good news, she had no trouble and you are together. She got her B1/B2 probably before you filed I130. Because my wife and I tried for B1/b2(as well as F-1) and they said we must wait for our immigrant visa. If I could get the visa, I would have stayed with her in the States for 6 months(thats how long visa allows me). but it didnt happen. she had to come here and live with me instead.

well. my interview date is not so bad however it would be great if it was 1 weak earlier to fit my wifes school schedule. so we emailed Ankara for that purpose. They replied today, they cant give us a sooner date as Ankara embassy is already overloaded.

for you guesstimation of your wifes visa......february is a bit too soon.....assuming you are going to submit DS230. from your writing , your lawyer mostlikely submit it next week someday. That is between 18-22th of december. Give 3+ week for NVC to review them. (usually 4 weeks). your case will be complete on January 18-24th. You will have to wait till february 7th for NVC to schedule your interview(NVC schedules interviews only on the second week of each month.) and now we have the info that Ankara embassy is overloaded mostlikely give appointmants for 2 months ahead. I say her interview will be around march 15-20th.

You are too late for Jan 7th scheduling. if you submit you ds 230 today 15 december....and you are too lucky they review it in record time 2+weeks and be complete by jan 7th. her interview , still slim to none chance for late feb (but possible) but probably early march.. .but there are too many " if" s in this case.

I dont like to say this but I believe mid to late march is most realistic one.

hope you dont hate me now....but I explained my points as I have been through all of this.

have a good time with your wife in the US.......you are almost done...dont worry

CONGRATES ON YOUR INTERVIEW DATE!!!

Jan and Feb are both hard months for interview dates...as a government employee myself, we get holidays off for both months...New Years and MLK Day in Jan. and Presidents Day in Feb. also from looking at their interview calendar they do not seem to make any intreviews on Fridays and most days no interviews are scheduled after 10:30 or 11:00 each morning.

Hope your interview goes well....we will be following the CR-1/IR1 about this time next year.

Our K3 interview went well...a few questions to each of us (his in Turkish and mine in English) about when we met online and in-person, asked about pictures from our wedding, we did not have any wedding pictures but we did have pictures of us with his family (from my 2 trips to Turkey) and of our honeymoon, asked about our age difference and was that going to be a problem for us later on, asked each of us how our families felt about our relationship, she asked him how many children I have and what they do...and then she handed him the UPS card to fill out.

Good Luck,
Michele

thats rude to ask if the age difference will be a problem for you later on....its not their business. when you decided to marry you probably considered all pros and cons and ended up getting married you know.

well i dont know if you read my previous posts but i had lived in the US for 6 years and I met my wife the last 2 years of it. So we have plenty of pictures of us together in the US as well as with her parents...BBQ parties and all. And of course she lived with me here for long time while we were waiting for the visa. and many pics from her moms and dads visit as well. Well we didnt have a wedding ceremony since we found it stupid to have a big wedding and she leaves for USA and I stay here for 1 year. SO ours going to happen this summer. We can have a big wedding by bosphorus and then trip to Fiji then live together in our new home.

I dont think i will have any problems with the questions. and the pictures , mails, emails, phone calls, plane tickets, hotel reciepts for our trips will help as well. We both seem like great match.. about the same age , same height:) both college student, both turkish (she is turkish american from turkish parents)

but still , its never 100% chance you know....

they can ask question about each other to test if its a fraud marriage but giving their own opinion about age and stuff is rude......they are not the ones to tell us who to marry. just ask your questions to see if this is a real marriage or not.

thanks for the responce

i would suggest wait till your second anniversy for your CR1/IR1 interview. by the time of the interview if its been 2 years since you got married, he will directly get IR1(10 year GC) but if its less than 2 years , he will get CR1(2 year GC) and 2 years after the entry to US you will have to deal with getting IR1 again. so better to wait or make it take longer by responcing the mails late to have your interview after your second anniversary.

