# Evidence of "genuine relationship"



## RyanP (Jul 24, 2012)

Hi,

We are compiling evidence of our relationship and contact over the past two years and five months and was hoping to get some advice on a few things.

We were together five times in Russia and also spent two weeks in Finland (where we got married), with a few days in Estonia midway through our holiday there. We have photos from all those visits. Some are just the two of us together, but there are also others with my stepdaughter in them as well (and at least one of me with her family at Christmas - my wife was often taking the photos, so I don't think she was in those shots). Should about 3-5 photos from each visit (and the wedding) showing us together (as well as with my stepdaughter) be enough? Or should the ones of me with her family be included? I met her mum and dad a few times (but on one occasion just at the train station for about an hour while their train stopped in Moscow).

It was only the two of us in Finland for the wedding. It had always been my dream to elope and we both love travelling, so it was the ideal wedding/honeymoon. Will it be looked down on that there was no family (like a sham marriage?)? We're just not traditionalists about marriage (especially as my wife was previously married and I'm atheist) and did it the way we wanted.

Oh, my wife never visited me in England. Will that be a problem?

With regards to emails, is one from each week enough? We don't want to overload the ECO. The same with Skype chats? Also, what format should they (Skype chats) be provided in? We found some software called SkypeLogView, which generates HTML table/report showing:


If an entry is a chat message or a call.
The date and time of message/call.
Skype username.
Skype display name.
Call duration (if applicable).
Message content.

Or would we be better off sticking with screenshots?

Should we also include some screenshots of SMS?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## boydepaname (Mar 26, 2012)

When we applied for a fiancee visa, we included about 8 photos of us both, of which a couple had other family members in.

In terms of emails and skype logs, we just submitted a few (as in 3 or 4) screenshots of the computer screen showing email history and skype history.

I know some people have send it a full log of skype calls, and a pile of emails, but we decided that the ECO probably wouldn't want that...

Anyway, it must have been good enough as the visa was issued. Hopefully that helps!

Cheers


----------



## saisun99 (Mar 18, 2013)

Hi Ryan,

I just did spouse visa for my wife, currently i am on permanent residency. I appeared on same day in person to one of the PEO in the UK.
i did bring all print of all the documents i.e : chats/emails/wedding photographs/text messages/holiday pictures etc...but to my surprise they did not take anything except my marriage certificate, financial supporting documents ( bank statements), bank statements to show my continuous employment, 12 months pay slips, address proof and they told me since rules have changed they won't consider anything like emails/messages etc... all they want is have a genuine relationship with your spouse and have no intention to recourse public funds but i would suggest you to take all the prints and screen shots there is no harm in that....
they way i did was for each month i took around 4-5 messages print and rest i took the screen shots to show we communicated each day but for skype i took all the screen shots... i know its bit painful but at the end its worth.
also i forgot to mention make very nice cover letter mentioning 
- how you met
- how you are in touch with her ( emails/chat/skype etc...)
- photographs ( tag them mentioning where the picture took)
- make a table about your travel include booking reference number and all the tickets 

let me know if you need a format.

Cheers
Sai


----------



## ahidges (Mar 20, 2013)

Dear sai


I was just reading your posts and I know that you have said that you have a format for booking reference numbers. We are applying in a few weeks and I was wondering if it was possible to have a copy of your booking reference number table please? Thank you so much


----------



## ahidges (Mar 20, 2013)

Hi sai 


I have been reading the threads and am also in process of doing forms and collecting evidence. 

Would I be able to please get a copy of your table format of booking reference numbers? 

Thanks


----------



## RyanP (Jul 24, 2012)

saisun99 said:


> i did bring all print of all the documents i.e : chats/emails/wedding photographs/text messages/holiday pictures etc...but to my surprise they did not take anything except my marriage certificate, financial supporting documents ( bank statements), bank statements to show my continuous employment, 12 months pay slips, address proof and they told me since rules have changed they won't consider anything like emails/messages etc... all they want is have a genuine relationship with your spouse and have no intention to recourse public funds but i would suggest you to take all the prints and screen shots there is no harm in that....


Thanks, this is interesting to know. As you said, I'll prep screenshots etc of communication anyway.


they way i did was for each month i took around 4-5 messages print and rest i took the screen shots to show we communicated each day but for skype i took all the screen shots... i know its bit painful but at the end its worth.
also i forgot to mention make very nice cover letter mentioning 
- how you met
- how you are in touch with her ( emails/chat/skype etc...)
- photographs ( tag them mentioning where the picture took)



saisun99 said:


> - make a table about your travel include booking reference number and all the tickets


Luckily, I've already done most of this when my wife applied for her Schengen visa, funny to find it useful later on!

