Those who've had interview - frontloading, good or bad?

[George & Roth 1,485]

6 minutes ago, j&ana said:

I think what  you are talking about is  going overboard extreme

 I believe the op was talking about adding a little more then is needed, big difference

Yes, I think we’re on the same page. 

 

It is front loading not overloading, I just took it wrong. 

[JFH 12,190]

1 hour ago, TinaMah said:

 

What you are saying is quality over quantity. You are not saying don't front-load.

This should be your motto: quality over quantity. It looks like you're on the right track with that. If you look around these forums you'll see people thinking they need to send 5,000 pages of Facebook messages or 2,000 pages of "I love you" and heart emojis from their iPhone. That sort of stuff is not necessary. If you're including messages, make sure they are quality messages that show a regular, normal relationship. We included messages where we spoke about money, work, mutual friends, what colour curtains to buy, where to spend thanksgiving, my sister's pregnancy, etc, etc. The type of stuff regular couples would talk about over dinner or at home after work. 

 

In the thread you have posted, the OP was given bad advice not to front-load for two reasons - she is going through one of the most difficult embassies of all (Ghana) and this is her second K-1 petition in a few years. The respondent from the U.K. probably has no idea how tough Ghana is and also how much differently family is viewed there. For example she said "they don't care about his friends" but in Ghana it's all about being accepted by the family and village. I am from the U.K. and my mother has never met my husband. We've been a couple for 6 years and married 3.5. That's not a problem in the U.K., the home of the nuclear family, but definitely wouldn't fly in Ghana. I am a member of a forum specifically for people from the U.K. going through this process and there are posters on there that say you only have to send the absolute bare minimum. That's not something that would work for the majority of embassies (and I'm skeptical about that approach even for the U.K.). 

[ChuAni 1,191]

3 hours ago, JFH said:

This should be your motto: quality over quantity. It looks like you're on the right track with that. If you look around these forums you'll see people thinking they need to send 5,000 pages of Facebook messages or 2,000 pages of "I love you" and heart emojis from their iPhone. That sort of stuff is not necessary. If you're including messages, make sure they are quality messages that show a regular, normal relationship. We included messages where we spoke about money, work, mutual friends, what colour curtains to buy, where to spend thanksgiving, my sister's pregnancy, etc, etc. The type of stuff regular couples would talk about over dinner or at home after work. 

 

In the thread you have posted, the OP was given bad advice not to front-load for two reasons - she is going through one of the most difficult embassies of all (Ghana) and this is her second K-1 petition in a few years. The respondent from the U.K. probably has no idea how tough Ghana is and also how much differently family is viewed there. For example she said "they don't care about his friends" but in Ghana it's all about being accepted by the family and village. I am from the U.K. and my mother has never met my husband. We've been a couple for 6 years and married 3.5. That's not a problem in the U.K., the home of the nuclear family, but definitely wouldn't fly in Ghana. I am a member of a forum specifically for people from the U.K. going through this process and there are posters on there that say you only have to send the absolute bare minimum. That's not something that would work for the majority of embassies (and I'm skeptical about that approach even for the U.K.). 

THANK YOU FOR THIS QUOTE!

 

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[Perfect two 💑 1,147]

7 hours ago, TinaMah said:

Hello new friends,

I sent my I-129F off Wednesday. I was so proud of myself for front-loading my petition with the following information:

 

A print out of video chat records.

A screen shot of the total texts sent between us.

A letter from my mother saying she is happy and accepts my fiance into our family.

A 5 page print-out of texts between us - just for evidence I guess...

I included my flight receipts for those two trips I have already purchased (I am visiting again in 4 weeks and also in June/July.)

 

my question? I have recently been told it is a really bad idea to front load. I am scared now. I am hoping to hear from those of you with experience - who have already reached the interview stage, perhaps - about whether you believe this is very harmful? I feel that this sort of information should be pinned for everyone to see :/ If it really is that detrimental.

 

Thank you so much,

T & M

We do front load when we file our petition. I think it is okay for front load as long as you know exactly what you provide to them. Some of them did front load, but what they do is just screenshot everything they have without checking it first. End up when the consulate officer asking something related to the evidence they gave, they can't answer it or the answer is not consistent. If you did front load during filing your petition. Make sure beneficiary go through all of that before she/he attend the interview. 

[NYCruiser 423]

7 hours ago, TinaMah said:

Hello new friends,

I sent my I-129F off Wednesday. I was so proud of myself for front-loading my petition with the following information:

 

A print out of video chat records.

A screen shot of the total texts sent between us.

A letter from my mother saying she is happy and accepts my fiance into our family.

A 5 page print-out of texts between us - just for evidence I guess...