I am going by the fact that your schedule and the other timeline I showed in an earlier post took approximately one and a half months from the last stage of NVC. If you recall, from one of my first posts, I told you your interview would be around January 15. You thought that that would be unrealistic, and even said the chances would be "slim to none" (your words).
Now, your interview appears to be right around what I predicted.

I still feel mid to late February is realistic and consistant with yours and other timelines. But who knows........

The way I look at it, my wife and I are used to waiting, due to this 2 year rule for her j-1 visa. If it turns out that it is later than planned.....well...the way we look at it, if we've waited 2 years already, a few more weeks won't be much in comparison.

To Michele& Omer............

Can you tell us how long your actual interview in Ankara took? Was it minutes.....an hour....maybe more? Once you go to the embassy, how long did you have to wait in line until your interview? Did they give an interview time....and if so...were they prompt...or did you end up having to wait a while at the embassy until your interview? What was the atmosphere like?

Congratulations on your approval. I can only hope my wife's is as smooth.......

OK I re-read your past posts. you are confusing K3 process and CR1/IR1. Yes you are right when you do send in the last paperworks for K3, the interview will mostlikely be in 1-2 months from that day. On K3 process, once your I129F got approved, they send your file to NVC, NVC only assigns a case number(and nothing else) which takes only couple weeks and send your case to Ankara. Then Ankara ask you for final paperwork which are similar to ds230 and I864. As I said this happens between you and the embassy in Ankara. and Ankara is lightning fast comparing to NVC , they review your paperwork in 2-3 days and you get the letter that tells you the interview date in the same week(mostly) and you are right its 1 and half month or 2 months ahead from you last send in final papers. Most people on this forum do K3 , thats why you see such timings.

CR1/IR1 however is completely different. After your I130 got appoved, you case is forwarded to NVC and NVC does all the work. You send in the final papers. It takes about 3-4 weeks for NVC to review them . When your case is complete. You case has to wait till the second week of next month to get scheduled for an interview date. And the interview date is 1 and half month or 2 months from this day(the second week of next month).

I assuming you mean sending in the final paper work to NVC as last step. Mine took exactly 3 months from that moment. When you replied to my message and predicted Jan15th, it had already been 45-50 days since I submited and NVC pronounced on its system that they have my final paperwork.

I hope I am mistaken and you are right but if you check for CR1/IR1 applicants you will see that these are very common time frames.

to Michelle and Omer..........

how long did it take for you to recieve Omer's passport in the mail? The Ankara website says 2-3 business days. My interview is on January 23rd and I am planing booking my flight for Jan 28th. the 23rd being tuesday.......wednesday , thursday, friday(3 business days) and i believe ups delivers on satudays too and my flight will be on sunday. I really have to make sure I wil get the passport within 3 days.

thanks

I can distinguish pretty well between a k-3 timeline and a Cr-1 timeline.... And it was NOT k-3 timelines that I was looking at, but Cr-1's......including one or 2 on this very thread.

But I can guess we can debate this on and on.........and it's still going to boil down to how soon we can send in our last packet (there's no guarantee it'll go out this week...but we're gonna try), whether it's error free and we don't get any RFE's , how quickly the NVC processes our paperwork , and then finally, how backed up Ankara is.

If things go our way, then I feel confident it will go according to schedule. But, my wife and I are prepared for things if they don't. Even worse case scenerio.....it can't be any worse than being separated for 2 years already.

In the meantime, I am enjoying having my wife here.

You know....for a Turk, she sure can cook up a mean hamburger.

To Michele& Omer............

Can you tell us how long your actual interview in Ankara took? Was it minutes.....an hour....maybe more? Once you go to the embassy, how long did you have to wait in line until your interview? Did they give an interview time....and if so...were they prompt...or did you end up having to wait a while at the embassy until your interview? What was the atmosphere like?

