photographic proof

[Steve and Qingqing]

Well, we filed the P3 forms this week and I just got back from my second visit with my SO. I was wondering just how many photos do you all think is really needed as proof? We shot over 300 pics this time as well as that many from our previous trip. I have gathered about 80 of the best shots of us together and separately, plus we had Professional studio shots taken this time ( pre-wedding pictures and other studio shots). We will include a few of those (less the wedding shots as not to confuse them with our K-1 status). How many photos did you include for your interview?

[Guest Gene]

We packed up and took a couple hundred photos along with another 30#'s of "evidence" The only thing they asked for was the letter from my employer But if I had to do it over again..... I would take everything again

[david_dawei]

This brings up some interesting issues... It seems to me that bringing 1000 pages of emails and 1000 pictures will result in the VO asking to see a few, if they ask for it at all. I think of my preparation in this way:

1) Prepare the 'trump' cards - get those emails and pictures to the top that you really want them to see. I read some advice that I thought was clever and good: Have one picture that would make the VO smile. I plan on having one of us in Chinese dress of the Yunnan province. If one doesn't laugh at a goofy looking American in this dress, then nothing will.

 

2) I also have professional studio pictures.. there's been some debate whether it is a good idea or would cause the VO to question the K1. I think that if the beneficiary is able to easily commuicate with the VO (and I'm thinking in english since s/he will hear the question directly and understand), then they could more easily answer any concerns about it. My SO's english is not all that good, and I worry that she'll get caught in one question that will throw her off. And if she does the interview in Mandarin instead, I don't want another 'strike' being used against her (questions on a picture). Pictures should not raise questions, but be an answer to the VO's mind about your relationship.

 

Consider that pictures appear to be asked for maybe more often than email correspondence.. why is that? Why is a picture and not words get asked for? I guess the old saying is true: A picture is worth a thousand words...

[frank1538]

1) Prepare the 'trump' cards - get those emails and pictures to the top that you really want them to see.    I read some advice that I thought was clever and good:  Have one picture that would make the VO smile.   I plan on having one of us in Chinese dress of the Yunnan province.   If one doesn't laugh at a goofy looking American in this dress, then nothing will.

We essentially did this with the pictures. I can't remember the number, but we had maybe several dozen of "relationship" pictures - Jingwen and I together AND pictures of us with her family which I think is very important. For the remaining 10,765,365 pictures, I shrunk them down so that I could print maybe nine or so to a page. These went into the binder but were never looked at.

[tonado]

Have photos to include your SO's family or friends. The VO doesn't like Professional photos because they are staged. Anyone can pay a professional photographer to stage photos.

[Steve and Qingqing]

Well we have plenty of pictures of us together and shot of each other. Dont have but one or two with her relatives, wish I took more now...What about cards where she refered to me as her husband even though we are not married... Im thinking these will only confuse them or give them reason to ask for more evidence......also what about letters that she uses an american name I gave her.... Im thinking this might confuse them as well.

[MoonCarolCafe]

I was wondering just how many photos do you all think is really needed as proof?

Too many pictures is almost enough. Don't just include the good pictures, include ALL the pictures. The VO is not going to critique your skill with the camera. Don't waste your time with loads of professional studio shots, a few (of the wedding day) should do; have loads of "out-and-about" shots.

 

I sent her in with a few dozen photographs, and they did not look at any of them.

[amerchin]

Don't take any chances with the VO and include corespondences with her calling you husband and you calling her by another name. If they see this it will trigger a thought of fraud. You are not suppose to be married and they're looking for that fact. They're looking for her pinyang name and not an english name you've given her. If you have a combo of those letters, emails, cards or what have you, GUZ might think you (as a fraud artist) have screwed up and are trying to bring:

1) a fiancee (Chinese name)

2) a girl with another name (English name)

3) a wife

over to the US, but has messed up the proofs of all three.

If the VO is an American you might be able to explain yourself out of that one if you were there but you won't be the one they're interviewing. If the VO is Chinese then I think you can pretty much forget about it. Don't invite trouble! You've come this far don't self aggravate yourself. Wasn't getting to this point with GUZ in the waiting game aggravating enough.

