berber_wife

I am so extremely sad about his death. As an avid traveler, I lived vicariously through his shows while I was too sick to travel myself. And when I was well enough to hit the road again, I feel that the wisdom he imparted made me a better traveler and global citizen.

Despite his personal demons that ultimately ended his life, he made a positive mark on the world during a time when we stand so divided. I’m not one to get emotional about celebrity deaths but this one hurts.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/intelligent-travel/2015/04/24/travel-lens-anthony-bourdains-world/

https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/anthony-bourdain-dead-friends-family-share-grief-and-stories

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/remembering-anthony-bourdain

13 minutes ago, EandH0904 said:

 

Some of this is confusing. You said that the first time they did not talk to your FIL and the second time they did not let him in the building but then you say the consular officer asked for all of that stuff from him - so he DID have an interview or talk with someone? 

 

Also - and maybe its different for a tourist visa - don't they have to affirm in the DS 160 that they filled it out on their own accord? I started to fill out my fiance's for him (because his access to a computer was limited) but when I saw that information about affirming he filled it out on his own I cancelled what I had done and he went to a cyber cafe to fill it out. 

 

I'm sorry your family had that experience, I certainly dont think anyone has been malicious on VJ or giving false information purposely, they speak from experience as well. 

 

My FIL is somewhat illiterate (like many older men in Morocco are) and doesn’t know his way around a computer. We had to work on it for him. I know people haven’t been malicious but we are just upset and sleep-deprived over this and I’m confused as well as far as what happened. I just don’t see how anyone can think of him as any kind of threat. 

6 minutes ago, NuestraUnion said:

 

Are you 100% sure the CO asked for sponsorship? Or was it more of evidence/itinerary of the people (you) that he will visit during the trip? I think there is more information about what happened needed. Like did the previous CO note on the denial to provide information about the relative he is visiting in the US? 

 

It is true that there is no sponsorship of a tourist visa. If there were, it would be on the official government's website as well as forms for you (the "sponsor") to fill out and sign. It is not an official request.

 

The biggest question now is what has changed in the life and evidence of strong ties of your FIL since he last filed? If nothing has changed and all you did was remove your SIL, I can certainly see why it was refused. Many foreigners think simply applying for a visitor repeatedly will give them a better chance, sort of like a lottery.

 

The issue is that your FIL did not show strong enough ties to his home country which is likely the reason for denial. If he STILL does not have strong ties then he will continue you be denied.

 

 

You don’t think a wife, three children, seven grandchildren, a house and a pension are strong ties? Plus, he’s 75. That seems a little late in life to try to leave his simple but comfortable life and try to illegally immigrate.

l see why they denied SIL as she is young and single and I figured FIL was denied the first time because they applied together.

Ok, so the background. FIL and SIL applied for tourist visas to visit DH and me. They had that interviews in July. SIL is mid-30s, single, owns a small business and house. FIL is mid-70s, has a wife, three children, seven grandchildren, a house and a pension in Morocco. I figured SIL might not get it but I thought FIL would based on ties to Morocco and his age. They were both denied but the interviewer only questioned SIL and never spoke to FIL. So we decided to apply for FIL alone thinking he might have a better case without SIL.

The first time I filled out the DS 160 for them, I made an account online and followed the instructions and in the end, got confirmation pages with their pictures on them, which I emailed to SIL. The second time, I logged in and updated FIL’s information and deleted SIL’s. I followed all the instructions I found Here. FIL’s confirmation page did not have his picture but had the other info and said DS 160 and had a barcode. DH worried about the lack of picture but I thought it would be fine, l was very wrong.

The consulate officer didn’t even let FIL in the building because he said the confirmation was wrong. That there wasn’t a picture. I am confused because the page that I was taken too with email my confirmation didn’t have a picture. The officer said I should’ve made an entirely new online account instead of logging in and updating the info. That was nowhere in the instructions. Does anyone know what happened there and how someone can access the correct DS 160 confirmation?

But where I feel like VJ steered me wrong was that I had heard so many times on this board that the applicant doesn’t need sponsorship papers, invitation letter and proof of income from the American relative. But the consular officer asked for all that stuff from FIL! And he didn’t have it because VJ told me that only proof of ties mattered, not sponsorship from the USA. So I would say to ppl applying for their relative, send all that stuff. Even if 9/10 officers don’t care, you might get he one who does.

DH and I feel so guilty and that we let his father down. He traveled all that way for nothing. I did my very best to get him the visit. I hope other posters more knowledgeable can lend some advice for what I could’ve done better so others can learn and their relatives won’t have the same experience.

Added myself.

N-400: August 2017 Applicants

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Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox
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Chicago, Illinois Lockbox
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Hubby finally got ahold of an actual person and they told us to go to the nearest office to where we are on Monday. So Minneapolis field office. He said he couldn't say at this point what Florida offices will be closed.

Irma is on track to make landfall in the Keys Sunday night. So uscis might reschedule on us either way...

Husband looking into taking an uber to the nearest field office as he doesn't have access to a car where he is. I have the original letter though. Would he be able to present a scanned, electronic letter?

