Is that normal?????

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh... Are you Serious??? It is Freaking APRIL !!????

How do you know this??? WTF is going on Over there???!!!

Correction, it's freakin' CAIRO!

No visas issued as far as VJ is concerned (I think). However, that doesn't mean Cairo hasn't issued ANY visas this year.

OKay, So how many people on here are waiting to get an approval???

I JUST sent another email to the embassy today cause the NVC has in their computer that they Mailed the Packet 3 on March 25... and over 2 weeks later there has been NOTHING..

So who is still waiting???? Who is waiting for a interview/ and for how long??

for cairo? i think yessss

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Egypt-221/expec...gyptain-man.htm

Yikes!

This is our 8th week & we're still waiting for an interview.

What a freakazoid!!!! There she is spouting off that all women, even wives of rich oil sheiks hate it there and then you look in her profile and she says she LOVES it.

Sounds like someone was left at the altar and hates all Egyptian men!!!!

Granted I'm not a naiive doofus thinking that all Egyptian men have women's best interests at heart but who the heck is she to automatically judge this woman? I hate people who just judge judge judge without trying to at least hear the specifics first.

Officially how long can you wait before contacting your congressman?

I don't know what is going on over there, but this is strange because after having a major meltdown this weekend with all of this waiting and not knowing, especially when they told Sam at his interview he would have the visa in two months and we are past that point and no info. Sooo i emailed them and this is how they answered me....

Dear Sir,


Thank you for your email message.



Your case is still pending the necessary administrative processing. We have no jurisdiction over the process nor can we give you a specific time frame at which the process is completed. Once completed, we will process the case to conclusion.



Regards,


Consular Staff

NM


WHat is this???? and then I was thinking about all of us that had interviews at the end of the year and at the beginning of 2007 and no one has received a visa yet. IS there anyone that has gotten a visa issued since beginning 2007???? Can we contact senators or congressmen here to help see WTF is going on over there??? This is ridiculous and what about those waiting for interviews??? What is it going to be for you all coming up if they are so far behind???
I have been on a rant since I got this email yesterday just had it with all of this BS.

Sorry just had to vent!!!!! NOt just for our situation but for all going through Cairo!!!!!!

Believe me I have had several meltdowns already and we haven't even been put on AP yet.............I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HECK THEY ARE DOING. All I know is that the amount of scheduled interviews for the diversity lottery gets longer every month & I am pretty sure that no one on here has gotten a visa in 2007 yet.....and the year is 1/3 of the way through. For goodness sake there are people who interviewed in November that are still waiting. THIS IS TRULY RIDICULOUS and I feel that something has to be done. They need to be held accountable for this nonsense because some people who haven't received their visa yet have already been notified by the DOS that the security checks were cleared......so WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR???????? They have gotten sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo slow this year.....it was never this bad.

I read on their embassy website that the DV apps were done late December so maybe all of these DV's are from that date and they will stop soon?

Ok I'm not gonna think about this tonight. I wanna keep my noa2 buzz for at least a week before I deal with the letdown that is inevitable.

I haven't called DOS in about two weeks so I will be giving them a call to see what they know, (which is usually nothing), They tell me "they are showing still in administrative processing." With no end date in sight. So does anyone know the waiting time to try to contact someone here such as senator or congresman? I was thinking if we have heard nothing by the end of April that I will start trying this avenue and see if I can make some difference from this side. THat is the only thing I know to do right now.

I am going to be SO HAPPY when someone finally gets a visa.......I can't wait.....I'll know there's hope.

I wish contacting the congressmen here in NJ would be helpful.....I don't think it would though......cuz they're so wrapped up in their own corruption.

Becky, remember we are in the same boat, our interview was feb 1st... I call DOS every Friday just in case they want to make me happy with some good news... so far nothing... and yea, they told him the same thing at the interview "a month or two" but that obviously means zipo...

Is there anyone who has been on AP/AR (i forget which is the correct term) who's SO is NOT muslim?

JP's fiance?

