Ok, idiotic question I'm not going to like the answer too, butttttttt

[RosaMystica7 0]

But if she sends out every piece of evidence she's got and gets an RFE, how will she be able to submit more evidence? Unless she's lucky enough to get the RFE after visiting her fiance.

How much time do you have to respond to a RFE?

12 weeks, I think.

Hmm. Maybe, depending on what service center she's going through, she could try to time it so that if she gets a RFE she'll get it close enough to his next visit that she could send the pictures in time? That'd be risky though because what if she did get a RFE and it came sooner than guessed. Like Mew, I'd worry to death. But I'm a thinker like that.

It is a worthy gamble. I know that I could not wait 5-6 months to file...

But, as you and aselano suggested, if they list all of their existing evidence, a better evaluation could be conducted.

At the end of the day, I would not feel to good about suggesting that someone wait 5-6 months to file. You?

Yeah, me neither - especially since I've been waiting since January to be able to file this dang thing! I know what it's like to keep hearing "you're not ready yet, you're not ready yet, nope still not ready." I mean, if you really can't file, then you just can't and that's unfortunately that's the end of it til you're able to. But if Thingee can get us a list of all the evidence she can pull together, maybe we'll be able to find a way for her to push it through without waiting? But if it's really not possible, I don't suggest losing the $170... and would having a denied petition on file be bad for the next time they applied?

Thingee, if all else fails, is a SHORT visit before December possible? Even 4 days or something?

Edited July 31, 2006 by aselano

[Mew 0]

But if she sends out every piece of evidence she's got and gets an RFE, how will she be able to submit more evidence? Unless she's lucky enough to get the RFE after visiting her fiance.

How much time do you have to respond to a RFE?

12 weeks, I think.

Hmm. Maybe, depending on what service center she's going through, she could try to time it so that if she gets a RFE she'll get it close enough to his next visit that she could send the pictures in time? That'd be risky though because what if she did get a RFE and it came sooner than guessed. Like Mew, I'd worry to death. But I'm a thinker like that.

Yeah, but no one really knows how long it would take for her to get the RFE. I mean, when I first applied, the approvals were really fast - just check my timeline. If she's going in December, then it'd be safer to wait a bit more.

[RosaMystica7 0]

Yeah, that's the VSC though. Thingee, could you fill out your profile? Let us know where you are, where he is, etc. If they have to go through, say, the CSC, things could be different. But still, I agree with you, I personally wouldn't do it because with my luck we'd get the RFE too fast.

[Thingee 0]

I'd be going through the VSC, he's going to be going through the London embassy. I'm thinking it's going to be better to wait as hard as it is....rather wait a few more months than have some sort of black mark for not responding or a rejection(and from my understanding Vermont processes things rather quickly..maybe a October/November filing??). Quick bio: Me=USC, 31(on Friday), northern Virginia area, 5 kids and divorced. Him=UKC, 42, just outside London, no kids, never married. Yes, we've given loads of thought and conversation to the fact he's going to be facing double culture shock.

A quick visit isn't really possible on either end....too close to school starting up for me, and can't take off from work again having just returned. He can't take off work again due to projects that must be finished by years end.(Thus the question in his next visit as well)

[MrMrsKnight 0]

She has to send evidence of having met within two years BEFORE filing. If she gets an RFE she can't send evidence she gathered after filing.

Pictures do prove you were together but they do not help the 2 year requirement. So they're just supporting evidence. Boarding passes, hotel receipts, ATM receipts are good! Pictures only support those primary items.

[seldi 1]

Hector and I didn't have that many pictures together either and we've known each other since 98!

[CarolineM 0]

Stewart HATED having his pic taken so I totally understand...PLUS when you first start dating someone - you aren't thinking, "Wow I'm going to have to prove this down the line..." you know?

I know I have no advice, but just wanted to say good luck with whatever you choose.

