Documents you should prepare for your marriage visa application

Showing sufficient proof of a “bona fide” marriage in your spousal visa application and at your green card interview

To obtain a spousal visa, you will need to show that your marriage is bona fide, or real. A “bona fide” marriage is defined as a marriage that was entered into for love and not for immigration purposes. The best way to do this is to provide evidence of your relationship leading up to the marriage. At your green card interview, you must provide even more evidence of your bona fide marriage. You may be asked about how you met your spouse, your wedding, and other personal details about your relationship. It is important to be prepared to answer these questions truthfully and with as much detail as possible to increase your chances of a successful marriage visa application.

If you cannot provide sufficient evidence of your bona fide marriage, your application for a spousal visa may be denied. In some cases, you may be able to appeal the decision or provide additional evidence. However, it is always best to have all the necessary documentation ready before applying for a spousal visa.

Here is a list of documents you should prepare for your marriage visa application:

Applicant’s Marriage Certificate

You will need to upload a copy of your marriage certificate. This is one of the many documents that will help prove to the USCIS that your marriage is legitimate.

Make sure to upload a high-resolution copy of your Marriage Certificate. 

Relationship Evidence

Many documents will help prove to the USCIS that your marriage is legitimate. You can upload evidence throughout your entire relationship, including friendship, dating, engagement, wedding, honeymoon, and marriage, to prove that your marriage is bonafide and your relationship is sincere.

You will want to aim for at least 100-200 pages of strong, varied evidence.

The following documents are commonly used as extra evidence for a legitimate marriage:

• Proof of Correspondence
• Proof of shared trips or experiences
• Photos from when you were dating
• Wedding Photos
• Honeymoon Photos
• Engagement Photos
• Wedding Invitation scans
• Wedding guest signature book scans
• Receipts from wedding expenses
• Receipt from engagement ring and wedding ring purchases.

Joint Assets and Co-Mingling of Funds

Many documents will help prove to the USCIS that your marriage is legitimate. You can upload copies of documents that establish a co-mingling of financial assets to prove that your marriage is bona-fide.

While uploading these types of evidence is not technically required, it is highly recommended. Failing to do so will increase the likelihood that USCIS will adjudicate your case with higher scrutiny.

The following documents will work if the names of the applicant and petitioner are both included:

• Savings Account Statements from Bank or Financial Institution.
• Checking Account Statements from Bank or Financial Institution.
• 401k, Pension or Other Retirement Accounts
• Investment Accounts
• Proof of money transfers to each other on apps like Western Union, Wise, Zelle or Venmo

Make sure to upload a number of records that establish the length of time that each account was shared. For example, if you had a joint savings account for the past 5 years, upload year-end statements for the past 4 years and then monthly statements for the current year.

Joint Financial Responsibilities

There are many documents that will help prove to the USCIS that your marriage is legitimate. You can upload copies of documents that establish joint financial debts taken or significant purchases made.

While uploading these types of evidence is not technically required, it is highly recommended. Failing to do so will increase the likelihood that USCIS will adjudicate your case with higher scrutiny.

The following documents will work if the names of the applicant and petitioner are both included:

• Receipts from significant purchases made together
• Installment Contracts
• Joint Mortgage Statement
• Joint Credit Card statements
• Loan agreements, contracts
• Bank transfers or checks made to each other.
• Utility bills in both of your names
• Joint Vehicle Titles

Joint Insurance Statements

There are many documents that will help prove to the USCIS that your marriage is legitimate. You can upload copies of documents that establish a joint-insurance policy in both spouse’s names to prove that your marriage is bona-fide.

While uploading these types of evidence is not technically required, it is highly recommended. Failing to do so will increase the likelihood that USCIS will adjudicate your case with higher scrutiny.

You may have some of the following insurance policies:

• Auto Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Dental Insurance

Insurance related documents that show both spouse’s names include the following:

• Account Statements
• Monthly Bill
• Insurance Application
• Insurance Policy Quote
• Insurance Cards
• Insurance Portal Screenshot

Joint Ownership, Lease or Tenancy

There are many documents that will help prove to the USCIS that your marriage is legitimate. You can upload copies of documents that establish joint ownership or leasing of a house, apartment or property. USCIS likes to see proof that spouses are living together.

While uploading these types of evidence is not technically required, it is highly recommended. Failing to do so will increase the likelihood that USCIS will adjudicate your case with higher scrutiny.

The following documents will work if both the names of the applicant and petitioner are both included:

• Contract
• Closing Documents
• Mortgage Agreement, Account Statement or Bill from Bank.
• Lease Agreement
• Rental Contract
• Proof of receiving mail at same address

Letters of Support from Friends & Family

There are many documents that will help prove to USCIS that your marriage is legitimate. You can upload copies of letters of support from friends and family members. 

The letters from each family member or friend should be unique but will all contain the following information:

• How long the person has known you and your spouse
• The nature of the relationship with you and your spouse
• How often they interact with you and your spouse
• Descriptions of the interactions or activities with you and your spouse.

Letters should be physically signed by the author and they should include a scan of their ID. 

Combining documents together

One of the easiest ways to upload lots of evidence is to group evidence together in a word document, convert the word document to a PDF and then upload everything together in that one file. 

You can also merge PDF’s together using the following website: https://smallpdf.com/merge-pdf