Congratulations on your approval. I can only hope my wife's is as smooth.......
[/quote]


to Michelle and Omer..........

how long did it take for you to recieve Omer's passport in the mail? The Ankara website says 2-3 business days. My interview is on January 23rd and I am planing booking my flight for Jan 28th. the 23rd being tuesday.......wednesday , thursday, friday(3 business days) and i believe ups delivers on satudays too and my flight will be on sunday. I really have to make sure I wil get the passport within 3 days.

thanks


The interview took maybe 15 or 20 minutes.
Our interview appointment was for 10am and they would not let us in the Embassy until 10-15 minutes before 10am. After getting thru the main gate, we had to make a stop outside the building to hand in his passport, medical reports, and his "new" passport pictures, and they also give you a number to be called by for your interview. Then we went inside and went thru security, they will take any cell phones and cameras and such there and give you a number for them so you can get them back after the interview. You then enter a waiting room with maybe 50 chairs, and 7 windows. Window 4 seemed like the window for immigrating couples, we were called just before 11am and were thru before 11:15. The had a toy box for childrern to play with and the UPS table was in the back so you basically could tell if someone got their visa or not by if they went to the table. We just talked between us, but if your wife is going alone I would have her bring a book or something to occupy the time. When you are called to the window you talk to the officer with a glass between you so at times you can hear what is being said further in the room as they have a voice box next to the window so the officer can hear you better. You slide any information they want under the glass, we had 8 pictures picked out that kind of represented our relationship but also had a photo album that would not have had fit under the glass, she looked at the sheets of pictures we had and declined to see any more in the album.
She never told us that we "had" the visa just gave Omer the paper for UPS, so when we went outside and I said congrats he said did she tell you something?? He still did not beleive that it was over and he was given the visa. I had asked at the window if there was any chance that we could come back and pick up the visa and she said no, but that the visa was being printed as we talked and would be sent out that afternoon. He visa arrived in Sanli Urfa on Sat. (our interview was Wed.) but UPS said they would not get it to his village until Friday, so he asked if he could pick it up at the UPS office and they let us go get it, but we needed to take his plane ticket to show them we had reservations to leave on Friday. All in all it was a good experience.

They were doing constuction on the street in front of the Embassy we stayed at the Hotel accross the street but had to walk across a makeshift bridge to get there. Hopefully that will be done by the time your interview is.

Good Luck to you both!!!
Michele

Hi everyone!

I'm new to this board but not new AT ALL to immigration and spouses from Turkey! My husband is from Izmir, Turkey and came here on a K1 visa in May 2004. We have done the whole K1 process, AOS, and now we're working on Removal of Conditions so he can get his 10 year green card and in 1 year we'll be working on citizenship.

My husband found your board and after reading it myself I'm amazed at some of the similarities that you all describe regarding your spouses and the amount of bread they eat and the way they blame sore muscles AC/Heat!!!! I was just laughing so hard because both are exactly the way my husband is!

Well, just wanted to say hello and introduce ourselves to all in case you want to talk about immigration, Turkey, or bread and muscles!!!!

Allison

Hi Allison,

Welcome to VJ :-)

Funny huh, about the way they blame sore muscles AC/Heat, they all seem so sensitive to everything!!! Ohhh and let me not get started on the bread thing, I think I have gained so much weight since getting married to a Turkish man! I definitely need to go on a diet

Anyway I wish everyone here Good Luck on their Visa process.

Mina

Thanks for all that information!

what about this bread and A/C muscle thing? i dont get it lol

can someone explain it to me?

--------------------------------------------------

should we start a new thread to tell more about us? like where are we now? where are we going to live once the visa is in hand? for how long have you known each other? the first impressions on your spouses city/village/town/home? and his/her impressions on USA?

I have read some interesting stories of people here. it would be nice to keep them in 1 thread. this thread is kinda like visa help topics. the new one would be just sharing experiences , advices , suggestions more on culture and living.

I am waiting for your responces

Hi substance

That was my original topic when I had started this thread for those of us whose spouses where already in the USA, but then others started to post their visa problems here and everything else got lost in the translation!

