Are chat logs just fluff or do they hold any real value?

[aayitrun 66]

My wife (USC) and I (H-1B) lived across the US while we were dating. We flew to see each other often (5-6 times a year for 3+ weeks every visit) and after marriage she moved across the US to live with me. I am currently readying a package to file for GC/AOS. When we were apart, we skyped a lot (mostly left it on all night). many people seem to be including chat logs in their package even though its not really requested anywhere. is this of any real value? or is it just fluff, because IM chat logs are not really proof as they can easily be generated or created at home.

[juliava 80]

They are definitely not considered quality evidence. Don't bother printing them as nobody would read them.

[aayitrun 66]

They are definitely not considered quality evidence. Don't bother printing them as nobody would read them.

that is where i am leaning.

also.. are the dates in ur sig real.. seem like super fast.

[SOflaherty 40]

that is where i am leaning.

also.. are the dates in ur sig real.. seem like super fast.

A year is not fast at all compared to current processing times.

[aayitrun 66]

A year is not fast at all compared to current processing times.

oh wait.. i only saw the month and day, not the year.. lol.

[aosapplicant 3]

Chat logs are the evidence , you bet.

Send somebody a chat message that you will spit on their driveway tomorrow and see what happens next. I assure you that you will be in trouble if recipient calls 911 and the log will be used as an evidence against you. And there are forensic experts who can distinguish between a chat log you created on your computer vs one that actually exists in archives.

This being said, chat logs alone may not be enough evidence depending on what you

are required to prove. Or they may be needed whatsoever.

I think if you or anyone really married to your wife and do what married people naturally would do under any circumstances then you should simply submit your petition with the supporting evidence and answer any questions at an interview.

1986 law was written to deter fraudulent marriages where strangers would sign few pieces of paper to get a GC, it was never meant to put undue burden on those who have a genuine marriage and evidence of the same.

Provide the evidence you have. Truthfully and clearly explain things like gaps in common residence and so on (which you may not even apply to you, since you lived together since you two got married).

Good luck.

[jdh 103]

The above poster is wrong...chat logs are not used as evidence in an immigration setting.

Sending a chat message to someone saying you will spit on their driveway tomorrow and them calling 911 will result in absolutely nothing...other than perhaps a stern warning not to abuse the 911 system to the caller.

In the event of an actual major crime having taken place the police sometimes will seize a computer and may use the contents of that computer or chat logs connected to that computer to help build a case but they are only at best circumstantial evidence and cannot be used to convict someone of a crime.

In the immigration setting they are even more useless.

The case officer reviewing your case cannot track your IP address and cannot seize your computer to have it dissected and insure that it did indeed come from your computer. Further, anyone with even the most base of computer skills could fabricate any kind of chat logs they wanted and have them look identical to the real ones you would be printing out. It is absolutely useless as evidence as there is no way to verify its authenticity and does nothing to prove an ongoing relationship.

[aosapplicant 3]

The above poster is wrong.

He or she posted only to say that the other poster is wrong, without bothering to read what it is they are claiming to be wrong.

I didn't write "chat logs are used as evidence in an immigration setting", what I wrote is that chat logs are evidence

.

Prove me wrong, prove that chat logs are NOT an evidence.

What a redundant post, and with no purpose other than to say that the other poster is wrong! , without even trying to figure what the other actually wrote.

What a sad state of human disposition

Edited April 4, 2012 by aosapplicant

[jdh 103]

I know you thnk you have a good grasp of the English language but you are incorrect in stating my previous post is redundant.

Your post was read entirely, I assure you. Anyone reading your post will gather that you are under the impression that chat logs can be used as valid evidence in an immigration setting.

That impression is wrong. It is also wrong when it comes to a criminal investigation - aside from building a case with circumstantial evidence - they could not be used to convict of a crime.

And really...with the attacks? Really? Again with this from you?

[aosapplicant 3]

I know you thnk you have a good grasp of the English language but you are incorrect in stating my previous post is redundant.

