Opinion ID: 790160
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statutory Waiver

Text: 35 Substantial evidence supports the determination that Oropeza did not meet his burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he entered his marriage to Renteria in good faith. To determine the bona fides of the marriage, the proper inquiry is whether Oropeza and Renteria intended to establish a life together at the time they were married. See Bark v. INS, 511 F.2d 1200, 1201 (9th Cir.1975). The IJ may look to the actions of the parties after the marriage to the extent that those actions bear on the subjective intent of the parties at the time they were married. Id. at 1202. Additional relevant evidence includes, but is not limited to, documentation such as lease agreements, insurance policies, income tax forms, bank accounts, as well as testimony about the courtship and wedding. Damon, 360 F.3d at 1088. Neither the IJ nor the BIA may substitute personal conjecture or inference for reliable evidence. Id. at 1089. 36 In this case, in addition to the adverse credibility determination, the BIA based its decision on evidence of inconsistencies in the documentary evidence and the lack of corroborating testimony to support the claim. The BIA noted that Oropeza provided only limited documentation of the short marriage, and that there were unexplained inconsistencies in the documents, including more addresses than residences that Oropeza identified. The lease Oropeza provided was not signed by him or by Renteria, and Oropeza failed to show that he filed several other applications he offered into evidence—for example, for life insurance and for an automobile title. There was little corroborative evidence of Oropeza's version of the events—the only additional evidence being in the form of a letter from a nurse who knew him only as a patient. Although it might be possible to reach a contrary conclusion on the basis of the record, under the substantial evidence standard, the evidence presented here does not compel a finding that Oropeza met his burden of proving that the marriage was entered into in good faith. The BIA therefore did not err in denying Oropeza's statutory waiver.