Anyway about the bread and A/C muscle thing, you will soon find out once your fiance/spouse is in the USA but I will be fair and explain a little. Ever notice how much the turks eat bread for just about every meal and yet they stay so slim? well that was one of the interesting thing we realize because most of us are not used to eating that much bread for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

The other one is about how they complain about sored muscles, especially my husband who always needs a massage every single day or night and blames it on the heat or cold!!! Geezs are the turks so sensitive

And yes, I agree to just keep the "Just Turkish" topic for our everyday daily living situations for those of us with our spouses already here in the USA to share with others in similar situations please.

Thanks for the answers.

I am sure your answer will help people understand the reason of this thread. The questions on visa will go on new threads.

Not all Turks eat that much bread. not all Turks gain no fat from bread either. You are just lucky your spouse has relatively faster methabolsm. Yes I have heard the AC thing, most Turks order cars with AC but they never use it, keep the windows open. When ask to turn on the AC, they say it makes them sick. btw who doesnt like getting massages? lol

Merhaba!

Hope everyone is well.

It's been awhile sence I have been on VJ.

So where did the new thread end up? can someone post a link here?

Thank you,
Peace to All,
Debra

I'm sorry but yes, all Turks do eat that much bread and do stay skinny! All the Turks I know are exactly like that. And yes, I know more than just my husband and his family.

Yeah, the AC makes them sick. Must be something in their genes. Some strange Turk gene that no one else in the world has. The same gene that doesn't make them vomit when they are trying to eat in a restaurant that's filled with smoke.

I'm not bitter, seriously I'm not. Turks are just funny.

SOL

Hello Debra&John,

How are you doing?

Just to put this on top of all other topics..

Merhaba internetkafe

We are doing great, thank you. How are you and your family? Please say hello to Justine for me.

We will file I-751 in November.....so back to the immigration thing for a short time.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

Anything new going on for anyone?

Best wishes,
Peace to All
Debra

Thanks for the reply Debra&John,

We are doing fine thank God.

Also we are expecting a baby-girl in May


I wish you a speedy, problem-free process for I 751.


Summer is around the corner. I do not remember impatiently waiting for summer when I was in Turkey. But here I do. It has been very cold.

I have to tell you that Mahir could eat a loaf of bread a day back in Turkey but now he really can't! He used to be sooooo skinny but has gained a good amount of weight (as have I) since we got together! It'll be 8 years this summer since we met - I can't believe it! We're heading back to Turkey in August to visit the family (he hasn't been back since 2004 and I haven't been there since 2003). We're just waiting right now for his military service extension to come back all set - otherwise we won't be able to go to Turkey - don't want to take the chance of my hubby being taken for service just during our quick two week visit! Mahir got me the Rosetta Stone program so hopefully I'll be able to learn some Turkish before heading over there in August - would like to speak to my in-laws sometime!

Allison

Congratulations to you and your wife internetkafe.
Wow, its so close to May Please let Justine know that I am thinking of her

Great to hear all is well.

Thank you for your best wishes also. I am sure this next process will be as Pleasant as the Previous(LOL)

I understand the weather issue. I am always waiting for summer to come....It rains too much in this state, really ready to move.

Take care,

Best wishes
Peace to All,
Debra

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to share the news that Resul and I had our interview on April 24th and he was approved for his greeen card! The interview was a piece of cake! Lasted only about 20 minutes. So he is anxiously waiting for it to come through the mail! We are happy to be done with all this governmaent "madness" for at least the next 2 years! Hope you are all doing well!

Deb & Res

Congratulations Deb_Res

Great News Debbie

Congratulations to you and Resul!

Congrats and best wishes

btw..nice pic!

Merhaba Everyone,

I thought I would just write a post since no one has written since May 8th. Nasilsiniz?

Does anyone have anything to share about their loved one from Turkey? Mine is still over in Turkey and not sure when he will be here in U.S. I do miss him so.

