Secondary Evidence Quantity? Tips?

[Master Semaj 2]

So I see some people send in all sorts of ammounts of things like photographs, call and chat logs and such things. A video I watched online suggested around 6 to 12 photographs but said nothing about chat logs or anything else.

For those that have put such things into your packets, how much did you put in? Is it really going to be better to put in 50 pages of msn chat logs or is it suitable to just cut a segment out for 1 or 2 pages? Any tips and recommendations on what and how much of these things to add in is greatly appreciated.

Also, for evidence of having met and spent time in person, would a written & signed affidavit from family (parents) be valid? (When we have visited eachother, we have said in our partners families homes, even putting those addresses as our "first night" location on our customs forms when entering the country.)

[bcgal27 2]

I had a problem with needing to provide additional evidence because they don't count photos and chat logs as primary evidence apparently, and they don't want affidavits either. They're looking for either plane tickets of a trip to visit each other, or even a copy of a credit card statement showing transactions made on a trip to visit each other and that you were in their country or vise versa. Just make sure that the copy has all the info, like name, address, etc., visible. You could also throw in a date-stamped pic of you two if you want as well.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

So I see some people send in all sorts of ammounts of things like photographs, call and chat logs and such things. A video I watched online suggested around 6 to 12 photographs but said nothing about chat logs or anything else.

For those that have put such things into your packets, how much did you put in? Is it really going to be better to put in 50 pages of msn chat logs or is it suitable to just cut a segment out for 1 or 2 pages? Any tips and recommendations on what and how much of these things to add in is greatly appreciated.

Also, for evidence of having met and spent time in person, would a written & signed affidavit from family (parents) be valid? (When we have visited eachother, we have said in our partners families homes, even putting those addresses as our "first night" location on our customs forms when entering the country.)

My opinion is 6 photos is a good amount. 50 pages of chat logs is not going to prove you met in person and are free to marry, which is what you need to prove. Use hard evidence like your passport entry stamps Into each other's country, photocopies of your boarding passes, credit card or ATM statements showing transactions in each other's town that match the timeframe your passport entries show. Your mom"s note doesn't hold as much weight. Send a little extra of the fluff stuff if you want but it's not needed. Even London won't want to see that at your eventual interview. They will look at the photos from your petition packet, but you don't have to bring additional ones.

[Moomin 292]

So I see some people send in all sorts of ammounts of things like photographs, call and chat logs and such things. A video I watched online suggested around 6 to 12 photographs but said nothing about chat logs or anything else.

For those that have put such things into your packets, how much did you put in? Is it really going to be better to put in 50 pages of msn chat logs or is it suitable to just cut a segment out for 1 or 2 pages? Any tips and recommendations on what and how much of these things to add in is greatly appreciated.

Also, for evidence of having met and spent time in person, would a written & signed affidavit from family (parents) be valid? (When we have visited eachother, we have said in our partners families homes, even putting those addresses as our "first night" location on our customs forms when entering the country.)

It's only suggested to put chatlogs/emails in the petition when coming from a high fraud country. It's called frontloading and is often used when embassies have a tendency to just deny people without getting a chance to show the evidence brought with them to the interview. CHatlogs and emails does not prove you've met in person. The I129F petition only asks for having met in person. Usually, the chatlogs/emails/phone records aren't needed until the interview to demonstrate the ongoing relationship.

Pictures with dates/year and your names on them helps because it's secondary evidence. I personally put around 10 pictures in the petition, and on the back I wrote the date/year, our names and the location.

YOu don't have to overdo it - usually, the passport stamp is accepted af proof of being in the same country at the same time. If you used your foreign credit card in the US(or US credit card in foreign country), you can get a bank statement where it shows that you used the card overseas. 3rd party agencies are usually more credible than affidavits.

[EminTX 131]

Think of the person who has to handle your submissions. Don't send a packet that is physically heavy--actual, real people have to touch and deal with it. If it looks like a mess, human nature says to do the easy ones first and put the messy ones on the bottom of the pile.

Overloading is not necessary. If you want to include chat logs, do it, but sparingly. Everything you submit is something that you can be questioned about later so if you send it in, you better memorize every detail. (I have heard of people being asked in an interview about a random page pulled out of the immense chat logs that the submitter couldn't even remember. Pretty stupid to use it if you can't remember it, right?)

We were RFE'd for more photos and affidavits. It was a PITA to get people in the foreign country to write and them make available these affidavits in English in a timely fashion. A kind individual to whom I will forever be grateful from this site offered to hand carry them from there-to-here for us.

From what I understand, most professional foreign match-making companies only take one or two photos of the couple that they are submitting the paperwork on. I think I did 2 pages with 4 or 6 printed to a page with brief captions beneath each one. It was recommended to me to include other people in each of the photos to indicate your acceptance in your beloved's family/friend circle. I put in ones with us at a family party, at church standing with a group of missionaries, in a park in front of a famous statue near the embassy, in front of the doctor's office, with the individuals who wrote the affidavits, etc.

Be sure to close up your packet without sealing it and waiting a day or two to go over it and review for omissions or errors before actually mailing it--it is so worth the stress it saves to do this.

Above all, hang in there. The uncertainty and waiting will be torture. Your beloved is totally worth it. (To kill time, I made a ring for my husband without machines using a hammer and very basic tools over several months. The work that went into it make it a total winner of evidence of my love for him plus all that banging was very therapeutic. If you can find a similar stress-relieving hobby, absolutely do it! Getting an extra job in the meantime is very good too, because you will absolutely have good use for the money.

If interested, here is a link with how-to and other links on how to make a ring:

DIY-Make a ring / wedding band

[Master Semaj 2]

Thanks for all your advice, everyone. I'm guessing (and hoping lol) the UK isn't a high fraud location. We had already put in just a screencap of our chat log together, just to show online communication, as well as a screencap of skype logs along with a collection of photos together.

Yes, primary evidence isn't a problem, we have photocopies of pages from both our passports showing our entry stamps going to eachothers home country over more than 2 years, as well as copies of boarding passes from the flights. I was wondering is an affidavit from both our parents claiming that the respective person was staying with their partner in their family home would be a worthwhile addition as secondary evidence?

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Thanks for all your advice, everyone. I'm guessing (and hoping lol) the UK isn't a high fraud location. We had already put in just a screencap of our chat log together, just to show online communication, as well as a screencap of skype logs along with a collection of photos together.

Yes, primary evidence isn't a problem, we have photocopies of pages from both our passports showing our entry stamps going to eachothers home country over more than 2 years, as well as copies of boarding passes from the flights. I was wondering is an affidavit from both our parents claiming that the respective person was staying with their partner in their family home would be a worthwhile addition as secondary evidence?

For many (not all), and especially if the beneficiary is a native-born Brit, going through London is relatively painless. You can read embassy reviews from other K-1s on this site who have gone through London recently to get an idea. My now-husband was terrified before going in, but quickly relaxed and then happy-danced out the gates.

Skip the affidavits and focus on ensuring the primary evidence is strong and will get your case approved.