Chynna/gapamix

Thanks TBoneTX, I thought the latter was the case regarding gifts. That is why I asked. Great to know you are on here still assisting us on VJ.
Chynna

There's one other person applying for Costa Rica right now, so I like that
But whenever I have questions anyone answers. I think this forum is very helpful, even if some veterans do get a little angry about not purging through a hundred pages of info to get an answer. I won't complain because there's no way I'd be as informed as I am if it wasn't for this forum and the people here.

Judging someone on whether they're newer than you or not can be hit-and-miss. They might well be wrong, but on the other hand they might be a quick study and have learnt the basics of their process quickly and somewhat accurately. I like to think I've fallen into the latter category given I didn't start offering any detailed advice for a good while until I'd had time to read some veteran responses. Even then I stick to K1 stuff and leave other processes to more knowledgeable people.
That said? You're right. A lot of the veterans do look down upon those of us who need a bit more help at times but that said, I personally get annoyed with some people who want their hand held for the entire process. There's one person in the UK forum (and you might tweak as to who I'm referring to) who has posted a separate topic asking for help every single time they come up against the most minor of obstacles like "how do I answer this field on this form". If they aren't going to get it now or try and use a bit of logic, they are going to have a hell of a time doing AOS, ROC and then Naturalization.
Asking questions is a good thing, all said. It's the key to understanding which then leads to knowledge. The trick is knowing when to ask the question to yourself and find the answer via your own means - or when you hit a brick wall when to ask out loud and understand that way. Once I was told "You don't question this veteran". But if we don't question either to ourselves or openly, it gets harder to understand and then eventually help others ourselves.

I like the region-specific forums because there is a lot of stuff that applies to other countries, but not mine. I didn't find out about the region-specifics until later in the process and ended up doing a bit more work than I needed to because ours is an easier embassy.
Honestly haven't gotten too much help from individual members when I do post questions. It seems that most of the responses I get are either from people who are newer than I am and have the same question or are veterans who get irritated at you because you misread something, didn't catch a post on page 56 of a forum longer than the collective works of Shakespeare, or are just in information overload. I like the advanced search feature and have gotten a few questions answered that way, but a couple times I've had a question and the only previous forums I could find were several years old so I didn't know if the answers were still correct. A lot of stuff, including some of the posts pinned at the top of topic forums, is very outdated.

Never give up. If you want to be together you will find a way. Even if it is not in this country.

Wake up extra early to get to the embassy by or before 7am
Stand in line outside.
Check your cell phones before entering the security check point
Go through 2 security check points
Someone will instruct your fiance to have a seat and wait to be called.
Gets called the first time for fingerprints
Called again to the window to hand in any new evidence and they may ask some questions about your case to prepare your file for the interview
Wait. wait and more waiting...you can hear interviews being done
There is a tv and clean bathrooms
Bing! Called again interview time!
Best of luck.

Chynna

First I would like to say I am sorry you and your spouse are going through this. I know it is hard to deal with when all you want is to be together.
I find it amazing and how much assistance you recieved when you asked your question. The fact that people took the time to disect your issue and come up with various reasons as to why this has happened is commendable and shows unity within your culture/country.
I have the same situation or I should say similar situation. I posted yesterday but I have gotten only 2 responses yet you have 2 pages.. .Amazing, you are very lucky to get great help from VJ and so much attention given to your situation. I do hope it all helps you and your case. Best of luck on the rest of your journey.
Chynna

After stumbling on to this posting, reading it, and pondering, I've come to this conclusion.
#1. American woman has to have the Permission to Marry letter from Embassy. This is for protection for the American.
NEVER is asked at embassy at this time if your soon to be husband was ever married, and if he was, there is no question of how long divorced? If so, then if a American woman was marrying a Egyptian man under this 90 days period, and he is free to take his former wife back up to 90 days, then that will make you the 2nd wife. U.S. embassy would inform you of this possibility. After all , they are looking at your best interest. There fore the 90 days waiting period would per mainly to the "former" Egyptian-Islamic wife, right? Yes!!
#2. The man's divorce decree is final with all the official stamps on it, PERIOD!!!, there fore he is divorced from the ex, ( unless he takes her back) within 90 days, then YOU are the 2nd wife then, as stated above.....
He IS legally able to marry whom ever he wants when he gets all the bells and whistles and stamps on that decree.
#3 Yes marrying so soon after a divorce is a red flag to the embassy, but there are cirstances to every case.
The embassy looks at the relationship, the length of it before the marriage occured, how many visits after the marriage, they look at the family relationship of the couple, if her and his family communicate, chat, and same with him with your family, if his family accpets the marriage, and is close to his family, his and yours, age, religion, COMMUNICATION, when I got my Permission to Marry letter , they asked "does he speak English", and my fiance' at that time, gently pushed me aside, and said as loud as he could, "YES, I speak English, and how are you today? " The lady giggled, stamped my paper, and gave us her congrats, many , many, many factors.
That is my 2 cents, and Im stickin to it........

