israsaif

I am Algerian but I've lived in the Bay Area since i was 4. My family and I used to live in Richmond/El Cerrito which is about 10 minutes from Berkeley and Oakland. We moved to San Francisco about a year and a half ago because my dad bought a restaurant here. I went back to Algeria last summer and got married and brought my husband here. Finding a DECENT PRICED place to live in San Francisco has been near impossible. Studios are at least $1500 and even that is hard to find and if you do it's in a horrible neighborhood. BUT San Francisco has so many programs for low income households and provide cheaper rent in decent areas. I love the city so I've been stubborn about looking somewhere else in the bay but if you look a little outside of San Francisco in Oakland or San Leandro you have a much better chance of finding cheaper rent.

Now as far as work goes...hate to break to you but your husbands degree in Algeria isn't going to do him any good here. I have a bachelors degree and I've been looking for a job for a few months and it hasn't been easy. Not to undermine your husbands experience but any job you apply for wants experience in the same field and legitimate references they can call and what school (in the US) you went to. There are a lot of job opportunities in San Francisco and Oakland. You guys might want to start with an entry level job and work your way up. Or maybe even open a family business like a coffee shop or restaurant. It takes time to settle into a new place and when you are with your hubby and kids everything falls into place alhamdulillah There is a big Algerian community here that will welcome you with open arms (including me).

Hope that helps and feel free to message me with any questions

Hi everyone. My husband just arrived in the US and we just sent out his adjustment of status documents along with the the employment authorization and travel document application. We have received the i797 notifying us that they received the documents and will begin processing them. Can anyone give me a rough estimate as to how long it took for their adjustment of status papers to go through?
Thanks

Hi I don't know if anyone might have information on what I'm about to ask or they could just tell me what to do from experience...

So my fiance just got his visa and he booked his flight and everything. We really want to have a wedding here and one in Algeria because his family and my extended family is there. Can anyone give me a rough estimate as to how long the adjustment of status would take and what stage will he be able to leave and re enter the US?

Thank you

I was on AP for 5 months as well and got the same email BUT a couple of weeks later my fiances visa was approved and he is picking it up tomorrow! Be patient it just means they found something they want to look into or further investigate. If you know your relationship is legitimate then you have nothing to worry about. Good luck!

I have a question, how long did it take for your fiancee to receive his passport from the US Consulate? My fiancee's visa was approved on March 22 and waiting for them to return his passport with his visa.

Thanks

Hi I was good to ask the same thing!

It says his visa was issued on the 23 on the DoS online visa status check. I emailed the embassy asking them when it was sent and I still haven't gotten a response. I'm assuming we should both get the passports withing the next couple of days!

HI EVERYONE!

I just wanted to let all of you know my fiance got the visa on March 23! I am so happy right now =D

I honestly thought he wasn't going to get it because it was taking so long! We also set a date for the wedidng and its going to be August 11. I wish everyone the best and hope everyone else gets to experience this feeling.

Mine were in arabic and they accepted them so you should be fine

All of my proofs for ongoing relationship are in french, from skype logs, e-mails, letters etc. Will these need to be translated to english? has anyone had any experience turning them in in another language and getting away with it? Please help!!!

Then you need to get married in Algeria, then file the I-130 if you eventually decide to live here. As mimolicious stated, a K-1 visa is for him to come to the US and marry here - period.

Let me clarify; we will get married in the US but we just want to have the celebration in Algeria.

Why pursue the K1 then? Sounds like you want a tourist visa (which certainly isn't easy to get). Why not save yourself a whole lot of headache if you want to marry in Algeria - then do so, but if he comes on a K1 - and you decide to go to Algeria to marry - you will start all over again with a CR1. Is that what you mean to do?

We just want to have the wedding celebration in Algeria, we are aware we have to marry here within 3 months of his stay.

I am having a difficult time understanding. You said your fiance wanted to come here before the wedding and them go back together for the wedding. Where is here? and where will you be going back to to get married? If he wants to come to the US and you will then return to Algeria to get married, you cannot do that. A K-1 visa is for him to come to the US and marry here, you cannot marry in Algeria with a K-1 visa.

I live in the US but I was born in Algeria. It would only make sense to have the wedding in Algeria since since both of our extended families are in Algeria. We would come back to the US after the wedding.

Hello

My fiance had his interview in November and after having some issues with the Affidavit of Support form and clearing that up our case STILL PENDING. The embassy replies to 1/1000 of my emails and when they finally replied they said our case was pending because my fiance gave them the impression that we don't want to live in the US!! He just stated that he was going to come here and spend time with me before the wedding and we would go back together for the wedding and figure out what we're going to do from there. I find nothing wrong with what he said because we both agreed that we would figure out where we would live after getting married according to what both makes us comfortable and what we find easier. The woman that interviewed him was very rude and told him it didn't make sense to make someone who lived in the US their whole life live in Algeria....????!!! As far as I'm concerned that is none of their business. I AM ALGERIAN, my whole family is in Algeria and I visit every summer so I know what Algeria is like. She also picked on him for wanted to proceed with the interview in Arabic and how he was going to the US and couldn't speak English. She was playing (excuse my french) ###### mind games with him.

