questions about chat logs and photos

[abbi627 43]

Hey guys,

I was up most of the night working on my petition - I have bronchitis and couldn't breathe lying down so might as well be working on this. And I have a couple of questions and I have been searching the archives and I see several different points of view on these so I am wondering if I might ask you:

1. Did most of you print out the actual chats between you and your husband? I know I can't print them all - it would be WAY too much. And quite honestly there is personal stuff I don't want them to read. So I thought about printing samples during our relationship and I see some have done that. I also see some have printed out something showing just the dates and times they were on Yahoo Chat but not the actual conversations - though for the life of me I can't figure out how to do that yet. So I just wanted to ask your opinions on that.

2. Pictures: How did you send them? Did you have them in a sort of album? We don't have tons to send probably between 30 and 40. I assume I need to write notations on them showing what they were. I was thinking of attaching them to paper with the explanation and date written above.

I know some people have done this different ways and am just asking how you did yours.

Thanks for the help.

[RFQ 110]

http://www.mixbook.com/romance-photo-books This one I used is called "our story" http://www.mixbook.com/romance-photo-books/our-story-1952?ptid=4160

I made one of these ^ and I mailed it in with the DS230 package and supporting documents. I photocopied it as well and sent it in. I put a sticky note in the book requesting the original back, and they actually gave it to me I actually included screen shot photos of us in video on skype (these were embarrassing lol!!). I told our whole story in a pictorial with little captions. I figured if it was too long they'd not bother with it. One picture included was a screen shot (converted to a picture) of a conversation in a forum dated 2009 just to show how far back we'd known each other.

My I-130 package had minimal supporting evidence: affidavits and 8 photos I printed out on an 8x11 sheet of paper [pre-VJ ]

For my husband to personally take to the interview :
I took a screen shot of a couple pages of emails (a folder of only correspondence between him and I) so it showed a list of sender/receiver/subject line/date. I copied itineraries, and attached ticket stubs, and a few other odds and ends. I had a letter where I emailed my girlfriend in Cairo to tell her about my engagement.

The CO asked us for no further evidence when my husband came in, though my husband voluntarily showed off our fancy little wedding album he had with some pix.

[Happytobe 164]

Hi Abbi! Sorry to hear you're under the weather. For Yahoo, you would have had to have set-up for it to save the conversations. If you did that, on your Yahoo mail page, there's a tab on the left near the bottom that says "messenger." When you click on the arrow a box pops up and gives you several options. Click "conversation history" and that will pull up the list of convos in a separate window.

We sent logs all of our Skype calls and some pages of FB chats when we were having troubles with Skype last year. I sent the photo album of our wedding party and other single pictures. I wrote on the back or left a post-it in the book with descriptions of who/what/when was happening. For the "loose" pics, I put them in a sleeve page (3 per page. That way they could see what I had written on the back through the sleeve.

I sent more skype logs with the IV package to demonstrate that we have communicated since I came back (that was 14 pages, btw). I also sent copies of ticket stubs & boarding passes with the original petition. I sent an affidavit from his brother in Germany and one from one of my best friends. I've communicated with his brother and my husband has had communication with my friend. I could have sent more affidavits, but having read on here that they really don't have an impact, I just sent the 2. We have yet to see if any of this did any good, but at least we made it through USCIS without an RFE.

Have a great day!

[abbi627 43]

Thanks. One more question. Did you attach a letter to the petition detailing your relationship and if so, how detailed was it. I have heard about addressing red flags. I am 9 years older than him. We are both Muslim. I have visitied him twice for a total of about 5 months spent together. We married on the second visit. We did meet online 19 months ago. We do talk every day - mutliple times a day. We have during the entire 19 months except of course when we were together in Morocco. His parents of course know and approve of our marriage. I was living with him and his parents and siblings all this time. We did NOT have a marriage ceremony. I have heard that can be an issue. I did not want one and neither did he. After 29 days of running all over Morroco we just wanted to sign the marriage contract and get on with our lives together. Do I need to put all that in a letter to attach to the petition?

Sorry for all the questions. I have read all sorts of differing views on what to attach. But this is Casa so I figure maybe more is better??

Thanks a lot.

[Happytobe 164]

I had forgotten to send that with the initial petition, however, I did send one with our IV package. I addressed why we married on the 2nd visit (we're close to being past child-bearing age), I addressed that my family and friends originally had reservations about us but that they see how happy we are through our conversations on FB and some have spoken with him on Skype, so they are happy. I, also, touched base on my considering converting to Islam since before I met him, and how his family feels about that (It must come from the heart) and how there is not any pressure to do so. I should have addressed how my family feels about that, but they don't discuss those things with me.

I would say, since it is Casa, to send it as it can't hurt your petition. We had the wedding party, just a small one, as he is the last of his brothers and sisters to wed, and they wanted to celebrate. His sister from France came, as did his brother and wife who reside in Germany. The rest of his family says we owe them a party when we are able to. My family says the same! My dad wants us to do a vow-renewal as he says "you are not really married until you look into each others eyes and make those promises." So to honor my father, my husband is happy to do that for my friends and family.

that's a lot more information than anyone here needed to know!!! Sorry for rambling! And don't be sorry for having questions. Ask as many as you like

[abbi627 43]

That was some great information. Thank you so much. I guess I should start working on that letter. I guess I should address all of these issues head on. The petition itself is filled out. Putting together all of our proof and now I am starting to write this letter. Hope to be filed in the next week or so. Then the countdown begins.

Thank you so much for the help. And I am sure I will probably have more questions. You guys are an inspriation to me.

[Happytobe 164]

I look forward to seeing that you've sent it!

