How much is too much evidence?

[AtribecalledQ]

Hey everyone!

So I'm in the process of doing my application to get my wife here to Canada and I just wanted some input on something.

I have several years of receipts, text messages, general bills that I want to include as supportive documents. Now some of this stuff has many, many, MANY pages of information and I was wondering how should I go about including this stuff?

For example I have probably about 6000 text messages which I never deleted (luckily), also about 3 years of ebay receipts that show me buying prepaid cellphone "load" specifically to her number so she can text me everyday and like years worth of facebook messages.

Should I only show a couple receipts spread out through every year or do I include everything? Messages from every year but like from every month of that year? Just seems if I put everything in there it would make some of these supportive sections ridiculously long-winded with very repetitive documents that I'm not entirely sure they would want to look through!

Thanks for any help guys

 

[Aquakitty]

Yea you basically answered your own question. Just put some evidence from each year in there. For chat logs I just printed out a couple pages for each year. I see no reason they would need 900 hours of cell phone receipts, lol

I tried to pick out the relevant texts/chats that showed us acting relationship-like if that makes any sense, joking around etc.

 

[hhafiz]

Yea you basically answered your own question. Just put some evidence from each year in there. For chat logs I just printed out a couple pages for each year. I see no reason they would need 900 hours of cell phone receipts, lol

I tried to pick out the relevant texts/chats that showed us acting relationship-like if that makes any sense, joking around etc.

Beside this you can also print off your social media pages showing your relationship and links to each other etc. (e.g. Facebook home page)

 

[Beaverdiva]

Don't just send in lovey-dovey correspondence, send in real conversations - even arguments - to show your relationship is real. We sent samples of emails, facebook posts, online chat logs and photos etc from each year. We included receipts of concerts, outings and holidays togeher - but not all of them - just a few.

From an administrative point of view, they probably wouldn't appreciate hundreds of pages to look through so try and keep it to a minimum.

The last thing you want to do is annoy them by sending in 100's of pages! lol!

Make sure you've got plenty of paper and ink.. ;D

 

[keesio]

The last thing you want to do is annoy them by sending in 100's of pages! lol!

Yes, I agree! They are required to manually scan all documents (electronic copy) that they will use to process your application (it's why they don't want anything stapled). The more pages, the more work. It is known that they will simply shred documents (without reading) that are "lesser value" proof (like skype chat logs, etc) if there are a LOT of them (some people have sent in 500+ pages!). They will keep a few pages and shred the rest.

 

[Cleric515]

For our application we sent in around 10-20 pages containing skype conversations and hours on video skype. We also included around 70-100 pictures. I also sent in two binders containing around 1100 pages printed on both sides of all our viber conversations. Who knows if they shredded most of it or kept it. My process took 6 months as we sent our application off the second week of January 2015, I was approved third week of March 2015 and received her documents from Permanent Residency Unit July 28/15 pertaining to her landing process as she has till November 2015 to land. We will head to Montana in September for our anniversary and on the way back into Canada I will be there to watch her land and get set up as a Permanent Resident.

I think my process went quite fast as it was 6 months, I have heard it moves faster for military personnel but don't know if this is true or not, I'm just happy that it's finally done and good to go Best of luck to you!

 

[figtoria]

I know one thing. 500 pages is ridiculous.

 

[Aquakitty]

I know one thing. 500 pages is ridiculous.

I know right? That's why I kind of roll my eyes a bit when I read about people sending in hundreds of pages long application in a box or some such.

I wonder if applications go faster if you keep it concise and relevant. I see no reason for redundant proof. Of course you will have more if you are from a "suspicious" country, but for non-visa countries, I suspect a box-sized application might hinder you.

 

[Beaverdiva]

Let's be honest, if you work in an office (as I do) and you're receiving applications every day, which ones are you going to dread looking through?!!!

Imagine having to manually scan pages and pages of correspondence that exceeds 100...... never mind the waste paper produced and shredded.....

 

[AtribecalledQ]

For our application we sent in around 10-20 pages containing skype conversations and hours on video skype. We also included around 70-100 pictures. I also sent in two binders containing around 1100 pages printed on both sides of all our viber conversations.

Hey @Cleric515 was that pretty much all the evidence you sent? skype logs, pictures and viber conversations?

I appreciate all the responses guys! Yeah i didnt think they wanted to go through hundreds of pages of the same thing pretty much but you guys did bring up a good point to include conversations of all kinds, not just the lovey dovey stuff.

Thanks so much! This site is great, theres always someone responding to my questions

 

[deweysmith]

I sent plane ticket receipts from flights back and forth, and about 200 wedding and other photos. That's all, and it's more than I know a lot of people here have sent. I think photos together that cover a long span of time (changes in appearance, different locales and people, etc) bear more weight than text/Skype/chat logs. A picture's worth a thousand words!

 

[DanSlh]

I sent 30 pictures (2 per page with a note explaining each one), some e-mails since the beggining of our relationship, some receipts and some text log//skype history as a sample and wrote that I could send more if they needed.
All went fine.
My application had like 70 pages including all the documents and forms.

 

[AtribecalledQ]

I sent plane ticket receipts from flights back and forth, and about 200 wedding and other photos. That's all, and it's more than I know a lot of people here have sent. I think photos together that cover a long span of time (changes in appearance, different locales and people, etc) bear more weight than text/Skype/chat logs. A picture's worth a thousand words!

I sent 30 pictures (2 per page with a note explaining each one), some e-mails since the beggining of our relationship, some receipts and some text log//skype history as a sample and wrote that I could send more if they needed.
All went fine.
My application had like 70 pages including all the documents and forms.

Wow! And you guys were both approved in a decent time!? I always thought you had to send like some huge 1000 page package for them to approve you but both of you just proved me wrong. Ive gotten so worked up over all the evidence and trying to make it seem cohesive and organized into the application.

 

[keesio]

Wow! And you guys were both approved in a decent time!? I always thought you had to send like some huge 1000 page package for them to approve you but both of you just proved me wrong. Ive gotten so worked up over all the evidence and trying to make it seem cohesive and organized into the application.

CIC will take QUALITY over QUANTITY every time. The people who feel compelled to provide hundreds of pages of evidence are ones who have red flags with their application and they lack quality evidence so they try to compensate with sheer quantity.

 

[Ponga]

CIC will take QUALITY over QUANTITY every time. The people who feel compelled to provide hundreds of pages of evidence are ones who have red flags with their application and they lack quality evidence so they try to compensate with sheer quantity.

Not necessarily.

There are many people that send in a truck load of `proof', because they think they only have one chance to convince CIC, especially those applying Inland because they cannot appeal a denial.
Most people don't realize that if CIC needs more proof, they will ask for it before denying an applicant, which explains the overload.