Nutmegger

On the contrary, it was an incredibly accurate comment. Slow down a moment and think about what he said: "Examine your own life . . ." What is relevant for one person may not be for another. A couple are cycling fanatics and are members of a club and go off on trips with them every weekend; they love animals and volunteer at the pound together once a week; they take cooking classes together and then visit the country whose cuisine they just learned about. Think outside of the box, it is the things that make you a couple and are special to your lives together that show the depth of your commitment.

britishspouse

I can see both sides I have to say. There have been times when I have received responses that have made me go...'HUH??' .... So it is not that they were bad responses, it was just a case of either me not understanding them or just that it was MORE of an answer than I was looking for.

Sometimes we look for a simple and easy answer, but we have to remember there are members here who have been here years, and who are pretty much immigrations experts, so alarm bells go off for them when we ask for an 'easy' answer, because nothing is really straight forward and the same for everyone. However whilst we must remember all cases are unique, it DOES help to look at others experiences because they do offer insight and information we may not have realized. By examining the lives of others, as well as our own we can get a better rounded picture I find, By doing just that it helped my journey greatly. People always say to not try and compare your case to anothers, but I did, and I think many of us do..... It certainly helped me.

So i do see their point, but i understand what you say too, because I have received responses that both confuse, annoy and complicate things in my mind, but thats just the way it goes on forums.

Not to say anything bad about here, but if you are not registered on visajourney.com Id go register there, ive found asking certain questions is a better bet there because I dont get too many in depth, sometimes cynical responses, just responses from other folk going through the exact same stage, so can offer relevant timely input

So yeah. I do understand that sometimes we all want a to the point, easy answer, but that is not always possible, and yet also is possible, but people choose to post letting us know its not possible, which is not always required and or appreciated :P

meauxna

So a direct, but incorrect answer, is preferable to a correct answer that makes you work a little for the information?

This is a discussion forum, not an answer center. Discussion leads to understanding, which ideally leads to informed choices.

Example: The bonafides of the marriage have been determined by USCIS approval of the petition. The visa application is primarily about the applicant's admissibility. There should not be a call for affidavits or photos at this point *for a reason*. If OP had a better understanding of the process (crucial since she is representing herself), perhaps she'd see why that evidence is not discussed by other posters' interview experiences and why it would be individual to her even if it was required.

britishspouse

No certainly not, an incorrect answer is never good, However If you look at what I answered that was correct also. The OP asked if photos were needed for interview, in most cases the answer is NO.... the interview letter does not ask for them, but have people been asked for them... yes. So therefore it does pay to look at other peoples cases and experiences to determine what your chosen action will be

Most people's interview letters will clearly inform you that all you need to bring is your passport, but having read others experiences many say that the CO's enjoy seeing photo;s.... so while they are not a legal requirement, they can create a bit of laughter, and help make a stressful, worrying situation, a little bit easier, and help you relax

Thats all my point is. While there is normally a clear answer, there are still additional bits of information that can be considered and taken in Like you said its a discussion forum

britishspouse

I need to use less smilies.... lol :P

jeffreyhy

Two separate but related issues here, I think. The OP asked if there was anything specific that needed to be taken to the interview to demonstrate a bona fide marriage.

Yes, there are things that should be taken, because the consular officer will often probe to satisfy themself that the marriage is bona fide. (If they learn anything in the course of the interview that convinces them the USCIS was wrong to approve the petition, they can return the petition to USCIS for reconsideration.)

No, there is nothing specific, because as you recognize what's appropriate for me to use to demonstrate the bona fides of my marriage will be different from what's appropriate for you to use to demonstrate the bona fides of your marriage.

Beyond that, what many of us are attempting to do is teach 'newbies' some basic principles and to then think for themselves. Some of us, like me, may not have very good skills in pedagogy. Some of them don't want to think, thinking can be hard work, they just want someone else to effectively do it all for them. I don't know if that applies to the OP or not, but it does appear that the OP's reaction in this thread has been in that direction.

Regards, JEff

ian-mstm

While many newbies certainly act/react like children, your comment about pedagogy is noted. However, pedantic me points out that the correct term when dealing with adults is: andragogy.

Most adults are audio/visual learners... which means that the written word (especially in the context of an online forum) doesn't make much of an impact. They would learn and retain more if they were aurally and/or visually engaged. Sadly, that's not too likely to happen in an online forum... well, except for Stuart's occasional "Do you feel lucky?" link to YouTube!

Ian

jeffreyhy

Thank you, I've learned something new today!

Regards, JEff

meauxna

First of all, your answer was correct. I like your participation here; I think you generally bring a good balance in your replies. 'Incorrect' was aimed more at the other forum, my snark.

I'll reinforce the part about your reply that I like here: it absolutely does pay to look at other people's cases. Those experiences are posted here for the OP to read. Reviewing other people's threads will add the context to help her make her choices.

Something I've noticed (not in this thread) is that repetitive questions (FAQs really) will get shorter and shorter answers (& spoonfeeding), and valuable context is lost, such as you'd find in older threads when the forum was much younger. When a person does their research, and reads the 'why' behind certain requirements, they can truly make an informed decision about how to handle their own case.
Those discussions were valuable to me in the past, and were a big part of what made the forum interesting. People also used to share a lot of their personal stories so we could feel a camaraderie. A lot of that is gone too, so the short questions and short replies make it seem more like an answering service here sometimes.

ian-mstm

I blame the manner in which people have come to expect both instant and definitive answers... and when they don't get what they want, they throw a tantrum! Somehow, rather than acknowledge their own impatience and unrealistic expectations, it becomes the fault of the forum members.

One of my favorite quotes which can pretty much be applied here as well: "It's my opinion that if this case is handled in the same slick-ass, Persian bazaar, fast food manner with which you seem to handle everything else, it's my opinion that something would be missed. And I wouldn't be doing my job if I let Dawson and Downey spent any more time in prison than absolutely necessary because their lawyer had predetermined the path of least resistance."

I blame those people who post questions and then get pissed off because no one immediately responds with specific information tailor-made to their situation.

Ian