[Ismael&Blair 66]

I had forgotten to send that with the initial petition, however, I did send one with our IV package. I addressed why we married on the 2nd visit (we're close to being past child-bearing age), I addressed that my family and friends originally had reservations about us but that they see how happy we are through our conversations on FB and some have spoken with him on Skype, so they are happy. I, also, touched base on my considering converting to Islam since before I met him, and how his family feels about that (It must come from the heart) and how there is not any pressure to do so. I should have addressed how my family feels about that, but they don't discuss those things with me.

I would say, since it is Casa, to send it as it can't hurt your petition. We had the wedding party, just a small one, as he is the last of his brothers and sisters to wed, and they wanted to celebrate. His sister from France came, as did his brother and wife who reside in Germany. The rest of his family says we owe them a party when we are able to. My family says the same! My dad wants us to do a vow-renewal as he says "you are not really married until you look into each others eyes and make those promises." So to honor my father, my husband is happy to do that for my friends and family.

that's a lot more information than anyone here needed to know!!! Sorry for rambling! And don't be sorry for having questions. Ask as many as you like

We also married on my 2nd visit and had an intimate wedding party. We had gotten the marriage license done with two adouls a few days before that. Glad that you shared your story!

[Crossed_fingers 128]

1. No chats or chat logs. I'd seen too many couples get in trouble at the interview with chats. I didn't feel our case required them and they might do more harm than good, and in any event would clutter up the file.

2. I created photo collages and printed them at home on photo paper. I had numbered each of the photos in the collages and submitted a sheet giving the people, place, and date information for each number.

Good luck!

[ShirahBet 42]

I printed out selected emails and chat logs with the petition. I arranged photos in a word document and then captioned over the photos with who was in the picture, when and where and printed those out. I printed out phone records, text records and a skype log. I sent in a letter from my bank confirmed he was added to a joint checking account.

With the NVC stuff, I sent a bunch because Casa is known to make up their mind ahead of time. So I sent emails from the months after I sent the 130, facebook, emails between him and my parents, skype logs between him and my parents, more pictures from another trip. I don't necessarily think you have to send a letter addressing your issues as that might in of itself raise a red flag. They'll ask your husband any questions that you might have considered addressing anyhow and with the letter, they'll compare the answers.

All in all, between the two packets, I sent at least 4" of paper. Oh, and I did send in photocopies of receipts from meals when we were together, a couple hotel stays from our last trip (I couldn't find them all, they didn't seem to mind in the interview).

Just make sure you send a cover letter and indicate what you're including in the package. Then put dividers between the sections and label the dividers.

[abbi627 43]

That's good advice. Thank you. I didn't think about the dividers. Ok back to work on the packet for me.

[abbi627 43]

Well I see some differing opinions about whether to write the letter or not. I had thought of just telling how we met and how our relationship developed, our first meeting, our decision to get married, his family being happy about our marriage, our age difference, my conversion to Islam, our second meeting, our decision not to have a wedding ceremony, our life together while living in Morocco. Maybe that is just too much. Maybe it helps. I see some difference of opinions. Same with chat logs. I see a difference of opinions.

I feel a little lost. I don't want to give them anything to use against us. But it is Casa so I have heard to cover everything. I never thought that the part of putting together the petition would be so confusing. I have the pictures figured out. I have everything else attached. Just have to decide whether or not to include this letter and what to do about the chat logs.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

We didn't front load anything. I was so lost applying for this process I didn't know what I was doing. We didn't send in chat logs, pictures or a letter just the material requested to apply in the instructions of the form.

I've read a brief cover letter with dates and facts is what most people send without lengthy descriptions or details. Kind of like the rap sheet on my "our story" section of my profile if you want to take a look. At the Embassy interview I made sure we had loads of evidence to take in. However, they only wanted to see two wedding photos and refused the offer to looks at chat logs or anything else. We were approved no problem. Also had a similar experience when we went to apply for AOS.

Edited June 17, 2013 by ॐ

[RFQ 110]

Well I see some differing opinions about whether to write the letter or not. I had thought of just telling how we met and how our relationship developed, our first meeting, our decision to get married, his family being happy about our marriage, our age difference, my conversion to Islam, our second meeting, our decision not to have a wedding ceremony, our life together while living in Morocco. Maybe that is just too much. Maybe it helps. I see some difference of opinions. Same with chat logs. I see a difference of opinions.

I feel a little lost. I don't want to give them anything to use against us. But it is Casa so I have heard to cover everything. I never thought that the part of putting together the petition would be so confusing. I have the pictures figured out. I have everything else attached. Just have to decide whether or not to include this letter and what to do about the chat logs.

Here is the way I look at it-- When someone sends in an application for a job-- a resume. Who's information gets read? The person who sends in a novel on their past experience, or someone who bullets and bolds the important points in a concise manner?

In applying for a chance at an interview- you need highlights and things that really grab the attention of the person scanning them. You need to get people not to toss your case to the wayside, but to take interest in knowing more. You want them to like you before you walk into the room. Professional, interesting, concise... that's my theory.

Now, let it be said, I am no expert in this immigration stuff. This is however, the way I chose to approach my package.

[Crossed_fingers 128]

I know people disagree about this, but if it were me, I wouldn't write a letter. I've seen way too many of these where some detail that can be read negatively comes out, or the tone of the letter sounds too one-sided or desperate or defensive. I'm NOT saying that the relationship is suspicious or that the person writing the letter feels that way at all, I think it's just very hard to write about your own relationship persuasively for bureaucrats you know are tasked to sniff out fraud. The only reason I would do a letter, personally, is if there is a particular circumstance that sets the couple apart and really needs to be explained, and can't be demonstrated by other evidence. (Of course, none of my opinions here are legal advice!)