Thanks again!!


----------



## RyanP (Jul 24, 2012)

boydepaname said:


> In terms of emails and skype logs, we just submitted a few (as in 3 or 4) screenshots of the computer screen showing email history and skype history.


Hi mate,

How did you produce your Skype history? I mean, when I go into Skype, it shows the full chats, rather than a historical overview of communication (like xx messages/calls each day). Except for the "Show messages from:" bit. I know I can generate calls (Skype-to-Skype) history easily using SkypeLogView.


----------



## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Just do a screen shot... that's what I did.


----------



## RyanP (Jul 24, 2012)

Right, yes, I think that's simpler and more familiar for the ECO.


----------



## saisun99 (Mar 18, 2013)

ahidges said:


> Hi sai
> 
> 
> I have been reading the threads and am also in process of doing forms and collecting evidence.
> ...


you can add following columns in your table:

-Travel Date	
-Airline	
-Destination	
-Booking #	
-Stamp Details in the Passport	
-Evidence


----------



## saisun99 (Mar 18, 2013)

RyanP said:


> Hi mate,
> 
> How did you produce your Skype history? I mean, when I go into Skype, it shows the full chats, rather than a historical overview of communication (like xx messages/calls each day). Except for the "Show messages from:" bit. I know I can generate calls (Skype-to-Skype) history easily using SkypeLogView.


Follow these steps:

- select the person's name
- right click
- view old message
- select from the beginning


----------



## Sel (Mar 17, 2013)

Hi there, should you provide the whole conversation skype chat, I have skype conversation since 2011 if so this would be a very long document OR can you provide screen shots of each month of the year where it states the dates OR even dates of each year to shorten it?


----------



## saisun99 (Mar 18, 2013)

Sel said:


> Hi there, should you provide the whole conversation skype chat, I have skype conversation since 2011 if so this would be a very long document OR can you provide screen shots of each month of the year where it states the dates OR even dates of each year to shorten it?


if i were you i would take all the screenshots....


----------



## Sel (Mar 17, 2013)

saisun99 said:


> if i were you i would take all the screenshots....


Thank you Saisun for your reply. screenshots of every day we spoke from 2011 is that what you mean?


----------



## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

As you said, one from each month.


----------



## saisun99 (Mar 18, 2013)

Sel said:


> Thank you Saisun for your reply. screenshots of every day we spoke from 2011 is that what you mean?


yes.. also make seperate section for each like email communication history,skype chat history put a sticky notes in each and mention what dates it covers...give as clear as info you can.... also make a summary table covering all the dates/activities/evidences etc....good luck


----------



## Sel (Mar 17, 2013)

Me and my partner met in 2008 but we do not have any conversation history only from 2010 (although we have photographs) because we had to get a new computer back then, do you think the UKBA will ask the reason as to why there is not conversation history before this date?


----------



## saisun99 (Mar 18, 2013)

Sel said:


> Me and my partner met in 2008 but we do not have any conversation history only from 2010 (although we have photographs) because we had to get a new computer back then, do you think the UKBA will ask the reason as to why there is not conversation history before this date?


you still need to produce some kind of evidence may be phone call history, travel visit etc.... dont give them any chance to reject it......in the cover letter you can mention that you've lost all the chat history due to ******but make sure you produce some evidence.. good luck!


----------



## majambi (Apr 17, 2013)

Am I correct in assuming that none of this is necessary if a married couple have been living together since marriage? This applies to fiances and couples living apart only, right?


----------



## AmyD (Jan 12, 2013)

Yes, it applies to couples living apart. For married couples living together, you need mail addressed to both of you at the same address and your marriage certificate, and possibly some photos of the wedding.


----------



## stressed2013 (Jan 13, 2013)

hi, I have just got my spouse visa, we did chat history screenshot 
i put my husband's email id on email search bar and it populated all the emails we had sent to each other, took a screen shot and printed it out

same with chat logs, we used 'whatsapp' so i clicked my phone screen shots, few screenshots of my text messages spread over start of our relation and going towards more recent till our marriage ( i applied 6 days after my marraige) 

for travel i included few original tickets and pictures of holidays together and wrote names and places on the back of them, included about 15 pictures from our wedding and holidays

oh I included some facebook screenshots too mainly of us tagged together at certain places and i provided matching pictures taken at those 'tagged' places 

cheers


----------

