Need Some Help

[CanadiCAN 0]

Hi everyone,

I've spent some time browsing on here in the past few weeks while preparing our petition. (I am the beneficiary, my SO is the USC). I just have a couple of questions that I was hoping to get some answers to so that we can finish up our petition and send it off ( and start the nice long wait with CSC! lol)

First off, can the petitioner use a P.O box, and if so which forms does he put his physical address, and which does he put his P.O box?

Secondly, will our having met initially online have any negative effect on our petiton being approved ( do they investigate more thoroughly, and require more proof of relationship because of this, in anyone's experience)?

Lastly, we never really had looked into all of the requirements for this visa such as needing boarding passes, itineraries, etc. We have met in person in the last 2 years, but have no documentary proof, except from my last trip down there in February. However, all I have from that particular trip is my barding passes, a receipt from a purchase I made with my credit card in his hometown, and that's it. We didn't take any pictures because the occasion never came about, and we didn't know that we would need these specifically from this trip. The other problem that arrises when trying to prove our relationship is that when I flew to see him this last time I flew Domestic (within Canada) and then drove across the border. Being Canadian I don't ever get a passport stamp, so Im not able to use this as evidence either. Basically what I'm wondering is if I can use photos from other occassions within the past 2 years as secondary evidence, and my boarding passes and the receipt as primary evidence? Also, if you receive and RFE for additional proof can you use pictures from visits you've had SINCE you applied?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Hi! Welcome to VJ!!

You are more than welcome to visit the Canada Forum here on VJ

I don't know the answer to your first question, I'm sure someone will.

Meeting online will have no effect on your petition. Many many many people meet online nowadays (Nick and I included!) You are fine.

Hmm....don't have a lot of proof there. To be eligible you have to have met at least once in the past 2 years prior to filing. Your one boarding pass and credit card receipt will help to prove that. Pictures are secondary evidence....since you have none, there isn't any to put in so...

send in what you can.

I don't think they would RFE for pictures (they may in your case though), they would RFE for more concrete evidence such as boarding passes, stamps in passports, hotel receipts, car rental receipts, proof you've been together in the last 2 years.

Make sure you keep whatever proof you have here on out for the interview, including pictures, phone records, letters, more travel documents, etc. etc.

Best of luck to you!!!!

~Laura

Edited March 29, 2008 by ~Laura and Nick~

[YuAndDan 153]

I believe the petitioner needs to provide physical address, unless the post office does not deliver mail to homes in their area.

Having met initially online does not affect the petition at all, many including myself initially met online.

You will need proof of being in the same place, Hotel receipts, ATM receipts, Credit card receipts from places in the other's city, bank statements showing ATM usage in other person's city, etc..

[CanadiCAN 0]

Thank you for the quick help!

That's the main thing that I'm worried about is that we won't have enough primary evidence. I suppose I'll just send in the primary evidence that I do have, and send some photos of other visits as secondary evidence. As for an RFE I meant to ask if they will accept ANY evidence at all from visits made during the process. It's so frustrating because had we known we would have TOO much primary evidence since we've been together for 4 years and lived very close to each, and being able to see each other very often for 3 of those.

also, I just though of another question lol, if you have and overstay, are you aware of it, would they deny you entry, or tell you when you try to cross the border?

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Have you overstayed??

[CanadiCAN 0]

Well I'm still a little foggy on the definition of an overstay. If it's staying longer than 6 months less 1 day at one given time then definately not. If it's 6 months less a day spread through out the whole year, then I suppose there is a possibility. I used to visit for a couple of weeks at a time every month or so plus spent 3 months in one visit. So in that respect I'm not sure that's why I was hoping that if I had an overstay I would have been informed this last time I cross the border. (2 weeks ago) Before my last visit with my SO I hadn't been to the US in over 2 years.

Agh this is so stressful!

[SnowyTater 0]

Um...

Bump

I'm pretty dang sure an overstay is spread out over a year. So if it's possible you've overstayed in the past, you might have some issues in a bit.

I'm bumping because I don't know what they do/how they investigate this so I'm hoping one of the pros will come and read this.

Hopefully they only look at you for the last 2 years, I guess, since that's' what they're concerned with in the petition...maybe they don't even know you've overstayed if you don't get passport stamps or anything (IF you've even overstayed). If I were you I'd go try to figure that out and count that up and look into that, just so you know what *might* could happen

Good luck.