OK, I seem to have caused some very unintended panic, so let me clarify my earlier post, although Mrslwsn did such a good job already!
I said the quality of the evidence is more than a function of its quantity. That means, it doesn't matter if you send 10lbs of paper, if everything on that paper does not support the inception and development that you claim generated your relationship. Honestly, when you read some of the cases that are appealed and see the evidence presented, you have to wonder how some of those applicants expected anyone to believe them. Here are some "typical" things you see a lot when it comes to poor quality evidence:
- Very few telephone calls or emails or chat logs, combined with a couple who have been married for years BUT have not seen each other since the wedding.
- Very quick movement from meeting to marriage, combined with a couple who do not have an arranged marriage AND who subsequently make no effort to spend time together after the wedding.
- Multiple divorces on one or either side, combined with closely spaced dates for the divorces and re-marriage.
- No efforts on either side to integrate their lives, or acquaint family members with the new spouse and stepchildren.
As you can see, no one factor by itself determines that an application is rejected, be it age difference, religious difference, culture or relationship history. The IOs are expected to judge the applications holistically, and sometimes even a genuine couple can fail because they have a poorly presented application. Yes, sometimes IOs make mistakes, but sometimes they can make those mistakes because of what they have to work with.
Seriously, married folks who have been together for years both before and after marriage, and have kids together? Relax already. Your relationships are NOT in focus for immigration. That means you, Lemondrop and Fencesitter!
Prepare your application with a focus to answering the questions asked, providing the information and documents required and that's about it for you.