How much is too much?

[NicAnn]

Our packet is at approx 300 pages so far, with copies of letters, invoices, phone bill records, pictures of us together at family functions and trips, etc... so how much is enough? Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? We don't want to leave out important stuff, but where do we draw the line? If 10 pictures of some activity, like our wedding, is good, is 100 better?

 

[skas13]

Our packet is at approx 300 pages so far, with copies of letters, invoices, phone bill records, pictures of us together at family functions and trips, etc... so how much is enough? Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? We don't want to leave out important stuff, but where do we draw the line? If 10 pictures of some activity, like our wedding, is good, is 100 better?

I have heard of applications being 300 plus pages, and some being 100 or so pages (mine)! I lived with my husband for our entire marriage (almost 4 years), so though we had a lot of pictures, we didn't have a lot of communication or correspondence. I would send anything that shows your relationship in the best way. I am sure you could edit if you wanted to, but you don't have to if everything is relevant. Again, a lot of people here have sent in applications of 300 plus pages, so I think you're fine....

 

[Spoken05]

Our packet is at approx 300 pages so far, with copies of letters, invoices, phone bill records, pictures of us together at family functions and trips, etc... so how much is enough? Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? We don't want to leave out important stuff, but where do we draw the line? If 10 pictures of some activity, like our wedding, is good, is 100 better?

I asked myelf the exact same thing.

We ended up submitting an 8LB application so we ended up just including alot. We had alot of emails that I thought we could do without but my husband insisted that we send them. So the bulk was emails (183 pages)

I could not believe how much our application weighed when we took it to UPS lol

 

[meltete85]

I sent in a BOX of evidence.
Everything was appendixed with a table of contents for each appendix.
I submitted at least 5 emails from every month from 2006-2012.
I sent in Facebook printscreens, chats, toll bills, phone bills (highlighted and everything), matching movie stubs, credit card statements, cards and invoices from flower stores, dance lesson invoices, wedding plans (wedding dress receipts, venue booking etc.) AS LONG as they are helpful in proving your relationship (not just romantic love letters, but solid proof that he visited you and that your relationship is for real hehehe)

Our baby weighed 12 pounds!

I also thought that the more proof, the better.

Good luck!

 

[NicAnn]

That's what we were thinking, and we still have about a hundred (or more) pages to go yet, so all of a sudden we thought "what if this is TMI for them ??? We are both exhausted and panic is starting to set in...first thinking that we have so much stuff that it's a shoe-in, and the next moment thinking that overkill might not be a good thing...

But then again too much is better than not enough, eh?

 

[BC_guy]

There is such a thing as TOO MUCH evidence. Remember, it is Quality... not Quantity that they are looking for. So if you have 10 good wedding pictures or 100... submitting 10 is enough. 90 more pictures won't prove the wedding any better.

Do you send EVERY single email or just a sampling? Well a sample of the more significant emails is fine. About 1 per week max. Better to make the application strong by a variety of evidence, rather than a large quantity of the same thing.

 

[Rob_TO]

Just for comparison, our common-law app included the main application pages, and then around 20 pages of documents/photos as proof of relationship. Whole application fit in a slightly oversized document envelope, and was weighed in grams, not pounds!

Every application is different, and some require more proofs than others. But I think at some point, the information included becomes redundant (like showing 10 pics of the same thing), and the VO most likely just starts skipping over and ignoring stuff. They won't actually read 100 pages of chats. So if you want to include all this stuff and don't mind putting it all together then go ahead, but IMO i don't think it's all actually needed for most straightforward cases.

I just assumed the more simple the application, the quicker it could be reviewed and approved. Too much info would cause the VO to take more time reviewing it all.

 

[Sweden]

That's what we were thinking, and we still have about a hundred (or more) pages to go yet, so all of a sudden we thought "what if this is TMI for them ??? We are both exhausted and panic is starting to set in...first thinking that we have so much stuff that it's a shoe-in, and the next moment thinking that overkill might not be a good thing...

But then again too much is better than not enough, eh?

there is such thing as too much. It depends on individual cases. If you're living together, or married and living together, and you're from a visa-exempt country (just assumptions, but since you've indicated CPP-Ottawa), then don't overdo it!!! some people have to send a lot because they are conjugal/never lived together/from a very different background/have children from previous marriages/have a huge age difference etc etc - but if it's not your case, then 183 emails is probably too much!!

Think about it - do you really think that the VO will read them? no. So : print the "sent pages", and the inbox, showing how often you communicate. Then print a few emails, that show important discussions, as well as daily stuff (for variety!), and that should be good (unless you have a lot of red flags). Same for the pictures: 10 of your wedding, a few with friends and family, traveling together, and that's it!

I included around 20 pictures in total, 6 emails, proofs of trips together, and proofs that we lived together, and that was it.

If your application has "too much" evidence: it will just take a lot of time to go through, without being necessary. Take a step back, think about it, and try and see what you're trying to prove. If you have some red flags, then address them directly, so the VO sees that you are aware... and include proofs of why it's not a problem in your couple.

Don't panic - breathe, go for a walk, and then come back to your application!