Did he go through Egypt? I thought he was from Jordan.

i thought you were asking in general. in general, Jordan does hand out AR's.... and he is not muslim.

Oh ok.

Maybe it's just me though but on VJ since I joined up here I have seen women and non-muslim men fly through Cairo in particular. I really have yet to see either of those two get AR's that lasted more than a couple of weeks tops. I'm just trying to see if that's true or not.

I mean it's one thing for an embassy like Jordan to give it out to everyone...not that it's good I'm just saying at least they don't discriminate, you know what I mean?

You girls really don't know how lucky you are to have each other....all that are going through the Cairo embassy. When I was going through this I think it was just me , Laura and Catherine and a couple others that didn't post too much. Up till Khallids interview date it was basically me on here that was a K-1 . Then Together4ever joined and we griped about the whole process with each other. The other MENA gals were great too, but sometimes it just helps more knowing there is someone else from the same embassy knowing exactly how you feel who has walked the walk. Cairo seems to blow smoke up your butt at times. Seems at times they told me what I was wanting to hear. We were told he'd have his visa in 6 weeks.....which ended up being 6 months. I do think though that Cairo's checks are very thorough, which I am happy about....just thought all the waiting was for the birds. Egypt is a very high fraud country and even though we all say "it won't happy to me," I am glad that they do these checks. I received the same blanket letter that Becky&Sam received at least 10 times. Was told his checks were done....he had his visa.....no he didn't......more checks to do. A damned roller coaster ride!

As for DOS, they really only tell you what's on that pretty computer screen in front of them. When a case goes into checks, it COULD take up to "X amount of time." I would get myself freaked out because I would call and they would tell me that the check his case was currently in "could take as long as 6 months." As hard as it is, try not to call DOS too much. I swear I gave myself ulcers calling them.

I don't know how long it takes to get an interview scheduled, but in the past it was about 3 months after packet 3 was received at the embassy. Another long wait, I know. Beleive me, I know this part sucks, I've been in your shoes. All you gals are great and you will make it through this. Soon all you gals will be looking through VJ with your hubby behind you and you will still say......CAIRO SUCKS!!!!

Not true. My husband is Christian and has seemed to make no difference in time line between any one else. The only person on VJ that I have seen go quickly for their visa after interview was a girl and she got her visa in a week after the interview.

It's just soooo frustrating.....what do they spend months doing once the security checks have been cleared???? I don't understand.

agree on the backing off the DOS. Its hard when you're in the thick of it though. It was also hard for me when I joined, there was no Regional forum, and I had an Egyptian man filing out of Montreal! I had no reference point, but up until the interview, I didnt have VJ either... i joined (as you can see on my profile) i joined on the day of our K1 refusal.

there were members who went through Cairo, but I didnt *fit* there... I also didnt *fit* with Montreal filers. I had 2 friends who had similar situations (Rspirit ) and another one who proceeded to tell me I was being defrauded since we were relatively *ok* with being on AR.

at any rate, the whole thing is difficult! The friendships you make can help you tremedously through this process.

I really do appreciate the fact of knowing that we are not the only couple waiting the long wait for Cairo through each process. I know that it is slow and just have to take a DEEP BREATH and calm down. I have taken most of this roller coaster ride in stride, but for some reason right now I have just reached my point for a little MELTDOWN in patience. I'll get it together and feel better about it all soon and know that this will all be past soon. I appreciate all the others here on VJ that have been willing to share so we can all have some knowledge at least of what is happening for real with each step of the proceess instead of the BS you get from any section of the govt as far as time line.

Ok so there goes that theory. lol. Just trying to make sense out of this. There was a young guy who sailed through when I first joined here. I forget his name...Michael or something? I think he even failed the drug test and he still sailed through and got the visa within a week. No rhyme or reason I guess.

oh he is back and sailing through the AOS forum now

Hey....we're all allowed our occasional meltdown!



Somedays, I wonder if that Michael dude was for real.

Seriously.....you've been in name check hell for over 500 days trying to adjust status???!!!



