A simple pledge of vows or family photos are not going to satisfy the government when attempting to prove that the relationship between two people seeking a marriage visa.

1. Petitions for an alien relative or fiancé(e) – Based on whether or not one’s significant other is currently a spouse or not and their status to live in the United States, there are three combinations of the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative and I-129 Petition for Alien Fianceé for cases of marriage to a U.S. citizen. For the immigrant marriage

2. Affidavit of Support – For the immigrant marriage visa, help of the federal government in the form of welfare is discouraged. The petitioning spouse must be able to assert their possession of a domicile and of an income at or above 125% of the poverty line to support their incoming partner. At this point in the visa service process, the form I-864, an Affidavit of Support, must to be completed and submitted to the National Visa Center for approval and relay to a U.S. consulate or embassy abroad.

3. The visa application/removal of conditions – Along with the fees and requisite proofs of identification posted by the Department of State on official notices, there is a two-part application form, Form DS-230, to be completed by the concerned married party to submit for the interview portion of the visa service process. In addition, if the couple has been together for less than two years, the immigrant will only be listed as a conditional permanent resident, and before acquisition of the Immigrant Relative (IR) visa, will have to send in a completed USCIS Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence. 

Despite all of the normal considerations and special considerations you and your family may have had to take to get approved through the National Visa Center and have an interview scheduled for visas for marriage, the work certainly does not stop once you get to the final stage.

If nothing else, the need to safeguard against any gaps in one’s history and documentation is only magnified as a result of the interview process. A marriage/fiancé visa, as a result of being so frequently defrauded in the past and with new attempts always happening, is under a lot more scrutiny due to the high incidence of green card marriages.

1. Certified translations – Whenever possible, U.S. embassies and consulates will prefer to deal in the English language. In fact, for some visa forms such as visas for diversity, the application will only be eligible if completed in English. Any translation must included a signed statement saying the translation is accurate and that the translator was in charge of his or her faculties.

2. Fingerprinting/biometrics and medical tests – Of course, failing to uphold a good moral character and participating in actions that could endanger the American people could hurt your chances of successfully earning visas for travel to the United States. As part of the testing phase of the visa application process, fingerprints will be sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for review, and potentially you could be rejected for your bid for a visa if you fail to pass vaccinations. In some countries, though a select few, possessing the HIV virus will also prevent you from entry. 

3. Single entry vs. multiple entry marriage visas – The non-immigrant K-class visas are distinguished between a single entry visa and a multiple entry visa. The K-3 marriage visa is a multiple entry visa, while the K-1 fiancé visa is a single entry visa that prohibits return on the same visa. You will have to return on a new entry visa should you choose this route.

4. Failing to pass customs – Even with a visa, a violation at customs upon arrival at a U.S. port-of-entry will invalidate the visa.