Q18 Review please :)

[Rey Cobham 0]

Below is the answer we've come up with. I'd appreciate comments, as I'm not sure how formal/informal to make it had a fab 2 weeks with my now official fiance and would like to get this on the road

We spent a wonderful fortnight together, from 17th August 2006 to 31st August 2006, at Pamela Parsons' residence at <her address>, with the exception of the night I flew in, where we stayed at a local Comfort Inn after the long flight. All three of Pamelas' children were home during my time in the U.S.A., whom I met for the first time in the flesh, having chatted online to all of them over the last four years. During the two weeks we established a rapport and had family meals and events such as board games, pool, watching movies together and the more mundane events such as cooking/washing up etc.

Included in the attached sheets are evidence of the meeting:

The E-Ticket – includes the flight itinerary (double sided)

A collage-copy of the boarding passes, two flights per trip (London, Gatwick to Dallas, Ft Worth to Nashville, Tennessee, and the reverse trip)

A copy of the Hotel bill from Comfort Inn, Nashville for the night of the 17th August 2006

A collage-copy of the passport stamps.

Two photos of us together during my trip, with dates and descriptions on the back

A copy of the receipt of the Bridal set of rings, including the engagement, and both wedding rings (left in the U.S.A.)

Copies of two phone bills from Reynard Cobham to Pamela Parsons ( ?? give dates ??)

Copies of two of the many cards Pamela sent to Reynard.

We initially met and became friends online around May 2002? in a gaming environment known as Everquest. Our friendship grew stronger over the following months and we began to spend more time together on Everquest and also communicating via a text-based chat messaging system known as ‘Yahoo Messenger’. After about 6 months Pamela let on that she was married, with three children but that both she and her partner (Morris Parsons) had grown apart over his persistent drinking and neglect, and that the only reason they were still together was for the benefit of the children. We continued daily contact via e-mail/Yahoo Messenger and Everquest for a further four months or so before our first phone call. Around the end of 2002? Pamela had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was required to go through chemotherapy. At this point there were more regular phone calls to provide support and a morale booster as the therapy took its toll. Reynard decided to visit Pamela in the US towards the end of the therapy . This took place from 1st to 8th August 2003 where he stayed at a Holiday Inn in Memphis and had Pamela join him for the week. From here to the present day, we continued to send cards via post, electronic cards via the internet, as well as presents every birthday and Christmas, alongside the daily chats either on yahoo or more recently through the ‘Skype’ PC-to-PC “phone system”. There were also regular phone calls up until the discovery of the ‘Skype’ system, which has saved us a lot of money!

The “marriage” between Pamela and Morris eventually became too much for either of them to bear, and they divorced, with the official date being 14th November 2005, although Morris had actually moved out to live with friends since February 2005. Pamela and all three children then had to move out from their home at the end of 2005 and ended up in Paducah, Kentucky staying with relatives until they could find a place of their own.

Many thanks for reading

[aussiewench 9]

Rey

It might just be me but I got awfully confused reading that. An adjudicator may find it confusing as well.

It switches between third person & Rey and maybe even Pamela.

My advice, as it is an attachement to the I-129F which is completed by the USC, have it totally from Pamelas perspective as she is the USC petitioner.....I assume, yes?????

Do that and then see how it reads

Lorelle

[Caladan 19]

Agree with what aussiewench says. I'd also leave out the confusing stuff about the divorce saga & the chemo. It's not really relevant, and it's sort of distracting. Also, the letter doesn't go chronologically, and it has to be from Pamela (if she's the USC), since the I-129F is her petition. I'd slim it down a lot: who cares if her ex is a drunk?

'I, Pamela [Lastname], first met Rey [last name] through an online game, Everquest, in early 2002. After eighteen months of chatting via the Internet and daily [or whatever] phonecalls, Rey visited me in my hometown of Pamelatown from August 1-8, 2003.

We continued our relationship for the next three years over the Internet and telephone, culminating in Rey's visit August 17-26, 2006, where he met my three children and we became engaged. We hope to wed in [blah blah when we get the visa hody hum.]

The evidence documenting our visits follows this petition chronologically.

[Evidence list.]

Sincerely,

Pamela

Date.

[Rey Cobham 0]

Many thanks, I had a feeling we were off-mark with it, but wasnt really sure what it was meant to acheive, which is probably why its confusing. That and I'm never one to say things simply - I blame my parents... )

Listening to your comments makes a lot of sense, reworkings will be done.

Thanks again for your input, sometimes you just get too close to be able to see the big picture 8-}

Rey

[JenT 0]

I wrote:

"We met on August 30, 2005 in a restaurant in Germany while I was on vacation with a friend."

Jen

[wanthimhere 0]

Yea, mine was short and to-the-point as well.

Two sentences ..... we met on (X date) while I was visiting his country ...... and then we became engaged when I visited again on (x date).

Edited September 25, 2006 by wanthimhere

[Boulder Eric 0]

This is a great post. How important is it REALLY to write a big long page as an addendum describing the circumstances of having met in person in the last two years? From what it seems here, at least a few people kept it short and sweet, and gave a two to three sentence description, and still got approved.

For the record, I did write a 3/4 page summary of our meeting online, and then my 3 trips to see Elena.

What did everyone else do for this question?

[sunandmoon 450]

This is a great post. How important is it REALLY to write a big long page as an addendum describing the circumstances of having met in person in the last two years? From what it seems here, at least a few people kept it short and sweet, and gave a two to three sentence description, and still got approved.

For the record, I did write a 3/4 page summary of our meeting online, and then my 3 trips to see Elena.

What did everyone else do for this question?

i did about the same. three brief paragraphs of my two visits.

[aussiewench 9]

Whilst there are those that have been approved with only writing a short one line sentence on the actual form.....there has also been posts from those that have received an RFE requesting more detail in Q18 of how one met within the required two year period that established the relationship.

[maya62 7]

Just my opinion:

If your relationship is fairly conventional in terms of the culture of both the USC petitioner and the foreign fiance(e), then a short answer to Q 18 is probably just fine.

If, however, there are aspects to your relationship that may give either the USCIS or the DOS pause, then Q 18 is the first opportunity (especially for the USC) to explain and/or personalize their situation for the reviewer(s). One should take care not to raise further unnecessary questions. If there is something that you as a couple, or the USC in particular, would like to get across to the reviewer(s), this is one opportunity. I agree it should be succinct and, especially if more details are provided, carefully worded. If you want to touch on a special aspect of your case, in order to avoid raising more questions than you resolve, take time to read and learn more about what has caused problems for others.

Best wishes to the OP...

Maya