package at the egyptian embassy now need your help pls

[fedo 2]

u guys talked about age difference, and religious difference but are both you Egyptians or from Egyptian decent ,also

visaqueries my question to you did he got approved or still in PROCESS

[LizzieBee 25]

I'm pretty straight-up Caucasian. Does it count if my sister is an Egyptologist?

[fedo 2]

hahhhhhhhhhhhhh , no i was just curious lol

[visaqueries 111]

I have no Egyptian descent...for the last two days our case was "touched" but no approval as of yet. Lizzie Bee, did you read my consulate review? If not, or if you want more details, I can PM you.

[LizzieBee 25]

I have no Egyptian descent...for the last two days our case was "touched" but no approval as of yet. Lizzie Bee, did you read my consulate review? If not, or if you want more details, I can PM you.

Yeah, I read through it! Maybe I should have read more carefully...

And, interestingly enough, everyone in America says, "Oh you could pass for Egyptian!" but when I'm in Egypt, everyone talks to me immediately in English. Funny how Americans think "brown hair + brown eyes" = "Must appear Middle Eastern!"

[visaqueries 111]

I don't have that problem (red hair, hazel eyes), but on the way home from Egypt all the flight attendants started talking to me in German. Apparently, I look German. Unfortunately, I have no gift for the German language.

At any rate, I'd suggest looking through all the information you sent to the Embassy. See if there is anything written in it that can be construed in a different way than it was intended. If so, that's where I would formulate my questions for "grilling". I didn't think my story was that crazy until it was spoken from someone trying to understand it through simply reading information about us. The top intro to a question was, "Now follow my thinking on this..."

There were things I submitted, and I thought, "Yeah, this will show how we were friends (back in 2009)." From my perspective and from remembering that time in our friendship, the words supported that friendship. From the officer's perspective, however, it looked suspect. It just goes to show that when we text or email, truly the intentions, inflections, and feelings aren't always transmitted in the way they were intended. Vocal inflections and body language really do help to explain things more fully. If only I'd have videoed those moments instead of sending in the transcripts... Instead, my fiancé was sitting on the other side of a glass wall providing our interpretation of the words written on those papers many years ago.

When I read through your information (and trying to think like an officer), I thought I might ask about a few things in particular...timing of your meeting/separation/divorce (that was big in our interview). If it is customary in the community where he lives (the officer was very familiarized with my fiancé's community) for people to have an engagement party, but you didn't, the officer might push some questions there (our questions included things that we did that didn't jive with coming from a traditional family--like traveling to Europe together). How many times have you met? If not more than once in person, they might ask why you didn't visit more often? (That happened with a man who interviewed the week before my fiancé--he and his fiancé had only met once). With my fiancé's seemingly great answers , the officer continued to push particular questions to see if the answers would change. He pushed the themes of traditional families and chronological order of events. In everything, my fiancé was honest, but it is still daunting to be in front of an officer who is trying to get to the bottom of your life in less than 30 minutes, and you're not only trying to share the answer, but you're trying to share it calmly--even if you feel nervous and frustrated due to the approach of the questioner.

I suspect all will be well with you, and your fiancé will come through with flying colors.

I took off the day from work when he interviewed because I had a great worry, but you know...after he told me all about his interview and gave me the questions coupled with his answers and emotions at those moments, I felt a sense of peace. It was our story told as eloquently as my fiancé could tell it under the circumstances. I was so proud of him and even more glad we were done with the interview.

[LizzieBee 25]

Funny about the German thing! I actually have a lot of Swiss/German blood in me, but DNA testing did conclude that our paternal line originates in "North Africa" around the area of Morocco. So perhaps that's why I'm drawn to Arab men so much!

I wrote a letter earlier today to include with Packet 3 explaining how we met, the timeline of our friendship, etc. It's on Google Drive for my writing group to look over and help me with. Could I share that with you, too, and get your input? If so, PM me your email address and whether you'd prefer to read online (via Google Drive) or in a word doc in email. I'm trying to ship this information off tomorrow or Thursday at the latest since his uncle is in Virginia right now and that'll save me shipping to Egypt direct!

