Information Packages Materials

MARRIAGE

If your status as an intending immigrant depends upon a relationship established by a marriage between an alien and a United States citizen or legal permanent resident, please be prepared to present suitable documentation to establish the bona-fides of that marriage at the time of your immigrant visa interview.

The following types of documentation have proven helpful in adjudication of visa cases involving marriages. The type of documentation you present will depend on your particular circumstances. Failure to present satisfactory documentation may delay issuance of your immigrant visa.

• Receipts showing joint obligations for housing and living expenses, such as rent, utilities, telephone, and so forth;
  
• Mortgages, leases, credit accounts, or other financial obligations undertaken jointly;
  
• Evidence of joint ownership of property;
  
• Evidence of joint management of finances, such as joint bank accounts, insurance policies, retirement plans;
  
• Phone bill, photos, and correspondence between the married couple, dating from before and during the marriage;
  
• Correspondence to both spouses from family members;
  
• Evidence that those who know the parties recognize them as a married couple, such as invitations, cards, correspondence, and so forth;
  
• Tax returns from past years showing joint filing;
  
• Any other documentation or evidence would be suitable which shows that the parties to the marriage have formed a genuine economic and marital union.
  

EMPLOYMENT

If your entitlement to immigrant status is based on an employment-based petition or an offer of employment, you must obtain from your employer in the United States a written statement confirming that the employment offered you is still available. The statement should be on the stationery of the employer’s business organization and must be notarized. This statement must be presented at the time of your immigrant visa interview.

PHOTOGRAPH SPECIFICATIONS

Each immigrant visa applicant must submit one full-face photo with his/her first name and surname on the back of the picture. K-1, K-2, K-3 and K-4 applicants must submit two full-face photos. The photographs must be color with white or off-white background that is not patterned or busy. Applicant’s face must face camera directly and not be looking down or to either side. Both ears should be exposed; the applicant cannot wear sunglasses, head coverings or hats, except for religious reasons. Even then, they cannot obscure any part of the applicant’s face. Dimensions - 5 cm square. There may be a small (one quarter inch) white border on one side of the photograph; face must measure 3 cm from the top of the head to the chin. Photograph must be taken within the last six months. The photographic image must be sharp and correctly exposed. The photograph must be un-retouched.

September 2005