I realise that this will not help you now, but it may help others reading this. Nine months is quite a long time without meeting and that will surely have been a contributing factor in the ECO's doubts about the relationship.Originally Posted by eahjay
When such time periods pass without actually meeting it's always a good idea to arrange a physical face to face reunion shortly before submitting an application for settlement visa.
The ECO is often looking to satisfy any concerns about "intervening devotion" to confirm the relationship is genuine and lasting and that there is an intention to live together in UK.
The best way to evidence "intervening devotion" is to demonstrate on-going and recent physical contact.
Other forms of evidence can often be enough, but they do inevitably lead to increased scrutiny of the submitted evidence, and so needs to be comprehensive and clear.
