MENA Members.. Proof of Ongoing Relationship

[Muh and me 18]

Well, if everything can be fabricated (letters from family, photos, printouts of wedding plans/ideas) then why bother with evidences?

You asked those of us who have gone through the interview process, and we gave our suggestions of what worked for us.

I'm not trying to start anything here. I'm trying to find out what the CO won't say is fabricated, do you understand? You said, " I think the best you can do is just prepare for everything as much as possible - all types of evidence (except the webcam pics").. I thought webcam pics is perfect proof of evidence with us and our family. Maybe i'm wrong and the CO won't give them a second thought.

I have thought of starting a book with wedding ideas, but do they take this serious or think we just copied it from websites etc? If you made a book of wedding plans/ideas, how did you present them? Anyone who presented these as evidence please share how you presented it to the CO.

Seriously here, everyone has told you what you need to do. Don't sit and think about things being fabricated all the time. Take the evidence you have, get it together, and sent it is all you can do. you don't know that the CO is gonna think its all fabricated. There is really nothing else any of us can tell you. Good Luck!

[anitacastillo 0]

Another suggestion is to prep your husband to answer questions about you, the relationship, etc. He should understand all the answers on the forms already submitted.

I am not MENA - but I did go with my fiance to the interview. We were interviewed separately -- so we prepared/practiced several questions. At the same time, it is okay for him to say I don't remember.

Good Luck!!

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Another suggestion is to prep your husband to answer questions about you, the relationship, etc. He should understand all the answers on the forms already submitted.

I am not MENA - but I did go with my fiance to the interview. We were interviewed separately -- so we prepared/practiced several questions. At the same time, it is okay for him to say I don't remember.

Good Luck!!

We did this... I asked him questions I thought they might ask and he answered. And sure enough they asked some of them and he was totally prepared..

He didn't take emails, chat logs, cards, letters, or anything like that at all. I sent these previously with the I129 Application. The only thing he took was photos taken during my most recent trip between the filing of the I129 App and the Interview... and they were selected because they were of me with my friends who live in Egypt, me with his family members, and photos of us together. (dated stamped) He took copies of my boarding passes, and the page from my passport with my entry and exit visas (for that trip) and a print out of my frequent flier miles showing the dates of all my trips.

When he got there he asked if he could do the interview in Arabic (he was thinking it would be easier if he wasn't nervous about making mistakes in English) they told him, "your fiance says you speak fluent English, you'll do the interview in English"... so he did... and it lasted all of 5 minutes. She didn't even look at the photos or anything else he had taken with him. It just sat in the folder on the table in front of her.

They did do a home visit. Twice. Once to his Mom's house (we had used her address for mailing) and once to the building where he had a shared flat. They asked questions of the doorman (who didn't know the answers), and of his neighbors in addition to his relatives and his Mom at her house. They were specifically trying to prove he was still married to his ex-wife, even after they had gone to the court in Alexandria to see the divorce papers! Our "red flag" was the fact that he hadn't done the divorce PAPERS until after we had met, even though he had been divorced for 3 years before we met. So they assumed the divorce was done to allow him to marry me and immigrate.

Fortunately even with all of that it was about a month from interview to visa in hand.

I think your biggest "proof" is your frequent trips. I don't think they will doubt that you have an "ongoing relationship"...

Have you ever couted the number of days you've been together (or percentage of time) since you met? If your trips were long and your courtship short, it might be a pretty big number!

That's all I can think of...

K

[morocco4ever 63]

I have to agree about the letters of support. We were initially denied. We had our petition reafirmed, and I did include letters of support with my rebuttal. The difference is putting the contact information on the letter so they can be confirmed if need be. Don't discount what these ladies are saying.

As far as webcam pics...big deal...takes less than five minutes. Same with a wedding book. That shows your interest to get married, not necesarily to him. They do want to see your sincerity, yes, but more importantly they are looking for his sincerity to be married to you. That is the proof you need to concentrate the most on. Pictures of you with his relatives and friends speak volumes. You will find that many of the fraudulent cases involve men that do not even tell their family and friends about their relationship.