[aussiewench 9]

When gathering evidence to submit, start by answering Q18 in some detail as to meeting/s within the required 2 year period that established the relationsihp. The evidence should then suport those details. What you are aiming for is creating an image in the minds eye of the adjudicator.....a complete picture.

Boarding passes, passport stamps, credit card receipts, rental lease (if living together) etc. Things like that are from an outside source and are primary evidence. Any photos you then submit as secondary evidence, support the primary evidence. Note: I agree with others.....photos are not primary evidence as they do not prove that you have met within the two year period. In general photographic evidence has and is looked on by adjudicators as secondary evidence in support of primary evidence submitted.

Until an adjudicator looks at your evidence when your petition is processed there is no way to say catagorically if what you submit will be accepted or not as proof of having met within the past 2 years. Each case is different and as such evidence submitted should reflect that. Look over all the evidence you do have...look outside the box of what is regarded as the standard. eg I remember a member who had received a family wedding invitation addressed to both and had flown their to attend with the fiance. They had originally overlooked this evidence which is IMO very good evidence. Another that had overlooked that they had attended the same college....another that wasnt going to include that they lived together at one point. All overlooked because they were looking only at the more common types of evidence such as boarding passes, passport stamps etc.

All the best

Lorelle

[no name 1]

I remember a member who had received a family wedding invitation addressed to both and had flown their to attend with the fiance. They had originally overlooked this evidence which is IMO very good evidence.

ooh, we have a wedding invite addressed to both of us, good call, I hadn't thought of that, for future evidence anyhow.

[Yodrak 7]

William,

Wow. There was a poster not too long ago - I forget his name and I haven't seen posts from him for a few months now - from whom this would have elicited a blistering response. The guy had not provided any photographs in support of his petition and was adamant that photographs were entirely unnecessary.

Intuitively you are correct, but I have seen 'official' sources in the past (haven't saved the references) that stated that photographs are considered secondary evidence. The problem, I think, is that while photographs may be good evidence that two people had been together they do not usually provide an indication of when. They need to be supported by evidence showing when the two people were in the same place at the same time, and suitable evidence of that will often stand on its own as evidence of having met without the photographs.

Yodrak

Photographs together are irrefutable evidence that you have met in person.

In my opinion, all other evidence supports the pictures.

I would be curious what others think.

....

Mew,

What difference would this make?

Photographs or other evidence from December are useless for a petition submitted the preceding August.

Yodrak

But if she sends out every piece of evidence she's got and gets an RFE, how will she be able to submit more evidence? Unless she's lucky enough to get the RFE after visiting her fiance.

[William33 110]

Yodrak,

For the actual date and time piece, I would agree.

In my mind, one could so easily falsify paperwork. For example, one could go to a given country, spend time with someone else and claim it was the SO. You would have airline tickets, hotel receipts etc etc...

With the photographic evidence, it at least proves that you have met your SO. Albeit, not supportive of the timeline.

In my case, I supplied photographs from an official U.S. Embassy function, which had the date of the event on a board, in the photography area. They had a professional photographer on hand.

How about photos together, with that days newspaper??

William,

Wow. There was a poster not too long ago - I forget his name and I haven't seen posts from him for a few months now - from whom this would have elicited a blistering response. The guy had not provided any photographs in support of his petition and was adamant that photographs were entirely unnecessary.

Intuitively you are correct, but I have seen 'official' sources in the past (haven't saved the references) that stated that photographs are considered secondary evidence. The problem, I think, is that while photographs may be good evidence that two people had been together they do not usually provide an indication of when. They need to be supported by evidence showing when the two people were in the same place at the same time, and suitable evidence of that will often stand on its own as evidence of having met without the photographs.

Yodrak

Photographs together are irrefutable evidence that you have met in person.

In my opinion, all other evidence supports the pictures.

I would be curious what others think.

Edited July 31, 2006 by William33

[Yodrak 7]

William,

Yes, paperwork can be easily falsified. (This is why I often have to control myself when posters question why they had problems or worse despite having supplied pounds of paper as evidence of their relationship.) Note also that these days even an amateur can easily do a very good job falsifying photographs with programs like Photoshop.