I was talking to my dad today and he had to remind me that all of this torture I'm going through is only for a nonimmigrant visa......as if it's not obvious enough that this whole process has been psychologically draining.....I gotta keep hearing comments like ".............don't think that they're gonna give him a greencard easily."

quote name='lal_brandow' date='Apr 9 2007, 10:40 PM' post='828752']
agree on the backing off the DOS. Its hard when you're in the thick of it though. It was also hard for me when I joined, there was no Regional forum, and I had an Egyptian man filing out of Montreal! I had no reference point, but up until the interview, I didnt have VJ either... i joined (as you can see on my profile) i joined on the day of our K1 refusal.

there were members who went through Cairo, but I didnt *fit* there... I also didnt *fit* with Montreal filers. I had 2 friends who had similar situations (Rspirit ) and another one who proceeded to tell me I was being defrauded since we were relatively *ok* with being on AR.

at any rate, the whole thing is difficult! The friendships you make can help you tremedously through this process.


[/quote]

yes, 455 days to obtain the K1, now 520 something trying to AOS. Its rediculous, but what can you do? At this time, it is what it is.

I thought the same thing during the K1 - its a silly 90 day NONimmigrant visa, but you really cant look at it that way since its a visa thats considered *intended* immigrant nonimmigrant visa . unfortunately that often bandied statement of K1's are quicker isnt always the case. we have often thought if we only knew, etc etc... but that fact is, K1's work wonderfully for many people, as does AOS.

believe me, I sympathize!

It is nice that you have each other .....I am the only one currently stuck in AP
in Dakar, Senegal and have noone going through our embassy now waiting on AP/AR, noone scheduled for an interview either that I can talk to.
It has been 4 nonth since my fiance's interview.
I have one friend who encourages me, their K1 was approved 2 days before ours
in Dakar and they are filing AOS now.
I feel so alone going through this.

My fiance sent our packet back on 3/29 so we are still waiting for an interview. Obviously I am not complaining since it has not even been two weeks yet. However, I do feel for everyone going through Cairo and what you are going through now and what I'll likely deal with as well in the near future.

Omoba you are not alone and I hope everything goes well for you and you can be with your loved one soon.

Doodle...about DV visas...just a reminder that these are an ongoing thing not just done at the end of the year. The April schedule alone is mostly DV interviews. I'm not sure if these folks go through the same AP/AR as spousal/fiance visas. We've been on AP for a little over 4 mos. now and counting. DOS security checks took about 2.5 months. This seems about average for all countries going through DOS for security checks. Once a case gets sent to DOS there's really nothing Cairo can do about it while it's there. Hence the email that was sent to Becky (I believe). It's not in Cairo's jurisdiction whilst at DOS. DOS cannot be rushed so don't bother getting yourself upset. All you can do is call and check status. You can throw all the temper tantrums and fits you want but you're only hurting yourselves. You just gotta dig in your heels and wait it out. Cairo and DOS works at their own pace, unfortunately.

What exactly does it mean to be sent to DOS for security checks? I thought that once the file was in Cairo it stayed there until approved. I didn't know about this. Do all embassies go through DOS for security clearances?

Not all embassies send their cases to DOS for security checks. Nearly all of Cairo's cases get sent there, however. DOS runs security and name checks. Once it's cleared there they will send it back to Cairo. You can give DOS a call to check status. Here's the number...206 663-1225 press 1, 1, 0 to get to an operator.

Thanks. I have been calling this number, but was checking on status in Cairo and didn't know they would also be doing security checks.

Cairo is useless to you at this point...haha like it's useful any other time. You can resume bugging the crap outta Cairo when DOS checks are complete. Hopefully not much longer now.

For some reason the Egyptian Embassy website is Not letting me get in the Visa section... Ggrrrrrr

You have to have a direct link to the interview schedule.

http://cairo.usembassy.gov/consular/iv8.htm

Save it to your favorites like I did.

FYI...it hasn't been updated since March 23. If you want it updated you should email the embassy to request an update.