329 Whatsapp conversation pages too much?

[begeorge 26]

Hello VJ Fam,

 

I have 329 WhatsApp printed pages from Dec-April. I printed on two sides so I have 164 sheets of paper. Will this be too much to send as proof of communication? I am sending copies of the list below, please let me know if I am missing anything or reduce the WhatsApp pages.... Thanks for all the support!  

 

• Marriage Certificate
• I-130 filled out and signed
• I-130a filled out but not signed (Spouse is overseas)
• Two sworn Affidavit for knowledge of marriage (sending originals)
• Ten pics (our wedding and some casual)
• Naturalization certificate
• US Passport Bio page
• US CAC Card copy
• 329 WhatsApp conversation pages (we talk on WhatsApp cause it way cheaper!! i wish I could print the calls too!)
• Emails from work requesting leave to travel and permissions granted responses
• Travel ticket receipts
• Recent boarding tickets (to travel for our wedding)
• Travel ticket for honeymoon
• Birth Certificate
• Two colored 2x2 passport photo

 

[SabRob 154]

I think a call log would be more useful if you had that. 329 whatsapp conversations...That's a little too much in my opinion. I think that boarding passes that prove you visited each other and pictures and the emails in which you request for time off work to visit your spouse is evidence that weighs more in the eyes of the USCIS officer.  

 

You could probably reduce the number of the conversations to relevant ones...like you guys talking about your visits or saying you love each other, a few screenshots should suffice

[SabRob 154]

Also if you have more casual pics of you guys send those, too, that's great proof of an ongoing relationship! 

[begeorge 26]

42 minutes ago, SabRob said:

I think a call log would be more useful if you had that. 329 whatsapp conversations...That's a little too much in my opinion. I think that boarding passes that prove you visited each other and pictures and the emails in which you request for time off work to visit your spouse is evidence that weighs more in the eyes of the USCIS officer.  

 

You could probably reduce the number of the conversations to relevant ones...like you guys talking about your visits or saying you love each other, a few screenshots should suffice

Thanks! I will make the adjustment.

[JFH 12,192]

1 hour ago, begeorge said:

Hello VJ Fam,

 

I have 329 WhatsApp printed pages from Dec-April. I printed on two sides so I have 164 sheets of paper. Will this be too much to send as proof of communication? I am sending copies of the list below, please let me know if I am missing anything or reduce the WhatsApp pages.... Thanks for all the support!  

 

• Marriage Certificate
• I-130 filled out and signed
• I-130a filled out but not signed (Spouse is overseas)
• Two sworn Affidavit for knowledge of marriage (sending originals)
• Ten pics (our wedding and some casual)
• Naturalization certificate
• US Passport Bio page
• US CAC Card copy
• 329 WhatsApp conversation pages (we talk on WhatsApp cause it way cheaper!! i wish I could print the calls too!)
• Emails from work requesting leave to travel and permissions granted responses
• Travel ticket receipts
• Recent boarding tickets (to travel for our wedding)
• Travel ticket for honeymoon
• Birth Certificate
• Two colored 2x2 passport photo

 

Definitely too much. They spend no more than an hour or two adjudicating your petition. Aim for quality, not quantity, of evidence. Also focus more on evidence of time spent together rather than time spent chatting on line. They really don't want pages and pages of small talk and "I love you".

I sent some of the messages we sent to each other but I focused on messages where we talked about day to day things like regular married couples do - what to buy my dad for his birthday, where to spend Thanksgiving, what color curtains to buy for the living room, money, health, bills, work, etc. I also sent a chain of messages where we had a disagreement but worked through it.  

[A'n'L 735]

Make sure everything is properly signed. Make copies of the affidavits, they do not need the originals, but you might want them later. Add more pictures together with friends and family. Send evidence of ALL in-person meetings throughout your relationship.

 

You might want to slim your WhatsApp package as suggested, choose one conversation per week. 

 

Commenters should keep in mind that Nigeria is a difficult embassy and front-loading is highly recommended.

[begeorge 26]

14 minutes ago, A'n'L said:

Make sure everything is properly signed. Make copies of the affidavits, they do not need the originals, but you might want them later. Add more pictures together with friends and family. Send evidence of ALL in-person meetings throughout your relationship.

 

You might want to slim your WhatsApp package as suggested, choose one conversation per week. 

 

Commenters should keep in mind that Nigeria is a difficult embassy and front-loading is highly recommended.

Noted!! Thank you.....

[begeorge 26]

51 minutes ago, JFH said:

Definitely too much. They spend no more than an hour or two adjudicating your petition. Aim for quality, not quantity, of evidence. Also focus more on evidence of time spent together rather than time spent chatting on line. They really don't want pages and pages of small talk and "I love you".

I sent some of the messages we sent to each other but I focused on messages where we talked about day to day things like regular married couples do - what to buy my dad for his birthday, where to spend Thanksgiving, what color curtains to buy for the living room, money, health, bills, work, etc. I also sent a chain of messages where we had a disagreement but worked through it.  

Thanks!!!

[Michael and Ganna 105]

I would just pull about 6 or 8 conversations from the stack....beginning and through to the end. Over 300 pages will be overwhelming. Think like USCIS does.....8 hrs a day, opening mail, sorting the documents, placing them in order and making your file. A lot of paper hits the floor and you don't want something important hitting the floor......Nigeria is tough, and you have plenty quality proofs for front loading.....don't overload it with trash

[spa 12]

In addition to the usual pictures, affidavits, travel receipts, etc., I included only  4 screenshots of WhatsApp messages as a representative sample (otherwise it would have gone on and on), and maybe 20 screenshots of the WhatsApp call log.