Timing is an essential element of the petition, one that case officers seem to want to be very certain about and have well documented.

Your photographs with the dated function board is an excellent example of good evidence. The idea of photos with a newspaper was offered as a suggestion for many years by an immigration attorney who no longer participates on VJ.

Yodrak

Yodrak,

For the actual date and time piece, I would agree.

In my mind, one could so easily falsify paperwork. For example, one could go to a given country, spend time with someone else and claim it was the SO. You would have airline tickets, hotel receipts etc etc...

With the photographic evidence, it at least proves that you have met your SO. Albeit, not supportive of the timeline.

In my case, I supplied photographs from an official U.S. Embassy function, which had the date of the event on a board, in the photography area. They had a professional photographer on hand.

How about photos together, with that days newspaper??

William,

Wow. There was a poster not too long ago - I forget his name and I haven't seen posts from him for a few months now - from whom this would have elicited a blistering response. The guy had not provided any photographs in support of his petition and was adamant that photographs were entirely unnecessary.

Intuitively you are correct, but I have seen 'official' sources in the past (haven't saved the references) that stated that photographs are considered secondary evidence. The problem, I think, is that while photographs may be good evidence that two people had been together they do not usually provide an indication of when. They need to be supported by evidence showing when the two people were in the same place at the same time, and suitable evidence of that will often stand on its own as evidence of having met without the photographs.

Yodrak

Photographs together are irrefutable evidence that you have met in person.

In my opinion, all other evidence supports the pictures.

I would be curious what others think.

Edited July 31, 2006 by Yodrak

[Mew 0]

William,

Wow. There was a poster not too long ago - I forget his name and I haven't seen posts from him for a few months now - from whom this would have elicited a blistering response. The guy had not provided any photographs in support of his petition and was adamant that photographs were entirely unnecessary.

Intuitively you are correct, but I have seen 'official' sources in the past (haven't saved the references) that stated that photographs are considered secondary evidence. The problem, I think, is that while photographs may be good evidence that two people had been together they do not usually provide an indication of when. They need to be supported by evidence showing when the two people were in the same place at the same time, and suitable evidence of that will often stand on its own as evidence of having met without the photographs.

Yodrak

Photographs together are irrefutable evidence that you have met in person.

In my opinion, all other evidence supports the pictures.

I would be curious what others think.

....

Mew,

What difference would this make?

Photographs or other evidence from December are useless for a petition submitted the preceding August.

Yodrak

But if she sends out every piece of evidence she's got and gets an RFE, how will she be able to submit more evidence? Unless she's lucky enough to get the RFE after visiting her fiance.

You're right. They'd be useless since they'd be taken *after* filing.

[Waiting in Vancouver 6]

My fiancee and I are like the poster here where we both hated getting our picture taken ... We had been together for 5+ years when we filed our petition and we only had one picture of the two of us together and it was in Vegas at the Excaliber Hotel ... We had tons of flight evidence with boarding passes and Luggage tags for over 12 visits ... We didn't have any problems getting approved at all ...

During the interview in Vancouver, Canada the officer did ask to see pictures of us and it was a good thing that my fiancee had been up to Canada a few weeks before my interview and we travelled to the city where I grew up so we could have a party with my family and friends ...

At the party we had numerous pictures taken of us together and these were the pictures that I gave to the officer to see at my interview ...

I think pictures are important but like others have said, they don't really prove when you were together ... It just proves that you had been together long enough to take the picture together ... We were also worried about having only one picture together ...

[Justin 0]

I will file if I am you. As some mentioned above, they will send you an RFE if needed. Then on your next trip, get lots of pictures, with different clothing even - TOGETHER.

Load up on the other evidence: emails, letters, phone records... I even keep records of my cell phone to show the hundreds of SMS's we send. I know some even keep record of money send.

Keep copies of travel receips, airline tickets, boat or pony :-) ... hopel receipts, etc.

Good luck,

Justin