Friend affidavits for I-130 and I-751

Letter of support for a green card from a friend (sample)

Last updated 2026-10-01

A friend’s letter of support for a marriage green card should identify the friend (name, address, date and place of birth), explain how and since when they have known the couple, and describe specific moments they personally witnessed. Friends are valuable writers because they see the couple in everyday settings that documents cannot show.

Why a friend’s letter helps

Family members are expected to be supportive. Friends, coworkers and neighbors are often seen as more neutral — and they tend to see couples in ordinary settings: dinners, trips, moving days, birthdays. Those details are exactly what USCIS means by “complete information and details explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge” of the marriage, a phrase that appears in both the I-130 and I-751 instructions.

Fill-in outline for a friend

1. Identity block: full name, full address, date of birth, place of birth, relationship (“friend of both spouses”), phone or email.
2. How you met each spouse: when, where, through whom.
3. How often you see them now, and where — their home, your home, regular events.
4. Two to four specific scenes with approximate dates: their wedding, a trip, helping them move, holidays, a hard moment you saw them handle together.
5. What you know only second-hand, clearly labeled (“They told me they…”), or left out.
6. A short closing in your own words and your willingness to be contacted.
7. Truthfulness statement, handwritten signature and date — or sign in front of a notary.

Sample letter from a friend who lives in another city

Many friends do not live nearby. This sample shows how a long-distance friend can still write a credible letter by being precise about when they saw the couple — and honest about what they only heard about. Names and details are fictional.

What makes this friend letter credible

• It is upfront about distance and then gives exact visits instead of vague “I see them often.”
• Overnight stays let the writer describe a shared household first-hand.
• The family scene (cooking for in-laws) is the kind of detail officers remember.
• Hearsay is labeled. The joint savings account is mentioned as something Julia said, not as something the writer saw.

Tips for friends who are asked to write

• Write it — or at least edit it — yourself, so it sounds like you. Letters that read identically across writers raise questions.
• Check dates against your own photos, texts or calendar. Accuracy beats detail.
• Do not include anything you are unsure about. You may be contacted to confirm what you wrote.
• Keep it to one or two pages.
• Sign by hand and give the couple the original signed copy if they file on paper.