{"id":27309,"date":"2017-12-13T12:08:03","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T20:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.us-immigration.com\/blog\/?p=27309"},"modified":"2024-11-28T04:09:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T12:09:01","slug":"how-to-write-an-affidavit-for-immigration-marriage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/how-to-write-an-affidavit-for-immigration-marriage\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Affidavit for Immigration Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4><b>Affidavits and Affiants<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/wedding.jpg\" alt=\"Green Card from Marriage to US Citizen\" width=\"312\" height=\"234\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p>USCIS defines an affidavit as \u201ca document in which a person states facts\u201d and swears that \u201cthe facts are true and accurate.\u201d The person writing the affidavit is known as the <i>affiant<\/i>. Affidavits can take many different forms and serve in a number of situations. However, USCIS has specific requirements for the affidavits that affiants, or authors, submit in support of individuals seeking immigration benefits through marriage.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Who Needs an Affidavit for Proof of Bona Fide Marriage?<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Individuals seeking permanent resident status or citizenship through marriage must submit proof to USCIS that their marriage is a bona fide, or valid, relationship. This evidence typically consists of financial documents and legal certificates that demonstrate many standard conventions of married life: shared bank accounts, co-owned real estate or resulting children, for example. If such evidence is lacking or if a couple wishes to strengthen their case, they can request that people who know them write an affidavit or Letter of Support.<\/p>\n<h4><b>Affidavit of Support Versus Affidavit as a Letter of Support<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Terminology can be confusing, as USCIS requires that petitioners sign and submit an Affidavit of Support for individuals that they want to help immigrate to the U.S. In that Affidavit of Support, typically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/cart\/product\/form-i864-affidavit-of-support.html?r=blog-p27309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Form I-864<\/a>, the petitioner accepts financial responsibility for the person immigrating.<br \/>\nIn contrast, an affidavit or letter in support of a bona fide marriage as part of the immigration process is different and separate from the affidavit of financial support. The affidavit usually called a <i>Letter of Support<\/i> is simply an objective account of the author\u2019s knowledge about the couple\u2019s marriage. These letters often become part of the package of evidence submitted with<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/I-130-immigrant-petition-green-card.html?r=blog-p27309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Form I-130<\/strong>, Petition for Alien Relative.<\/a> Relatives file Form I-130 to prove their relationship with the person they are helping immigrate to the U.S.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/form-i751-remove-conditions-green-card.html?r=blog-p27309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Form I-751<\/strong>, Petition to Remove Conditions <\/a>on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/form-i751-remove-conditions-green-card.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Residence<\/a>. Conditional permanent residents use Form I-751 to become full permanent residents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>How To Write an Affidavit for an Immigration Marriage<\/b><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Ensure Qualifications To Write the Letter.<\/b> Anyone can write a letter of support to help prove the validity of a marriage. Authors can be family members, friends or even acquaintances who have assisted the couple with financial matters or living arrangements, for example. Authors must, however, know the couple and be able to provide factual evidence that demonstrates that the two people married because they are a valid couple in a bona fide marriage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b>Determine Relevant Evidence To Include.<\/b> Factual evidence should prove that the marriage is a legitimate one. This typically includes information indicating dates, times and specific events that the author cites. Authors may need to research records or calendars to establish the validity of the information they intend to include in their letter. Sometimes, USCIS will follow up with the author, the affiant, to confirm facts or request additional supporting evidence.<\/li>\n<li><b> Compose the Letter of Support.<\/b> While formats can vary somewhat, USCIS has some specific requirements about what should be in the affidavit, or Letter of Support. To prevent misunderstandings or readability issues, affiants should type the letter, clearly presenting information in a logical order much like a business letter.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong>a.Affiant\u2019s Full Name and Address<\/strong><\/em>. This should be easily located, at the top of the page.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>b. Affiant\u2019s Date of Birth and Place of Birth<\/strong><\/em>. USCIS requires this information on affidavits. It can be included under the full name and address as DOB (date of birth) and POB (place of birth).<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>c. Date of Letter<\/strong><\/em>. Letters should indicate the date on which the letter was written.<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>d. Subject Line<\/em>.<\/strong> The subject line specifies what the letter is and who it regards. It should indicate that the letter is an affidavit or Letter of Support, and it should include the couple\u2019s full names.