Wow Wow You don't need a lawyer for the visa process . Unless there is some kind of extreme issue in either of your lives. All you need to do is follow the K-1 visa guide here for FREE !!
Step-by-Step Guide on How to File for a K-1 Visa for your Foreign Fiance(e)
http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide
If you have any questions. VJ is full of experienced and knowledgable members that will help you along the way for FREE!! We are all on this Journey and understand what the process is. We are willing and ready to help anyone with questions.
If you don't have a complicated history for either of you and have not paid that lawyer. Dump the lawyer fast and come to VJ . We will help get you going and through the K-1 visa process for FREE !!!

I'm a single solitary man but he IS cheating on you. Emotionally, if not physically he is having an affair. You need counselling, as soon as possible. These are not the actions of someone who loves you, get this matter settled one way or the other ASAP. Just my $0.02.

Oops my bad Coulda sworn this was in the Sub-Saharan...Well Welcome anyway Mani.

You show me yours first, Tim. You may think there SHOULD be such a requirement and I would agree, but you will not be able to show me any such requirement. It's absence, is all that's needed to prove my point. You do not serve the members well when you make up stuff.
Unless the visa denials were for some reason that would also make the applicant ineligible for the visa they now seek, they are mostly meaningless. They can be interpreted to mean that getting to the USA is more important than the relationship but good relationship evidence usually overcomes that concern.

Not with a new person
Not with the current person
Not with anyone
Not even the ole marry your 2nd cousin twice removed lol still
no way!
Chynna

You can cry over it or take action. Assuming you haven't done so already, be on the phone everyday; demand answers; email the supervisor and the supervisor's director with a copy to your senator and your lawyer (if you have one). Heck! go to change.org and start a petition! I don't know if that will help at all, but I'm just throwing it out there.
I swear, I was on the phone with Cairo's embassy, so much, when the ladies at the consular section heard my voice they called me by name and asked about the weather in NY. I kid you not, it got to a point where on one call, the lady told me: "listen, someone just canceled their interview for next week due to the revolution, do you want the spot?"
Sometimes we have to be tenacious and agressive, because it is our lives and we must take action. We can't let others decide for us. Unfortunately this process defies that, but the better prepared we are, the more proactive and organized we are, the greater the chances of success. However, if the outcome is not what we wanted, please never forget this: Rejection is God's protection. Always think that the outcome may be disappointing, not because you don't deserve it, but because God knows you deserve better. These folks do not deserve your health. Do not give them that. They are taking your right to consumate your marriage. Do not give them anything else. Claim back what's yours and your husband will follow.
Light and blessings.

you better know it

OP should swing by the Jamaica forum, where this is a common issue that comes up often. She could probably get some great advice there.

you have not clearly stated what your intentions are entering the US on VWP.
since you are evidently getting married, there is a concern that you are asking for help getting through CBP with the intent to immigrate (ie AOSing through marriage to a USC).
tell us what your intentions are and people might be able to better answer your questions.
those of us who waited a long time to be with our partners after having done things 'the right way' have more limited tolerance for immigration tactics that seem less than 100% kosher.

