First we thought it was the country...then you see many actually sailing through their interview with visa in hand the next day from many Muslim/Latino countries.

Then we thought it was the name, such as Muhammad, or Ahmed, or Khan ... then you see many Muhammads and Ahmeds and Khans are passing through easily with their visas in hand.

Then you think its because you met online...I am living proof that its not the case with AP from back in mid september 2007 and having met in person...and then having people who met online get visas the same day.

Then you think its the age difference, that older females+younger males get the rap...then you see many couples that fit this despription face no AP. As I am the female USC and my husband is older than me with a usual age difference and still being put in AP.

It turns out its not always the country, the name, the method of meeting, or age...I am not having the most stable time in my life right now as I am sure many of you that have been waiting since 2006 can testify. What is it then? Why are some people targeted that way? I never agreed that life is fair but there has to be some reason or it is uselessly ruining lives. Should we be punished for loving someone out of the country? If there is no pattern then there is nowhere for anyone to go.

I end this with the strong believe that God is the doer of all things. Things happen at His time, not ours as many wise VJers know.
I wish you all the best of luck, as for me, I pray night and day with no answer yet.

May God shed some shade on us, I feel the horrible feeling every morning and know what all of you are going through. This type of uncertainty can kill your mind. But don't let it happen. We have to stay strong and look to those who waited longer than us with admiration and prayers that we will all b released from this misery in the coming days, weeks and months.

Tammy

Tammy,
I think you answered your own question. It is God's timing. Is it just a test of faith? I don't know. Is it to strengthen your character and bring you closer to God? I don't know. You may never know the reason God has allowed this horrible wait time, or you may find out later on. Maybe God is using you to encourage others so you can be a testimony, even if it is only to strengthen one person.
We waited since 2006 also, and if we got our visa despite the odds, you will get yours too. This is our year, remember?
I have seen a lot of ladies joining in agreement , offering up prayers for one another and look how many visa's have been issued so far this year! It isn't luck or fate, it is the prayers!! You are a strong woman and a believer in the Almighty God. His plans for you are way better than you could ever ask or imagine. So you just keep praying and trusting. Your time will come, you can be sure of that! Don't look at the problem or try to figure it out. Instead, look to the One who has the answers and never take your eye off of Him.
I love you, and Im still praying for you every day.

Tammy, I just wanted to let you know, even though I have not posted much on VJ, I have always found you a source of encouragment, information and support that has made my personal journey more bearable. I don't understand why some get through quickly and others get stuck in some kind of awful limbo. I'm praying that you and many others are reunited with your husbands soon.

Dear Tammy,

Truthfully, at this point, I can't understand or rationalize whatever the reasons are for the situation you, I and others are in with this AP business.

It's good you can still find the strength in God to find your way through this process.

Personally, I am grieving at this point. So it is hard to congratulate those who sail through the whole process in less than a year. I'm filled with mixture of emotion. Happiness that they are reunited with their loved ones, jealously at the ease with which they got their visas (while you and I are being slowly tortured).

Everyday is a test of endurance and willpower...

I agree with you. I just realized today it's been more than 13 months since my husband's first interview. In two weeks we will have been married two years and we have yet to live together in the same house. It is not a fair life when you have to "steal" time to go and visit your own husband or wife, while the people who are conducting the reviews go home every night to theirs and think we are whining and not waiting our turn when we do status inquiries.

Dear Tammy,
me too i agree with you absolutly, u know my dear, we have same situtaion, sometimes i hate my life and i got depressed, my day is really very hard because am far away than my husband, we are suffering both of us.
am going to lose my hope, we are confusion, whats going on about administration proccessing time of our cases.
we need miracle.

Tammy i think i found the answer to your question of a pattern although it's one we can't determine.

I have read several times that the name checks are not done in a first in first out process but rather in an order of which is the easiest. So someone who has several name hits or will require more work is put on the shelf and the cases that have only on hit are worked first.

Why? It makes the numbers look better. For years there have been complaints of the name checks being the biggest delay in the process (visas, AOS, citizenship) so they work six easy cases instead of one hard case to make it look like it is not such a problem. Working more easy cases drops the number of pending cases more than working a few hard cases.

I am sure that there is some unlucky crossing of name and age and some flag is a computer system. Someone who is on a list that . Like a John Smith ... there may be one that is your age that is wanted for some terrible thing and they must prove that you are not THAT John Smith. Ones older and younger will pass through but because you come from the right area and are the right age it must be proven you are NOT him. I am not sure there is anything you can do about this process. It probably depends on how evil the other John Smith is on how carefully they check you out. I can only hope you get through this in good time. There is a list of banned persons you can find online Maybe your name is like one of one of these people. I hope you get through this hurdle quickly .

Belinda63, I think ya hit the spot. Sadly, you hit it for the cause of many of these delays. At least now I may rest my heart a bit. Before the next inkling of thought comes, of coarse.

This is my theory. I think if the consulate doesn,t believe the relationship is real they put you on long ap just too see if you visit second time or not. One security check gets done and they put you another so on and so forth.

I have called DOS when security check done and they have said its up to them now if they want to issue visa. If they dont believe its real (the relationship) they put you on another one. I swear they play game. See if you visit second time. Or third.

Why do some get through so quick? They put them on ap for 10 days then issue visa. Embassy believes relationship is real. If they dont ? Then you gonna be in and out of ap. Just my opinion and just a guess.