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>e. Form of Address<\/strong><\/em>. For politeness and format, most letters include a \u201cDear USCIS Officer,\u201d form of address.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>f. Relationship to the Couple<\/strong><\/em>. The affiant, or author, must establish their relationship to the couple, how they know them. This should include information about\n<ul>\n<li>how long they have known the couple,<\/li>\n<li>how often they see or visit with them, and<\/li>\n<li>how recently they have interacted with them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>g. Complete Details of Evidence of the Bona Fide Marriage<\/strong><\/em>. Evidence should be organized as one piece of evidence per paragraph. Each piece of evidence should be clearly stated and supported with dates, times or other pertinent details. Details should specify how the affiant, or author, knows these things to be true.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>h. Oath of Truthfulness<\/strong><\/em>. To close the letter, the affiant should include a statement swearing to the truthfulness of the information submitted: For example,\u201dI swear, under penalty of perjury, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.&#8221;\n<ul>\n<li>I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the foregoing is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>i. Closure With Contact Information<\/strong><\/em>. Affiants should close by including their full name and contact information: current address and phone number, for example.<\/li>\n<li><em><strong>j. Notarized Signature<\/strong><\/em>. Signing the Letter of Support before a notary affirms the identity of the affiant, or author, and makes the letter a sworn, official statement. Letters of Support do not <em>have<\/em> to be notarized, but they <em>can<\/em> be notarized.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>Submitting a Letter of Support for an Immigration Marriage<\/b><\/h4>\n<p>Affiants usually give their letter to the married couple or to the married couple\u2019s attorney. The letter will be included in the evidence submitted to USCIS as part of their petition or application package. When USCIS reviews the package, immigration officers may request an interview with an affiant, or author, to review information submitted in the letter and confirm the validity of a couple\u2019s marriage.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/green-card-through-marriage-interview-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Card Through Marriage &#8211; Interview Tips<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/errors-that-impact-marriage-based-green-card-applications\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Errors that Impact Marriage Based Green Card Application\u00a0<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/gaining-us-citizenship-by-marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gaining US Citizenship by Marriage\u00a0<\/a><br \/>\nUpdated on 5\/21\/2018<\/p>\n<h2>We can help you with your Immigration paperwork!<\/h2>\n<p>Dealing with immigration in the United States is a long and tedious process. As a <strong>private company<\/strong>, our goal is to simplify the immigration application completion process.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few ways in which we can help make things easier:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our software allows you to prepare your immigration forms quickly and online.<\/li>\n<li>We provide helpful information related to American immigration in our blogs and emails.<\/li>\n<li>We provide customer support throughout the entire application preparation process.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The real benefits of using our software are:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>It\u2019s easy. Avoid the frustration of lengthy, complicated instructions.<\/li>\n<li>Confusing questions are simplified.<\/li>\n<li>All the forms you\u2019ll need to complete your application package are automatically included.<\/li>\n<li>Enter your information only once. Our software will pre-fill duplicate information for you.<\/li>\n<li>You can access your application anytime and from anywhere.<\/li>\n<li>Easy to understand customized filing instructions based on your answers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once you complete your form, you\u2019ll be able to print it! We can help with that too. Along with the form, you\u2019ll be able to print your customized filing instructions.<\/p>\n<p>Your instructions will include a list of the supporting documents and the USCIS processing fees that you\u2019ll need to submit to the USCIS.<\/p>\n<p>Once your application package has the necessary documents, you can then sign your application and mail your application package as instructed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you are looking to prepare an immigration form, use our software to make it simple.<\/strong> You can check your basic eligibility at no cost before you prepare your application. Check out all the form services we provide using the button below.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/cart\/category\/immigration-forms.html?referrer=infobox\"><br \/>\nImmigration Forms<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Affidavits and Affiants USCIS defines an affidavit as \u201ca document in which a person states facts\u201d and swears that \u201cthe facts are true and accurate.\u201d The person writing the affidavit is known as the affiant. Affidavits can take many different forms and serve in a number of situations. However, USCIS has specific requirements for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27309"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44690,"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27309\/revisions\/44690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.us-immigration.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}