that is a huge red flag for any marriage, not just an international marriage. Why hide the relationship?

@K 🇺🇸 D 🇭🇳 sometimes people get married without the consent of their parents that’s what I think about this situation

how would USCIS know that the beneficiary’s parents don’t know about the relationship? if they ask about your parents and have they met etc, you should probably tell the truth but I wouldn’t volunteer the information @Very Anxious … judging by your screen name you probably need to relax :)

@w s 🇨🇦🇺🇸 you are right and thank you for that rational open-minded response. I believe it's none of their business either unless they suspect fraud for some reason which evidence can disprove. Everyone's lives are different with different challenges

@Daughter of God @K 🇺🇸 D 🇭🇳 Many people, particularly introverts, prefer privacy in their relationships, especially when they don’t have a trustworthy or safe family dynamic. Some families try to sabotage growth and criticize rather than support good news. There's a fear of harsh judgement. If a family hasn’t been understanding of their dating life, it’s understandable to elope, as many Americans do, not to hide the relationship but for privacy and self-preservation (low contact with family). In some countries, women face severe consequences for family disapproval, but ultimately, her consent in choosing a partner is what matters. Some parents don't ever want their adult children to leave and go to great lengths to ruin their relationships when they find a partner and try to leave. Relationships are between two people, and some maintain boundaries to protect both themselves and the relationship, especially after family betrayal. Grown adults don’t need family approval to marry; while culturally significant, everyone has the right to marry and build a family freely.

@Very Anxious I understand you completely. Everyone does have the right to marry freely. Clearly there is a lot more to your story. I do wonder how a person can go through the Embassy process and then leave their home country without their family knowing. I also understand the need for freedom from a toxic family dynamic. I wish you the best in your journey. I guess if it comes up in the interview you can explain exactly what you said here. But if there is no contact or low contact with the family then ultimately you can just tell them that too. Nobody can really predict what questions they ask anyway. I apologize if my message came across wrong, definitely not my intention ❤️

actually it’s not bad even ,if u explain ur circumstances that why family was not involved and the reason that it was love marriage ,it actually makes the case stronger ,there are so many countries where arrange marriages is still happening and love marriages are not acceptable,and no family involvement is seen .Just make sure you have a solid reason

my friend did a love marriage and no family was involved as their involvement could sabotage their relationship,USCIS considered it a valid reason, if u have friends that were part of it that what all it matters

they were given visa on spot actually