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Kani2015

Getting Married in Algeria to Start Cr1 Visa Process

By Kani2015 in Middle East and North Africa

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Kani2015 Contributor

Kani2015   85

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Algeria
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Hello all! I'm so excited to have come across this wonderful community! I was wondering if anyone could offer me any personal experience on getting married in Algeria? I'm from the USA and my husband is from Algeria. Me and my husband finished the process of getting approved by the Algerian government/police to get married, so I will be returning to Algeria in March, inshaAllah to sign the official marriage papers with him. Does have any experiences on how this process works? Once we sign the papers, do we get a copy of our marriage certificate right away? I know I will need a translation of the marriage certificate in order to file for the Cr1 visa but I want to know if I will be able to take the marriage certificate home with me on that trip or do I have to wait to receive that copy in the mail when I return to the USA? (I will only be able to stay 5 days because I have to return to my job in the USA). Also, are there any papers that I should start preparing with my husband while I'm there for the Cr1 application before I return back to the USA? We want to start the Cr1 application as soon as possible so I just want to know how to do this as efficiently as possible. Thanks in advance for any help!!

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millefleur Veteran

millefleur   5,035

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
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32 minutes ago, Kani2015 said:

I know I will need a translation of the marriage certificate in order to file for the Cr1 visa but I want to know if I will be able to take the marriage certificate home with me on that trip or do I have to wait to receive that copy in the mail when I return to the USA?

If you have the original marriage certificate, you can make a copy of it and let the translators work from the copy. You don't need to send originals of anything USCIS ever, only send copies.

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview ⌛

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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JFH Grand Master

JFH   12,189

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: United Kingdom
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Aside from the paperwork, you also need to be prepared for an uphill battle with the embassy there. Algeria is a difficult country for visa approvals. How many times have you met in person? Did you marry on the first visit? You will need to load your petition with as much evidence of time spent together as you can think of. 

Timeline in brief:

Married: September 27, 2014

I-130 filed: February 5, 2016

NOA1: February 8, 2016 Nebraska

NOA2: July 21, 2016

Interview: December 6, 2016 London

POE: December 19, 2016 Las Vegas

N-400 filed: September 30, 2019

Interview: March 22, 2021 Seattle

Oath: March 22, 2021 COVID-style same-day oath

 

Now a US citizen!

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hannahj_11 Contributor

hannahj_11   19

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Morocco
 Timeline
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Congratulations!
In Morocco it took us almost 3 weeks waiting for the marriage certificate to be done. The very important thing is to double check the documents you have to bring with you from the US.
as certificate of celebrity, birth certificate... and all of these needs to be translated.

https://dz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage-in-algeria/

I-130 Spouse Visa

April 1, 2016 - Married

April 26, 2016 - Filed I-130 abroad from Morocco

May 3, 2016 - Case accepted

May 10, 2016 - Received NOA1

August 25, 2016 - Case transferred to another office

September 15, 2016 - Case Approved! USCIS

September 27, 2016 - Received NOA2
October 5, 2016 - Case Sent to Dept of State

October 11, 2016 - Case Received by NVC

October 25, 2016 - NVC Welcome Letter Received

October 25, 2016 - Completed DS-261

October 25, 2016 - Paid AOS Fee

November 2, 2016 - Paid IV Fee

November 4, 2016 - Filed DS-260

December 1, 2016 - Sent AOS Packet to NVC from Morocco
January 29, 2017 - We Have our Baby in Morocco :D👨‍👩‍👦 👶
February 17, 2017 - We Received Appointment Letter From NVC
March 20, 2017 - THE INTERVIEW - VISA APPROVED :dancing:
January 25, 2019 - Filed I-751 Remove Conditions

February 10, 2019 - Received NOA1

March 5, 2019 - Biometric APPT

Jun 18, 2019 - Interview & Approval

Jun 21, 2019 - Received 10 years GC ✔️

www.rehazu.com - Learn more about our International Marriage

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Kani2015 Contributor

Kani2015   85

Posted
Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Algeria
 Timeline
  • Author
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3 hours ago, millefleur said:

If you have the original marriage certificate, you can make a copy of it and let the translators work from the copy. You don't need to send originals of anything USCIS ever, only send copies.