I included my flight receipts for those two trips I have already purchased (I am visiting again in 4 weeks and also in June/July.)

 

my question? I have recently been told it is a really bad idea to front load. I am scared now. I am hoping to hear from those of you with experience - who have already reached the interview stage, perhaps - about whether you believe this is very harmful? I feel that this sort of information should be pinned for everyone to see :/ If it really is that detrimental.

 

Thank you so much,

T & M

Who said it was not a good idea to front load? It is a great idea to do that. Why? USCIS, NVC AND the Embassy see all the information with a fine tooth comb. 

Also, a good tip for a RFE if anyone ever gets that is to add any more information than they want from the time of application to the date of the RFE. I added more pics and additional texts and trips, so that was my silver lining for the RFE. (not saying you will get one)

 

Oh I forgot..it is not necessary to include ALL chat logs from the relationship. Select out days and notate accordingly the days at the top. This is a snapshot of your relationship, not a Bible. We did that...the content of the texts is important. We spoke in two languages on the texts..so that was my concern, but the Embassy people in Kenya must have had someone translate for them. 

We chatted about his family, my family, family drama, our trips together, photos etc (who doesn't have that in their family), gossip, politics, religion, etc....in other words a normal conversation. (keep the sexual things to a minimum..though we had that on too..it was embarrassing to be sure, but hey...they have probably seen worse) LOL

Edited March 3, 2018 by NYCruiser
Added

[Ahmed&Freda 628]

8 hours ago, TinaMah said:

Hello new friends,

I sent my I-129F off Wednesday. I was so proud of myself for front-loading my petition with the following information:

 

A print out of video chat records.

A screen shot of the total texts sent between us.

A letter from my mother saying she is happy and accepts my fiance into our family.

A 5 page print-out of texts between us - just for evidence I guess...

I included my flight receipts for those two trips I have already purchased (I am visiting again in 4 weeks and also in June/July.)

 

my question? I have recently been told it is a really bad idea to front load. I am scared now. I am hoping to hear from those of you with experience - who have already reached the interview stage, perhaps - about whether you believe this is very harmful? I feel that this sort of information should be pinned for everyone to see :/ If it really is that detrimental.

 

Thank you so much,

T & M

My honest opinion (due to personal experience) is that if the CO is not confident on your case no amount of evidence is going to change that.  Our case has red flags so I front loaded, side loaded and researched daily.   I don't think it hurt my case in anyway but I don't think it made any difference in the CO's opinion of my husband.  My point is if you have a straight forward case I don't think its necessary.  If you have a complicated one (prior marriages, marriage on first visit, different cultures) I would still front load but expect that it may not guarantee embassy issue of your visa.  I still feel even though the embassy refused my husbands visa that the evidence will still be helpful and the second interview will go much smoother.

[TNJ17 1,329]

There is no need to front load them with that much stuff. I don’t believe you’ve hurt your case in terms of denial, rejections and whatnot. However, the more stuff you send them, the longer it takes them to go through your petition making your approval take longer. You honestly don’t need a lot of relationship proof at the petition stage. You just have to show that you’ve met within two years of filing the petition. We sent 2 pictures and flight tickets and passport stamps. That’s it. Got approved without RFE. Got approved at interview without showing any more relationship proof. They didn’t wanna see anything. 

[bakphx1 789]

7 hours ago, JFH said:

This should be your motto: quality over quantity. 

I agree with this.  Another simple rule I followed that sounds obvious but actually affected my decision making at certain points was this:  make it easy for them to approve. 

 

People often send stuff for USCIS to figure out.  They should have enough to show you have a relationship, but they shouldn't need to sift through hundreds of documents to get there. 

[JFH 12,190]

1 hour ago, TNJ17 said:

There is no need to front load them with that much stuff. I don’t believe you’ve hurt your case in terms of denial, rejections and whatnot. However, the more stuff you send them, the longer it takes them to go through your petition making your approval take longer. You honestly don’t need a lot of relationship proof at the petition stage. You just have to show that you’ve met within two years of filing the petition. We sent 2 pictures and flight tickets and passport stamps. That’s it. Got approved without RFE. Got approved at interview without showing any more relationship proof. They didn’t wanna see anything. 

Brazil is a lot easier to get through than some embassies.

 

This is what we have been saying all through this thread. Whilst many people in "easier" embassies get through the process with a few photos and a boarding pass, there are plenty of places where you need far more than that. It's possible that the OP has sent more than necessary for her case, so what? For the benefit of other readers of this thread who may be going through Ghana or Nigeria, to name just 2 tough embassies, they will need more than the OP has sent. Making blanket statements such as "you don't need to send that much" can be misleading unless qualified with something like "for your embassy but others are different". 

