Front loading for a high fraud consulate?

[Jon9205 1]

My Ghanian fiance and I have been debating whether to send 5-25 pages of chat transcripts or 50-75 pages. Some have advised that the more chat transcripts you send, the more likely you will slow down the processing time, make yourself vulnerable to unexpected questions, accidental red flags, or cause important documents to get lost in the mix of unnecessary chat logs. On the opposing side, I have heard that high fraud consulates are going to want more than just proof of meeting in person and it is best to "Front Load" and hit them with as much proof as possible.

I have over 1000 chat logs. I'm currently in the process of reviewing all the chats and selecting a sample page from each week, illustrating a timeline of our ongoing relationship, highlighting content that best represents our feelings and interactions with one another. This should come to roughly 50-75 pages. My Fiance thinks I should keep it simple to avoid confusion and potential loss of documentation, and submit the bare minimum.

For all those applying to high fraud consulates, what is your recommendations regarding emails and chat logs? 5-25? 50-75? 100+?

Edited April 24, 2013 by Jon9205

[ndu26 114]

I advocate for frontloading but I agree that it has to be kept a reasonable limit so as not to overwhelm whoever will review. We frontloaded with pics(not more than 20), phone records of alternate months. ultrasound clip for our unborn with hospital letter. 5 pages of FB messages of people congratulating us on our wedding and one or two other things.

i would suggest you go with 5-25 of chats that show the most talk time amongst other things

[TBoneTX 46,304]

Read the reviews (and "embassy info") for Accra very closely, paying particular attention to the very WORST stories.

USCIS will not care what information you send that they don't require; however, everything that you send to USCIS with your petition will be passed along to the consulate when the petition is approved. The consulate is not supposed to refuse a visa on the basis of information that they know USCIS has already seen.

The petitioner's presence on the consular premises can go the furthest toward legitimatizing "a bona fide relationship." Even if the petitioner is not allowed into the consulate (or is restricted to the waiting-area), the beneficiary can hand the petitioner's U.S. passport to the consul and say "He/she is here." This cannot help but score untold points toward the granting of the visa, even if the consul's internal thought was to go the other direction.

[midge and isi 8]

My Ghanian fiance and I have been debating whether to send 5-25 pages of chat transcripts or 50-75 pages. Some have advised that the more chat transcripts you send, the more likely you will slow down the processing time, make yourself vulnerable to unexpected questions, accidental red flags, or cause important documents to get lost in the mix of unnecessary chat logs. On the opposing side, I have heard that high fraud consulates are going to want more than just proof of meeting in person and it is best to "Front Load" and hit them with as much proof as possible.

I have over 1000 chat logs. I'm currently in the process of reviewing all the chats and selecting a sample page from each week, illustrating a timeline of our ongoing relationship, highlighting content that best represents our feelings and interactions with one another. This should come to roughly 50-75 pages. My Fiance thinks I should keep it simple to avoid confusion and potential loss of documentation, and submit the bare minimum.

For all those applying to high fraud consulates, what is your recommendations regarding emails and chat logs? 5-25? 50-75? 100+?

Went through Ghana- what we did...

I would suggest providing more variety of evidence if you can. My initial petition documents included photos (10 or so), a few months of skype snap shots of calls to him, 3 actually chats but included screen shots of message titles. But I would show evidence over time. I would say a few actually chats and somehow showing the range of dates from what ever message service you use.

For the interview- you can bring them all! But i would make sure you bring lots of other things. If you have only had one visit i would try for a second while waiting. We had two visits including my parents going as well, photo, skype, facebook, cell phone showing texts and calls, and snail mail- not a ton of each but variety showing time frame and had no issues with the interview.

Are there other potential red flags? Age difference? Criminal Background? etc.?

[evoria 19]

I agree with others here, proving yourself with USCIS is one thing, proving your case at the interview is different. Send a reasonable and varied amount to the USCIS, when you get to the interview give them additional stuff, varied and abundant, more than they care to look at. Also, agreeing with others here, plan to make additional trips, have plenty of pictures, and certified letters from friends and family on both sides of the relationship. Fiancée visa's interviews in Ghana are difficult and the questions asked will be based off what you gave them.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

My Ghanian fiance and I have been debating whether to send 5-25 pages of chat transcripts or 50-75 pages. Some have advised that the more chat transcripts you send, the more likely you will slow down the processing time, make yourself vulnerable to unexpected questions, accidental red flags, or cause important documents to get lost in the mix of unnecessary chat logs. On the opposing side, I have heard that high fraud consulates are going to want more than just proof of meeting in person and it is best to "Front Load" and hit them with as much proof as possible.

I have over 1000 chat logs. I'm currently in the process of reviewing all the chats and selecting a sample page from each week, illustrating a timeline of our ongoing relationship, highlighting content that best represents our feelings and interactions with one another. This should come to roughly 50-75 pages. My Fiance thinks I should keep it simple to avoid confusion and potential loss of documentation, and submit the bare minimum.

