AGE DIFFERENCE

[mohammedsgirl 2]

I am 38 years old and from the US. My boyfriend is 22 and from Egypt. We have been in an online relationship for 3 years and I am going to visit him in a week and again in July. My question is, Can anyone tell me how difficult the age difference will be when we start this process with the embassy to marry? Also, I have read that the Egyptian embassy has been known to notify parents and ask them if they approve of a relation with their son who is Muslim and myself who is Christian. I wanted to know how true this is.

[Rhonda2011 0]

The age difference wont be a problem

[mohammedsgirl 2]

The age difference wont be a problem

Thank u so much for responding. Do u know about the family part? They are strict Upper Egypt Muslim family and when I read that the embassy sometimes asks the family if they approve or not, I became worried to say the least

[moroccogirlny 100]

check out the MENA forum where you'll find couples with the same issue from the Middle East MENA

[payxibka 10,047]

I am 38 years old and from the US. My boyfriend is 22 and from Egypt. We have been in an online relationship for 3 years and I am going to visit him in a week and again in July. My question is, Can anyone tell me how difficult the age difference will be when we start this process with the embassy to marry? Also, I have read that the Egyptian embassy has been known to notify parents and ask them if they approve of a relation with their son who is Muslim and myself who is Christian. I wanted to know how true this is.

Egyptian Embassy is never involved maybe you need to stop reading from wherever you read that

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

You posted in the K3 forum, so just to let you know that the K3 is dead... Do you plan on applying for a fiance visa (K1) or marry and apply for a spousal visa (CR-1)?

The age difference won't mean an automatic denial, but it will lead to more questions at the interview. He will probably be asked what you two plan to do about children, and the relationship will be looked at a little closer. Will the upcoming visit be your first? And you have another one already planned, that is good. Visits show that you want to be together and you can also learn a lot about eachother which will come up at interview, so the more visits the better. Take photos too, ideally with friends and family.

It is possible that the embassy contacts neighbours, co-workers and family to check on your relationship, whether you are seen by them as a bonafide couple, and whether your fiance has another (local) girlfriend. Again, the family disapproving won't mean automatic denial, but it will count against you, especially in countries such as Egypt where the family's approval of a relationship culturally means a lot. The embassy officials may also try to trick family. For example, if you are applying for a fiance visa, they may ask them "so, when did X and your son get married?"

Egyptian Embassy is never involved maybe you need to stop reading from wherever you read that

I am sure she meant the US embassy in Egypt

Edited January 23, 2011 by Penguin_ie

[4ever mine 9]

Egyptian Embassy is never involved maybe you need to stop reading from wherever you read that

I would check the embassy website to see what guidelines one must follow. I do not think that they will ask the parents cause of the differences in religion. In Islam, musliman can marry a christian woman freely.

Good luck!

[Dahlia 1]

I am 38 years old and from the US. My boyfriend is 22 and from Egypt. We have been in an online relationship for 3 years and I am going to visit him in a week and again in July. My question is, Can anyone tell me how difficult the age difference will be when we start this process with the embassy to marry? Also, I have read that the Egyptian embassy has been known to notify parents and ask them if they approve of a relation with their son who is Muslim and myself who is Christian. I wanted to know how true this is.

Age does not matter. Egyptian people are the most loving people i have ever met. Marrying as older than he is not a problem. You cannot marry in the US embassy. Go to US embassy Cairo site and follow the instruction given there. It is very much explanatory what needed done. Egyptian embassy has nothing to do with it by marrying him. He is of his age not a seventeen year old kid. If you are going to marry a muslim is not a problem. If you are a muslim woman marrying a christian man then it will be a big problem. Visiting him makes it easy for you to apply for him save all your airline stubs, itinerary, photo of the both of you, his family, train tickets anything that you can prove that you have been in Egypt for the past two years....do not worry about your age. If you both love each other is what important...

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

There are things that are considered suspicious in applications. They are refered to as red flags. They include

Large age difference when it is not normal to the culture

Religious differences

Large differences in fiances

Wife being previously divorced when it is not custom to marry divorced woman

The list goes on

The more of these elements that exist in the relationship the more carefully they are supposed to examine the petition and the interview. But there is NO instruction to deny simply because these factors exist. Just send in a well prepared petition and then tell him to be calm and assured during the interview.

[pushbrk 13,073]

There are things that are considered suspicious in applications. They are refered to as red flags. They include

Large age difference when it is not normal to the culture

Religious differences

Large differences in fiances

Wife being previously divorced when it is not custom to marry divorced woman

The list goes on

The more of these elements that exist in the relationship the more carefully they are supposed to examine the petition and the interview. But there is NO instruction to deny simply because these factors exist. Just send in a well prepared petition and then tell him to be calm and assured during the interview.

Great explanation of red flags and how they apply in this case but none of the above matters for petition approval. It's all about the interview. Did you mean "large differences in FINANCES"?

To the OP, yes, sometimes the Consular staff in Cairo contacts parents about whether they approve of a marriage. Count on them asking about your plans for children and whether the parents approve of your marriage and be prepared to tell the truth about any and all questions that might be asked. The reverse age difference issue coupled with the religious differences will likely raise these questions. If you were no longer of child bearing age, that would make the age difference an even bigger issue. The context of our discussion is not whether your relationship is genuine but rather, what a Consular officer will want to be satisfied about before determining whether THEY think your relationship is genuine. In doing so, they are trained and expected to consider the totality of circumstances INCLUDING the local cultural norms.

Edited January 23, 2011 by pushbrk

[nurse1967 287]

They absolutely DO sometimes go out and talk to the Egyptian male's family members. I have known at least 2 different cases where this has happened and it can cause problems with the case if the family has strong objections. Age should not be an issue even though it is not the "NORM" in that culture for a much older woman to marry a younger man.

[jrmejia 31]

I hope not!

[pushbrk 13,073]

I hope not!

It's important you understand why you hope not. For example, if you hope not because they'll hear a different story than the one told at the interview, tell the truth at the interview. Finding out about disapproval is a totally separate issue than finding out about a material misrepresentation. If you say the parents don't approve, they are unlikely to worry about verifying the truthfulness of that statement. Their approval is not "required". It's just one piece of a big puzzle.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

somwdays it is finances and other it is fiances Actually large differences in either are probably a read flag .

Great explanation of red flags and how they apply in this case but none of the above matters for petition approval. It's all about the interview. Did you mean "large differences in FINANCES"?

To the OP, yes, sometimes the Consular staff in Cairo contacts parents about whether they approve of a marriage. Count on them asking about your plans for children and whether the parents approve of your marriage and be prepared to tell the truth about any and all questions that might be asked. The reverse age difference issue coupled with the religious differences will likely raise these questions. If you were no longer of child bearing age, that would make the age difference an even bigger issue. The context of our discussion is not whether your relationship is genuine but rather, what a Consular officer will want to be satisfied about before determining whether THEY think your relationship is genuine. In doing so, they are trained and expected to consider the totality of circumstances INCLUDING the local cultural norms.

[Darnell 8,479]

*** not a K-3 visa topic - moving to IR-1/CR-1 forum ***