Hope to hear from someone soon!!

iyi gunler,

Wendy

Merhaba Wendy,

Nasilsin? Wow, May 8th.....yes, seems people do kinda move on after going thru this process. I try to check things out every once in awhile then get busy again and forget. The people here, in our thread are wonderful. LOTS of information, support and understanding are within.

I hope your process moves quickly so you can be with your love....I remember so clearly but the pain of the seperation heals quickly when your together, InsaAllah.

Candemir and I will be married 2 years on the 3rd of June, time goes by quickly... We will file paperwork in September for the 10 year green card. Soo then after then that we are done with this immigration.

Mina did start the "Bread" thing...lol....ya, my husband can eat the bread and it dosent effect him as it would me if I happened to eat like that....LOL

I wish you and your husband all the best.
Peace
Debra


PS.....I hope all is well for everyne and wishing you all the best in this life...

Merhaba internetkafe & Justine,

I pray this post finds you and your family well, InsaAllah.

May is almost finished now and I was thinking about babiessss
I know you and Justine must be so busy. If you happen to find some spare time maybe you can post to let us know how things are going

Please say hello to Justine for me.
Best wishes to All
Debra

Hi Debbie and Wendy,

Thought I come on to VJ to see how everyone was doing also and being that this is also the topic for comparing different situations and adjustments I thought I ask everyone here, especially those whom already have their GC's if their turkish spouses were able to find the kind of jobs or positions they were hoping to get in the USA?

The reason I ask this is because my husband left his career and executive management position in Turkey to be with me in the USA and at his age is not easy to find this position again once he leaves a company in Turkey. He had to be patient in the USA to be lucky enough to get a job at a popular American bank, so I was kind of curious about what jobs where the other turkish spouses able to find since being in the USA?

Anyway hope everyone is doing good and hope to hear some good news for the others still waiting for their loved ones, Take care all.

Mina

Merhaba Debra and Mina,

Tesekkurler for writing!!

Debra, Happy Anniversary! Tebrikler!!!!

I know all about the bread thing. I was so happy when I first went to Turkey and saw that they love bread and eat it with every meal. I was in Heaven as I love bread!! However, I know what you mean, Yilmaz can eat a whole loaf at one meal and not gain weight, me on the other hand.....

Oh, by the way, we got our interview date. June 16 at 9:45 am in Ankara. God Willing, everything will turn out okay!!

Mina, I will let you know what kind of job seeking experience Yilmaz has when he arrives in the U.S. I know he is hoping for something in the construction business, as that is what he did in Turkey. He did do this sort of work when he was in the U.S. several years back. Hopefully, he will still have some of his contacts.

Best Wishes to All!!!

iyi gunler,

Wendy

Candemir and I will be married 2 years on the 3rd of June, time goes by quickly... We will file paperwork in September for the 10 year green card. Soo then after then that we are done with this immigration.

Hi Debra,

Congratulations on your second wedding Anniversary!

Coskun and I are not too far behind you and Candemir, our is on June 10th
Ohh yes, how time went by so quickly!

Anyway wish you and Candemir many more happy years in your marriage and the best that life can give you both

Take care always, Mina

hi Wendy,

Congratulations to you and Yilmaz too on getting your interview date!
I pray for you both that everything goes well and that he gets his visa, I know how anxious you will be this day waiting to hear his good news! Please do let us know how everything went during his interview.

Ohh yes I remember you telling me of Yilmaz working in the USA before, at least he will be a bit prepare for when he goes job hunting again and has an idea of what to expect. Coskun had the hardest time finding the right job, but did take whatever little paying job he could until then. He wasn't at all happy about taking just any job since he is a businessman and really wanted to get more of a management-type job, guess he had to be patient for just a little while longer.

Anyway Good luck and take care always,
Mina

Thanks Mina. You are cok tatli!! (very sweet). Congratulations on your Second wedding aniversary. I also want to thank you very much for telling me about this site. I have found it very helpful and calming at times.