For all those applying to high fraud consulates, what is your recommendations regarding emails and chat logs? 5-25? 50-75? 100+?

My suggestion is 50-75 with a weekly page. You can submit more at NVC stage. Front loading is not about convincing USCIS

but making sure that they are seen by the CO before the interview. Therefore, bringing more to the interview does not always work, as sometimes they don't want to see more relationship proof and already made up their minds.

Being there in support of your fiance speaks volumes so I suggest you travel there for the interview.

Best wishes ~

[Jon9205 1]

I really appreciate the feedback and I'm hoping this post might be able to establish a consensus on front loading. I read that the CO's make up their mind before the interview, so it is important to send more chat records than less. I also read that the petition isn't as important as the interview and keeping it simple is best for the I-129f. So I'm still undecided on which approach to take.

The red flags I can think of are; 1 visit for 15 days, 13 years age difference, interracial, met online, 6 months of online correspondence, divorce 4 years ago to a natural born US citizen, my fiance is currently unemployed, fiance doesn't have an identifiable physical address in Ghana?

Thanks again VJer's for all the help, I'm interested in seeing your consensus regarding frontloading for a high fraud consulate and hope we can keep the conversation going.

[midge and isi 8]

I really appreciate the feedback and I'm hoping this post might be able to establish a consensus on front loading. I read that the CO's make up their mind before the interview, so it is important to send more chat records than less. I also read that the petition isn't as important as the interview and keeping it simple is best for the I-129f. So I'm still undecided on which approach to take.

The red flags I can think of are; 1 visit for 15 days, 13 years age difference, interracial, met online, 6 months of online correspondence, divorce 4 years ago to a natural born US citizen, my fiance is currently unemployed, fiance doesn't have an identifiable physical address in Ghana?

Thanks again VJer's for all the help, I'm interested in seeing your consensus regarding frontloading for a high fraud consulate and hope we can keep the conversation going.

I don't think there will every be a consensus on front loading or not- many folks here did not front load and get approved and those who front load may not be approved on first interview.... even at the same embassy....

interracial and met online is common now-a-days

If you can get a 2nd trip before the interview that would help...

The who is older m or f can be the area that they ask about- especially if w is out side of child-bearing age. but there have been many couples (in ghana) with over 13 year age difference approved where the w is older.

What do you mean by divorce 4 years ago (who was that petitioner or benefactor?) through immigration? If USC married to USC they may ask some questions about that but not too much. If immigration involved they may ask more questions...

Physical address in Ghana wont be a huge thing since most are very vague. Just get as much information as you can- usually block and unit. Being unemployed as the benefactor is not an issue, for petitioner they will just need to have a co-sponsor.

In Ghana make sure you get tax transcripts.

Hope that helps-

[Jon9205 1]

I am the old one. My ex-wife is is a regular US citizen. I work two full-time jobs and salary is well over the 20,000 a year requirement, however I have no assets (except a car) and I rent an apartment w/ roomate. I prefer to just provide tax records rather than bank statements because all of my income is going to saving for the next trip and supporting my fiance abroad.

I think this thread so far has given me a good indication of what I need to prepare. I'm about to file in the next two weeks so I really appreciate everyone's input and feedback. Thanks again and please keep the thread updated if anyone has any additional information to share.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Sratch my suggestion to you that you can submit more at the NVC stage, thought you were a CR1 but realized you are K1.

The rest of my suggestions stand. Frontload and don't make the I-129 packet "easy" at the USCIS phase because the relationship evidence you send now will

reach the CO. If not submitted now you run the risk of the CO making up his/her mind before your fiance ever gets interviewed and he could be told no thank you we don't

want anymore proof. It happened to us, even though I did frontload and brought 12# of evidence after the interview.

Being there for the interview would be great.

[Jon9205 1]

Sratch my suggestion to you that you can submit more at the NVC stage, thought you were a CR1 but realized you are K1.

The rest of my suggestions stand. Frontload and don't make the I-129 packet "easy" at the USCIS phase because the relationship evidence you send now will

reach the CO. If not submitted now you run the risk of the CO making up his/her mind before your fiance ever gets interviewed and he could be told no thank you we don't

want anymore proof. It happened to us, even though I did frontload and brought 12# of evidence after the interview.

Being there for the interview would be great.

My current proof of relationship is 25-50 (most likely 25) chat transcripts, 10-15 pictures at various locations on different days with various family members, copies of passport stamps, plane tickets and bank statements documenting transactions in Ghana, emails. Is this going to be a problem? Is there anything I'm missing?

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Letters from friends and family attesting to the bona fide relationship.

I would up the chats to 50 at least and double the photos if I were you.