leagues. For
    >>example my husband and I belong to the same bowling league although
    >>not the same team. We used that as evidence.
    >
    >
    > Hi:
    >
    > Good ones. Back from my days of the 245A legalization, I was amazed on
    > how creative people could be to demonstrate physical presence in the US.
    > And since these people were here illegally, they often lacked
    > conventional documentation. Since then, I have enouraged people to use
    > their imagination in documenting a case.
    >
    > Do NOT be constrained by the SUGGESTIONS on the form instructions.
    >
    > BTW, a good suggestion for photo's together just might be a declaration
    > from the photographer, especially as to where and how it was taken.
    >
    > Each case is different and the quality of the evidence may vary. For
    > example, lets go back to those photo's -- a picture of you two together
    > at a restaurant is pretty meaningless. A picture of you two together
    > with one set of the parents and the sibs and cousins is wonderful. [A
    > declaration from the photographer or some of the people in the photo is
    > good]. A photo of the two of you with Niagra Falls or Half Dome in the
    > background is pretty good. [BTW, what with digital photos and the
    > ability to manipulate them on a computer, I wonder if photos might
    > become less useful in the future.]
    >
    > Again -- case by case.
    >

WRT photos, I always instruct clients to use old-fashioned film, esp on
a "personal meeting trip" that is intended to result in a K-1 filing.
Even better, the film from the type of camera that records the date and
time on the negative.

I have had RFEs specifically saying not to submit digital photos. (Of
course as the printing technology gets better, might become impossible
to tell the difference.)

--
Above intended as general commentary, not specific legal
advice. Your mileage may vary.

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Jonathan McNeil Wong Voice: 510-451-0544
Donahue Gallagher Woods LLP Facsimile: 510-832-1486
P.O. Box 12979 URL: http://www.donahue.com
Oakland, CA 94604-2979 E-mail: [email protected]
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