Linds&Youssef

Today we went and picked up our K-1 fiance visa from the Casablanca US Consulate... it's official... houbi's coming to America!! He'll probably be here in November. For any who are interested, I just posted a pretty detailed review in the Casa Consulate review section. Feel free to ask questions if there's something I haven't covered. Best of luck to you all!!

Today we went and picked up our K-1 fiance visa from the Casablanca US Consulate... it's official... houbi's coming to America!! He'll probably be here in November. For any who are interested, I just posted a pretty detailed review in the Casa Consulate review section. Feel free to ask questions if there's something I haven't covered. Best of luck to you all!!

I am so incredibly happy writing this post, yesterday my husband became a US citizen along with 1,509 other people in Minneapolis, MN. Yesterday marked the end of the exciting, stressful and seemingly endless journey that we have been on since 2007 when we met, fell in love and married. Overall our journey was relatively easy; my husband passed all of his interviews and we never had an RFE. But I don't think it would have been this way without the help of all of you. We will continue to visit this site periodically and I hope that the knowledge we've accumulated will come in handy for those still going through the process. Good luck to everyone!

We have the same situation with my fiance's mother. Just use 01/01/YYYY. That's not unusual, particularly for those born in rural areas.

Just a quick note to say how friggin' excited I am that I leave (technically... now that it's 12:14a on Thursday the 30th) tomorrow for Morocco to see houbi, and his interview is in less than a week!! Please send happy thoughts our way! I promise it'll be completely reciprocated....

Re: classism playing a part - there have been many Moroccans approved who are dirt poor. I think class can be used as an excuse when in fact the poverty of one's situation motivates him/her to be with someone from another country that they would never prefer to be with if they were living comfortably in their own country, i.e. - someone much older AND in a different life phase than themselves, such as a 20something poor Moroccan man with a 50something year old American or European woman well past child bearing years and sometimes a grandmother. It may not be fraud per se, but it's a situation that he would never choose in Morocco if he had the comfort of financial sucess and more choices.

Your description indicates that you are using dated information. The current m.o. of the consulate in Morocco is not the lack of an interview, but rather a very intensive, detailed interview, with the possibility of several interviews.

Denials are NOT based on the "mood" of he CO. That is completely false. Sometimes they get it wrong (either denying a legitimate couple or approving a scam), but mostly they get it right. They are very good at what they do and have seen it all before. The process is most certainly not capricious, though people who don't understand it might feel like it is.
It is very odd that a person who is planning to move somewhere cannot point to the place on the map. It's not a question of geography of the world, it is the place the person is planning to move to in the next month. The lack of curiosity about the new home says a lot. That was a wise decision to deny on that (and, your story changed, at first you said he couldn't name the state, now you say he couldn't point to it).
Have you read the fraud warning on the Consulate website? http://morocco.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/fiance-visas.html
It is near the bottom of the page, "Internet Romance and Marriage Fraud."

Don't fool yourself, they care about everything. If someone appears fraudy, of course they aren't going to worry about how many times his SO visited him. Don't worry about other peoples' cases, focus on your own and gather info about the technical aspects of overcoming a denial. If you do get denied then you will know what steps you'll have to take to overcome it. I'm telling you, listening to the women in your support group is not the way to go. Everyone's case is different, everyone's relationship is different and most of the time these women are not going to be completely open and honest about why they were denied. Who wants to admit their husband looked super fraudy or didn't know jack about them? The person who got denied because they didn't know how to point out their wife's state on the map was not denied for that reason alone.

Honestly, I've never heard of one case in the 6 yrs of being active in this forum where a beneficiary was not interviewed and then denied. They may not ask a ton of questions but there is an interview. Also, the COs don't just deny willy nilly, there are good reasons for denials. No one will admit that though. Most people will get butt hurt and act like their relationship is 100% normal and the CO was just being mean and evil. Sometimes the petitioner has no idea what the CO may have found or observed to make their decision to deny a case. Don't believe every story you hear.
ETA - you are absolutely correct in thinking you may get a denial based soley on the limited amount of time you have known your husband. That's not to say your relationship is not authentic. It's just that most people don't meet, get engaged and then get married within 5 months. That's not enough time to get to know someone well enough to make a rational decision to get married, IMO. Especially if you're unable to see that person daily and observe their behavior. Marriage within 5 months is impulsive and the COs will most likely see it that way. It's good that you're preparing yourself now. That's not to say you will get denied 100% but there is a good chance that it will happen.