I am so glad that Coskun finally got the job he wanted. I know they say patience is a virtue (which I tend to lack a lot of at times).

Thank you for your prayers and good wishes for a successful interview. I hope that one day we will all be able to meet somewhere and share our experiences in person.

Take Care


Wendy

Hi Wendy,

Congratulations on your interview date. One question though, is the embassy in Ankara open on a saturday (the 16th)

Hi NY_Izmir,

Funny you should say that. I didn't think I was getting the right information from Yilmaz. The interview is actually July 16 and not June 16. I thought he meant this month when he orginally told me. So when I was talking to him a little while ago, I said "Your interview is on a Saturday", and he said "No, a Monday". Then he said it is July 16, not June 16.

Thanks for the good wishes. Hope all is well with you. How is your wife adjusting to life here in the U.S. or has she been here before?

Wendy

Hi all,

I have been following VJ forums to find answers to some of my questions regarding AOS paperwork for a month. I just saw this topic "Just Turkish", and laughed really hard for some of the things you have posted.

I have been living in New York area for 7 years. I met with my wife more than 3 years ago, and we have been living together for 2 years. We just got married and sent our AOS application to USCIS.

We have other Turkish-American couple friends, and yes they all think that Turkish men like bread, they cant imagine a meal without it:) I am not one of them though, I dont know why I dont eat bread much.. (In case you are wondering, I used to eat it a lot before moving to US:))

Bye for now,

Kaan

Merhaba Kaan,

Great to hear from you!!! I see that you are applying for adjustment of status. I hope this process goes as smoothly as possible for you!!

Wow, this is really great, we are starting to post more frequently in this forum!! We are now at the top of the list, let's see how long we can keep this going!!


Well since it is 2:30 am here (I am having trouble sleeping), I am going to say "Tatli Ruylar" to everyone!!



Wendy

Hi VJ forum,

It's Kaan's wife, Katie. Kaan came across this thread and had me read it to laugh about the bread and AC topic. I just had to add a few other observations/questions:

1. Does any other person notice that their Turkish spouse/fiance hates ice in drinks?....apparently, it can add to chances of catching a cold.
2. Also, does your spouse/fiance insist you drink water after eating ice cream to avoid a cold?
3. If you follow these precautions and avoid AC, and still nazar (the evil eye) catches up with you and gives you a cold, does your spouse insist you eat 2 lemons sprinkled liberally with salt?
4. Do you notice your spouse or other Turkish friends of his/her arrive fashionably late to events, but in Turkey when they drive they cruise through the roads as if they must get to their destination in the SHORTEST TIME POSSIBLE...ignoring trafic guidelines, lines on the road, lights, stop signs and passing other cars even when it is clearly dangerous to do so?
5. About Turkish cuisine, is any dish complete without salt of tomato paste?

Well, that's all I can think of right now. Is my spouse not a typical Turk or do some of you notice the same trends? By the way, I think he has been "Turkifying" me because now I do dry my hair asap after a shower and avoid the AC some, and I drink water faithfully after eating ice cream.

Take care everyone,

Katie (and Kaan)

Hi Katie & Kaan!
This made me laugh and I read it to Resul. Yes, of course I can relate to the bread and air conditioning, and the no ice in drinks is true too! But I have to add one that you didn't mention... And when I heard this one I laughed so hard. Did you ever hear the one about not eating fish and yogurt at the same time because you can die??? I didn't believe him! I said it had to be Turkish urban ledgend or something. So he said if you don't belive me ask Tolga (a Turkish friend of ours). So when we saw Tolga I asked him what happens if you eat fish and yogurt together? And he said "YOU DIE"!!!!!!!! I almost died from laughing! Have any of you heard this one?

Thanks for the laughs!
~Deb

Hi Deb,

Well that is true, if you eat fish and yogurt together, it could be dangerous.. I remember hearing some news about it when I was little.. Some people were poisoned since they eat them together, especially if the fish is not fresh..