Your post was read entirely, I assure you. Anyone reading your post will gather that you are under the impression that chat logs can be used as valid evidence in an immigration setting.

That impression is wrong. It is also wrong when it comes to a criminal investigation - aside from building a case with circumstantial evidence - they could not be used to convict of a crime.

And really...with the attacks? Really? Again with this from you?

You know I "thnk" ? Your English is flawless, I must tell.

Anywho, let's move to a subject of the discussion.

I said chat logs are evidence and I stand by what I said.

Prove that Electronic Evidence <<<CLICK THE LINK<<< , including the chat logs, are not an evidence.

Either do thAt or your claim that I was wrong is null and void.

As to using it within immigration application context, chat logs are evidence of communication and if cell phone records can be used as evidence of communication then so can be the chat logs.

IO doesn't need to bring to lab your computer, but the prosecutors could if they believed that the evidence

you presented did not exist and decided to bring you to court to prove their case.

Edited April 4, 2012 by aosapplicant

[jdh 103]

Again...wow...

I know that you think...yes that is a fine use of English. In American English we use that phrase when someone's actions and statements indicate to us the way they view themselves...

You come into these forums and give out false information and consistently demand that the responsibility is on everyone else to disprove you with facts when you have none of your own to present!

A cell phone record is nothing like a chat log....it can actually be substantiated easily and is more difficult to replicate. And again even those in a criminal case are only used as circumstantial evidence on which to build a case.

You were the person originally calling people wrong and disputing their statement, so if anyone has a responsibility to prove anything it is you...prove tthat the people above you are wrong before you demand proof from me.

Oh and from your own link...this is why it is only used circumstantialy in criminal investigations...

"The problem is that electronic evidence can be very fragile, and the court will carefully scrutinize any digital evidence that was handled improperly, damaged, or destroyed. In fact, electronic evidence is often thrown out during trials because it was obtained without authorization or otherwise mishandled. Additionally, many companies do not yet have policies and procedures in place to handle digital evidence, and they may have mishandled it long before the police investigate.."

Which, again, criminal investiagtions have nothing to do with immigration proceedings...

If a criminal investigation obtains electronic evidence in order to help build a case they do it by seizing things...not by the criminal or victim printing them out documents as would be the case in handing a case officer chat logs to be used as evidence for an ongoing relationship...

Totally different.

I would recommend that the mods erase this and the last couple posts by AOSapplicant as they are not relevant the discussion.

Edited April 4, 2012 by jdh

[aosapplicant 3]

The moderator of this site clearly has a bias and won't allow me post a reply (to be sure, they simply delete it) if an opinion that doesn't serve their agenda is posted here.

A privately owned website has a right to choose a moderator who will arbitrarily delete posts that are challenging factual basis of untrue claims you make, but mods doing so will in no way affect the validity of my claim or reverse the void nature of yours.

As noted in a reply (already deleted by your fellow mods) , the electronic evidence is still an evidence and I challenge you to prove this claim wrong.

Either do thAt or your claim is null and void.

Edited April 4, 2012 by aosapplicant

[aosapplicant 3]

As noted in a reply , the electronic evidence is still an evidence and I challenge you to prove this claim wrong.

Either do thAt or your claim is null and void.

Edited April 4, 2012 by aosapplicant

[aayitrun 66]

guys guys... lets not start a pissing contest.

basically since chat logs can very easily be manufactured, and are incredibly difficult to verify since ips can be dynamic and i can use timbuktu chat service that has practically no server side logging, since all that, i am questioning the credibility of a chat log submitted as evidence in a immigration case. im submitting enough other evidence that is actually asked for. above and beyond that, i see many people submitting chat logs. im just trying to understand if that adds any additional merit. so if u have actually used chat logs.. and they have somehow proven useful, let me know.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Chatlogs may be useful in a K-1 visa case - with evidence of a continued relationship. However, with AOS, which is based on a marriage and the couple living together in the US already, chatlogs are very weak evidence. Best to stick with the suggestions on the I-130 instructions. You will have an interview, and they will see you both in person. That says a lot more about who you are than some chatlogs.