Yes, I could, but I'd also have to shorten my trip by 4 days because of the way my PTO works out (currently my travel spans Labor Day Weekend). I mean, if it comes down to that I'll do what I have to do... it's just really an inconvenience and a point of frustration... that's all. So yes, thanks for the suggestion; that's what I'll do if they won't work with us on the date. I'm just sort of blown away that some people seem to get their interview dates moved for random BS reasons, and yet I'm getting responses saying they won't change it just because I already spent $1,600 on a plane ticket (after waiting for written verification of the interview date). Thanks again for your support, you're always so helpful!
Although there is one documented case where the Casa consulate allowed the petitioner to come into the K-1 interview (and it actually made the difference in the couple receiving the visa),I know that, in general, they won't let the petitioner into the interview. On the other hand, they do frequently ask why the petitioner didn't come with them to the interview (from what I've read), and they've been known to verify responses to this question by sending officers out of the consulate to "check up" on what the beneficiary says. These are two reasons I want to be present for the interview (if even just to wait across the street at the cafe). But more importantly this is a life-changing moment, and I want to be there because the boost in his confidence will show through in his interview, and as his partner I want to be present as a show of support to him.
Can I get an Amen...

Just for clarification, I bought the plane ticket to be present for the interview... not for him to come to the US. And I didn't buy it until I had a formal statement of the interview date in writing from the consulate...
So in light of my clarification (see above), I'm looking to find out if it'd be possible to get them to change back to the original interview date so that I can be present for it! Any takers?

Hi, I was going crazy calling NVC everyday and I had given up when I had saw this on a post from another person and decided to give it a try. I went to www.dhl.com clicked Express then Tracking, then Track by Shipper's Reference, on this page you add your search info..You change the day and month to what you think your's might have left NVC
EXAMPLE:
* Shipper´s Reference : EXP 24 MAR 2011A
* Date range for shipment - From: 23 - 03 - 2011
* Date range for shipment - To: 26 - 03 - 2011
Account Number - Leave this blank
Shipment Destination: Egypt / You Choose your Country
The day I was trying this I saw a package had left for Egypt. I thought could that be our's? I called the NVC and I was told our package had gone out. The one I had saw was our's I was so happy. I just checked our's it's at the Sorting Center in Egypt now, it's moving fast
Someone with the example date I made up above for the country of Egypt has a package going to Egypt now as you will see if you try this.
The best of luck to everyone

Ah yes, another attorney...
She's correct if she's talking about the timeframe from filing the I-129F petition and supporting materials to when you can expect to receive an approval, RFE, or denial. Otherwise, it's more likely the process -- from filing the I-129F to receiving the visa in hand -- will take 8-9 months, if you're lucky.

NOA1: January 31, 2012
NOA2: July 11, 2012
162 days, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :dance: Best of luck to all who follow... your time is coming

I have to agree on the bit about too much info not being a good thing. Specifically with relation to your case because Nigeria is considered a high fraud post. That said, sex and sexual activity is a very intimate thing that a CO will argue can be used to make the manipulated party feel as though the relationship has a level of authenticity that for the manipulator isn't there. This is because when sex is involved, for a lot of people, there's an automatic assumption that the relationship is at a certain point. I'm not saying in any way that this is the case for you; I'm saying it can be the case for some couples if the beneficiary is simply using the petitioner to get to the US.
Further, I don't know what the major religion is in Nigeria, but if it happens to be Islam, sleeping together before marriage (or sexual activity in general) is a HUGE taboo. It's not like it doesn't happen, but it's not something that a legit couple would necessarily be willing to share with the world because it's private and the couple doesn't want to be viewed as a sinner and bring shame to him/herself and those with whom they associate. So again, this would raise a red flag with a CO.
Finally, it's a simple enough matter to print out what you want to send, then black out the text you don't want them to see with a Sharpie. That way the CO can see that there's a chat record without reading your personal details. You're better off providing evidence that there was a conversation via time stamped print outs than by letting them read your personal content. Just sayin'

