[LRK]

As I have mentioned previously, our application for a Fiance Visa is to be made in several months' time and we are currently trying to prepare as much as possible in advance and to try to get things right the first time (and have a less stressful application process and waiting time). Apologies for a long post, this is the only area which doesn't seem to have set rules like financial and accommodation, so it isn't as easy to ask a straightforward question.

The area that we are struggling with is burden of proof of continued commitment and devotion. We have adjusted our approach significantly after reading numerous threads on this forum and would really appreciate some guidance on our current proposed supporting documents. Initially, we were going to submit an excessive amount of information (over 200 pages of Skype conversation screen shots to date just for starters!) and now understand this is simply a waste of the Entry Clearance Officer's time and we need to satisfy the requirements but not go overboard and risk refusal based on too much evidence, resulting in the important things getting missed in the process.

We have seen "Skype Log" on people's supporting documents list, all we can get are screen shots of conversations/ calls ending confirming the date and the length of call time - is this ok? At the time of application, there will be three years of conversations minus the first six months as original Skype accounts were deleted and no information can be retrieved from them. If an actual "log" listing calls is better, please can someone advise on how to get this as I can't find the answer on Skype help as of yet.

As it stands before forum suggestions, we are looking at providing:

- Screen shots of two Skype conversations per month (too much, too little?) for the previous 2.5 years, plus screen shots of headers of emails sent in the first six months of the relationship covering the lack of Skype logs and up to the application date.

- Email confirmation of flights for visits - should we also include original boarding passes or are the emails sufficient?

- Photographs from various dates throughout the relationship, including photos with family members with annotations of date and place taken - one for each visit maybe?

- Registry office booking confirmation (or email conversations about booking if they will not accept a provisional booking without the Visa).

Does this sound sufficient or are we at the other end of the scale with not enough?

We will make appropriate adjustments for less/ more accordingly along with feedback, of course we appreciate that it is up to us to determine what we fel to be sufficient, however some advice would be very much appreciated. It is such a grey area and hard to know the right balance. Thank you for any feedback.

 

[Joppa]

Sounds about right to me. I would normally say examples of communications record (Skype log etc) for every 6-month period if your relationship is over several years, but every few months for less than 2 years. This should result in evidence of maximum 10 pages of A4, probably less. Nobody needs more than this. It's the fact of keeping in touch, not the content, that they are after. You can add provisional booking for reception, catering etc.

 

[LRK]

Sounds about right to me. I would normally say examples of communications record (Skype log etc) for every 6-month period if your relationship is over several years, but every few months for less than 2 years. This should result in evidence of maximum 10 pages of A4, probably less. Nobody needs more than this. It's the fact of keeping in touch, not the content, that they are after. You can add provisional booking for reception, catering etc.

Thank you for confirmation on communication logs, it is much appreciated.

We do not want a reception, in fact we are not doing anything "wedding-like" except getting married - the most important thing to us is to be with each other and married, we don't want the other wedding things like reception/ cake/ rings. Whilst we appreciate that many people do want that, we don't and so won't be able to provide any bookings - will this be viewed as suspicious?

 

[Joppa]

Not necessarily, but in that case you need to show other evidence of a genuine, committed relationship.

 

[LRK]

Not necessarily, but in that case you need to show other evidence of a genuine, committed relationship.

Please can you point me in the right direction with this? Other than multiple visits varying from four days to around three months at a time at great expense and the communications record, photos and registry confirmation, what could we use as evidence if we are not having a wedding reception that would be sufficient? I don't know what else we could provide.

 

[Joppa]

Please can you point me in the right direction with this? Other than multiple visits varying from four days to around three months at a time at great expense and the communications record, photos and registry confirmation, what could we use as evidence if we are not having a wedding reception that would be sufficient? I don't know what else we could provide.

Just explain while you are't having a reception, your commitment to marriage is undiminished and serious. You need to explain this in your covering letter.

 

[LRK]

Please can you point me in the right direction with this? Other than multiple visits varying from four days to around three months at a time at great expense and the communications record, photos and registry confirmation, what could we use as evidence if we are not having a wedding reception that would be sufficient? I don't know what else we could provide.[/QUOTE[

Just explain while you are't having a reception, your commitment to marriage is undiminished and serious. You need to explain this in your covering letter.

That's fantastic, thank you. We can do that no problem. Your advice is very much appreciated. I hope our situation can be of use to someone else also, as we have found with so many others on the forum.