Narrative or Basic Summary?

[Fencesitter]

Hi all,

I am trying to decide on how to show CIC the development of my relationship with my wife. I began writing a lengthy narrative, but then I realized it will take me ages to complete. With a 4 month old, I don't have the time, but I am wondering which is best: narrative or summary? What should be included? What does CIC look for??

Thanks,
FS

 

[alf+jlh]

We created a time line...each month for each year and just point formed the details of our visits during each months and what we did...we weren't extreme to list that we saw a movie, but if we went t weddings or any parties we attended together, vacations, holidays I was very detailed.

I asked this question too and the best response was the timeline so we went that route.... It was easy to back track as I went through all my pics and could pin point different occasions.

There isn't a set rule for this question....some people might tell you not to write too much, others will say write everything.

My opinion is that you do what feels right to you guys.... Best advice I was given, once you are done this part of the app, if you were to put your self In The strangers shoes that will be reviewing it, would you believe that your relationship is genuine and true?

I've known my husband for 4.5 years so the timeline was the best way to go for us...

I'm sure more people will respond this morning so you can get more ideas.


Good luck. It sounds like you are almost done if you are at this part.....

 

[CharlieD10]

I did a timeline. It, umm...ran a little long. I am wordy, and looking back on it we crammed a lot of activities into the time we spent living together! There was just so much I wanted my husband to see and to do, and when your family to the second generation twice removed is involved in your life, there's a lot of people to meet. : Still, it was a month by month timeline, with only the major activities/events included.

 

[Fencesitter]

Thanks. I think the timeline works best.

What if during the first 8 months there were no major events?? Is this what makes or breaks the application? We travelled together, but other than that we mostly stayed around our home or went out with friends...nothing major...just normal living...

So you would do it like this:

2005

July - first meeting (details again - already answered this on one of the forms)
August - nothing major
September - first trip to (place)
October - nothing major
November - nothing major
December - celebrated our first Christmas together (but still, nothing major)
January - nothing

 

[Mrslwsn]

I did a bit of both, basically I did a relationship essay, then we answered all the questions and gave detail if necessary, and in one of those questions I believe we did like a point form where we listed dates and lengths of my visits. So I guess a combination is what we went with. I honestly don't think every detail is neccessary, but they havent issued a visa yet so I will see how my theory works out when they do lol..I know ppl who got through with like a quick blurb and 6 photos, so you just never can tell!

 

[CharlieD10]

Thanks. I think the timeline works best.

What if during the first 8 months there were no major events?? Is this what makes or breaks the application? We travelled together, but other than that we mostly stayed around our home or went out with friends...nothing major...just normal living...

So you would do it like this:

2005

July - first meeting (details again - already answered this on one of the forms)
August - nothing major
September - first trip to (place)
October - nothing major
November - nothing major
December - celebrated our first Christmas together (but still, nothing major)
January - nothing

During the times we did nothing major (there was a rare week in there), I just said we passed the time living together and engaging in normal couple activities. I'm pretty sure CIC understands what that means, LOL.

 

[scylla]

We did both. First page was a bullet point summary of key points in our relationship (i.e. when we first met, when we started dating, when he first met my brother and mother, when we got engaged, etc.) That was followed by a narrative that was something like 6-8 pages. I think the narrative is important because it allows you to add the details, descriptions and comments that make it personal and support the fact the relationship is genuine.

 

[Fencesitter]

Damn, 6-8 pages?

We were just planning on making a timeline showing the most important events in our relationship and linking them, the best we can, to the photos we have. The thing is, we went to Hong Kong a bunch of times, but we didn't take many pictures. What is this all about? We have a son together. That is the best evidence our relationship is real.

I'm finished all the forms + the supporting explanations to a whole bunch of questions. I have written a lot already. I feel that what we have is good enough. Our life is real. If they want to interview us, fine, that's much easier for us to prove everything.

 

[alf+jlh]

Our time line was more like 12 pages when it was all said and done... Like Charlie we did a lot of things when we were together...when you have limited time you need to maximize it.

Sme months we hade a handful of points other months were more casual.

We didn't just put points tho...
So not like this

- x and y wedding

It was more like this

- attended th e wedding of x and y alongside Amanda, see attached invite and photos. X and y have become close friends of mine through such and such etc etc...

In one wedding he was mentioned by the mother of the bride in her speech cause he was such a big help for us girls in the wedding party....gotta love him for that!! ;D

Anyone can be someone's guest to a wedding so I wanted it to be known that he was invited not only as a plus one but that he had relationships with these people as well.

That's just wedding talk. When I referred to vacations I included specifics of what we did and who he may have met if it was a family vacay.

If you go timeline route be very specific, bullet points are nice and sweet but they should have some substance to them.

If you pm me I can send you a sample of our timeline, I'll just black out specific info....

 

[Fencesitter]

Hey, PM sent..

 

[Fencesitter]

Last night my wife and I worked on our timeline. We finished from 2005 to the beginning of 2007. We used the third person for a lot of the entries, and first person for more specific information. Is that okay? Something like this:

• We celebrate our six-month anniversary at; you guessed it, Pizza Hut!!! (we like pizza!!!). FS secretly asks the staff to sing a romantic song to recognize our anniversary. None of the staff speak English, so FS hums the tune for Happy Birthday – the staff break out in song – FS's gf is very surprised (we still laugh about it to this very day!!)

Thanks,
FS

 

[Fencesitter]

The last page of both the sponsor and sponsored person questionnaire asks to provide more details on a separate sheet of paper. Should we use the timeline for both, or should we each write our own narrative telling the VO why we love each other and other details?

Thanks,
FS

 

[Canooknic]

I did 4 pages, summarising the main points of our relationship - our first photo as a couple, vacations, birthdays/Christmases, special events we attended and then one of us with me pregnant, one of us when our twins were born and one of the four of us on our first christmas and then their 1st birthday.

It showed a very clear timeline of us being together - especially with my increasing & decreasing weight with my pregnancy!! ;D

 

[computergeek]

In our application we each wrote a narrative letter, but we referred to common support material (e.g., pictures of our wedding, travel documents, etc.) I'm not sure there's any right answer here - at the end of the day, the question will be "does this evidence make it look like this is a legitimate relationship?" So I picked things that I thought represented reasonable steps in the development of our relationship. I found our very first e-mails back and forth, as well as some chat logs sprinkled through a couple of years. From the progression in the conversation it is clear to someone reading them that our relationship was clearly one that grew very close. I tried to find pictures that showed us together doing normal things; my dog (who turns six today... how time flies) as an 8 week old puppy in my arms and then 4 years later sleeping on my spouse's lap (again, not the sort of thing that I would expect to see in a fake relationship.) Or us at the gym together (along with a nice letter from the gym owner saying she's seen us together in and out of the gym acting like a normal couple.) Plus wedding pictures, pictures of us together on vacation, pictures of us painting and decorating our new home together, etc. I also included evidence of joint financial accounts, both our names on the car registration, etc.

Don't overthink this: if you have a child together, I don't think you need a long narrative or a lot of other documentary evidence. Some is fine, but people do not have a baby together in a marriage of convenience. ESPECIALLY given that you're relationship stretches back to 2005!

Or the way I think of it: I'm a visa officer, sitting in an office. In your case I see a married couple with a new baby, a marriage certificate, some pictures together and documentation that the relationship started back in 2005. I'd have to be a major jerk to claim your marriage isn't legitimate. Doesn't take a 10 page narrative and 250 pictures to establish this.

 

[Fencesitter]

Why was your app rejected back in 2009??? What was the reason?