Evolution of Relationship Letter?

[Sammy]

Hi. I am preparing for the interview in Guangzhou which I hope will be soon and have encountered references to Evolution of Relationship letters. Is this something that I should prepare to go along with the rest of my evidence for our relationship? If so, then how would I go about writing one of these? Does anyone have examples? Does it need to be notarized. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

Sincerely,

 

Sam

[Ryan H]

It's not required, however, an EOR is always a good idea. Describe how you met, when you met, when you met in-person, how you communicate, etc.

 

Notarization is optional.

 

Good luck to you!

[dnoblett]

It's not required, however, an EOR is always a good idea. Describe how you met, when you met, when you met in-person, how you communicate, etc.

 

Notarization is optional.

 

Good luck to you!

Also if divorced some details about this should be noted in the letter along with contact info for the ex.

[david_dawei]

Realize that even if you have one, they often don't take it. And sometimes give a blue slip for one when it's right there on hand. Why? IMO, They don't have confidence that the specific issues they want to address are in your write-up so it's easier to just issue a slip saying exactly what they want. Most often they ask about a description of how you meet, paid for your travel, if any former spouses to the chinese national their whereabouts and contact info. You can certainly have one on hand but if they refuse to look at it then don't be too surprised.

[Kyle]

From their website

 

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/iv_faqs.html#I2

[Scott@Hong]

If you do write an EOR, make sure your spouse can recite it word for word. Our original K1 got the big white slip partly because officer used letter for some questions about my prior marriage and my wife got a few dates wrong. She had the letter long before interview but people on 001 told her the VO's never even look at the letters so she did not take time to study and know everything on it.

[Yuanyang]

It's only my opinion but I believe that the EOR is important. Also important that the spouse/fiancee know its content thoroughly i.e. you both have the same story. That would also show that you do in fact communicate with one another.

Now this will not override any missing or incomplete papers or lack of income requirements. Again your submission documents should be the details and proof and your situation. The EOR tells briefly how you two got to where you are now.

Good Luck.

[dnoblett]

Two points I have.

 

1. If you are going to provide one, is BEST to include it in the initial petition filing either I-129F or I-130 filing, this way it is seen by USCIS, and if USCIS approves petition knowing what is in the letter, the consulate should also see it too.
2. As others have said typically the consulate will not look at it at the time of interview and will request it be filed on a blue slip.

[david_dawei]

Also important that the spouse/fiancee know its content thoroughly i.e. you both have the same story. That would also show that you do in fact communicate with one another.

great point! secondarily because ANYTHING YOU write and submit can be asked to HER at the interview. So, one needs to be very careful on some level. It's easy to think that we should write up all sorts of details and description of the relationship, but if she offers a different version then you may sink your own battleship.

[Amaro]

I wrote one up and signed it. I didnt get it notarized. It didnt make any sense to me. The VO didnt ask for it.

[Randy W]

I wrote one up and signed it. I didnt get it notarized. It didnt make any sense to me. The VO didnt ask for it.

 

It's one of those "trends"

[xiaofeizhu]

I did not include one with my original petition. Our EOR was very simple, more of a timeline of our time together. I refrained from too much emotion, and kept it to less than one page. Like many others, the VO did not even look at it or ask for it. We did not notarize it because a notary is just proof that the person who signed it is really the person who signed it. It does not prove that the content is accurate. We saved our $30 and went out to dinner lol.

[Reddragon75]

I am not sure if we will do an EOR letter or not. I DO know that I will make sure that my wife knows information about my previous marriage, such as when we were divorced, why we got divorced, etc. I think it is very important for you both to at least be on the same page about this. I have read many interview accounts where the VO asks her questions about his previous marriage. Obviously, it will look bad if she is not able to answer these questions correctly. As someone has already said, it will make it look like the 2 of you don't communicate or that you really don't know each other very well.

 

Always remember to be as prepared as possible because the VO is looking for any excuse to deny the visa.

[ChrisA]

You have a number of options, 1st is a hand written EOR, 2nd is a typed EOR (sent this to your SO, so she has time to read and understand the EOR), have them notorized at your local bank, tippically free or a mimial charge. 3dr options is to send it GUZ via email, this ensures that GUZ reads and receive it, and they have to acknowledge the email you have sent.

 

By not having an EOR at the time of the interview could cause a Blue Slip, is this the chance you two want to take on your future together?

 

Bassically, I did all 3 options which resulted in Pink, better to be safe than sorry, IMO.

[Rob and WeiLing]

1. If you are going to provide one, is BEST to include it in the initial petition filing either I-129F or I-130 filing, this way it is seen by USCIS, and if USCIS approves petition knowing what is in the letter, the consulate should also see it too.

 

I dropped mine off with the I-130 DCF in Beijing. I also had a ton of other junk, including things like ticket stubs of tourist places we went together and Chinese train tickets. The guy at USCIS in Beijing told me that I didn't need all that, but took my packet of pictures, phone records, and my EOR. He didn't look strangely at it at all, so I'm sure he'd seen plenty of them.

 

My EOR was 4 pages and described in detail the significant parts of my relationship with WeiLing including dates, locations, and my feelings. I detailed how we met (online), the circumstances of our first face-to-face meeting, when I knew she was the woman I wanted to marry, meeting in China a second time, the proposal, time spent with her family (included getting the approval of her father), the wedding ceremony, my family's interaction with hers, and hopes for the future. Double-spaced, it was 1 paragraph more than 3 pages.

 

I got a pink, but I can't say if my EOR had any effect. A lot of people get by fine without one. If you want to do it then I'd recommend, as Dan did, to include it with the initial petition. And if you do write an EOR, you'll have to come up with it yourself. I doubt you can apply anyone else's experiences and feelings to your own situation, not that you'd want to anyway. The EOR is as unique as your relationship, so just write what you feel. Some people avoid emotion, but my feeling is that this is the one place the VO can read your own thoughts and should be cherished as such. The dry facts can be found from other places in the application, and just listing them again is redundant in my opinion. Just be sure not to use too casual of a style and then have someone proof-read it when you think it's ready.