Lots of good info, some country-specific which you ought to study very closely and take heed of.
As far as your clock, you can jump on a plane right now and satisfy that itch.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but it sounds like you're blaming USCIS for not accommodating your own fixed schedule. They process far too many petitions to be that accommodating.
I don't know why you got an RFE. Most RFE's are because the petitioner either forgot something, or the evidence they submitted wasn't enough to convince the adjudicator. It's impossible to compile a list of every possible thing they could ask for because it changes dramatically from one case to another. The guides here tell you the essential elements that comprise a complete petition package, but it's purposefully vague on some of the evidence. It would be pointless, for example, to tell everyone they absolutely needed copies of passport pages with entry/exit stamps since many people (those with Canadian fiance's, for example) won't have those. Likewise, a birth certificate isn't proof of citizenship for someone who became a citizen through naturalization.
As "full of fluff" as the pinned RFE thread is, it's still useful. A list of scanned RFE's isn't much good unless you know what the petitioner provided in response, and whether or not it was successful. You'd also need to know specifics about what the petitioner originally submitted, and their particular circumstances. Some people are asked for things that the overwhelming majority wouldn't be asked for because they have a unique situation.
Anyway, it's not the fault of USCIS that your fiance has a firm schedule in his home country that overlaps the immigration process. It's also not their fault that your biological clock is ticking away. You'll find the whole process dramatically less stressful if you just presume that each milestone in the immigration process will happen in it's own time, and be prepared to alter your plans accordingly as you pass each milestone. For example, if he's ready to respond to packet 3 but it's obvious he won't be able to complete AOS before he needs to return for his fall semester then notify the consulate that you'd like them to extend the approval of the petition and give you more time. You can put off the interview this way for up to a year. That way, he won't be interviewing for the visa until he's ready to come to the US and stay here.
Also, he shouldn't return for a four month semester using AP. You could be scheduled for an AOS interview, and he'd have to return to the US for the interview or risk abandoning his adjustment of status with no visa to reenter the US. Many people aren't approved at the interview, and have to wait days, weeks, or even months for a decision. It would be risky to leave the US during this time because the AP will be canceled when a decision is made on the AOS. A K1 shouldn't leave the US with an approved AP unless their schedule is flexible enough that they can drop whatever they're doing and return to the US.

Susita, Thank you for your input. We already know that his field of study won't be useful here whatsoever. It is possible, but then again, we could also win the lottery. My own personal opinion is that his degree isn't necessary in either country for what he plans to eventually do, but that is not the point. He wants this and is adamant that he finish. I can certainly empathize with him on that, but practical doesn't always dictate what our hearts demand.
He asked me this morning why he can't just apply for a tourist visa, marry while here, return to finish school, then start over with that visa, instead.
I think that would be considered fraud, even IF he COULD get a tourist visa, so I told him that isn't a good idea. His friends are also asking why he is bothering with the legal route anyway since such a small percentage bother to try it the right way. GGGGGRrrrrrr.......
Now, isn't there a lottery drawing tonight? I probably should go buy some tickets.

Clearly they doubted your relationship. The evidences you submitted are not convincing enough to them. You have to understand where they came from: there are sham marriage cases where all the evidences can be fabricated to be even more real than the real ones. So keep that in your mind when you prepare the documents.
Try to perceive yourself in a sham marriage situation. You are a poor American citizen and in need of some money and this Chinese lady contacted you and she would marry you so she get a green card and you get certain benefits. And she arranged for you to make some trips to her and so you can take some photos together, and you even get a real marriage certificate in China. And you present all the "evidences" to the US Consolate and they detected that this could be just another sham marriage.
Now move yourself away from that perception, clearly you are NOT like that. You have a real relationship. You did not and would not engage yourself in a sham marriage. But how do you differentiate yourself away from all the evidences that the sham marriage case could present? A mere few photos are definitely not enough. Think about it hard and put yourself in the shoes of the visa officer. What evidence can you present that is strong and convincing? It is hard, but it can be done. Don't trust the mediators. You need to spend your own time and effort to do this. This is where you demonstrate that you have real love.
Good luck!

Just take a day at a time... call once a week on Fridays to DOS and get an update.. if you frequently call or email the embassy they may stop replying to you. We are almost 6 months of ap and in November I got my congressman involved. They too asked for another document.. it took about 5 weeks to put that document after the interview with the case and review it and we received teh news at that time they are moving our case forward and into name checks. That's where we have been since. I wish they could have simply run our name check gotten it back and worked up our case right then but unfortunatley it doesnt happen that way.
He gets in que for name checks then they run them once they are satisfied they put it back with the case and the co reviews it. All that takes time as there are literally thousands in the same process so while its frustrating waiting just know your case really truly isn't sitting and having nothing looked at. They are working behind the scenes and doing whatever they can to make sure he is eligible for the visa. Once everything is satisfied they can then issue the visa.
I know easier said than done but patience is truly needed and welcome during the ap time you have to endure.
Wishing you a speedy ap....
And do remb when you call DOS make a log of each persons name you speak with and exactly what they say. Sometimes if your lucky a pattern emerges.

I must admit I stopped and thought for the slightest moment......Nah I found a real sweetheart pass on the mil