[Heather&Ramy 22]

Thanks so much, visaqueries, for your account of the interview stage... we will be there in a few days, and I'm nervous, but my fiance is reallllllly nervous! I think he expects the interviewer to have a dragon's head and shout at him or something.... I'll definitely be sharing some of what you said and hopefully that will calm him down a little.. I am also definitely going to read through the original material again as you suggest and ask him questions related to it, because I can see how some of it could be misconstrued. Great advice!

[visaqueries 111]

Best wishes to you, Heather&Ramy. I hope it will all go smoothly for your interview. I'll be rooting for him!

[LizzieBee 25]

I wanted to bump this thread because I have some new information about this. My fiance did not receive any packet of information in the mail. It was EMAILED to us and included different things from what was listed above. Only DS-130 (to be completed online) and not the other forms. And it did not request a military service record. Just FYI.

Edited January 31, 2014 by LizzieBee

[visaqueries 111]

Hopefully it will make things smoother and faster for you LizzieBee. I'm surprised about the military papers though. In one of my discussion groups a lady was asking about taking her children to America to visit her husband in the states. There were several people who said her son, 15, would be able to leave the country without a problem, but her 18 year old son would have to show military papers. Several others also mentioned their "old" husbands also had to show papers to leave. However, my fiance and I traveled to Europe and Turkey on two separate occasions, and I don't remember them asking for his, so I wonder what is true. Maybe the Embasyy doesn't worry about it anymore. That would be nice. At any rate, good luck to you on your process. Hope it is fast!

[fedo 2]

YES, I GOT THE EMAIL TOO. YOU ONLY NEED TO DO D-160 ONLINE AND THE I-134

BUT THE BIG QUESTION HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE THEM TO SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEW? MAY BE ANYONE CAN HELP US FIGURE THIS OUT?

[LizzieBee 25]

YES, I GOT THE EMAIL TOO. YOU ONLY NEED TO DO D-160 ONLINE AND THE I-134

BUT THE BIG QUESTION HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE THEM TO SCHEDULE THE INTERVIEW? MAY BE ANYONE CAN HELP US FIGURE THIS OUT?

Right now they are scheduling appointments for people who returned this information in September. I would plan for 4.5-5 months after you return all of this information. They said they have a lot of delays because they've been closed so much due to the protests and violence last year. (I'm working with a congressional aide right now and this is the information she gave me from their congressional liaison in Cairo.)

Edited February 1, 2014 by LizzieBee

[Elchelle 5]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here. After waiting and waiting and waiting, I felt I needed some moral support, so I found this forum.

My fiancé and I met in 2006, and there were definitely sparks, but we did not start a relationship because I was dating someone. We try to maintain contact online, but he had very limited access to the Internet in his English was not very good writing, so it was nearly impossible.

When I returned in Dec 2012, I was single but he was not. He, however, was in what he calls a "traditional "marriage. It was arranged. Both were miserable, and they have since divorced.

I have some questions/concerns. We have submitted our paperwork, and we are now just waiting for an interview to be scheduled. I have noticed that some others have said that their fiancés were told they must get a second TB test. Does anyone know why? Also, my fiancée lives in a very small village in southern Egypt. He does not have a street address. When they requested documentation for packet three, they emailed it to me. I doubt seriously that they will email me to schedule an interview for him. What if DHL won't/can't deliver to his address??

Good luck, everyone!

[Elchelle 5]

Right now they are scheduling appointments for people who returned this information in September. I would plan for 4.5-5 months after you return all of this information. They said they have a lot of delays because they've been closed so much due to the protests and violence last year. (I'm working with a congressional aide right now and this is the information she gave me from their congressional liaison in Cairo.)

Thank you for this information!