Many trips to visit him is one of the biggest proofs. And yes, do the interview in English. They are going to doubt the relationship if he is not able to communicate with you.

Edited to say that I had my letters of support from my family notorized. That is hard to fake.

Edited January 2, 2009 by morocco4ever

[nunyab 0]

lol... you know I was thinking about what you said the book of emails could have been fabricated but geeeeez that would have been more work then anyone i've ever seen who wanted to fake something. Our pics were in a 300 picture photo album i combined it from meeting to engagement to wedding to hunny moon with his family ect. and all the trips to and fro. He also brought in letters from my mother but that can be made up too right????

your choice what you're going to do.. i am finding myself questioning your case now since you don't have an engagment ring, no letters, no emails, and if i understand correctly "not good with pics?" be careful and start getting caught up better later than never and yes be ready for home visits they will want to know how many people around the neighborhood and family knows of your courtship and the circumstances. I don't mean to come accross as mean but we are here to help you and it appears you have a reason for all the things we're telling you, you should have and you don't.

[Nothing1234 2]

We were a K1 and thru Egypt this year. He received his visa less than 3 weeks after the interview but was told at interview he had been approved.

Is there something you would've done differently?

No, things went smoothly for us. We were thru the entire K1 process in less than 6/7 months.

Exactly what did you include for your proof?

He brought to the interview his passport, our photo album of all our pictures from beginning till present, copy of our packet (I129) that we submitted and money for the DHL return package. He was never asked for anything that he brought w/ him except his passport.

The list below we included in our I129 application package originally.

*All my airline stubs from all my trips to Egypt (I even lost one return one so I used a baggage claim tag..)

*Copy of my passport pages that included all my stamps in and out of Egypt

*Copy of 2 letters from friends that acknowledged our relationship and 1 family memeber: This letter included their full names, current addresses, phone numbers, dates of births and National ID numbers (US person used a DL) and they signed them.

*Copy of calling card log just printed from the site I buy them from (www.alosmart.com because they keep a brief history of your orders).

*Pictures from each trip I took to Egypt. Mostly just us together (I made sure our outfits were different so they could tell the different days/scenery) and a few each trip with his family. I did NOT submit original photos...I used 8x11 sized paper and did a montage w/ photos printed on it and added notes of dates/trips/location. Basically each page of paper had 4 photos on it. I did NOT go over board. You can use Powerpoint to make the sheets w/ 4 pics on it and type in text as well...Gotta love computers!

*Copy of engagement ring receipt (it was in arabic so I simply wrote in it what it was...lol) the cost was there and the reciept did say some Jewelry store name.

Did you not have enough of one type of proof?

We had more than enough. As a matter of fact the CO commented to my husband how well organized our package was (THANKS TO VJ!!!)

Do you feel web cam pics of you and your SO is a waste of time?

Yes. If you have plenty of pics of your time together in your fiances country I don't think its necessary.

Are web cam pics of you, your SO, and family members important?

I don't think so ... we never submitted them and had a smooth process.

What seems to be the strongest Proof of an Ongoing Relationship?

All of it but most of all...that your fiance KNOWS what you submitted in the package. I GRILLED MY HUBBY!! To know what pics we sent, what dates I was there, etc.

What seems to be the least important proof?

Tons of pages of chats or tons of pages of pictures. I believe if you overload a CO...you could end up pissing them off. But in their defense, who wants tons of paperwork to sort thru?? So providing information that spans over dates but not each and every chat you have ever had...the same goes for pics.

What questions was your SO asked during the interview?

He did the interview in English. They asked: How did we meet? Where did we meet the first time? What he plans to do in the US? Has he ever been to the US? Or traveled any where else? Did I speak Arabic too? Then my hubby said he started chit chatting about the package. It was well organized and detailed...we must have put a lot of work into it. Asked my hubby what he did for work and then said to him well I think we have all we need and you will get your visa within 2 weeks.

