Organization and Evidence

[Tee and Megan 10]

Hi all!

So my fiance and I are almost ready to submit our application!! Yaaay! But we are a bit confused about how to organize it.

I have our evidence in three groups with one sub-group:

1. From our time together in Hong Kong, Jan. 2012-June 2012

(during this time we visited Cambodia together for the first time for one week, in May 2012 (And I have plane tickets, hotel stubs and so on for this evidence)

2. From my second trip to visit him May 2013-June 2013

3. From my most recent trip to visit him Dec. 2013-Jan 2014

For each trip to Cambodia, I have plane ticket stubs, hotel receipts, bank account transaction receipts, receipts from grocery stores and Cambodian markets, pictures in easily recognizable Cambodian places (i.e. the Angkor Wat) and letters from friends in Cambodia.

For our time in Hong Kong, I have a copy of his Hong Kong ID, his transcripts from the Seminary where we studied, pictures, and a few receipts (I didn't know we were going to apply for this at the time, so we weren't saving everything yet). I also plan to get letters from the school officials and advisers who knew us well.

ANYWAY! My question is whether or not to organize this chronologically by trip, or categorically (i.e. all the receipts in one area, all the photos in one area and so on)

ALSO: I read they don't really like it when you organize things in folders? They prefer paper clips, right? Or can I staple things? Any advice on keeping things together?

Finally, for the initial stage of this, do I need to submit evidence of our on-going relationship as well? (I have phone bills, a massive stack of used phone cards, over 23,000 facebook messages....what else?) Or is that for the next step, the interview?

Thank you all so, so much for fielding such a long list of questions. So grateful for the VJ Community!!!

Blessings

Megan and Tee

[kitthekat 1,317]

Chronologically would be best, and since you have multiple trips, it might help to put together a timeline of sorts to make things clear for the adjudicator.

Paperclips or binder clips are fine. See USCIS' assembly tips: http://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-and-fees/general-tips-assembling-applications-mailing

You may want to front-load your package with some evidence of an on-going relationship since you'll be going through Cambodia. I wouldn't print all 23,000 messages...pick a few from every month showing that there is regular contact. Select your conversations carefully. The phone cards themselves won't prove anything but it would be good if you could get a detailed record showing that you contacted each other using those numbers.

[BigBong 9]

Photocopies of y'alls passport stamps/visas showing you were in HK & Cambodia at the same time?

I had no paperclips/staples/binders/etc and my app. was approved with no problems.