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Does CIC Return all my Wedding Photos etc?

hemlockmark

Full Member
Jun 15, 2016
46
1
Should I be sending the original photos of wedding and family to prove relationship/marriage or do you scan them or reproduce them? I am worried that I will not see them again.

Thank you!
 

dolly0530

Star Member
May 1, 2016
112
0
Philippines
Category........
Visa Office......
Mania VCO
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
25-05-2016
Doc's Request.
29-07-16
AOR Received.
11-06-2016 AOR2: 29-07-16
File Transfer...
07-25-2016
Med's Done....
29-03-2016 Status: PASSED
In our case we send a soft copy of our pictures together. We print it in MS word which is more economical and organized rather than printing it in photo paper. We also added captions in each pictures. There is a separate thread in this forum on how to organize your application which you could use as your basis. Goodluck and God bless..
 

CDNPR2014

VIP Member
Mar 1, 2016
3,180
187
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
LANDED..........
2014
do not send originals if you want to risk losing them. either print off copies or scan them on to paper and submit them that way. i put 4-6 pictures on powerpoint slides and printed them out. as long as the pictures are clear and it's obvious they represent your relationship, copies are acceptable.
 

mega_option101

Hero Member
Feb 5, 2016
540
22
Gatineau, Québec, Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
Warsaw
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
11-02-2016
Nomination.....
CSQ: 22-04-2016
AOR Received.
17-03-2016
File Transfer...
21-03-2016
Med's Done....
14-01-2016
Passport Req..
25-05-2016
VISA ISSUED...
01-06-2016
LANDED..........
02-06-2016
CDNPR2014 said:
do not send originals if you want to risk losing them. either print off copies or scan them on to paper and submit them that way. i put 4-6 pictures on powerpoint slides and printed them out. as long as the pictures are clear and it's obvious they represent your relationship, copies are acceptable.
It's not that there is a risk of losing them - it's simply that you will NOT have them returned.

Out of all the pictures that we sent it - we never got any back. Just wanted to point this out for others.
 

kks87

Star Member
Apr 26, 2011
72
19
Category........
Visa Office......
Rome
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
05-02-2016
AOR Received.
12-03-2016
File Transfer...
29-03-2016
Med's Request
Upfront
Passport Req..
04-05-2016
VISA ISSUED...
28-06-2016
We got ours back when they returned the passport (Rome office). We sent prints of our digital photos, so it wasn't a problem if they weren't returned. They didn't send back anything else, like proof of relationship documents.

Depends on the office you are going through, and I also have a feeling that they probably don't send much back if you are only getting COPR (visa-exempt applicants). I'm sure they don't want to pay postage to send back your support package.
 

Shineon39

Hero Member
Dec 3, 2015
681
84
124
Yellowknife, Northwest territories
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Singapore
App. Filed.......
22-10-2015
Nomination.....
Csq received 26-01-2016
AOR Received.
11-12-2015 AOR2: 07-01-2016
File Transfer...
17-12-2015
Med's Done....
10-09-2015
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
07-06-2016
VISA ISSUED...
20-06-2016
LANDED..........
02-09-2016
We got all original picture back, we sent original receipt for travelling, activity, etc and got it back from singapore VO.
 

canadianwoman

VIP Member
Nov 6, 2009
6,200
284
Category........
Visa Office......
Accra, Ghana
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
30-01-2008
Interview........
05-05-2009
It depends on the office. If you don't get them back within a reasonable time, you can contact the office and ask for them back - this may or may not work, but I got mine back after a couple of years by asking.
The best thing is not to send in originals. You can send in copies of letters, love notes, etc., and printing the photos several to a page with captions is a good method.
 

Hasan9999

Champion Member
Sep 28, 2013
1,474
169
Ontario
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
SVO
App. Filed.......
August 2013
LANDED..........
December, 2016
canadianwoman said:
It depends on the office. If you don't get them back within a reasonable time, you can contact the office and ask for them back - this may or may not work, but I got mine back after a couple of years by asking.
The best thing is not to send in originals. You can send in copies of letters, love notes, etc., and printing the photos several to a page with captions is a good method.
I agree as you never know if they return or not! Send them copies.

However, I got my photos and some papers back from the Singapore Visa Office.

Hasan
 

hemlockmark

Full Member
Jun 15, 2016
46
1
Sounds like the consensus is: don't send originals because you might not get them back, though many have; it depends, in part, on the office. And most folks have sent copies. Has anyone sent flash drives with scanned photos? Or applied online and used scanned photos and letters for that?

marko
 

CDNPR2014

VIP Member
Mar 1, 2016
3,180
187
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
LANDED..........
2014
hemlockmark said:
Sounds like the consensus is: don't send originals because you might not get them back, though many have; it depends, in part, on the office. And most folks have sent copies. Has anyone sent flash drives with scanned photos? Or applied online and used scanned photos and letters for that?

marko
the application clearly states that albums, frames, cds and such are not accepted, so flash drives would be in that category. only printed or scanned copies of the pictures are acceptable.

there is no way to apply for spousal sponsorship online, so everything must be hard copy and sent by mail to mississauga.
 

foreignEx

Full Member
Jun 23, 2016
32
0
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
27-12-2014
Med's Done....
09-04-2016
Interview........
14-07-2016
LANDED..........
14-07-2016
hemlockmark said:
Sounds like the consensus is: don't send originals because you might not get them back, though many have; it depends, in part, on the office. And most folks have sent copies. Has anyone sent flash drives with scanned photos? Or applied online and used scanned photos and letters for that?

marko
I sent my photos online along with other proofs ONLY because the Immigration Officer instruction told me to send it in Case Specific Enquiry form online. Any other case, you would have to send a physica, actual copy with it. Do you have that much that you have to send though? I only sent in a total of 10 pictures total from start to finish of my application.
 

keesio

VIP Member
May 16, 2012
4,795
396
Toronto, Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
CPP-O
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
09-01-2013
Doc's Request.
09-07-2013
AOR Received.
30-01-2013
File Transfer...
11-02-2013
Med's Done....
02-01-2013
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
12-07-2013
VISA ISSUED...
15-08-2013
LANDED..........
14-10-2013
It depends on the visa office. I didn't get anything back from CPP-Ottawa
 

zardoz

VIP Member
Feb 2, 2013
13,298
2,167
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
16-02-2013
VISA ISSUED...
31-07-2013
LANDED..........
09-11-2013
We got almost nothing back from London. Just a couple of Xmas cards. None of the photos or document copies were returned.
 

hemlockmark

Full Member
Jun 15, 2016
46
1
foreignEx said:
Do you have that much that you have to send though? I only sent in a total of 10 pictures total from start to finish of my application.
MAybe I am going overboard, here... I've got 10 or more photos from the wedding, about 10 from the honeymoon, and then 30 from various years of our marriage, and telephone bills and tax forms with both of our names... I mean, am I getting paranoid about proving that we have a real married relationship?
 

keesio

VIP Member
May 16, 2012
4,795
396
Toronto, Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
CPP-O
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
09-01-2013
Doc's Request.
09-07-2013
AOR Received.
30-01-2013
File Transfer...
11-02-2013
Med's Done....
02-01-2013
Interview........
waived
Passport Req..
12-07-2013
VISA ISSUED...
15-08-2013
LANDED..........
14-10-2013
hemlockmark said:
MAybe I am going overboard, here... I've got 10 or more photos from the wedding, about 10 from the honeymoon, and then 30 from various years of our marriage, and telephone bills and tax forms with both of our names... I mean, am I getting paranoid about proving that we have a real married relationship?
That should be fine for sponsoring a US citizen