organizing application

[kelsey199200]

hey guys
i was just woundering what the best way to organize the application and supporting documents are...i have everything completed, i just have to put it all together. ive read posts about people who go all out with folders, tabs, colored paperclips etc.. and i'm just woundering if they take into consideration how carefully you've organized it, or if they will miss things if its not 100% organized. im not the most orgnaized person in the world and im afraid of confusing them lol... i would love to hear your opinions thanks)

 

[fallenstar831]

It's not taking innot consideration. But well organized and neat files are easier to read, therefore processing can be quicker.

My advice is to make sure you use a table of contents. We did a TOC and coloured sheets to seperate each section. This makes it eeasier for the officer to locate the neccesary information.

 

[nyssa]

fallenstar is right, the table of contents and/or index is really what's going to help you. People organize in all different ways. You can attach your information how ever best suits you. The most important part is that it's there in the first place! You don't want the IO to miss it, so you want to organize it in the best way possible.

For each piece of evidence, I have in the top right corner:
XXX XXXXXX - SPONSOR
XXX XXXXXX - APPLICANT
Folder #3: Proof of Relationship

And underneath that, as a header for each piece of evidence per document:

#1: Photo Evidence - Letter A
Date/Location

I have a thread called "Revised Outline" which explains more. There's also a ton of information floating around this forum which may help you. Good luck!

 

[dhdesigns]

We were told to never put the papers into fancy folders or binders.

We used the check list as the order and numbered each section according to the check list and clipped together each section accordingly (and we did the headings similar to what was recommended by Myssa). We then added a coloured sticky flag sticking out at the beginning of each section with the checklist number on it running down the right side of the package. So far so good, we've been advised that no further documents are needed...........

 

[minna]

We used the check list as the order and numbered each section according to the check list and clipped together each section accordingly (and we did the headings similar to what was recommended by Myssa). We then added a coloured sticky flag sticking out at the beginning of each section with the checklist number on it running down the right side of the package. So far so good, we've been advised that no further documents are needed...........

yes, this is what I'm doing too. For the 'proof of relationship' section, I have also separated each 'section' (i.e. photos, cards, etc) with a sticky tab.

You don't need to follow any particular system, or method, but for about $10 you can probably get all the sticky tabs, paper clips and binder clips (the kind that fold up and down) you need to keep your application in some kind of order.

 

[nyssa]

I have mine seperated like this:

1. Photos
2. Proof of Travel
3. Receipts from Outings
4. Wedding and Reception
5. Honeymooon
6. Financial
7. Support Letters

And a seperate folder for communications:
1. Text Messages
2. Phone Bills
3. XBOX Live
4. Facebook
5. SKYPE

Each one has a few subcategories to make it chronological and organized. Each one is lettered, and if there are a few pages... #1. Text Messages: Letter A (Page 1 of 10) for example.

 

[Dayanara]

Ugh, Facebook....Never even thought of that! Duh!

 

[nyssa]

We don't even have that much Facebook. Just a couple samplings. Truth is, we're awful at communicating! We hate phones and we're often too busy or our schedules don't work. We don't have much to say to each other with our lives as stagnant as they are. Which is going to cause us a little bit of a headache, I think. We text each other all the time with "I love yous" and such. But we visit every 2 months, which makes up for it I hope!

 

[can_usa_97]

I organized mine in the order of the document checklist with a 'intro' or 'header' page for each area
I separated my husband and my areas by a colored sheet of paper