Genuine Relationship?

[sariss]

My husband and I got married in August, and are hoping to send out our application in the new year. I just have a few questions.

He is planning on coming here to visit for 6 months. He will send his application when he is still in the USA, but then will come here and visit. I'm hoping we can just extend his stay until the he (hopefully) gets approved. Is this viable?

Also, I have a question about proving your relationship is genuine. This is the part that bothers me the most.
My husband and I met online in 2007 (not even on a dating site, we met on an online game believe it or not). A lot of the initial conversations were done in-game, which can't be saved. We did a lot of voice chatting through a program through VENT, so there aren't any records.
He visited for the first time in 2009, for 9 days. He has the tickets and the passport stamp, etc. We only have a few pictures.
He visited again the following summer (2010), this time for 3 weeks. Again he has the tickets and the stamp, but again not many pictures.
He came back in May 2011. We got married in August, and he went back to the USA last week.

As far as proving legitimacy, this is what we have:
** We have a joint chequing and saving account together. However it is through a Canadian bank so pretty much all of the funds going into it have been mine. He couldn't work while here and to deposit money into it himself, he would need to mail cheques to me. He is hoping to do this while he is working in the USA before he comes up, but we have not yet.
** He is an authorized cardholder on my mastercard. Unsure if that really means anything
** I am in the process of legally (not assuming) my last name to his.
** I have placed him on my health/dental insurance through my work. He is also the beneficiary to my life insurance.
** We have many pictures of our wedding and honeymoon.
** He has kept all the plane tickets for our visits
** We jointly signed the least to our apartment, and the rent comes out of our joint chequing account

Our problem is other correspondence. I am unsure if the above is enough. A lot of times we chatted was through Yahoo! Chat. We would voice chat as well as regular chat, but the conversations aren't saved. We also texted quite a bit. My cellphone carrier doesn't show WHO I texted, just that I did send texts. His carrier does show the number he texted (mine), but they only go back about 6 months.
I've debated including Facebook things, because we do send messages from time to time through there.

Would this be enough, or do you think he will face an imminent interview? Any other advice?

Thanks!

 

[sidkrose]

I actually think that what you have is quite good. You seem to have combined your affairs (finances, health insurance, living situations) to the extent possible, and you have know one another for a fair amount of time. I would simply explain in the application what you explained here (that you talked "in game" and then on VENT and yahoo!chat and text etc) and then include any evidence you do have, including any fb messages, emails, phone records, chat records, cards or letters or anything you've got. Some people have lots of evidence in one area, and not much in others. You seem to have plenty in the financial/joint affairs area and just not as much in the communication area. If you are worried, why not get some friends and or family members to write letters saying that you have been a genuine couple since such and such a date and they know that you have future plans to live in Canada together etc.

But overall, I think you're good.

 

[sariss]

Thank you! It has been eating away at me, thinking that what we have may not be good enough...

 

[Mrs Proper]

I agree you have quite a bit. I wouldn't stress to much over it jus explain what you did with us here on the forum. Goodluck

 

[ddobro2]

Don't worry about it. I met my husband online (the IOs are well used to this by now), saw my husband in person during two trips to him for three days each before he came to my city to get married (we did have close to a year of daily phone and chat communication though) and I don't have much of what you listed in your bullet points, and my interview was waived.......so that gives you some idea Buffalo is not exactly a red-flagged embassy for immigration fraud, and particularly if a Canadian citizen sponsors an American citizen, they are much less critical about relationship evidence.

My husband and I got married in August, and are hoping to send out our application in the new year. I just have a few questions.

He is planning on coming here to visit for 6 months. He will send his application when he is still in the USA, but then will come here and visit. I'm hoping we can just extend his stay until the he (hopefully) gets approved. Is this viable?

Also, I have a question about proving your relationship is genuine. This is the part that bothers me the most.
My husband and I met online in 2007 (not even on a dating site, we met on an online game believe it or not). A lot of the initial conversations were done in-game, which can't be saved. We did a lot of voice chatting through a program through VENT, so there aren't any records.
He visited for the first time in 2009, for 9 days. He has the tickets and the passport stamp, etc. We only have a few pictures.
He visited again the following summer (2010), this time for 3 weeks. Again he has the tickets and the stamp, but again not many pictures.
He came back in May 2011. We got married in August, and he went back to the USA last week.