I know you are laughing at me too:) But fish meat is relatively more complicated than other type of meats, and having it with another relatively complicated food, (yogurt which has some kind of bacteria in it) could make things even more complicated too..

Just to be on the safe side, don’t eat yogurt and hamsi which is a special fish from Black Sea together..

Does Resul like tea too? Katie says "Turks can live without food for a while, but not without hot tea:)"

Take care guys,

Kaan

Thank you Katie, Kaan, and Deb and Resul,

I was laughing out loud when I read your posts also. I have experienced the same things. I do, however, find these "idiosyncrasies" endearing!! (As I am sure you do too, Katie and Deb).

I know what you mean about the tea. It is a good thing I love tea!! At least I don't put the amount of sugar in mine as Yilmaz does. (and for such a little glass).

I tend to get very hot, and if I don't wear a jacket or bundle up, Yilmaz is always telling me I am going to catch a cold.

Ah, our Turkish counterparts, they make life worth living!!!!

Have a good day everyone!!

Wendy

Oh yes! The tea! He must have several cups per day! And OMG! The sugar!!! He practically goes through 10 pounds of sugar a month just in his tea! I forgot about the sugar! It's amazing how he stays so thin! I don't get it!

Have a great day all!
~Deb

Welcome to our group Katie and Kaan

Merhaba Everyone!

I guess I was not the only one finding these little quirks of our turkish spouses very interesting, funny huh?

But since when did I also become a trained and licensed masseuse?

Every night my husband wants a massage, the money I could have made by now giving him these massages! Really, it's enough to give me sored muscles just thinking that I have to give him a massage every night when I'am tired from a hard day at work, let alone having to cook and clean when I get home too you got to be kidding me???!!!

As Wendy puts it best at finding these "idiosyncrasies" endearing, they may be to some, but not really

Oh Mina, you are so funny. Tell Coskun to pamper you once in awhile. We (us women/wives) deserve a little TLC every now and then.

I do know what you mean about the massages too. Yilmaz loves his back rubbed. But after I rub his back for awhile, I tell him it is my turn (funny how it seems to never last as long as his does). Oh well, I guess I have my "training" cut out for me. (ha, ha)

Talk to you later,

Wendy

Merhaba Everyone,

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Here is to wishing everyone a good week ahead. Does anyone have any plans for the summer?

Hoscakal,

Wendy

Merhaba,

I dont have any special plan, I am working all summer. Katie will visit her parents in August. We will visit them again in Thankgiving.. Last year, it was great.. I put at least 5 pounds in a week:)

Take care everybody.

Tasfirin Kaan

Merhaba everyone,

Actually Wendy, I'am planning to visit Turkey again in August for 2 weeks. It was an unexpected trip but I'am looking forward to being able to travel again since it has been a while now and I have sooo much missed being in Istanbul.

My husband Coskun is there now and because we were not able to celebrate our second Wedding Anniversary together this year he said he make it up to me by taking me to Bodrum, I had only been there once and wanted sooo very much to go there again

Since getting married I had gained a few pounds that I decided to go ahead and lose this weight since my husband is not here and I have no one to cook for, so far I have lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks. Hopefully by August I would have lost all the weight and be able to surprise my husband with a much slimmer wife then when he had last seen me

Anyway that is pretty much what is happening now and I will try to keep busy until then. So how is everything with all the other turkish couples, anything new with anyone else here???

Well take care everyone,

Mina

Have a safe & happy 4th of July.

Thank you awaterlily!!!

Merhaba everybody! I have been lurking for quite a while, reading all the posts. The K1 K3 visa process is just overwhelming, and my Turkish boyfriend and I are finally getting ready to tackle it. We met on the internet on November 19, 2005. I visited him in Turkey twice, for 3 weeks each, met his folks, etc. I loved Turkey as a tourist, but I don't think I could live there permanently. I looked for a job in Turkey so we could be together, but absolutely nothing went right, so we started thinking about living in the USA together instead.