I hope that helps. I truly followed each step in the packet on VJ. I submitted as it stated and made it very organized. That coupled w/ the fact that I had been (like you) to Egypt many times and long periods of time.

Best of luck!!

[My Mohammed 2]

O.K. I won't continue this discussion further since it seems some of you misunderstood me and I don't care for the direction it's going.

I am not doubting any evidence that anyone brought and i'm not trying to say it's all fake to start trouble. I'm trying to find out what everyone brought and who found it didn't help and who found it did. I guess I worded my posts wrong or?? I'm taking to heart what you guys have experienced and trying to learn from it. Some swear this helped the most when another says they didn't even look at it. Who knows, maybe I have some proof and I don't even realize it. That's what I was hoping to get from the thread.

I didn't say I didn't have emails.. I do, but not many. My concern comes from a thread I read that said the fiance was accused of making them all up and they were not apprved for visa. This was in another country i'm sure, but I was wondering if anyone in MENA had experiened that.

About the ring.. again, I was hoping to see how many thought it proved a bonafide even if I could wear it or not. On other forums, I have read some didn't have an engagement ring before interview and some did. Maybe In MENA countries it's very important and that's what I was looking for.

About the letters.. nothing I can do there I have sent them and he has not received even one. Again, I have read posts from MENA some say there's made it and some didn't. I hoped to see how many felt letters were heavily looked upon as evidence and I would pay $80.00 to send them Fedex. That's if most felt it really helped to prove anything.

I appologize for starting this thread and appologize if I sounded ungrateful and just looking for excuses. I have been misunderstood and the direction it's taking is not kind at all to me. Maybe i've also misunderstood some of you, if I have, then you must see how I feel right now. Thanks though to everyone that did post.

[caybee 21]

If it's any reassurance, my husband came here on a K-1. We didn't have an engagement ceremony there. I didn't have a ring of any kind until he brought a wedding ring with him from Morocco. I think my husband had two paper letters from me, and I returned copies of a couple he had sent me. We almost never spoke on the phone, so we had no phone logs, only Skype chat logs and e-mails. I think aside from how he answered the questions, the pictures of me with his various family members doing different activities counted the most, but that's just a guess. Some of it may also be dumb luck, quite frankly, and I say that because I saw one relationship in particular with far more solid proof than we had come within a hair of a denial. If anyone should have breezed through, I would have expected them to, and they did make it, but they had a battle. All you can do is your best and be prepared for the next step if you have to take one quickly.

We put a little picture album together when I was there on my last trip and put our two favorite pictures on the front and the back of the album so they would be visible at the interview whether the CO would accept the book or not, and she asked to see it.

In my opinion, send everything you do have, separated by type so it's easy for the CO to find what they're interested in. Put your strongest (or maybe most eye-catching and easy-to-read) proof in the front of a binder and work your way back. If you have family members on both sides who are willing to write letters of support that you can fax or scan and e-mail to him, by all means, do that. Letters of support may have helped prevent the return of some petitions that were teetering. Certainly, almost anything can be faked, but I think the COs are trained to sniff much of that out.

You're at a stressful stage, but there are plenty of people here wishing you all the best. Hang in there

[caybee 21]

My concern comes from a thread I read that said the fiance was accused of making them all up and they were not apprved for visa.

Just one comment about this. There are websites out there full of sample love letters, apology letters, just about anything. If someone whose English is not strong writes particularly evocative sentiments in English, a quick Google may lead directly to one or more of these sites. I'm sure this happens, and I'm sure the COs know about it. Could be there was sincerity from the USC's side but a lot of cutting and pasting from the other side, and the CO caught on before the USC did. Who knows, but it happens.

