Should We Include Text Messages, Emails and Call Records?

Should we include text messages, emails and call records?

Text messages, emails and call records should generally be included in a partner visa application, because they show the couple in regular contact and supporting each other over time. They are particularly important for couples who have lived apart or in different countries. They are supporting evidence, however, and work best alongside financial, household and social documents. Our article on a partner visa long-distance relationship explains why contact evidence matters during separation.

How many messages should we include?

The number of messages to include is usually small, enough to show contact at each stage of the relationship. A few pages from early in the relationship, from any periods apart and from recent months generally cover the history. Call logs can be summarised with a few screenshots showing frequency and duration. Our guide on how much evidence a partner visa needs explains why volume rarely helps.

What should the screenshots show?

The screenshots should show the dates, the names or numbers of both partners and enough of the conversation to show the nature of the relationship, such as planning visits, discussing family or supporting each other through difficulties. Very private or intimate content is not needed and should be left out. Each set should be labelled with the period it covers. Our partner visa document checklist shows how to label and group evidence.

Do messages in another language need translating?

Messages in another language generally need translating if they are relied on as evidence, because the case officer must be able to understand them. Translating every message is unnecessary when only samples are lodged. Our article on partner visa evidence translation explains when certified translations are needed and how to keep the cost down.

Are messages and call records enough on their own?

Messages and call records are not enough on their own for most couples, because they show contact rather than a shared life. Couples who live together are expected to show household and financial evidence too. Couples with little other evidence should explain why in the relationship statement. Our article on a partner visa with limited evidence discusses how to strengthen a thin application.

Can messages harm a partner visa application?

Messages can harm a partner visa application when they contradict the relationship statement, for example by showing the couple met later than claimed, or when they suggest the relationship is mainly about a visa. Every message selected should be read in full before it is lodged. If the Department relies on information that damages the case, it may invite comment through a section 57 natural justice letter.

Can social media messages be used?

Social media messages and posts can be used in the same way as text messages, as dated samples showing contact and how the couple presents itself publicly. Public posts can also support the social aspects of the relationship. Our article on partner visa photo evidence covers images taken from social media.

How does My Migration Lawyers select communication evidence?

My Migration Lawyers reviews the couple's message history and selects short, dated samples that show contact at each stage, especially across any separations, and that support the events in the relationship statement. The firm checks each sample for content that conflicts with the application, identifies which samples need translation and presents them in a clear, labelled format. Couples can ask our partner visa lawyers to review their communication evidence.