Supporting Documentation....Skype Conversations

[tcgateway99 0]

I have been reading that it is good to send supporting documentation how the relationship has been continuing. I have skyped with Anna since August and I started trying to cut and paste our conversation but I quickly saw how it would take thousands of pages for the conversation. First, is it really necessary and Second, if it is, would it be just to cut and paste conversations on the first and 15th of each month up till this point? Would that suffice?

[NHTowerclimber 0]

I saved my Skype text for each mounth, starting on the 1st then ending the last day. My wife printed everything out for her CR1 interview. They were impressed what she gave them.

[tcgateway99 0]

I saved my Skype text for each mounth, starting on the 1st then ending the last day. My wife printed everything out for her CR1 interview. They were impressed what she gave them.

How the hell do I get that much on paper? Seriously, my skype crashes and Word runs out of memory...and I have a MAC PRO 17"...I would love nothing more than for her to have what was 470 pages before it crashed.

[tcgateway99 0]

How the hell do I get that much on paper? Seriously, my skype crashes and Word runs out of memory...and I have a MAC PRO 17"...I would love nothing more than for her to have what was 470 pages before it crashed.

So I reduced it to the first and the 15th of each month since August and I'm at 76 pages. She worth it but I may need to just copy and paste each day. ...Unless you know of a way to save conversation of skype in Skype on disk?...

[Vicomi 31]

We used the snipping tool to copy skype chats and copied a page per month. We had about 10 -15 pages at most. It sufficed. Good luck (F)

[baron555 934]

I have been reading that it is good to send supporting documentation how the relationship has been continuing. I have skyped with Anna since August and I started trying to cut and paste our conversation but I quickly saw how it would take thousands of pages for the conversation. First, is it really necessary

How will you convince a total stranger, the Embassy CO specifically, that you have an ongoing and legitimate relationship where you two are intending to marry and stay married? How? You will have to have many different types of evidences, when all put together, shows the evolution of your relationship.

and Second, if it is, would it be just to cut and paste conversations on the first and 15th of each month up till this point? Would that suffice?

No, better would be to choose specific conversations that show the evolution of your relationship.

What other evidence of your relationship do you have? It is suggested that you PURPOSEFULLY generate different types of evidences.

[tcgateway99 0]

What other evidence of your relationship do you have? It is suggested that you PURPOSEFULLY generate different types of evidences.

Well, when we were in the Dominican, I arranged for her to have a professional photo shoot in which she had 3.5 and she wanted me in several. Altogether we have over 1800 pictures of our DR trip.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Skype counts. We did not use skype but we had thousands of emails. I attached FOUR emails from each of us and a "log" from my email folders showing all the other emails, but not the text of them. They did not look at any of them and we were approved without a question asked.

I do NOT suggest you go without this evidence to the interview just because they did not look at it in our case.

If you are using skype as a communication tool, then attach sufficient evidence to show you used skype as a communication tool.

I cannot imagine where anyone would get the idea that they need to see or read every word of every conversation you ever had. And I am not saying you have this idea, but reading some of the posts here it appears that way sometimes. They need to see plausible evidence of a legitimate relationship that s not formed for the purpose of immigration benefits. Showing frequent communication by whatever means, helps to do this. The level of proof is not "beyond a reasonable doubt" but rather plausible, believable, logical evidence of the type of communications a person intending to marry another would have.

As a reminder...you do not need ANY of this for the I-129f petition. None. For the petition you only need to show you have met in person one time in the last 24 months. Skype cannot do that.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Well, when we were in the Dominican, I arranged for her to have a professional photo shoot in which she had 3.5 and she wanted me in several. Altogether we have over 1800 pictures of our DR trip.

Except in the case of consulates known to be difficult (Kiev is not) and except in cases when consulates refuse to look at evidence and then deny the visa based on lack of evidence (kiev has not done this) sending evidence of relationship with the petition makes no difference and does nothing but add to the postage cost. Anything sent with the petition, required or not, is sent to the consulate. If you include evidence of realtionship in the petition adnand the consulate denies the visa for lack of evidence you havea good case for an appeal. This has been a concern at SOME consualtes in some high fraud countries. Kiev is not one, neither is Moscow. At best it is a stretch to justify, but if you want to it does no harm.

The purpose of the petition is to determine you have met the requirements to APPLY for the visa, NOT to establish that a relationship exists that deserves a VISA, the visa interview and application do that...but to determine that a petitionable relationship exists. Otherwise we could all just file applications for any woman we see on the internet. There are pre-requisites for applying for a fiancee visa, the petition establishes that. An ongoing realtionship is NOT a pre-requisite to an approved petition. You could meet someone this morning and file an I-129f this afternoon AND get approved to apply for the fiancee visa.

No amount of evidence which is NOT required will make up for anything lacking which IS required. The ONLY photos needed for the petition are passport photos of each of you. Addl. photos are secondary evidence of meeting in person but are not required. We sent ONE undated photo of Alla and I together in an unspecified place, a restaraunt in Prague, with the petition. A two sentence discription of how we met and were approved in 58 days with no RFE.

