Proof of Relationship

[Benni]

Even though B and I have not met yet (we will at Easter), we do talk of the possibility of marriage in the future. I've read many articles about getting married in another country and how you have to supply 'proof of relationship' by sending in various documents, photos of the 2 of you together, letters exchanged, etc.

I'm in the USA and he is in Canada. I'd like to be fully prepared if marriage is in the future.

It's all so confusing! Does anyone have experience with this?

[Carenza LaRue]

I have no clue either Benni...... so I am sticking with your topic and see what good advice comes up.....

[snow_girl]

Phone records, skype records, photos, letters, if you have any joint bank accounts, ticket stubs, emails can all be included in proof of relationship. They want to know that it is a real relationship and that especially time spent apart there has been effort made to keep in contact with each other, as you would in a true relationship.

[Benni]

Carenza, maybe we will both learn something here!

Thanks snow_girl! Just how much of these will they need? I already have about 40 pages of chats that I copy/pasted to a document file. Will they want the actual chat records (don't know how to get those)? Will they want something from every day? week? month? good lord, I'd have 100's of pages if I saved everything!

[lucybelle]

Are you going to the USA? You need to prove you have met at least once in the 6 months prior to filing. Pictures with other people, especially family is a biggie. Also passport stamps, flights, etc to show you visited each other.

[Benni]

Thanks lucybelle! As I stated, I'm in the US -- he is in Canada. We may have a problem with the photos then, as his family is spread far and wide and only visit him about twice a year. My family will never go there and he will not be coming here where we would be around them. He has lots of friends we'd be with and that's about it.

[Verojoon]

Pictures with other people, especially family is a biggie.

Oh look at that! If Canada is the same, we have yet another reason for me to meet his family!

[LilyChiba]

I thought it was once within the last 2 years?

[Benni]

Oh look at that! If Canada is the same, we have yet another reason for me to meet his family!

Canada is the same!! There ya go, Verojoon!!

[stephanieaz]

Take plenty of pictures! Keep/re-print boarding passes for your flight(s).

Check out visajourney for good info.

[Benni]

Take plenty of pictures! Keep/re-print boarding passes for your flight(s).

Check out visajourney for good info.

Thanks! Will do!!

Well, that site is for those immigrating to the US. I need one about immigrating/marrying in Canada.

[stephanieaz]

Oops! Lol. Well, you can still get some info re: proof of relationship and such anyway. There may be something like it out there for Canada.

This looks like it might be helpful: https://www.roadtocanada.com/forums/index.php

Thanks! Will do!!

Well, that site is for those immigrating to the US. I need one about immigrating/marrying in Canada.

[Benni]

Cool!!! Thanks bunches!

[TwoThree]

I've been thinking about this subject a lot for a while. I am (hopefully soon) going to apply for a residence permit in Finland in order to finally close the distance with my SO. According to the relevant website, the documents I need to submit are rather few: a couple of forms, a picture, the marriage certificate and the rest is apparently optional. I'm not sure if loading up the application with stuff that could be deemed unnecessary wouldn't go against me.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I should submit some "proof of relationship". So, we don't have phone records because we both use pre-paid phones, and have since day one. I can burn a few pictures on a CD, some of which have extended family of my SO's in them (even if they don't trust the dates on which those pictures were taken, at least you can see the change of seasons, and the changes in my mother-in-law's hair styles ) and can add boarding passes that show that I indeed visited Finland and that we traveled abroad together (it doesn't automatically show on my passport because the stamps are of the first Schengen country I get in; in my case it's France) but... when I see people mention e-mail and chat-logs, it kinda make my skin crawl. See, I don't think it's anyone's business what he and I talk about. I am willing to share the "neutral" stuff (we have lots of e-mails in which we talk about what we ate and what movies/tv shows we've watched) but I could never show the more "relationship-y" stuff because it's our intimacy. I just can't do that.

I guess I don't have any specific question here, and I don't expect anyone to have a clue about how things go when one applies with Finnish authorities. Just wanted to put that out there.

[Benni]

but... when I see people mention e-mail and chat-logs, it kinda make my skin crawl. .... but I could never show the more "relationship-y" stuff because it's our intimacy. I just can't do that.

You can black those parts out. They don't care what is said, only that you have had contact with each other on a regular basis. (See? I'm learning already! )