Relationship Evidence

The day, the interview, the stressy thing that I'm dreading is fast approaching. Everything has been leading up to this day. The residency interview which in fact is tomorrow.

The letter has 16 main points and an additional 7 subdivision of evidence they require that they need to see to judge a marriage upon [some of which we've already submitted]. This encompasses everything from actually bringing Joe with me to photographs, tax forms, birth and wedding certificates and any correspondence ever received in relation to the application. That creates a pile of things we could take. So much that on Thursday I was sat on the living room floor swamped under all the cards and letters I'd ever sent Joe [some of them are very soppy aw] and trying to then match them to their envelopes to plane boarding tickets for evidence of Joe flying to the UK for visits, a huge photograph album of all the photographs I've got around to developing to more official documents - luckily we have two bank statements and our renters insurance - but that's it because as I've said before with only being a legal alien it's a nightmare trying to get your name officially on American things.

But how much is enough? I pulled out card/letters from me that have post marks across 2009-2011 when we were apart and the same for things Joe sent me. Seriously if anyone was going to fake a relationship they wouldn't have gone to all the soppy effort I did in writing all those cards! To the cards we were given on our wedding to cards declaring "To you're first Christmas together". Photo wise we're taking eight main photographs from our trips in York, Edinburgh, Chicago, to Christmas, the zoo and the like to taking our mini wedding photo album and the photobook I made. Yet we were never an email based couple so we don't have loads to print and after many of your suggestions I am going to print off some of my blog posts about us. 

With all this evidence you really do need somewhere to store everything and this is true for the first interview I had back in London for my visa initially. You're stressed and panicked enough without having to try and fumble through papers trying to find the one you want, so I've always swore by using a folder with dividers - keeping one section separate for different parts. For example one part has all the correspondence and photographs, another fight details and another all the Homeland security letters.  It's helps just knowing everything is organised.

As for the interview I don't really know what happens, I know Joe has to come with me and we both get interviewed but whether it's together or separately I don't know. I should probably google about it but that itself may panic me even more. What worries me is how do they classify what a relationship is? The sociologist in me keeps arguing that a relationship itself as a term is a social construct. What one couple sees as a relationship another might necessarily not. In fact one of the criticisms of long distance relationships I've often heard is that they aren't real relationships. What I do know is that what we have is real I just hope they see that because the idea of having to go back to the UK without Joe scares me so bad right now.

Be thinking of us tomorrow please - I need your luck!