[Jason+Joanna]

I sure hope that is not the case. I call her by her English name, which I pu on my I-129F as one of her aliases. And we call each other lao po / lao gong ....

[david_dawei]

Don't take any chances with the VO and include corespondences with her calling you husband and you calling her by another name. If they see this it will trigger a thought of fraud. You are not suppose to be married and they're looking for that fact. They're looking for her pinyang name and not an english name you've given her. If you have a combo of those letters, emails, cards or what have you, GUZ might think you (as a fraud artist) have screwed up and are trying to bring:

1) a fiancee (Chinese name)

2) a girl with another name (English name)

3) a wife

over to the US, but has messed up the proofs of all three.

If the VO is an American you might be able to explain yourself out of that one if you were there but you won't be the one they're interviewing. If the VO is Chinese then I think you can pretty much forget about it. Don't invite trouble! You've come this far don't self aggravate yourself. Wasn't getting to this point with GUZ in the waiting game aggravating enough.

I tend to think the VOs are a lot smarter at this than we are... During their time, they're doing thousands of cases in rapid fire, 5 minute interviews.

 

They are going to see Lao Gong on tons of correspondence since this is the way that chinese ladies will refer to their man, married or not.

 

But the bottom line is that the VO will only see what you decide to hand him... so just have those to the top you want for him to see...

[david_dawei]

I sure hope that is not the case. I call her by her English name, which I pu on my I-129F as one of her aliases. And we call each other lao po / lao gong  ....

Did you mean the G-325 .. it asks for 'other names'...

 

I think the importance of the question is for previous marriages in particular, in case s/he took on different family names.

 

That you put it as an alias and correspondence shows this as well makes it tie out.. I don't see any problems..

[Steve and Qingqing]

If thats the case, then that shoots down pretty much of the emails, letters and Instant messages...most of which she uses her american name or a screen nickname or wife then her american name...97% of our cooraspondence has been over the phone the past 3 years....I have about a years worth of phone records I gave her last week plus another years of phone card reciepts along with her phone records..very little paperwork has her chinese name on it and most cards all say wife on them..I told her to add her chinese name on the alias catagory but she said this was for legal names only when they do a background check...so we never added the american name on the forms.

[david_dawei]

If thats the case, then that shoots down pretty much of the emails, letters and Instant messages...most of which she uses her american name or a screen nickname or wife then her american name...97% of our cooraspondence has been over the phone the past 3 years....I have about a years worth of phone records I gave her last week plus another years of phone card reciepts along with her phone records..very little paperwork has her chinese name on it and most cards all say wife on them..I told her to add her chinese name on the alias catagory but she said this was for legal names only when they do a background check...so we never added the american name on the forms.

I don't think it matters.. Previous names would seem more important for previous marriages.. as I mentioned, the VOs are trained at this stuff doing hundreds a week.. a nickname or american name is something they'll see all the time.

 

Whether it ties out or not.. whether you call her by her name or nickname.. I've never seen an interview in all my research where the woman was asked to explain a line in an email or correspondence.

 

You control what the VO will see.. so your SO can hand him whatever letter she wants IF he asks for it. Most likely , the will ask for a picture or the financial papers before an email.. but don't sweat it. It's a form already approved at the visa center. Only need to deal with the interview now...

[Zingaro]

A couple of ideas/suggestions:

 

When I compiled my I129f, I printed out quite a few of our emails, but only a sampling. It was a ton of paper, but I wanted to show our regular correspondence. (We have written each other daily for more than 2 years. That's a lot of email)

 

Also, for the I-129f, I scanned a pretty good selection of photos, arranged them 5-6 on a page in MS Word and printed them in color with captions. I included some photos of me with her sisters, nephew, etc.

 

Seems to me that a similar arrangement would work well for the interview, especially as regards the photos. (I'll make sure she has some actual photographic prints with her as well.)

 

As for the email, my email program allows me to print the contents of an email folder - just the "to" "from", date and subject line. I plan to do this as an index of our thousands of emails, plus a selection of a dozen or so actual letters.

 

Phone records: We talk on the phone daily. I have a list of phone calls from my long distance service, including calls to her parents' home (in another province) and to her sister's homes (one in Shenzhen and one in Taiwan). I plan to highlight the calls to other family members to show that family connection.

 

Just a few ideas ...