Well, it has come to the point where we just cannot do without each other. Now we are planning on bringing my boyfriend to the USA in October on a visitors visa. I think this is important. What if he's as uncomfortable here as I was in Turkey? I think we need to find out before we start the process, which looks like it is going to be long and expensive. Anyway, I have a couple of questions.

If he likes it here, could we file the 129F whle he is still in the USA? Can he just stay here on his tourist visa for a few months until everything is processed and it is tíme for his interview in Ankara? Then we could go back to Turkey together for the interview, right? And stay there until he gets the visa? How long could that take? I really don't understand the time lines, although I have been reading everything and trying hard to absorb it all. Lastly, what if we just got married in the U.S. while he is on the tourist visa? Would that make the process longer and more difficult?

I have an additional problem. My boyfriend is only 22. He's a student and has not completed his Turkish army service. He plans on being a student for a long time, probably doing his MBA here in the USA. I understand he will eventually have to return to Turkey to serve his army time or he will lose his Turkish citizenship. I am also under the impression that, since he has not served his army time, we cannot get married in Turkey.

Maybe you are wondering,¨what's the rush? You have your whole lives ahead of you.¨ Let's just say that we have an unusual situation that is spurring us into action. (And it isn't a pregnancy)

Any feedback on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Peace and Love,
Little Dove

Merhaba minikguvercin,

I completely agree with you that it is really important for you and your boyfriend to find out whether he could live here or not.. It is really hard for some people to leave the family, friends etc. and move to another country.



If he likes it here, you do not need to file 129F since he would be here with a visitor visa. I-129F is for finance visa, to bring your fiance here to marry in 90 days. As far as I understand, you dont need to do anything until you decide to get married..
One day, when you are ready to get married, you need to file I-485, I-130 etc.. to adjust his status.

But if you think that he will be back to Turkey once he feels that he can live here, you can submit -i129f to get him a fiance visa. But as far as I know, this process takes longer time, and when he gets that visa, you need to marry him in 90 days once he comes to US.

As you see, in both case, you need to make sure that you are ready to get married!. It is not easy to decide..

Instead of waiting i-129f, It would be better him to come here with tourist visa, may be go to a school, and whenever you guys are ready, you can get married, then apply for a adjustment of status..

Please do not forget that he cannot work here legally with visitor visa.


There is no such thing that he cannot get married before finishing his military service. He can marry you in TURKEY before going to military service.
I havent completed my military service, and I am married. My parents were married when my dad went to army. I even remember the day he left home.

Studying can postpone military service for a while but he still has to do it at some point. Anyone who work in a foreign country more than 3 years and pay taxes, can do military service for only 3 weeks..yes only 3 weeks, but you also have to pay 5000 Euro(around $7,000). It would be the best option. Otherwise he either has to do it for 15 months (without a college degree) or 6 months (with a college degree).

I have got my Phd in US, but it wouldnt help me to make my military service any shorter, If i didnt work here for more than 3 years.




I wouldnt say "what's rush", but I would say that it is really important that he has to come here and see the life before making any commitment to you. For many people in Turkey-and in rest of the world-, life seems beautiful and so easy in US, at least thats how they see in Hollywood movies. As all of knows, thats not true. Life is tough here, you need to work hard to accomplish what you want.. I agree this country gives opportunities that I appreciate, but without hard work, none of them helps.
I dont know your boyfriend, but most college students in Turkey have never worked before graduation due to many reasons. There is a great possibility that he has not worked before either.. When you work first time, especially in a foreign country, and especially If you are doing something that you dont like; he may not like US right away, and that may affect your relationships too..

I am sorry If I talk to much. I just want you and him to think twice when you make plans for your future.

By the way, I have been living in NY-NJ area for 6 years. I came to a graduate school here, and finished my Phd, I have been working for 4 years. I just got married in May, and we applied for adjustment of status last month.

Thats all I can think of at this point.

Good luck to you and your boyfriend.

Take care,

Kaan.