I-130 Beneficiary from Middle East

[HKS 169]

Does anyone know if having a beneficiary from the Middle East causes I-130 processing times to be longer? 

[geowrian 22,336]

Not the I-130, but some countries are known to have extended Administrative Processing (AP) for background checks after the consulate interview later. Iraq would generally fall under that.

[JeanneAdil 6,220]

with  so many Arab countries using the same first and last name over and over ,   yes ,  as the name itself may pop up as on another application /not related to yours/  names like Hamid ,  Omar,  Youssef and  Mohammed do take extra work for USCIS/ even the last name can match a different application 

[HKS 169]

6 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Not the I-130, but some countries are known to have extended Administrative Processing (AP) for background checks after the consulate interview later. Iraq would generally fall under that.

Yeah, I'm a little worried about that cause they closed the US embassy in Basra and called all "non essential" US government employees back to US from Iraq in general. 

The embassy in Baghdad is still open. 

I think the one in Erbil is still open. 

 

Idk about everyone else, but this waiting game and all the processing time inconsistencies is maddening. Especially when you see some people get jumped in front of people that have been waiting a long time (the IOE numbers). And yes I know it isn't their fault they got the IOE numbers. I have nothing against them personally. 

[HKS 169]

1 minute ago, JeanneAdil said:

with  so many Arab countries using the same first and last name over and over ,   yes ,  as the name itself may pop up as on another application /not related to yours/  names like Hamid ,  Omar,  Youssef and  Mohammed do take extra work for USCIS/ even the last name can match a different application 

Just FYI. Arabs are named very differently than Americans. Their first name is their given name, second name is their father's name, their third name is grandfather's name, fourth name is great grandfather's name, etc. The Al-xxxx name is their Clan name. 

The American system if identification doesn't work well for them. When I went through the process of my Iraqi marriage Visa, they asked me for all my names plus my mother's name. This is their way of distinguishing me from another woman with the same name. It's actually not as hard to correctly identify Arabs. All that is needed is a little adaptation by the US govt to do this. 

 

I'm sure other cultures have things like this. There are a lot of other things u can learn from their names that I won't go into here. But, alas I understand. I just hope we get through this process before another war breaks out here. 

[SalishSea 16,814]

1 hour ago, HKS said:

Does anyone know if having a beneficiary from the Middle East causes I-130 processing times to be longer? 

There is extra vetting and security/background checks for many MENA countries, so that does add to the time.

[HKS 169]

4 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

There is extra vetting and security/background checks for many MENA countries, so that does add to the time.

I have been reading these forms and some people from MENA countries are getting approved in 4-5 months. 

I've been waiting since January 2019. 

 

[SalishSea 16,814]

2 minutes ago, HKS said:

I have been reading these forms and some people from MENA countries are getting approved in 4-5 months. 

I've been waiting since January 2019. 

 

Which countries? I have not seen that, personally, and definitely not for applicants from the travel ban countries.

[HKS 169]

5 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Which countries? I have not seen that, personally, and definitely not for applicants from the travel ban countries.

VJ member, MM & MM iraq

[SalishSea 16,814]

2 minutes ago, HKS said:

VJ member, MM & MM iraq

Definitely the exception.  For every case that seems fast, there are many more stuck in AP for over a year.

[HKS 169]

Just now, Jorgedig said:

Definitely the exception.  For every case that seems fast, there are many more stuck in AP for over a year.

Sorry VJ member RMA

[HKS 169]

I know. It's just hard. I know everyone's situation is different and difficult. 

I keep searching for the magic answer to make this go faster. There isn't one. 

[LilyJ 1,258]

What service center are you at? Some service centers take longer than others. But they also can use extra scrutiny for certain countries yes as some places are more high fraud than others

[steveblue 12]

In addition to the 7 essentially banned countries, there are 26 countries which get extra scrutiny, those are normally found under the category called visas condor. You can look it up or you can PM me for more details on that. 

 

I realize it’s very discouraging and frustrating, but they’re just trying to do a security check for everyone’s safety. That doesn’t make it any easier.

 

This is actually pretty helpful and explanatory. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Advisory_Opinion

 

http://hirschlaw1.com/information-on-administrative-processing/

[HKS 169]

5 hours ago, LilyJ said:

What service center are you at? Some service centers take longer than others. But they also can use extra scrutiny for certain countries yes as some places are more high fraud than others

Nebraska