Chat Logs - Just How much evidence

[Coldstream63]

Okay...I've downloaded the Viber and WhatsApp chat logs, and I have a bazillion pages to go through. I want to show CIC the ongoing relationship my fiance and I have, and include some of the drama we've been through the past several years, all things good and bad, but there is SO MUCH!

What have you guys done in selecting the best bits here and there. I mean, there are whole pages of discussion that speak volumes to certain times in our relationship.

I obviously can't select everything, but I want to give them something good and appropriate that shows the ongoing aspects of our relationship.

Wa there a methodology or strategy you guys employed when it came to this? We have 3-4 years of talking DAILY (except the odd time we fought...)

 

[keesio]

I guess it depends on how strong your other relationship evidence is. For my wife's application, we didn't send any chat or e-mail copies at all. In terms of value, chat and e-mail correspondence is near the bottom (i figure part of the reason is because it is pretty easy to fake). Anyway it doesn't hurt to send a few pages. I'd pick like up to like 10 pages of your best content picking pages consistently spread across the entire duration of your relationship (if you have been together for 2 years, pick pages at the beginning, end and every two months in between).

Some people send in like 100s of pages. I think that is overkill and other have said that it bogs CIC down because they have to scan and go through each page. Unless your other evidence is weak or you have a lot of red flags, just send in a few pages.

 

[Seronic]

Okay...I've downloaded the Viber and WhatsApp chat logs, and I have a bazillion pages to go through. I want to show CIC the ongoing relationship my fiance and I have, and include some of the drama we've been through the past several years, all things good and bad, but there is SO MUCH!

What have you guys done in selecting the best bits here and there. I mean, there are whole pages of discussion that speak volumes to certain times in our relationship.

I obviously can't select everything, but I want to give them something good and appropriate that shows the ongoing aspects of our relationship.

Wa there a methodology or strategy you guys employed when it came to this? We have 3-4 years of talking DAILY (except the odd time we fought...)

I put a few pages of the first couple months, then skipped 7-8 months, added a few more pages of a couple months, skipped, added more, etc. I added about 450 pages. I got my notes, and they said application was too bulky and they shreded most chat logs, lol.

 

[keesio]

I put a few pages of the first couple months, then skipped 7-8 months, added a few more pages of a couple months, skipped, added more, etc. I added about 450 pages. I got my notes, and they said application was too bulky and they shreded most chat logs, lol.

Doesn't surprise me that they didn't go through most of the logs. Your post should be an FAQ since so many people send hundreds and hundreds of pages of logs.

 

[Seronic]

Doesn't surprise me that they didn't go through most of the logs. Your post should be an FAQ since so many people send hundreds and hundreds of pages of logs.

Considering at the time I had over 50 000 - 60 000 pages of chat logs (probably even more, that was a rough guess), and thousands more now, I didn't think 450 was too much. Wanted to show them we were constantly talking for the last 3.5 years.

 

[keesio]

Other than one person who mailed in a package with over 1000 pages, I think yours (450) is the most I've ever heard off. Many do send in 100-200 pages though. I think my package had like 50 pages total - and that includes the application forms (but not photos).

 

[Gumper]

Like Seronic I tried to create "bookends" -- periodic screen captures around an extraction of time stamps with the primary aim of showing the quantity of chats. I don't think they care so much about the content of the chats, how many "I love you"s were exchanged etc. Whittled it down from easily several hundred pages to about 15 or 20.

 

[TorontoEH]

I'm glad we didn't have to provide chat logs, it's seriously a tough one when you don't live with your wife or partner. I can imagine that you want to include everything as you may be concerned to leave out important bits. My opinion would be to send a couple of pages that reference each month or 2 weeks. Take the time to index everything, it's a lot of work but it will make it easier on the immigration officer reviewing your file. You could even create an index outlining chats related to events, interesting topics or important discussions and include the chat logs for those relevant items along with the date. It may be easier to compile once you have a framework.

 

[ama1978]

I sent about 200 pages of chats (2 yrs worth). I basically picked four conversations per month for each month we spoke. If there were breaks in chat I explained why. For example, we didn't chat for 3 weeks as I was in the country visiting him.

 

[Reflectoman]

I sent about 200 pages of chats (2 yrs worth). I basically picked four conversations per month for each month we spoke. If there were breaks in chat I explained why. For example, we didn't chat for 3 weeks as I was in the country visiting him.

Not really about chat logs, but similarly on emails .. here is what we did when we applied,

printed out a handful of full email chains only, but what we did do is print out screenshots of our google inbox filtered for the my SO's email address, this way by just printing out a few pages of these screenshots, i was able to show hundreds of email conversations between us, and their respective date span.

 

[meiko3886]

Wow guys, you are crazy I sent around 10-15 pages only. Some from facebook, from skype, yahoo, emails and scans of real letters. Some chats were showing early relationship (2011), other - more current - that i wait for my bf with dinner ready I also added screenshots from facebook showing status of relationship and when i was adding pictures of me and my bf together (2011/2012) - that shows our relationship is known to others. I dont think anyone will read all those chats if there are more than 30-50 pages

 

[mikeymyke]

I sent hundreds of pages of chats, but then again, we have the 2nd longest visa office in the world, with the 2nd highest rejection rate, so we have to make it good.

@ Coldstream: For myself, in general, I always pick 3 days of chats per week. On each day, I make sure I choose conversations where we both profess our love, state our plans for future, conversations where we have arguments, chats where she stated it doesnt matter if she live in Canada or vietnam, chats where she asks me if I can live in Vietnam with her, chats showing us planning a trip, chats showing her nervous about meeting my family, etc. I even throw in a few chats where we're just talking normal everyday stuff.

I think its great to show the chats where she said she not care whether in Canada or Vietnam, and where she initially asked if I can live in Vietnam, because it shows my wife is not marrying me for PR. I think if you and your wife has something similar, you can do that.

 

[agarand8]

I didnt send in any chat logs or emails. IMO there's a level of privacy that does not need to be breached for this process to be successful. I'm not interested in some stranger reading our private conversations. I provided pages and pages of skype history. They can see that we talk, how often, and for how long. For me that should be enough.

Of course that being said we have a lot of other evidence like proof of financial assistance, photos, letters from family and when my baby is born and I inform them of that I'm sure it'll be the clincher. I'm considering doing what some people do which is send in a package of relationship evidence updates. Which would be all the skype logs, financial help, etc from the time I sent the application to the present. I recently thought of something else I could do which would be to take screenshots of stuff we've shared with each other on our Facebook pages, and screenshots of us skype chatting with each other.

If you can gather a lot of the other types of proof like I described and avoid sending chat logs or emails altogether, that's what I would do. But if it's your main source of relationship evidence then I guess you've got to do what you got to do. The best advice I've received through all of this is quantity over quality. No one has time to read 100 pages of chat logs or go through 300 pictures. Pick what you think is the best and then go through it again and eliminate some of it. Hell, I don't even expect that someone is going to go through my skype logs (like 40 pages) except maybe to verify that we did actually communicate while we were apart.

 

[keesio]

Yes it is always quality over quantity. And chat logs are near the bottom in terms of priority. CIC would rather have a few good quality wedding/reception photo with both sides of the family in it vs 500 pages of whatsapp or facebook chat logs.

 

[Coldstream63]

Thans everyone for their replies! ;D