Sweden

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Our packet is at approx 300 pages so far, with copies of letters, invoices, phone bill records, pictures of us together at family functions and trips, etc... so how much is enough? Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? We don't want to leave out important stuff, but where do we draw the line? If 10 pictures of some activity, like our wedding, is good, is 100 better?

I agree with BC_guy...It's that age old adage quality, not quantity

We put all our pics into Word; there were 9 pages, with about 8-12 pics on each page, around 100 altogether. We picked major events (trips, bf's first time in Canada, family Christmases, etc.) and included around 10-20 pics of each, and then some everyday pics (us with friends, with our pets, at the beach). People like Sweden have included only around 20 pics and have been approved no prob, so adding more just for the sake of having more makes a difference to the VO.

So for your wedding: include photos of the entire wedding party, you guys with your families, eating your cake etc., just the dozen or so most important pics that really show the day.

We didn't include any phone records or emails, there wasn't much of them because we lived together. We included copies of our rental agreement (from both our previous address and the current one), joint bank statements, joint utility bills, mail for both of us to our address, e-tickets and hotel receipts for all our trips booked together, letters from family and friends.

I never counted the pages but it weighed around 4.5 lbs when I mailed it

 

[gsize]

quality not quantity are the key words. Some VO's will not even read most of the papers filed. (I know in my case, most of the supporting documents were ignored)

 

[McDutch]

A document showing you have a shared bank account or your name on a renting lease is worth a 1000 pictures.

 

[thetreble]

A document showing you have a shared bank account or your name on a renting lease is worth a 1000 pictures.

I have to agree. You can take 1000 pictures in a sham situation. But it's much harder to disprove a relationship when you have joint assets. As everyone said, it depends on your situation. My husband and I have been together for 9 years and married for 6. We lived together for 6 years out of those 9. We never sent a single email to eachother after we were actually together so sending an email from 2002 after we've been married all this time is mostly irrelevant in my opinion.

All of our info fit into an oversized envelope. I sent pictures showing different occasions (Christmas, Easter, Wedding, etc.), travel tickets on trips we have been on together, our mortgage statements, bills, rental agreements, credit cards, etc. If you have no joint assets, all you will really have to send is pictures and emails. It really depends on how mature your relationship is at this point in time.

 

[AnaMaria]

Focus on quality than quantity, more important to have different types of proof than collection of the same things, e.g. pictures of an event, emails every month (unless email is the only thing you have). I only had less than 10 pictures when I applied but included different documents, rental agreement, joint tax filing, driver's license showing the same address, letters from family and friend, phone bills (only a few of them), and essays from each of us.

Save the earth and save you shipping charge!

 

[canadianwoman]

Our packet is at approx 300 pages so far, with copies of letters, invoices, phone bill records, pictures of us together at family functions and trips, etc... so how much is enough? Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? We don't want to leave out important stuff, but where do we draw the line? If 10 pictures of some activity, like our wedding, is good, is 100 better?

Generally, one picture of each event or occasion is enough, except for the big things like the wedding, honeymoon, and engagement party, or the equivalents. For the actual marriage ceremony, you want shots of everything your culture would consider important - so an Indian couple had better have photos of all the key ceremonies. For the reception, you should have photos that document the number of guests you had: either one shot of everybody, or maybe several shots - perhaps the couple posing with each table of guests, for example. You would not believe how often the visa officers question the number of guests at the wedding. However, you still do not need lots of photos of essentially the same thing, even for the wedding.

Some visa officers have complained that people send in too much, but I have never heard of anyone being refused for too much proof. I have heard of people being denied for not sending in enough.

It depends on the visa office and your relationship. Someone applying from the first world needs less evidence on average than someone from the third world. A relationship that has no red flags needs less evidence than one where there are a lot of red flags.

One good point is to get as many different types of evidence as possible: 1,000 pages of texts is not as good as a selection of texts, emails, phone bills, proof of joint accounts, and a few letters from family.

For things like emails, texts, and maybe phone bills, you do not have to send in proof of every one. A selection of emails and texts from the beginning, middle, and present time of your relationship will be enough. You can then add the logs showing how often you sent emails, and state that you can send more if the visa officer wants them. Because the average land-line phone bill will just be a page, I would send all of those.

 

[skas13]

I have to agree. You can take 1000 pictures in a sham situation. But it's much harder to disprove a relationship when you have joint assets. As everyone said, it depends on your situation. My husband and I have been together for 9 years and married for 6. We lived together for 6 years out of those 9. We never sent a single email to eachother after we were actually together so sending an email from 2002 after we've been married all this time is mostly irrelevant in my opinion.

All of our info fit into an oversized envelope. I sent pictures showing different occasions (Christmas, Easter, Wedding, etc.), travel tickets on trips we have been on together, our mortgage statements, bills, rental agreements, credit cards, etc. If you have no joint assets, all you will really have to send is pictures and emails. It really depends on how mature your relationship is at this point in time.

I agree, my biggest proof (in my mind) other than our 2 kids together, was our lease agreement with both our names on it showing us living together those years in India, and my PIO (person of Indian origin). I had to show proof to the Indian government that I was married to my husband. They came to our home for an interview. To me it shows if one government thought our relationship was genuine and made me a resident then surely the Canadian government would see the same.