Love and Marriage with Pride

Several years ago, my good friend asked me to write an affidavit or a formal letter about our long-term friendship and my knowledge and observation of his relationship with his partner. Why, you would ask? It had nothing to do with the fact that it was a same-sex marriage, which was already legal at the time. It had everything to do with my friend's partner being an immigrant. He had arrived in the US on a fiance visa which was later converted to a conditional green card. A couple of years later, they were petitioning to change the conditional green card to a non-conditional one, which would give my friend's partner a path to citizenship.

Both of them are good, hard-working people, who contribute to the society in many meaningful ways. Both of them had previous relationships that did not work out and they were happy and content with their relationship, having finally found true love. So, I happily obliged. I wrote the letter, their status was changed favorably, and ultimately my friend's partner became a naturalized citizen.

Since my letter seem to have helped in the process, I am sharing it here as a generic template without the real names so that it can be used by other people in similar situations. I hope that if not used for a direct purpose, this letter can be at least an educational read for others:

[insert date]

To Whom It May Concern:

I know C [insert full name] since [year] when we both were [insert details of your acquaintance and relationship]. We have been friends and colleagues ever since and always kept in touch even when we were on different [coasts/continents/states]. After I [insert life event that brought you closer together], our friendship has become even stronger.

I witnessed C’s romance with H develop almost in real time, as they filed their application for a fiancé visa in [insert date]. C was excited about H joining him in the United States and as someone who [had just become a naturalized citizen myself/had relatives or friends who went through the naturalization process], we shared a lot about the process of immigration and the history of their relationship.

C told me that he and H had met online [alternatively, insert a detail: in person, through a friend, etc.] in [insert date, even if it’s approximate]. Then they met in person in [insert date], when C was in [insert place] and flew to [insert H’s country] to meet H at [insert event: conference, friend’s birthday, etc.]. C was helping H with [provide a detail of challenge or considerable expense], which to me was a great sign of responsibility and commitment, especially because they were only friends at that time. C and H met again [insert date and place to show gradual development of the relationship] to talk more than they already had about prospects of a romantic relationship, which they decided to pursue, first in a third country as H’s ability to travel was limited due to visa requirements and financial considerations.

I remember how excited C was to meet H again in [provide details of other meetings outside the US]. When H finally arrived in the United States in [insert date], C happily told me about their "pre-honeymoon" road trip to [provide details of date and place]. They got married on [insert date and explain its significance for the couple]. I saw how they both were happy that day and later noticed how they developed their routine as a newly wedded couple. They were eating lunch together almost every day, C was checking in with H on how he was adjusting at work, and introduced him to all his friends and colleagues, encouraging H to become a part of his social networks.

H would often come to visit us, always respectful and polite, and visit with C’s other colleagues. In addition, C encouraged H to meet people outside of our circle, to develop new friendships that would not necessarily involve C. To me, this was a sign of trust and security that they had in each other. They also continued to travel together whenever opportunities presented themselves so that H could learn the history and culture of the United States. Generally, from what I observed, they were a happy couple thriving in their relationship.

[Provide more details of relationship that is evolving and strengthening: Did they think about adopting children? Did they develop good relationships with the parents and extended family on both sides? Did the immigrant’s parents visit them in the United States? Did they encourage each other’s professional growth? Did one of them follow the other for a new job? Did they experience some challenges that tested their relationship and they still stayed together? Etc. Remember, the goal is to demonstrate that this is not a sham marriage for a green card but a genuine relationship that stands the test of time and challenges].

By all measures, C and H are in a genuine loving relationship that I am sure will grow even stronger and more committed over time. I hope their application for a non-conditional Green Card for H will be considered favorably. I will be happy to answer any questions or provide more details.

Sincerely,

[insert your name

Title

Contact info: address, email, phone number]

Please remember that all the information you provide in a letter like this must be verifiably true. The immigration officers will rigorously check everything through background and fact checks, as well as interviews.