Approved at casa

[kristen_maroc 126]

So so excited! I am in the airport and we are boarding but it feels awesome. Will post full review in a few days no I 184, no evidence looked at... Just wanted to say thanks for all the info and support!

[leeandcorinne 1]

So so excited! I am in the airport and we are boarding but it feels awesome. Will post full review in a few days no I 184, no evidence looked at... Just wanted to say thanks for all the info and support!

AWESOME!!!! so cool to be boarding and yet to take time to share that with us

hugs !

[lovepath 11]

So so excited! I am in the airport and we are boarding but it feels awesome. Will post full review in a few days no I 184, no evidence looked at... Just wanted to say thanks for all the info and support!

Congratulations! You are right, they do not need the I-186, but they do look at the I-134. I hope you fiance/finacee gets his/her visa printed soon. They say come back in 2 days at 3pm to pick-up your visa, but lately I think they have been experiencing some mild delays in printing the approved visas.

Good luck, and have fun. Are you coming back to the U.S. from Morocco? I have been to Morocco many times, but the return trip to the US alone has always difficult and sad since I was leaving my loved one behind.

[miss191209 1]

oh congratssss

[LADYDARE 28]

Congrats

[Crossed_fingers 128]

Congratulations!

[KittyPollitt 284]

OMG YAY!!! :dance: It makes me so happy to see success out of Casa! Congrats and hope you have a happy reunion with your friends and family in the States!

[basstof and robi 4]

congratulations!!! BUT WHAT? I THOUGHT YOUR INTERVIEW WAS TOMORROW!!!!?????

Edited July 15, 2011 by basstof and robi

[LoveMyMohamed 6]

That is beyond fantastic. Many congratulations. So much difficulties being approved at Casa, so good going you two. I wish you a safe flight and a happy future TOGETHER!

[kristen_maroc 126]

Thanks! I've flown through three airports and am exhausted, so I will try to do a consular review later, but a few interesting notes:

- The entire thing took about 5 hrs and 15 minutes. I spent some quality time at Beverly and Americana. I was there, but I don't think it made a difference from what my fiance described.

- Everyone here was telling me to bring a I-864. They didn't even ask for a co-sponsor for the i-134 and I do not make consistently above the poverty line. My fiance had the I-864 and the I-134 (co-sponsor) with supporting documentation, but they didn't ask for it!

- They didn't even ask about evidence. Nothing. We had an album of 80+ pictures over the last 17 months (different places), boarding passes, hotel receipts from Europe, Skype logs, Facebook messages, etc. They never asked for it and they didn't even see it. So, so, strange.

-My fiance said he was treated respectfully by everyone. The blonde lady who conducted his main interview was particularly friendly and chatty and made it more of an informal conversation than anything else. She apparently kept "ooh"ing and "aww"ing about questions like how he proposed and how we met.

- There were at least 3 k1s that day. At least one other got approved (and they met online; she wasn't there for the interview); he doesn't know about the other. There were other K3/CR1s but with people who were married/engaged to US Citizens of Moroccan heritage. He said they approved almost everyone that day: approvals left and right.

And, yes. My timeline is a few days off (but it's consistently off-- so that it doesn't mess with timeline numbers or stats really). I kept reading that consular officers read VJ and though I don't think I've said anything particularly red-flag worthy, I didn't want to advertise who we were here in a way that would be obvious to them, though if people really wanted to it would be obvious in other ways. I think you can probably understand why.

He was approved the other day, I left Morocco the next day, and he picked up the visa today! We're thinking a post-Ramadan POE: the last thing I want is for him to be missing his Mama's cooking and that kind of family time and to be fasting in the NC heat alone! Then again-- I just had three weeks with him, so waiting a few months when we know he has his visa and I can focus on "nesting" for us, so to speak, doesn't sound quite as difficult or daunting.

Wow. I am not an ex-pat anymore. After 4.5 years I am home, unemployed, and jobhunting like mad. It must happen before AOS! I need to be able to do the I-864 myself!

As I said, in a few days, I will write a full review (or ask him to send me one). Peace, and good luck to everyone.

[kristen_maroc 126]

Oh- other relevant details:

We are the same age, he has a student visa/residency for an EU country and has had it for two years (and has visited other Shengan countries), we met in person through a mutual friend (on taco night, no less!), his parents are supportive, I am not Muslim (but they didn't ask about religion), we have been physically together for 6 of the 17 months we've been together, I have lived in Morocco for 4.5 years, he is fluent in English and I speak French and passable Darija. I also frontloaded the petition a bit: 2-3 emails, 2-3 Facebook mails, Skype-out log, passport photocopies with stamps and boarding passes, 5 or 6 pictures of me with him, him and his friends, and his family for l'Eid Kbir... I think that's it. I mention this only because the front-loading might have been what precluded the need for evidence?

Edited July 15, 2011 by kristen_maroc

[lovepath 11]

He was approved the other day, I left Morocco the next day, and he picked up the visa today!

Again congratulations! Did he actually pick up the visa today, as you stated. They say come after 3pm the day after next to pick up the visa/passport, but I heard they have been experiencing delays in printing approved visas.

Good Luck.

[~ameriptian~ 54]

Congratulations!

[msheesha 548]

Congratulations! Wonderful news!

And, I think you're being really wise about timing of him coming over here. Coming right before or during Ramadan would make for an extra difficult adjustment.

Good luck with everything! Congrats again.

[Staashi 371]

Kristin, many congrats! I think your many similarities and longevity of relationship behooved your finance's approval. Best of luck on finding a job.