BTW, I'm not referring specifically to the thread you mentioned. I haven't read that thread.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

How much evidence is actually looked at in Cairo? 3 years ago, I don't think they gave more than a cursory look at ours. Here's what we had:

*About a dozen photos of us together in Egypt, some with my family when they visited

*Screen shots of our email inbox over the 4 years of our relationship

*A small sampling (like less than 6) of emails over that time

*photo copies of 4 or 5 envelopes of letters we had sent to each other

*My plane tickets to egypt

*my passport

[morocco4ever 63]

How much evidence is actually looked at in Cairo? 3 years ago, I don't think they gave more than a cursory look at ours. Here's what we had:

*About a dozen photos of us together in Egypt, some with my family when they visited

*Screen shots of our email inbox over the 4 years of our relationship

*A small sampling (like less than 6) of emails over that time

*photo copies of 4 or 5 envelopes of letters we had sent to each other

*My plane tickets to egypt

*my passport

I think they will look closer at those that have red flags. An age difference is a big one, as it should be. I have that issue going on, and I will openly admit that I would be a bit sceptical. And here is the thing, sometimes you have a red flag, but you are unaware of it. I have said this many times here, so sorry to bore those who have heard it, but my husband has a sister in the US. He also has an ex brother in law here as well, but from a different sister. There was a confussion on these 2, and they concluded that the sister and ex were married, and she used him for a GC, and that she divorced him after she got it. It then was assumed that she paid me to marry him. Wow that got off track, and who would have suspected that it would have gotten this so twisted!

So even if you don't have any blaring red flags it is going to be beneficial to prepare as if you did. Chances are that this couple will have no issues once they see she has made several trips there, but I wouldn't let everything else slide because she did. You just never know.

[Staashi 371]

One other thing to remember, your proof is what you submit to USCIS - it gets forwarded on to DOS. They'll have everything in his dossier when he goes. But make sure your proof is logical - write your story of how you two met, show pictures from your various trips, all the good stuff. I've never heard of pics from a webcam - we didn't have that and a wedding bood - not necessary. They don't care how you get married, how much you'll throw down, your plans...just that you will within 90 days of his arrival.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

What works and what doesn't work is still a big mystery. We didn't have a wedding, no rings, took about 8 photos, a few emails, no snail mail, some evidence that I had been in the country with him 3 times. I mean, the paperwork he took wasn't more than 3 inches thick.

They didn't look at any of it, asked him fewer than a dozen questions, and gave him his visa the next day.

We're both Muslim and Arabic-speaking, but I don't even know if they were aware of that. They do know I'm old enough to be his mother, but it didn't matter one bit. We were very casual and didn't hurry getting thru the system, and that may have helped, but there are those who are just the opposite of us who did just as well.

Who knows . . .

[nunyab 0]

It's true VW some evidence is looked at and some not while the co saw our pics he took our email book?????? we got it back when Reda got his Visa Alhamdolilah who knows why they do what they do even the questions were different (our interview was in another country though) I am surprised how much they do vary in all respects.

[merijan 0]

Well Im not mena but my husband is from Pakistan. I think you have to relax a little about the evidence and dont presume what they will say at the interview. You are legitimate, so you have to show the honest and sincere part of your relationship. Photos are a big thing, you have been to Egypt thats a big thing, photos there, reicepts there, where did you stay, proof of that,. chat logs are good, We sorted through and just turned in enough to show at what point we were talking regular to each other, and how often, He had called me from Pakistan several times on a landline , so we had that bill. I had also called him from a landline, that bill. He went to London on a student visa so I went there to see him, all that info was included. I had six letters of our relationship written by family and friends. Some of them were noterized. I even included pictures my kids drew for him, cards they sent, letters they wrote. So dont analize it too much. Give them everything you can to show your true colors. He did buy me a simple ring in UK , that reciept as well as a pic of us at the shop. Just anything you can think of . Too much,, maybe but u never know what they are going to look at so cover all of it.