 

On your phone, you can take screenshots of the call logs (which will show dates too), and then upload those to your computer, and at least in Windows, select all of the images and right-click Print, and it should open a window where you can print 4 to a page (though you can't reorder them unfortunetly). 

[O&GForever 387]

16 hours ago, begeorge said:

Hello VJ Fam,

 

I have 329 WhatsApp printed pages from Dec-April. I printed on two sides so I have 164 sheets of paper. Will this be too much to send as proof of communication? I am sending copies of the list below, please let me know if I am missing anything or reduce the WhatsApp pages.... Thanks for all the support!  

 

• Marriage Certificate
• I-130 filled out and signed
• I-130a filled out but not signed (Spouse is overseas)
• Two sworn Affidavit for knowledge of marriage (sending originals)
• Ten pics (our wedding and some casual)
• Naturalization certificate
• US Passport Bio page
• US CAC Card copy
• 329 WhatsApp conversation pages (we talk on WhatsApp cause it way cheaper!! i wish I could print the calls too!)
• Emails from work requesting leave to travel and permissions granted responses
• Travel ticket receipts
• Recent boarding tickets (to travel for our wedding)
• Travel ticket for honeymoon
• Birth Certificate
• Two colored 2x2 passport photo

 

I think you can definitely trim the number of pages, but it's okay to submit more than most people do because you're dealing with a high-fraud country. A few handfuls on conversations won't cut it with these COs. They want to see a pattern of communication and getting to know each other. 

- Try to submit at least one good chat conversation between you two each week. 

- As someone mentioned focus of conversations about your future, each other's families, etc. It's okay to throw in some mushy stuff, but don't let it dominate your conversation. My husband is from Ghana, which acts a lot like Nigeria. We've known each other for 2 1/2 years. When I downloaded the WhatsApp chats it ended up being thousands of pages. I spent hours rereading everything and selecting the best chats to submit.

 

A couple of evidence ideas: 

- Visa stamps from your trips to Nigeria.

- Do you chat with your in-laws or does your husband chat with your family? I submitted conversations between both to show our families coming together. 

 

Good of luck and if you have any questions, feel free to message me. My husband successfully got through the Ghana embassy, so I know what you're up against. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by O&GForever

[MattyUK 22]

16 hours ago, begeorge said:

Hello VJ Fam,

 

I have 329 WhatsApp printed pages from Dec-April. I printed on two sides so I have 164 sheets of paper. Will this be too much to send as proof of communication? I am sending copies of the list below, please let me know if I am missing anything or reduce the WhatsApp pages.... Thanks for all the support!  

 

• Marriage Certificate
• I-130 filled out and signed
• I-130a filled out but not signed (Spouse is overseas)
• Two sworn Affidavit for knowledge of marriage (sending originals)
• Ten pics (our wedding and some casual)
• Naturalization certificate
• US Passport Bio page
• US CAC Card copy
• 329 WhatsApp conversation pages (we talk on WhatsApp cause it way cheaper!! i wish I could print the calls too!)
• Emails from work requesting leave to travel and permissions granted responses
• Travel ticket receipts
• Recent boarding tickets (to travel for our wedding)
• Travel ticket for honeymoon
• Birth Certificate
• Two colored 2x2 passport photo

 

It's very easy to over prepare when going through this process.  My wife and I didn't print any messages or call logs at all.  The only thing we showed was photocopies of wedding paraphernalia (invites, cards, order of service etc) plane tickets, honeymoon itinerary, photos and that really is enough.  Nobody cares how many times a day you speak.  All they want to know is that you have spent time together.  All the best. 

[begeorge 26]

2 hours ago, O&GForever said:

I think you can definitely trim the number of pages, but it's okay to submit more than most people do because you're dealing with a high-fraud country. A few handfuls on conversations won't cut it with these COs. They want to see a pattern of communication and getting to know each other. 

- Try to submit at least one good chat conversation between you two each week. 

- As someone mentioned focus of conversations about your future, each other's families, etc. It's okay to throw in some mushy stuff, but don't let it dominate your conversation. My husband is from Ghana, which acts a lot like Nigeria. We've known each other for 2 1/2 years. When I downloaded the WhatsApp chats it ended up being thousands of pages. I spent hours rereading everything and selecting the best chats to submit.

 

A couple of evidence ideas: 

- Visa stamps from your trips to Nigeria.

- Do you chat with your in-laws or does your husband chat with your family? I submitted conversations between both to show our families coming together. 

 

Good of luck and if you have any questions, feel free to message me. My husband successfully got through the Ghana embassy, so I know what you're up against. 

Oh cool on the In-law conv...will try to find any and add.. Thanks!!

[begeorge 26]

1 hour ago, MattyUK said:

It's very easy to over prepare when going through this process.  My wife and I didn't print any messages or call logs at all.  The only thing we showed was photocopies of wedding paraphernalia (invites, cards, order of service etc) plane tickets, honeymoon itinerary, photos and that really is enough.  Nobody cares how many times a day you speak.  All they want to know is that you have spent time together.  All the best. 

Noted thanks!!

[Ryan H 3,856]

***Moved from Progress Reports to Process & Procedures.***

 

**Moderator hat off**

 

Since you are sending a Naturalization Certificate, your birth certificate will not be needed.