Proof of Contact Questions

[EllowynCassia]

Hi,

My spouse (the applicant) and I (the sponsor) are getting our proof of contact in order and I have a couple of questions.

Do I need chat history from our entire relationship? We've been friends since 2013, started dating in 2016, and married in 2019 (the pandemic and death in his family delayed us from applying quite a bit), that is a LOT of chat history as we talk nearly daily when not in person.

Are screenshots okay? I can get screenshots from our text, Skype, FB Messenger, and Discord convos, but I'm unsure how to format them. Just a sprinkling from the years I have access to? (I stupidly didn't back up before Skype went cloud-based in 2017 so anything pre-June 2017 is lost.)

I know I can only submit 10 pages, so I considered taking screenshots by the years I have access to, June 2017-2024. I'm unsure if one screenshot should be an ENTIRE page or if I should fit 3 to 4 screenshots (making sure they're legible) per page for the years we do have.

Any help is appreciated in figuring this out. I'm currently scrolling through Skype as I work on this.

 

[YVR123]

Just want to say. It's quality not quantity that counts.
So don't overload the officer that process your application. They don't want ALL the conversations for years. They just need to know the relationship development/continuous contact.

 

[EllowynCassia]

Thank you for your advice!

That is incredibly helpful as it gives me an idea of what to look for in the chat logs.

 

[armoured]

... and married in 2019 (the pandemic and death in his family delayed us from applying quite a bit), that is a LOT of chat history as we talk nearly daily when not in person.

How much have you resided together since marriage? Id' really focus on demonstrating the physical time you spent together, esp if you resided together for longer periods (more than six months).

If you married in 2024 and haven't lived together at all, it's going to look odd (pandemic or no pandemic).

 

[EllowynCassia]

How much have you resided together since marriage?

We married in September of 2019, he spent the majority of the pandemic in Canada (his flight back was at the height of the pandemic, which was cancelled, we have Visitor Records for this time) and he spent 3 years with my parents and I (where I reside). He went back to the US in December of 2022, and came back to Canada for a visit between Aug 2023 - Jan 2024.

 

[armoured]

We married in September of 2019, he spent the majority of the pandemic in Canada (his flight back was at the height of the pandemic, which was cancelled, we have Visitor Records for this time) and he spent 3 years with my parents and I (where I reside). He went back to the US in December of 2022, and came back to Canada for a visit between Aug 2023 - Jan 2024.

So you lived together essentially for three+ years 2019 to 2022.

Focus on demonstrating that with some evidence. You might show a wee bit of records to show you're still in touch frequently since dec 2022 and not including the visits here. But you could also risk living them out, really -assuming the rest of your evidence is clear.

(Don't understand why you didn't apply for PR while he was residing in Canada, you'd be well done by now, but I'm sure there are reasons)

 

[EllowynCassia]

So you lived together essentially for three+ years 2019 to 2022.

Focus on demonstrating that with some evidence.

Yes, he was here with me from 2020 to 2022 (2019 he was here for the entire summer but gone at the end of the year until returning in 2020). And we are still frequently in contact. I will focus my proof of contact on those years with a little bit before and from 2023 - present day.

(Don't understand why you didn't apply for PR while he was residing in Canada, you'd be well done by now, but I'm sure there are reasons)

There are. We suffered a major loss in his family. Helping him was my main focus. It did hang over our heads but grief is a real challenge to overcome.

 

[armoured]

Yes, he was here with me from 2020 to 2022 (2019 he was here for the entire summer but gone at the end of the year until returning in 2020). And we are still frequently in contact. I will focus my proof of contact on those years with a little bit before and from 2023 - present day.

My point overall is that when they are looking for proof of contact, the context for that info is MOSTLY about long distance relationships and esp those that haven't spent much time together / lived together. With three years + residing together, this is low importance.

Still, wont' hurt to include just a bit, but don't waste a lot of time on it.

There are. We suffered a major loss in his family. Helping him was my main focus. It did hang over our heads but grief is a real challenge to overcome.

Condolences. Just noting that if there's anything that will stand out to IRCC, it would be this. Not that it's a strike against or anything, they just may puzzle at that.

 

[EllowynCassia]

Still, wont' hurt to include just a bit, but don't waste a lot of time on it.

Noted. Thank you for helping clarify.

Just noting that if there's anything that will stand out to IRCC, it would be this.

Thank you. Also noted on this. Would writing a Letter of Explanation help with that? If I remember correctly we can write letters for explanations on things, there's a label in the Supporting Documents section of the Application portal?

 

[armoured]

Thank you. Also noted on this. Would writing a Letter of Explanation help with that? If I remember correctly we can write letters for explanations on things, there's a label in the Supporting Documents section of the Application portal?

Personally I would suggest not writing a separate letter of explanation about that.

If they still ask you to write a short narrative of your relationship (or something like that), just a short explanation included in that - a sentence or three should be enough.

But just a suggestion, you could also do by means of a separate letter of explanation.

 

[EllowynCassia]

If they still ask you to write a short narrative of your relationship

They do ask for a narrative of the relationship, I don't remember which form off the top of my head but I do remember we need to do this.

Thank you so much. The advice you've given has been invaluable to me.

 

[armoured]

They do ask for a narrative of the relationship, I don't remember which form off the top of my head but I do remember we need to do this.

Thank you so much. The advice you've given has been invaluable to me.

Good luck. If you're careful about the forms, you shouldn't have any trouble, so don't let this stress you too much.

 

[EllowynCassia]

Good luck. If you're careful about the forms, you shouldn't have any trouble, so don't let this stress you too much.

I will do my absolute best. Thank you!