Proof of communication (skype, facebook, msn, etc)

[mc1234]

Just curious how much of your conversations did you send in with your application.. me and my SO have 237 pages alone just for our Skype calls, haha. I was curious to see how people incorporated it into their files.

Thank you!

 

[raptorsfan]

Just curious how much of your conversations did you send in with your application.. me and my SO have 237 pages alone just for our Skype calls, haha. I was curious to see how people incorporated it into their files.

Thank you!

i use cell phone...to call my wife...last time i submitted some stuff to Islamabad....it was 18 pages of call history...from Jan 2011 to Oct 2011...not too much...too much talking leads to arguments..lolzz

Cheers from Canada

 

[mc1234]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking maybe just to print screen our conversations that demonstrates the development of our relationship and how we were constantly in touch, video calling each other, etc

 

[cantor2537]

I printed out several years worth of call logs. That is what made my application package so damn heavy

 

[mosh951]

I had over 1500 pages of chat logs, and thats only from September, 2011 to November, 2011. But I took samples from every day and condensed it to about 25 pages lol

 

[mc1234]

I had over 1500 pages of chat logs, and thats only from September, 2011 to November, 2011. But I took samples from every day and condensed it to about 25 pages lol

Haha, that is what we are doing right now I think this is for the best for Skype since we still have to print out our Facebook conversations as well as other things! thanks!

 

[dangerJones]

I had over 1500 pages of chat logs, and thats only from September, 2011 to November, 2011. But I took samples from every day and condensed it to about 25 pages lol

I did this, basically. We had so much material there from chat logs that I tried to condense it to only the most important logs. I ended up only sending one log in its entirety, from the first time that we openly discussed our relationship; it was 12 pages long. I also sent along a chat transcript from our engagement ceremony (we broadcasted our engagement ceremony on Stickam so that family and friends could watch and take part). Now that you mention it, though, I'll probably send some extra logs of particularly relevant conversations, just to make it clearer that we chatted all the time. It's too bad Skype doesn't give you the chance to print out an activity log-- there'd be enough for an entire book!

Apart from chat, I submitted a LOT of email excerpts, ranging from the very beginning of our relationship (i.e. the very first email I sent her); a loooooooong email thread in which we asked each other questions about our beliefs, values and how we would handle certain situations in our relationship; postcards I sent to her and members of her family; arrangements for our wedding and honeymoon; a conversation with the jewellers about the custom design of our wedding rings; etc.

Finally, I included around six months' worth of recent account activity for my mobile phone (which showed calls, SMS, and internet usage), calling card, and recent SMS activity using Skype (I use Skype to SMS her since my mobile plan sucks)

 

[Timemachine]

Is it important to have a lot of evidence in the form of skype, facebook, etc? My husband and I don't have much because for most of our relationship we were living in the same city, living together, etc so we don't have much in the form of long distance relationship communication evidence. Even now that we are living apart we use "skype to go" where i can call him using my cell phone, but it's like a skype number, if that makes sense?

 

[dangerJones]

Is it important to have a lot of evidence in the form of skype, facebook, etc? My husband and I don't have much because for most of our relationship we were living in the same city, living together, etc so we don't have much in the form of long distance relationship communication evidence. Even now that we are living apart we use "skype to go" where i can call him using my cell phone, but it's like a skype number, if that makes sense?

AFAIK, what's important is to establish that your relationship is "genuine and continuing", as they say in the guides. If you're living together, then I imagine it'd be important to show things like both of you getting mail at the same address. You've probably sent each other the odd emails and called each other on the phone, sent SMS, etc. So send records of all that. If there's nothing on Skype or Facebook for a large part of your relationship, then it should be pretty obvious why, as long as you clearly show that you were indeed living together during that time.

 

[Timemachine]

AFAIK, what's important is to establish that your relationship is "genuine and continuing", as they say in the guides. If you're living together, then I imagine it'd be important to show things like both of you getting mail at the same address. You've probably sent each other the odd emails and called each other on the phone, sent SMS, etc. So send records of all that. If there's nothing on Skype or Facebook for a large part of your relationship, then it should be pretty obvious why, as long as you clearly show that you were indeed living together during that time.

Thanks dangerJones! I did find a handful of e-mails and facebook messages and i have included those, but i guess i was just worried since it seems like other people have hundreds, even thousands of pages of this type of evidence. I was thinking of including copies of both of our degrees (we went to grad school together) to show that we were obviously physically together for the previous 4 years.

 

[dangerJones]

Thanks dangerJones! I did find a handful of e-mails and facebook messages and i have included those, but i guess i was just worried since it seems like other people have hundreds, even thousands of pages of this type of evidence. I was thinking of including copies of both of our degrees (we went to grad school together) to show that we were obviously physically together for the previous 4 years.

It was never really clear to us how much was too much, evidence-wise. I called the CIC help line several times while we were preparing our application, and nobody could give us a figure as to how much evidence was "enough". The main message I got from them was, "more is better". So I think you're pretty safe to assume you should include copies of everything you can to make your case as strong as it can be.

if you have degrees from the same university, that's a great piece of evidence. You could supplement that with photos of you together on campus, and any official communications from the university to both of you, especially letters that contain your home address. Besides letters from the university, I'd also suggest submitting other proof of common residence, as I said previously. Letters, credit cards, utility bills--even parking ticket notices--for each one of you, being sent to the same address, for instance. I figure, the more proof you have on paper, the less potential doubt in their minds.

 

[katybird]

Timemachine, if you've hung on to Christmas cards or anything like that that are addressed to both of you, those are probably a good idea too. I plan to save all of ours this year in preparation for our application after our wedding!

I'm even planning to send in the email exchanges we had with the place we adopted our cat from, and the form we signed together with them. Anything that has both of your names on it is proof positive. Good luck!

 

[humpakwatankaylog]

Just curious how much of your conversations did you send in with your application.. me and my SO have 237 pages alone just for our Skype calls, haha. I was curious to see how people incorporated it into their files.

Thank you!

I have sent about 100 pages but i made them doublesided and they were not Skype chat..only Skype Call logs otherwise it would have been even bigger number. It cost me 150 dollars to send via Express Post from Canada Post.

 

[Timemachine]

Thanks for the replies all! I just spent 3 hours last night printing out all my phone bills from the past 3 years and it's funny when looking at the pattern because when we were living in the same city but not together in the same house, there were lots of 1 min long calls between us. When we were living together in the same house (and also working together) there were almost no calls between us since we were attached at the hip. Finally, when you look at the period more recently when we are living in different countries (me in Canada, him in the US), the phone calls are all like an hour long each

I also printed out more recent gmail chat logs (which there are none of when we were living in the same city together), and even some e-mails from my mom and aunt in which they mention him.

I don't think that we are lacking in evidence that it's a real relationship, we have plenty of pictures spanning the last three years and pictures with each other's families, etc. But it can't hurt to include all you can even if it will cost $150 to send the app!

 

[marina19]

Wow. You have so much I didn't even have half of that! But I did print out SMS and highlighted important messages (e.g. "Are the darks out of the dryer yet?" to which he replies "Yes dear")

LOL. Good luck!