Welcome to the forum
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1) Are exported versions of my emails/chat logs OK or not? We primarily use whatsapp, and I was able to export our conversation to a timestamped txt file. I included short burts of conversation from each month for the past year.
I also was able to export my gmail and my wife's hotmail inboxes to an excel table with subject, sender, recipient and time/date stamp.
The problem is, neither of these looks like the original program they came from. I can go back and do some screenshots if necessary.
You should not send ANY actual message content, just a selections of dates, times/subject lines covering the length of time you have been apart. Ideally, you just want to take a few screenshots and paste them onto a couple of sheets of paper.
For example, for Whatsapp, just screenshot the dates and times of maybe 2 messages per month and paste them onto 1-2 sheets of paper. For hotmail and Gmail, filter the inbox to just show a list of emails from each other and take a few screenshots, pasting them onto 1-2 sheets of paper.
You shouldn't send more than 2 sheets of paper for each source (Whatsapp, Gmail and Hotmail).
2) Should any duplicates I send be attached to the original document, or should I make a 'copy' section?
No, I'd include copies separately... i.e. put all your original documents together and then put all the copies together at the back.
3) My wife and I share a US bank account, but we really haven't used it much in the past year or two. Would it be beneficial to include joint statements as evidence, even if there isn't really much activity? What about a letter from the bank indicating that we have joint checking and savings accounts since 2010?
No, not required. Looking at the list of documents you have, you already have way too much relationship evidence anyway.
I would probably include just include just your tax return for each year, or maybe the tax return and either a utility bill or a joint bank statement for each year.
In regards to your documents, you DO NOT need the following, so you can take them out:
- Letter from bank to verify statements (Stamped/Signed)
(not required if bank statements are stamped/signed)- Letter from bank to verify payslips (Stamped/Signed)
(not required if payslips are stamped/signed)- Council tax bill 2017/2018 (Original)
(do not prove homeownership or landlord permission to live there)- Utility bills - electric, phone+internet (Printed)
(do not prove homeownership or landlord permission to live there)- Photos 2005 -2017 - (Dated/Annotated)
(only include 2 photos maximum - one from the wedding and one recent)- Cards - Christmas/Birthday (Original)
(only include if you were living apart when you sent them)- Facebook Posts 2006-2017 (Printed)
(not considered a reliable source of evidence... also you lived together most of this time, so you don't need to cover that period)- hotel bookings (printed)
(not required - just send flight boarding passes or flight e-tickets for any time you have lived apart and visited each other)- Vehicle Purchase Agreement (Original)
(not required)- Excise Tax Bill 2014 - (Original)
(not required)- Car Loan Statement 2016 (Original)
(not required)- USCIS Fiance Petition (Original)
(irrelevant to the application)- Postcards Addressed to both of us (Original)
(not required... you only need to include communication between the two of you while you are living apart)- Two Together Railcard - Current (copy)
(not required)- UK work authorization paperwork 2005/2008 (Original)
(irrelevant and cannot be considered)- Letter explaining UK work program (printed email)
(irrelevant and cannot be considered)- Applicant's Birth Certificate (Original)
(not required as your passport is proof of ID)- Name Change Certificate (Original)
(is this just a name change for marriage? If so, you don't need it.)
_________________________________________________
____________________
So, taking out all of those, your list should look like this:
Applicant's Documents- List of contents
- Printed online Application
- VAF4a Appendix 2
- Stamped biometrics Receipt
- IHS number/receipt
- Priority receipt
- Current Passport
- Previous Passport
- Passport Photo x2
Sponsor's Documents- Letter of support for the visa
- Passport - Bio Page (Copy)
FinancialMandatory:- 6 months’ payslips (Stamped/Signed)
(make sure they cover the full 6 months)- 6 months bank statements (Stamped/Signed)
(make sure they cover the full 6 months)- Letter from employer confirming details
(make sure it includes ALL of the following: employment and gross annual salary, length of employment, length of time earning current salary, type of employment)Optional but recommended:- Work contract (Original)
- latest P60
Accomodation:- Tenancy agreement (Original, Digital signatures)
- Letter from owner agreeing to let applicant stay (Original)
Relationship Evidence (in order of importance)
- Marriage Certificate (Original)
- 2 photos of you together (no one else in the pictures)
Evidence of living together in the US since 2010:- US Tax Return First Page - 2011-2016 (Printed)
Evidence of communication since she returned to the UK:- Flight boarding passes
(only include if you have visited each other SINCE she moved to the UK)- Cards - Christmas/Birthday (Original)
(only include if they have been sent SINCE she moved to the UK)- Email Inbox Listings 2014-2017 (
only include emails sent SINCE she returned to the UK... no need to go back to 2014)- WhatsApp Conversations 2016/2017
(no actual content should be included)Plus photocopies of all original documents you wish to be returned