I understand but its not like they check the airplane history of th USC?! Or call the applicant to ask if ur wife came?! what about people who visited more than 3 times already? A friend of mine actually did...case is still on AP. No what belinda said is right. Its not that personal. If it is, that ridiculus. Thanks for th input. I had this same theory but realized they don't hold 2nd interviews at all consulates, therefore, no way to verify if USC came. If they don't have a system to verify, they will not test that fact, at least not for all consulates.

why would they call and ask you if you visited? They really dont give 2 sqats. It up to you to give proof. I am convienced when they put you on long AP they seeing if relationship will last. And if you love each other that much they figure you will see each other one way or another. I swear i ha ve seen people on long Ap then there is visit then 2 months later visa approved.


Just my opinion

I went TO the embassy in person to SAY and SHOW PHYSICALLY I visited. the whole darn embassy knows I was in dhaka visiting my husband and meanwhile visiting the embassy. this was on the 3rd month of AP. If this was related to that I should have gotten my husband approved within 2 months as well. Up to me to give proof ya I went there is person they dont let ya call n say hey you want to see my plane tickets?? nah this explanation may be coincidental but its more with names than relationship. I did not even meet online but in person with him during a visit, then the online relationships gettin no AP has no explanation.

Theres nothing more I or anyone else can physically do besides GO to the embassy in person during AP. This is my 3rd visit as well while most people only make 1 or 2.

This is not a pattern pertaining to me or the people who have similar problems as me who visited more than 3 or 4 times during AP. i WISHED this explanation was true. That is why I spent my savings going to visit during 3rd month of AP thinking if, only if they saw me physically that it was my 3rd time coming and even with recent pictures and e-mails, that they may see its all true and theres no question...no they didn't care and they said its not you or the relationship. It is the name checks in DOS. But I posted this topic because I even the name checks have no pattern now with many middle eastern names passing through without AP. The woman at the embassy told me, it doesn't matter if you came to bangladesh a hundred times, the checks are in washington, and you being here makes no difference. Cold, but true words.Belinda is the closest to any explanation that I have heard so far because I have tried all you suggested would remedy AND BEYOND.

Thanks though patricia, maybe the idea about increasing visits will help others. It sure did not seem to help me.

I pray that this is over soon. Only God can help us.

Tammy

I am sorry i didnt mean to fly off the handle last night about the ap checks. I just get so mad at how they make families wait so long becouse of these checks. I do think in some circumstances they do want to make you wait to see if the relationship is real or not. Then you have some that may have gotten, name hits ,and so they have to go through all the name checks.

I went through only 3 months of ap and then they returned it. Now I am going through the process again and I just know he will have a long AP. I hope and pray he gets his visa soon. Good luck to you.

Thank you sweetie, I really get so down sometimes too. You and I and the rest of us who are in this situation know this sheer pain. Much love to you and yes we will get through this, we will.

Tammy

Hello all,
This may seem a stupid question.
i have just seen so many people put on AP lately in MENA and Pakistan & Bangladesh....

i understand and believe that it is true that every visa applicant regardless of origin passes through at least some form of security check or AP. i believe that. but how come in some cases, the beneficiary actually leaves the consulate with the visa in hand.... that very same day...
How is it possible that in some cases they can do the security check in just a few hours? And then other places, the minimum is still a few weeks with no information given upon leaving the interview. Is it just a matter of how organized the consulate is?


i can't wrap my head around it.

sorry,
hz

The biggest complaint about the AP and security checks is that no one knows what is going on. I have been told several times over the past few months that my SO's security checks are complete in Washington (at least at DOS that is what they tell me).
When the consulate is contacted they state they are still waiting for the clearance from Washington. Maybe they are using a service in addition to DOS, I don't know. This is what is so frustrating, I have no idea what is going on.
I even had my SO call the embassy Monday and he could not obtain any more information than me, "we are still waiting for the security checks to be completed." We have no idea what agency is conducting them or why.

I know part of it is because of the required additional checks because he is from a "State sponsor of terrorism" but come on, it has been more than a year.

I just keep hanging in there and dreaming of the day i pick him up at the airport.

It is terrible.
i wish you luck, and am sending out many prayers for you, me, and all the others.

we have our interview soon...
and i just don't know how much longer i can stand this being so far away.

Belinda, you Nutty and me gotta just keep on "mental shopping" and dreaming. Gotta keep up the faith. YES - there are other agencies, in fact several and that is directly from DOS that I heard that. Agencies that check backround, prior travel, whether if his funds ever aided terrorist activity, etc. But yes, a year...if they gave top priority this all could be a lot shorter.

Belinda you are in my prayers, I know this is definately our time and it is coming soon.

Tammy

Believe.

Well it is official....we are still in administrative processing. I stayed up until 3:30 am to call the consulate in Turkey. Boy was that fun. They are as bad as DOS as far as giving out information, all she would say is they check the computer every morning and he still has not been cleared. She did assure me they DO NOT enjoy having people on AR/AP and they would love to clear the files out as soon as possible.
I just wish I could get a little more information than we are waiting for the agencies (never named) to inform us he is cleared.

We were put on AP in Lagos, the 221(g) my SO received said we needed to return the "following documents", yet none were listed. I called the DOS and was told that they are not pending security checks, the Administrative Processing will be done right there in Lagos. What the heck does that mean? What are they looking for?

tess

AP at the local level is to check that the information that was submitted is true and accurate and to rule out any doubts on the relationship. Hope your AP goes by quickly.

Mary

With the recent AP inquires coming up, I thought it would be beneficial for you guys to read through this, it flushes out lot of the things that may make AP longer...I know how you all feel.

Tammy

bump for moral support.