We had dozens of photos at our visa interview. They looked at 4.

For the petition you do not need all this addl. evidence.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Well, when we were in the Dominican, I arranged for her to have a professional photo shoot in which she had 3.5 and she wanted me in several. Altogether we have over 1800 pictures of our DR trip.

Good stuff. Professional photographers are great. Most of the Avatars I use are professional photos of Alla and I have thousands by now. How many to bring to the interview? As many as you like. Bring back what you don't need. I had perhaps 70 from 5 or 6 visits (I do not even remember now, I think 6) of us together. The guy collecting the evidence said "Meh...give me four random ones, any ones you like"

Incidentally I have yet to meet a Ukrainian woman that doesn't LOVE the attention they get from photo shoots and LOVE being photographed. It makes a good little gift and you end up with some amazing photos of your wife.

[tcgateway99 0]

Except in the case of consulates known to be difficult (Kiev is not) and except in cases when consulates refuse to look at evidence and then deny the visa based on lack of evidence (kiev has not done this) sending evidence of relationship with the petition makes no difference and does nothing but add to the postage cost. Anything sent with the petition, required or not, is sent to the consulate. If you include evidence of realtionship in the petition adnand the consulate denies the visa for lack of evidence you havea good case for an appeal. This has been a concern at SOME consualtes in some high fraud countries. Kiev is not one, neither is Moscow. At best it is a stretch to justify, but if you want to it does no harm.

The purpose of the petition is to determine you have met the requirements to APPLY for the visa, NOT to establish that a relationship exists that deserves a VISA, the visa interview and application do that...but to determine that a petitionable relationship exists. Otherwise we could all just file applications for any woman we see on the internet. There are pre-requisites for applying for a fiancee visa, the petition establishes that. An ongoing realtionship is NOT a pre-requisite to an approved petition. You could meet someone this morning and file an I-129f this afternoon AND get approved to apply for the fiancee visa.

No amount of evidence which is NOT required will make up for anything lacking which IS required. The ONLY photos needed for the petition are passport photos of each of you. Addl. photos are secondary evidence of meeting in person but are not required. We sent ONE undated photo of Alla and I together in an unspecified place, a restaraunt in Prague, with the petition. A two sentence discription of how we met and were approved in 58 days with no RFE.

We had dozens of photos at our visa interview. They looked at 4.

For the petition you do not need all this addl. evidence.

I'm finding your answers the most helpful, so I will ask, the letter of intent from Anna that she needs to sign. Can she sign it and PDF it to my email or does it need to be an original?...and then there is the photo. It sounds like I may have to wait for her to mail it to me?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I'm finding your answers the most helpful, so I will ask, the letter of intent from Anna that she needs to sign. Can she sign it and PDF it to my email or does it need to be an original?...and then there is the photo. It sounds like I may have to wait for her to mail it to me?

According to the handbook for adjudicators the signatures on all documents (I-129f, G-325a and Letter of Intent) should be original. I know of a procedural exemption for the G-325a but despite that they have sometimes sent RFEs because adjudicators do not always know all the rules and exceptions. I also know of some visa services that routinely used scanned and emailed letters of intent and have not had a problem. This topic in particular was addressed in an interview I did with a USCIS supervisor and is pinned at the top of the K-1 forum.

I advise to use original signatures. waiting a few days to get the signature is better that waiting several weeks for an RFE to be cleared up. No brainer, for me.

In cases of other documents, birth certificates, etc., you send COPIES.

We used the VJ sample letters of intent and they worked fine. Change names and dates

[baron555 934]

I'm finding your answers the most helpful, so I will ask, the letter of intent from Anna that she needs to sign. Can she sign it and PDF it to my email or does it need to be an original?...and then there is the photo. It sounds like I may have to wait for her to mail it to me?

No the Letter of Intent as well as her G325A form should have an original signature. Yes wait for her signed copy; personally I arranged for Alla to FedEx it back to me so I didn't have to wait for the mail. If money if a real issue now.....just wait !!

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

Just wanted to add that I think it's better to have "too much" evidence than not enough, so I'd still include some chat logs, but not all of them. What we did was to comb through our logs on the different messengers we used and pick out a few conversations per month. We also included our logs on Skype which showed when we were calling each other on the phone with Skype to show that communication was often. I think doing this is sufficient to illustrate that the communication is constant rather than intermittent, which is what they're looking for. This was in addition to the evidence that we had been together in person over the past 24 months, which is what they truly care about (tickets, photos, etc.). If we printed every chat conversation we ever had, he'd have needed a cart to carry it all in. You can also scan any greeting cards or letters you sent each other and print off copies of them. That being said, I'd say being armed with a lot of stuff is better than not having enough. Just don't worry about printing off every chat transcript. It's not the most important thing. The CO who interviewed my husband didn't even ask to see any of the things he brought to his interview. It might not be the same for your fiance when she goes, so it's better to be prepared. But it was funny how he had basically a briefcase full of stuff and the CO never even asked to see it.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Amy_and_Victor