We’re having a break from filling out the forms for the visa and this weekend I’ve been concentrating on gathering the evidence we need to demonstrate that we are in a genuine relationship and that we’ve been together more than 12 months.
So this weekend I have been looking through all of our photos to find the photos we have taken together. These are the photos from his visits to the UK, mine to Australia and then since I arrived last August which were quite a lot as I take heaps of photos!! I’ve found about 20 showing the various stages of our relationship and saved them all in to one document that can be uploaded/turned in to a PDF.
I’ve also been taking screenshots of our What’s app conversations, Skype calls (I just discovered that Skype only save them for 6 months so it’s best to keep these records if your planning on doing the same kind of application – although the Aussie has managed to find a way round this – no idea how but can ask if needed by anyone), phone call logs since I have been in Australia (it looks like the iPhone call logs aren’t that great either and I can’t go back before then without a 3rd party application or website).
I also wanted screenshots of a sample of text messages since we got together to show we weren’t just dating but were in a relationship. This proved difficult on the phone itself as the iPhone is very slow at displaying old texts and you have to do them in blocks of messages. I did some research and found some downloadable programs that find your backed up texts on your computer and displays them for you to save as a PDF if you want (at a charge). I didn’t want them all so took screenshots of the messages I wanted.
I might take screenshots of all references to Australia and the Aussie from Facebook maybe if they are easy to find.
I also thought it would be helpful to get my phone bills as I used to have to pay to send text messages to the Aussie so they are all on there but they only keep them online for 2 years so I’m going to have to get them to send the others to my family so they can send them to me.
I will also be trying to arrange to print all emails we have sent to each other and relating to our travelling together. I’ve flagged the ones I want up and its over 150 so that’s going to be fun to print! I think probably we just need a sample so I will go through them and select a few.
I’ve also read it might be helpful to show emails, texts etc where I refer to the Aussie and our living arrangements so I think I will probably screenshot/print those as well.
I’m not sure if I am going overboard or there is more we need to demonstrate our relationship but this is all I can think of at the moment so hopefully it will be ok.
All in all I feel like this when it comes to the computer!
(Image from here)
*** Please note that I am in no way giving visa or legal advice about applying for visa’s in Australia or anywhere else – this is just what I have found and is only relevant to our situation ***
I’ve heard of my fellow course mates in Stockholm that they had to do the same to get a Swedish permanent residence permit and I was quite shocked when they told me. It must be absolutely cruel to show personal pictures and texts to an agency. And in the end they say: How are we supposed to know that you didn’t take all those pictures yesterday or that you’re really a couple. So they all searched for pictures from which it was clear that there was a timespan in between because of different hair cuts for example. I find this whole procedure so nerve-wracking and am really really glad to be a EU citizen so this whole stuff doesn’t apply to me so far….Good luck for you anyway!!
Thank you Van! It’s very difficult to judge how much is enough or too much and also not have to be too intrusive in to our lives!!!