Since there is no shortage of fake couples filing for Green Cards, US authorities want to make sure that each application is genuine. Therefore, the couple must present relationship evidence to demonstrate their relationship is genuine.
You may be concerned about what type of documents you should use to prove your relationship and what type of questions you may be asked at your interview. We present an overview of what to expect and how to prepare for your application.
Documents to Prove The Relationship
Joint Finances
Having joint finances is a strong indication of a real relationship. The first step is to provide details a joint bank account. Another common way of showing joint finances is bank transfers to each other, particularly if they are on a regular basis.
Another way of showing commingling of money is saving plans that you may hold together as a couple. You could also show joint investments such as property bought by both of you or stocks and shares.
Children
The strongest evidence of a true relationship is having children together. You can use their birth certificate, which states both your names, as proof.
Joint Residency
The expectation when applying for a Green Card is that the couple is living together. If you are living together, you can prove this by showing a copy of your apartment purchase agreement or your rental agreement. Furthermore, we like to show copies of proof of previous shared residencies to demonstrate the length of the relationship.
Additionally, you can show payments of utilities that are in both of your names. This could be property tax (arnona in Israel), electricity, water, gas and internet. This further proves that you are both at this residency. If the property you live in is registered to only one spouse, you could also show letters sent to the joint residency to both of you, for examples letters from the bank.
If you are not living at the same residency, it’s important to provide other good evidence from other categories and show how you plan to live together in the future.
Life insurance/pension fund/Will
Any proof that your spouse will be left with your possessions in the case of death is very strong evidence. You could show that your spouse will be the beneficiary of your life insurance policy and pension fund. Additionally, you could show a will proving that the other spouse will get your possessions in the case of death. Other legal documents can used such as a living will and a power of attorney.
Vacations and flights
For couples who are not currently living together, it is critical to show frequent flights to visit each other. You can show all flights that you have flown to see each other over the years. Additionally, if you have taken any vacations together, you can show the joint flights and hotel reservations in both of your names.
Pictures
Many couples have lots of lovely pictures together. The problem with them? Well they just aren’t very strong evidence. There’s a couple of things you can do with those pictures. Firstly show pictures that you have on social media – these prove the date when they were uploaded showing that you have been together for a long time. Additionally it is a good idea to limit how many photos you include. You may want to include a handful of photos from each year you have been together.
Affidavits
Another piece of evidence that can be used are signed affidavits from people who know both of you and can attest to that the fact that you are in a genuine relationship. They should state how long they have known both of you and their relationship to you (how they met you, how well they know you). They should then describe what they know about your relationship. Personal details are really important to add to further prove the validity of relationship. These affidavits can be from friends and family.
In addition to the evidence you provide, at the interview conducted, the validity of your relationship will come into question. These questions are similar (but not identical) to a relationship sincerity interview Israeli immigration authorities may conduct. The officer may ask quite general questions; such as when did you get married and when did you meet. They may ask more personal questions to make sure that you really know the person – which side of the bed does your spouse sleep on, what color is their toothbrush or what car do they drive. For a genuine couple, there is nothing to be concerned about. The officers are normally trained in body language and can see that you are a real couple. You’ll also know the answers to the questions asked.
If you are not in a real relationship and you have applied for a Green Card, its important to note that this is immigration fraud and has very serious consequences. If at the time of application, you were a real couple however you have since separated, it is important to reach out for legal advice to see what your options are. Sometimes there are ways to continue to hold your Green Card even if you have separated from the US citizen who petitioned for you. Similarly, if you have experienced abuse at the hands of your petitioner, you may be able to continue with your Green Card application.
