If you plan to apply for a marriage green card, you must know you have to prove that you are married and have a “bona fide marriage”. It is where both partners share the common interest of having a future together and not getting married only for immigration purposes.
For this purpose, you have to submit an application for a green card along with your marriage certificate. The process doesn’t end here. There is more that you have to do to prove your bona fide marriage.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) demands additional evidence to support the fact that the couple plans to live together when they applied for the green card.
The first step is to provide documents in the I-130 petition package that would be strong evidence of your bona fide marriage. One of the documents can be an affidavit of support. You can write it and share it with your friends or family to get 3-4 affidavits of support for submission with the Form I-130 petition.
If you don’t know what an affidavit of support looks like and what information it should have, here is a simple tutorial, along with a sample
Why do you need an affidavit of support?
Many new couples who got separated by distance don’t find enough time to combine their bank accounts or start a family. As they don’t live together, most probably they also don’t have a shared residence.
In such a situation, it becomes impossible to provide the required documents. The secondary form of evidence, like an affidavit of support, can be helpful.
An affidavit of support for good faith marriage is a sworn letter, and the person who writes it swears that he is stating only the truth.
You must submit 2-4 Affidavits to support the fact that you entered your marriage in good faith. You can ask for an affidavit of support from your relative, religious leader, or a friend who knows you well as a couple.
➡LEARN MORE: How to write an affidavit
What should you add in an affidavit of support Letter?
In the I-130 affidavit, the affiant must write his personal experience with the couple. USCIS demands factual testimony that explains your observation about the couple and why you can claim it as bona fide marriage.
The affidavit of support must have the following information:
- Affiant’s full name, address, date of birth, and birthplace
- Affiant’s relationship with the couple (friend, relative)
- How the affiant is acquainted with the couple
- For how long the affiant knows the couple
- How often the affiant meets the couple (monthly or weekly)
- Affiant’s signature with date
It’s not necessary to notarize the affidavit of support. However, it will improve the evidence strength if you add an oath at the end before signing and get it notarized.
I-130 affidavit sample