As far as proving legitimacy, this is what we have:
** We have a joint chequing and saving account together. However it is through a Canadian bank so pretty much all of the funds going into it have been mine. He couldn't work while here and to deposit money into it himself, he would need to mail cheques to me. He is hoping to do this while he is working in the USA before he comes up, but we have not yet.
** He is an authorized cardholder on my mastercard. Unsure if that really means anything
** I am in the process of legally (not assuming) my last name to his.
** I have placed him on my health/dental insurance through my work. He is also the beneficiary to my life insurance.
** We have many pictures of our wedding and honeymoon.
** He has kept all the plane tickets for our visits
** We jointly signed the least to our apartment, and the rent comes out of our joint chequing account

Our problem is other correspondence. I am unsure if the above is enough. A lot of times we chatted was through Yahoo! Chat. We would voice chat as well as regular chat, but the conversations aren't saved. We also texted quite a bit. My cellphone carrier doesn't show WHO I texted, just that I did send texts. His carrier does show the number he texted (mine), but they only go back about 6 months.
I've debated including Facebook things, because we do send messages from time to time through there.

Would this be enough, or do you think he will face an imminent interview? Any other advice?

Thanks!

 

[scarycemetery]

I definitely think you have good proof. Since you have joint accounts, the lease agreement, etc. those would work well in your favour. Include all of the plane tickets, messages, and as many pictures as you can. You do have solid proof. If they have any doubts (which I don't think they will) they will call you for an interview to explain. That's what happened to my husband and I since we met online as well. We got a chance to explain ourselves and it worked for us. If you can, include a letter in the application explaining what you just said here in the forum

 

[AllisonVSC]

If you are worried about meeting in an online game, you need to read this thread...

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t67051.0.html

...then you will see how many others met the exactly the same way and you will feel at ease!

 

[sariss]

I guess they must be used to it!
Thank you all! This has eased my nerves greatly.

 

[sariss]

So far, this is what I have compiled.

* 201 pictures of our wedding/honeymoon/his other visits to Canada
* Photocopies of every last card we received for our wedding.
* Documents from our honeymoon, including confirmation from the Motel we stayed at and from the cruise.
* Tickets for all 6 flights he has made to be here
* Confirmation from ordering gifts online between both of us, including the two flights to Canada I paid for
* Letters sent between the two of us that accompanied gifts
* Statement from my Mastercard that he is an authorized user on my account
* Statement from my bank that we have had a joint chequing and savings account since 2010.
* The lease to our current apartment, jointly signed.
* Proof that monthly rent payments are made through our joint bank account
* Letters from certain friends and family members outlining their knowledge of our relationship
* Marriage certificate and change of name certificate to his last name
* Proof that he is on my health benefits through work
* Proof that he is the beneficiary to my life insurance
* Every single post we have made in regards to each other on Facebook since 2009, as well as a list of mutual friends and who they are to us.
* (Limited) phone records through Verizon showing our communication via text messages.


Anything else I should include??? Hahaha

 

[ddobro2]

that's more than enough for Buffalo

So far, this is what I have compiled.

* 201 pictures of our wedding/honeymoon/his other visits to Canada
* Photocopies of every last card we received for our wedding.
* Documents from our honeymoon, including confirmation from the Motel we stayed at and from the cruise.
* Tickets for all 6 flights he has made to be here
* Confirmation from ordering gifts online between both of us, including the two flights to Canada I paid for
* Letters sent between the two of us that accompanied gifts
* Statement from my Mastercard that he is an authorized user on my account
* Statement from my bank that we have had a joint chequing and savings account since 2010.
* The lease to our current apartment, jointly signed.
* Proof that monthly rent payments are made through our joint bank account
* Letters from certain friends and family members outlining their knowledge of our relationship
* Marriage certificate and change of name certificate to his last name
* Proof that he is on my health benefits through work
* Proof that he is the beneficiary to my life insurance
* Every single post we have made in regards to each other on Facebook since 2009, as well as a list of mutual friends and who they are to us.
* (Limited) phone records through Verizon showing our communication via text messages.


Anything else I should include??? Hahaha