[ThomasNC1988 762]

I'm not of the opinion that front loading is a bad thing necessarily I just don't think it is a good thing and no argument I have read has convinced me that there is any reason to do it. What is the point of sending in a bunch of things USCIS did not ask you for nor do they have a use for. The other component to that is if I were and officer and I had to choose between looking at a 300 page app versus a 30 page app as my last file of the day 100 out of 100 times I'm looking at the 30 page app. Everything is all speculation though. I choose to follow the instructions and send them what they as for when they ask for it. To sum up it is doubtful that you either helped or hurt yourself, I wouldn't worry.

[vocaledge 3,340]

10 minutes ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

I'm not of the opinion that front loading is a bad thing necessarily I just don't think it is a good thing and no argument I have read has convinced me that there is any reason to do it. What is the point of sending in a bunch of things USCIS did not ask you for nor do they have a use for. The other component to that is if I were and officer and I had to choose between looking at a 300 page app versus a 30 page app as my last file of the day 100 out of 100 times I'm looking at the 30 page app. Everything is all speculation though. I choose to follow the instructions and send them what they as for when they ask for it. To sum up it is doubtful that you either helped or hurt yourself, I wouldn't worry.

Are you aware of the statistics for RFEs that ask for further proof of the relationship?  

You are right about a 300 page vs a 30 page application, however, a vast number of RFEs request further information about relationships and it is not specifically asked for in the original documentation, and therefore, it is advisable to have some of that proof front-loaded to avoid the delay of an RFE which would almost certainly be a longer delay than an adjudicator at the end of the day delaying a larger application for a day or two.

[ThomasNC1988 762]

2 minutes ago, vocaledge said:

Are you aware of the statistics for RFEs that ask for further proof of the relationship?  

You are right about a 300 page vs a 30 page application, however, a vast number of RFEs request further information about relationships and it is not specifically asked for in the original documentation, and therefore, it is advisable to have some of that proof front-loaded to avoid the delay of an RFE which would almost certainly be a longer delay than an adjudicator at the end of the day delaying a larger application for a day or two.

There has never been an RFE for an 129-f for further proof of relationship because zero proof of relationship is required. Now there are lots and lots of RFEs for proof of in person meeting which has nothing to do with if you are in a real relationship. I'm not saying don't use lots of proof of relationship at the embassy stage when it is required, but zero proof that you care about each other in the slightest is requested or required at the USCIS stage. People seem to forget that the vast majority of people going through the process are not on Visa Journey and just simply follow the directions and the vast majority of 129-fs are approved. It't the American Government it is a bureaucracy at its core. Just follow the directions and you will be fine. I'm speaking purely about the I-129f not about the actual visa application. A lot of people seem to loose sight of the fact that the K-1 is essentially 2 parts. Part 1 which is the I-129f is purely plain and simply to establish that you have met the requirements to submit the visa application. Those requirements being that you are both free to marry, intend to marry, and have met in person in the last two years. Part two at the embassy is when they care if you have a legitimate relationship. Granted everything you submit in part 1 is carried over to part 2, but there is no evidence to suggest that submitting it early is of any benefit or consequence.

[geowrian 22,337]

16 minutes ago, vocaledge said:

Are you aware of the statistics for RFEs that ask for further proof of the relationship? 

I am. It's exactly 0% as that is not a requirement for the I-129F, which is the only piece that will can result in an RFE.

As for getting a refusal or being put into AP after the K-1 interview...that's a different story.

[ThomasNC1988 762]

@<3T&M<3 Don't worry you will be fine. This site is great if you are an anxious person like me. It really helps pass the time and you can learn a lot and help others. Lots of people out doing scans on a daily basis to track progress. The first ones I looked at were from @vocaledge and now i think the number one scanner around is @Naes. It doesn't mean the process is going to go any faster or smoother but it helps me relax to track progress and makes the time seem to move faster.

Edited March 3, 2018 by ThomasNC1988
typo

[<3T&M<3 217]

39 minutes ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

I'm not of the opinion that front loading is a bad thing necessarily I just don't think it is a good thing and no argument I have read has convinced me that there is any reason to do it. What is the point of sending in a bunch of things USCIS did not ask you for nor do they have a use for. The other component to that is if I were and officer and I had to choose between looking at a 300 page app versus a 30 page app as my last file of the day 100 out of 100 times I'm looking at the 30 page app. Everything is all speculation though. I choose to follow the instructions and send them what they as for when they ask for it. To sum up it is doubtful that you either helped or hurt yourself, I wouldn't worry.

Thanks  I'm just trying to do the best I can.

But again, I must repeat that I didn't send 300 pages of "proof of ongoing relationship" I sent in maybe 15 papers. And it was at the end of my packet,