Will they have to be certified copies? If so, how do I go about certifying the copy of my marriage certificate from Algeria?

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Kani2015 Contributor

Kani2015   85

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Algeria
 Timeline
  • Author
Posted
3 hours ago, JFH said:

Aside from the paperwork, you also need to be prepared for an uphill battle with the embassy there. Algeria is a difficult country for visa approvals. How many times have you met in person? Did you marry on the first visit? You will need to load your petition with as much evidence of time spent together as you can think of. 

Yes, we know that it is not an easy process but we are in it for the long run :) We will be meeting for the 3rd time in March, that's when we will sign the official marriage papers inshaAllah. Married with a nikah on the first visit but both of our governments do not recognize this marriage until we finish the paper work on our 3rd visit, which will be in March. I have saved all of my plane tickets, memories with him, pictures from our trips, etc. I believe we have a lot of evidence to show of our relationship over the almost 4 years we have been together. 

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Kani2015 Contributor

Kani2015   85

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Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Algeria
 Timeline
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3 hours ago, hannahj_11 said:

Congratulations!
In Morocco it took us almost 3 weeks waiting for the marriage certificate to be done. The very important thing is to double check the documents you have to bring with you from the US.
as certificate of celebrity, birth certificate... and all of these needs to be translated.

https://dz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage-in-algeria/

Thanks so much! Yeah the process for us took a really long time, we started it in August and we got the phone call from the police in Algeria that our application to marry was accepted in December! Thankfully, we finished with all those documents, now we just have to got to the town hall to officially sign the papers to get the marriage certificate. 

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Ryan H Grand Master

Ryan H   3,790

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Filed: Lift. Cond. (apr) Country: China
 Timeline
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Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Progress Reports to MENA regional forum.

Our journey:

Spoiler

September 2007: Met online via social networking site (MySpace); began exchanging messages.
March 26, 2009: We become a couple!
September 10, 2009: Arrived for first meeting in-person!
June 17, 2010: Arrived for second in-person meeting and start of travel together to other areas of China!
June 21, 2010: Engaged!!!
September 1, 2010: Switched course from K1 to CR-1
December 8, 2010: Wedding date set; it will be on February 18, 2011!
February 9, 2011: Depart for China
February 11, 2011: Registered for marriage in Wuhan, officially married!!!
February 18, 2011: Wedding ceremony in Shiyan!!!
April 22, 2011: Mailed I-130 to Chicago
April 28, 2011: Received NOA1 via text/email, file routed to CSC (priority date April 25th)
April 29, 2011: Updated
May 3, 2011: Received NOA1 hardcopy in mail
July 26, 2011: Received NOA2 via text/email!!!
July 30, 2011: Received NOA2 hardcopy in mail
August 8, 2011: NVC received file
September 1, 2011: NVC case number assigned
September 2, 2011: AOS invoice received, OPTIN email for EP sent
September 7, 2011: Paid AOS bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 9, 2011)
September 8, 2011: OPTIN email accepted, GZO number assigned
September 10, 2011: Emailed AOS package
September 12, 2011: IV bill invoiced
September 13, 2011: Paid IV bill (payment portal showed PAID on September 14, 2011)
September 14, 2011: Emailed IV package
October 3, 2011: Emailed checklist response (checklist generated due to typo on Form DS-230)
October 6, 2011: Case complete at NVC
November 10, 2011: Interview - APPROVED!!!
December 7, 2011: POE - Sea-Tac Airport

September 17, 2013: Mailed I-751 to CSC

September 23, 2013: Received NOA1 in mail (receipt date September 19th)

October 16, 2013: Biometrics Appointment

January 28, 2014: Production of new Green Card ordered

February 3, 2014: New Green Card received; done with USCIS until fall of 2023*

December 18, 2023:  Filed I-90 to renew Green Card

December 21, 2023:  Production of new Green Card ordered - will be seeing USCIS again every 10 years for renewal

 

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