Pulaski

They may be the same thing - we obtained our marriage license at the court house and after our wedding it was endorsed by the minister and filed at the court as a certificate of our marriage.

StuBear65

My USC wife has just submitted our petition. For proof of marriage she included a copy of the marriage certificate, two sworn affidavits from her colleagues, a copy of my I94 record showing my numerous visits to the US and a copy of our joint bank account. We figured we have nothing to hide so just sent them the basics.

Like you we have never lived together, we managed to get a joint bank account through USAA which we used to pay the fees (by check).

Good luck with your application.

KK85

I agree with Rene - affidavits of support from friends and family will be your friends, here. My husband and I have no joint accounts or joint financial investments - we sent in letters from my brother- and mother-in-law (we found templates online! Not sure how necessary that is (probably not at all), but they contained some official-sounding words, and we added info accordingly), who verified that they believed our relationship to be genuine and sincere. We included a few photos from our wedding, and from various trips back and forth - no phone logs or greetings cards or anything like that. Our petition was recently approved with no RFEs.

Very best of luck to you! Sounds like you've got it all in the bag.

ian-mstm

I believe he's correct! This is a continuation of the last part number listed on the form. Don't make new part numbers.


Yes. Whatever form of payment you use, make sure it's trackable.


No - you need a copy of your marriage certificate. The license gives you permission to marry, but you need proof that you're married.


This is true for most newlyweds.


Your marriage certificate is proof of your marriage.


That's because US immigration doesn't care about any time prior to the marriage.


Affidavits are generally considered the weakest form of evidence... but when you have nothing else, they're the cream of the crop! Make sure each affidavit indicates how long they've known you and that they have witnessed you on [some specific] occasion, and that you presented yourself in public as a married couple.

Ian

Rete

Yes, the fee for the filing of the I-130 needs to be included with the original filing. There will be more fees and they will be paid separately, i.e. affidavit of support, visa fee, green card production fee, etc.

kbales

Thanks everyone!

Looks like I just mixed up the words license and certificate. I noticed someone said a photocopy of the certified copy...can it not just be a certified copy? I have 3 certified copies already.

And sounds like affidavits of support are the way to go! Any more info on those? I'll look it up as well. Just curious on the best number to include, and the best people to do it. Is it best to have family or friends? Or a mix of both?

Also, is an I-94 necessary?

KK85

I'm so sorry, I can't seem to find the link to the templates my husband and I found, though I honestly can't imagine those are necessary. (And if they are, I'm sure somebody more knowledgeable will be able to point you in their direction.)

My (USC) husband and I included two - one from my husband's brother, and one from his mother. They each stated their relationship to us, how many times they had met me (UKC), that they were present at our wedding, and that they have no doubt that mine and my husband's relationship is genuine, sincere and loving.

There was a statement at the end of each letter, comprising a line or two, in which they swore the information they'd given was truthful. Again, if there are any kinds of magic words that are necessary to be included here, I'm sure somebody else will be able to advise.

I can't imagine it would matter much whether the letters were from family or friends; more that they be written by trustworthy people who know you both well.

Good luck!

kbales

Thank you so much! That helps a lot

KK85

You're welcome.

kbales

Actually that does leave me with one more question. I noticed your affidavits were from your husband's brother and mom, who I'm guessing are US citizens as well? Does that mean that the affidavits can only be from US citizens? I'm just wondering if I should include one or two from his English side as well.

KK85

We did that simply out of convenience/necessity, as we were keen to get the I-130 sent off ASAP, and all my friends and family were back in the UK. I wouldn't like to say whether there's a requirement for the affidavits to be from US citizens as I am not certain (I'm sure this info will be online somewhere, or somebody here might be able to answer that for you) but, in case it reassures you in any way or makes any difference, we received no RFEs despite both of our letters coming from members of my husband's immediate family.

Rete

Back in the olden days you were to specify the status of the person writing the affidavit of support. Their address and daytime phone numbers were to be included in the letter as well. For the US writer, you specify USC, LPR, H-=1B visaholder, whatever, what their relationship is to you or him and name at least one specific occasion of when they were in your presence and can attest your relationship, i.e. We were at a party on December 23, 2016 with John and Mary at her mother's home. It was obvious that John and Mary share a loving relationship by the way they looked at each other and Mary's mother's acceptance of John as her son-in-law.

kbales

Great! Thanks so much again

KK85

Now that I think of it, I recall my mother-in-law and brother-in-law both included their address and phone number in the letters. (I don't have a copy of them on this computer, otherwise I'd check and be a little more useful!)

Rete

Here is a good synopsis of the letter writing

3 Ways to Write an Affidavit Letter for Immigration - wikiHow