A tale of two marriages and American immigration policy:
A French friend of ours secured a working visa through her American company to go to work in the US. As a result her British partner and her got married, in France, over the past Summer to make it easier for him to come to the states and work. He now has a visa to stay in the US on this basis. No problem.
I married my wife over seven years ago, and we have a child together who was registered as an American citizen. We are trying to get an immigration visa for my wife right now, just in case we decide to move (things still up in the air) to the US. After filling out the first round of paperwork and providing copies of all sorts of documents, I have been asked to provide more. In order to prove the bona fides of our relationship, the self-same organisation that recorded the birth of our daughter is demanding a signed, notarised affidavit from myself detailing the history of my relationship with my wife.
I must also get three other people to attest to their knowledge of the validity of our relationship, and they must be willing to state that they would be willing to say so in a hearing, using a signed notarised affidavit for each.
Granted, the permanence of our situation over that of our friends may require a little bit more due diligence, but I'm pretty certain I provided more documentation in my initial application than they provided in their whole process. I think it comes down to this: a French marriage certificate less than a year old holds more water than an older British marriage certificate, to the American authorities.
Mind you, I suppose if my wife was Mexican...
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