If you want to come to live in the United States and have married a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will need to show that your marriage is real. Proving that your marriage is authentic may seem easy, but the truth is that you may need more documentation than you believe you do.
Plenty of people can get chat records or a few images. Instead, to prove your marriage is authentic, you need to put together significant documentation. Otherwise, you could be accused of falsifying the marriage and be denied the green card that you wanted.
Your I-130 packet
The I-130 petition packet is the first step of your marriage-based green card process. It will ask you to provide a marriage certificate from the country in which you were married. If you were married in the United States, provide the marriage certificate and information about the location of the marriage as well as the court where the marriage has been registered.
Although a marriage certificate is binding, it won’t be enough for the green card on its own. You will also need to submit other documents, such as statements from your joint bank accounts, photographs of you and your spouse on your wedding day and joint insurance information. Of course, a single photograph or newly registered bank account won’t be enough, either. You should also show a history of being in a relationship, such as multiple visits between countries, photos of you and your spouse before and after your wedding and even letters from friends and relatives that discuss your relationship.
Why does the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services need so much information?
Unfortunately, it is easy to commit green card fraud if the USCIS only requires a photograph, a marriage certificate and other basic information. The USCIS prevents fraud by making sure that people have authentic relationships before they are granted a green card to come and stay in the United States.
Preparing evidence of your relationship shouldn’t be difficult if you’re authentically together and spending time with one another. Make sure to include as much information as you can to help the USCIS see that you are in a legitimate marriage before submitting this packet.