I have to agree on the bit about too much info not being a good thing. Specifically with relation to your case because Nigeria is considered a high fraud post. That said, sex and sexual activity is a very intimate thing that a CO will argue can be used to make the manipulated party feel as though the relationship has a level of authenticity that for the manipulator isn't there. This is because when sex is involved, for a lot of people, there's an automatic assumption that the relationship is at a certain point. I'm not saying in any way that this is the case for you; I'm saying it can be the case for some couples if the beneficiary is simply using the petitioner to get to the US.
Further, I don't know what the major religion is in Nigeria, but if it happens to be Islam, sleeping together before marriage (or sexual activity in general) is a HUGE taboo. It's not like it doesn't happen, but it's not something that a legit couple would necessarily be willing to share with the world because it's private and the couple doesn't want to be viewed as a sinner and bring shame to him/herself and those with whom they associate. So again, this would raise a red flag with a CO.
Finally, it's a simple enough matter to print out what you want to send, then black out the text you don't want them to see with a Sharpie. That way the CO can see that there's a chat record without reading your personal details. You're better off providing evidence that there was a conversation via time stamped print outs than by letting them read your personal content. Just sayin'

I have no intention whatsoever of trying to bribe a federal official. I do have a legitimate reason for asking and would appreciate helpful commentary only. For a site where people are supposed to be supportive of each other, since we're all pretty much in the same boat, there sure are a lot of bitter people with nothing but snide remarks. I'm so tired of seeing people picking on one another here. If you can't be helpful, then don't comment. It's that simple.

I have no intention whatsoever of trying to bribe a federal official. I do have a legitimate reason for asking and would appreciate helpful commentary only. For a site where people are supposed to be supportive of each other, since we're all pretty much in the same boat, there sure are a lot of bitter people with nothing but snide remarks. I'm so tired of seeing people picking on one another here. If you can't be helpful, then don't comment. It's that simple.

I have no intention whatsoever of trying to bribe a federal official. I do have a legitimate reason for asking and would appreciate helpful commentary only. For a site where people are supposed to be supportive of each other, since we're all pretty much in the same boat, there sure are a lot of bitter people with nothing but snide remarks. I'm so tired of seeing people picking on one another here. If you can't be helpful, then don't comment. It's that simple.

I have no intention whatsoever of trying to bribe a federal official. I do have a legitimate reason for asking and would appreciate helpful commentary only. For a site where people are supposed to be supportive of each other, since we're all pretty much in the same boat, there sure are a lot of bitter people with nothing but snide remarks. I'm so tired of seeing people picking on one another here. If you can't be helpful, then don't comment. It's that simple.

I'd like to point out that Obama's decision applies to children under the age of 16. In the US you have to be 16 to work anyway for the most part (granted there are extenuating circumstances, but this isn't the place to get into them). His decision was that while we will not support the children of these illegal immigrants with federal/tax dollars, and we will not give them the rights to attempt to obtain official immigrant status, we will also not deport them. This is on the grounds that they are children and were not able to make the decision to come to the US, but now that their families are here they'd go back to nothing in their home countries. Based on my conversations with immigration attorneys recently, this is less about giving them the right to file for any sort of documentation and more about not separating children from their families before they are able to take care of themselves. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see how this will really affect those of us who are in the middle of the immigration process.

I'd like to point out that Obama's decision applies to children under the age of 16. In the US you have to be 16 to work anyway for the most part (granted there are extenuating circumstances, but this isn't the place to get into them). His decision was that while we will not support the children of these illegal immigrants with federal/tax dollars, and we will not give them the rights to attempt to obtain official immigrant status, we will also not deport them. This is on the grounds that they are children and were not able to make the decision to come to the US, but now that their families are here they'd go back to nothing in their home countries. Based on my conversations with immigration attorneys recently, this is less about giving them the right to file for any sort of documentation and more about not separating children from their families before they are able to take care of themselves. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see how this will really affect those of us who are in the middle of the immigration process.

Just for sharing's sake, I have heard of a single case in which the petitioner was granted access to the interview area. If I recall correctly, it was a very special circumstance, and the couple had already been denied once. During the second attempt's interview, the CO asked why the petitioner wasn't there with the applicant, and he responded that she was, in fact, right across the street waiting for him at the cafe. The petitioner was then summoned to enter the interview. From the description, it sounded as though the CO was skeptical that the applicant was telling the truth and made an exception expecting to catch him in a lie. But in the end, the petitioner was able to answer several questions and (from her story) turn the case around. Their visa was granted. I tell this story because if you feel like spending the time to find it in the consulate reviews section, you can verify for yourself, and also to say that even if the rule is not to let petitioners in it's always a good idea to be there as a show of support and as evidence of a legit relationship. I've even heard of the consulate sending representatives to the hotel where the petitioner was supposed to be staying to verify her presence in the country (in other cases). Although it's not the norm, you never can tell in a high fraud country like Morocco... I'd go for the interview if I were in your shoes. Good luck!

COngrats, please fill out your time line...