I am beyond frustrated at this point and just came to vent on here. I don't really have a question but if anyone has any comments or something to give me a sense of reassurance please feel free to express your thoughts. I guess if anyone was in this position or a similar one how long can a case stay pending?

Thanks

Hi everyone

After my fiance and I submitted another i134 from a legitimate co-sponsor we were told we had to submit the i864 instead...which I thought was crazy because no one notified us and I wouldn't have found out if I hadn't called the DOS visa line multiple times. Anyway, has anyone had experience with the i864?

Ok i am a little confused. The DS156 and 156K forms, is that something i am supposed to print and send or will those be sent by the embassy to my fiancee for him to fill out?

The DS156 should be filled out and emailed to the embassy. You should also print and fill them out so your fiancee can take them with him to his interview.

I was reading that my fiance will need to obtain a police certificate and bring it with him to the interview. What exactly is a police certificate? And where does he get one?

Hi, I had the same problem because I didn't know what it was called in Algeria. It's basically his police record showing he doesn't have any criminal offenses. He can get it from a police station or court. Hope that helps

My fiance was denied the visa because our co-sponsor did not meet the income requirement but he was told to find another co-sponsor and resubmit the i134. He did that about a week ago and now we're waiting for a response. That is why i was wondering if they would contact him to notify him if he was approved or not.

Can anyone tell me if they call you to notify you that your visa has been sent or denied after the interview?

Thanks

As you all may remember my fiance had his interview about a month ago and he was denied a visa because my father was already sponsoring his friends son and that put him below the poverty level. We finally found another sponsor, who is a really close family friend who is from the same city as us in Algeria. My fiance dropped off the i134 yesterday and they asked him for his phone number and told him they would contact him. :)

Does any one have an idea of how long it's going to take for him to get the visa?? (that is if he is approved)

Hi!i am an algerian girl who live in algeria and my husband where in USA my husband posted our I-130 application for the month of August for to be together!! but I am very anxious and stressed for the time take esque someone can helme me how long it will take

Hi, I am Algerian and I live in the US and my fiance lives in Algeria. We filed for i129f not i130 but they are very similar. It shouldn't take too long 7anouna just be patient. You should at least expect it to take about 6 months. I know it sounds like a long time but it will go by very fast inshaAllah. Message me if you have questions or just need someone to talk to

I did. It was three weeks ago. Same embassy as you. It was a long-time friend of my family and the consulate said

it was not acceptable even though she made well over the required income.

But with the vagaries of the DZ embassy, precendent means absolutely nothing whether they will accept or refuse this in your case. One person can be told one thing and the next can be told something entirely different.

Aaaw Im sorry to hear that

What are you gona do now?

Hello

Has anyone had any problems with the co-sponsor NOT being a family member?

OR has anybody been able to get the visa when the co-sponsor was not a family member?

The form was a 212 (A) (4)....Has anyone else ever received this? I have to now find another sponsor

So my fiance had his interview today and it went fairly ok...

I only got to talk to him for a couple of minutes on the phone but I still want to get an idea of whats going to happen from you guys. My dads income did not meet the income requirement to be his sponsor and I have only been working for a couple of months and they told him I had to have been working for at least a year...BUT here is where I am confused: They DID keep his passport. Does that mean anything? or do they keep everyones passport? They also gave him another document and told him fill it out and send it by UPS...Can anyone give me a sense or reassurance or tell me if there is still a possibility he wasnt denied? pleaaassse

Hi everyone

So my fiance had his interview today and it went fairly ok...

I only got to talk to him for a couple of minutes on the phone but I still want to get an idea of whats going to happen from you guys. My dads income did not meet the income requirement to be his sponsor and I have only been working for a couple of months and they told him I had to have been working for at least a year...BUT here is where I am confused: They DID keep his passport. Does that mean anything? or do they keep everyones passport? They also gave him another document and told him fill it out and send it by UPS...Can anyone give me a sense or reassurance or tell me if there is still a possibility he wasnt denied? pleaaassse

Thanks

Hi

My fiance had his medical examination in Algiers yesterday and some guy told him he has to go the morning fo his interview to "drop off" the packet and then return at the time of his appointment. Is this true?

Be VERY parient. One week is nothing lol. Wait another week before calling them but you should get the NOA soon. THEN theres the the wait to get approved which is way longer than 1 week .

Bon Courage khouya

Hi everyone, it's me again lol

My fiances appointment is next week and I want to make sure he is prepared for any of the questions they ask. I know our age difference wont be an issue, I am 21 and he's 26. Family approval wont be an issue as well, our families have been friends since forever and our dads went to hajj together before we were born

Can you guys just ask your SO about the questions they asked and post them here? Especially questions that were out of the ordinary.

Thanks!