How easy is it to do a walk-in? The Ft Myers office doesn't do them, we tried to do it for his 155 stamp.

Hi! I'm late in joining but we applied for my husband's citizenship a month ago. Biometrics scheduled for Monday but we are thinking of rescheduling (I made a post in the general forum). If anyone has any advice about whether to reschedule I'd love to hear it. Our field office doesn't do walk-ins.

Hi. So my husband filed for his citizenship last month and got his biometrics letter end of business last Friday. His appointment is scheduled for next Monday, the 11th. We were planning to be out of town (me for medical stuff, him for work, then we were going to convene in the twin cities for a family gathering and were already debating whether to reschedule or cut our trip short to make it home in time for the biometrics.

Now we're in FL so with Irma we don't know if the field office will even be open Monday and if we'd be putting ourselves potentially in harm's way getting back.

on the other hand, it would be terrible to reschedule, Irma changes paths and misses FL and he can't get another appointment for months.

He also needs his 155 stamp and it's been hard to schedule an info pass with his work schedule. And we have potential incoming travel out of the country in a few months...

i guess I'm wondering 

a) if we reschedule how long it would take to get a new appt

and

b) if there's any way to know the likelyhood that the field office will be closed Monday.

thanks.

Well they pushed their interviews back because FIL didn't want to travel during Ramadan and they finally had it yesterday. They've were denied.

They were interviewed together, and all questions were directed to SIL. They didn't even acknowledge FIL. They asked for the evidence which they didn't look at and if SIL had ever been out of the country. That makes me think there suspicions were with SIL who is mid 30s, single, childless and owns her own not particularly lucrative business.

The plan is now for FIL to apply on his own, aa we want him to get to visit before his health declines (he's 75). And SIL will apply for a European visa in hopes of building up her travel experience. If she gets in soon maybe she can even meet me in Lisbon where I have a Conference in a few months.

I am joining this group, as husband will be eligible to apply in just two days. For evidence, do you send everything like bank statements, etc for your entire marriage or just from the time you applied for ROC until now?

21 minutes ago, Zombie69 said:

 

30 minutes ago, AriannaC said:

I have zero intentions of becoming an American citizen  I'm not worried about it. Thank you though. I was just correcting the guy above since he said 3 years. 

I don't know why you do not want to become a citizen, but it is your call. Welcome and good luck.

 

Some countries don't allow for dual citizenship. Morocco does, but even if it didn't, DH would never give up his Moroccan citizenship, even for the US passport (we love to travel and the US passport helps with that).

We've been having an awful time making an infopass appointment. Apparently they are busy and the website sucks and only updates available appointments after midnight. We tried to just go there and got turned away.

Sending the citizenship application out in the next few days...

1 hour ago, alejandreska said:

 

Venezuela has been going through a big political and economical crisis for the past 5 years so many have emigrated all over the world. The problem is that many also choose to do it illegally or overstay and some countries are being more strict with Venezuelans. For instance, we don't need a visa for Spain but they ask you many many questions at customs and don't let you in unless you have enough cash for your stay. Last time I visited they did not want to let me in even though I had a green card. I had to show them how much money I had in my checking account (thank goodness T mobile has free roaming in Europe!)

 

It's frustrating when those who don't play by the visa rules ruin it for those who do. DH has traveled to Europe a dozen times and never overstayed yet he still has to go through the visa process here every time. Although what is going on in Venezuela is horrible, I kinda can't blame them...

6 minutes ago, alejandreska said:

 

Yep, unfortunately every process needs a different Bio appt. It's especially ridiculous in my case because I recently requested a UK tourist visa and turns out they request a Bio appointment in the exact same center. So this would be the 3rd time the same center takes my picture and fingerprints in less than a year   

Edited 3 minutes ago by alejandreska

Do you also need a visa to visit Europe or just non-Schegen countries?

Congrats to the two approvals!

To think that a year ago I was so happy that we were sending DH's application to the CSC instead of the VSC...

We will be applying for his naturalization on 7/28 (hi rt1012!) I've been invited to a conference in Lisbon early November and he'd love to go with. Is there any chance he might have his US passport by then? I'm sure he'd be able to get a Schegen visa as he got one back in 2015 no problem but it requires more expense, traveling to a different city and a day off work for the interview, which is a pain...

On 6/27/2017 at 8:05 PM, cyberfx1024 said:

I totally agree with you on a majority of this except for the bolded part. You have to agree with me that a large majority of the illnesses people have can be prevented if they lead a healthier lifestyle and helped cured if caught early. Genetics DOES play a role in people's health and I am not denying that at all. But sometimes people use their genetics to try and let them lead a unhealthy lifestyle, which eventually will lead to ruin.

Ah, the personal responsibility argument. I led a healthy lifestyle, did all the recommended medical screenings and still got breast cancer at 28 which progressed to Stage IV at 30. Why did I get breast cancer? Maybe because my mom and grandmother had/have it. Why did it become Stage IV? Because breast cancer in young women is much more aggressive than in older women. Why did I get it so young? Don't know, but my docs say that unless one has an exceptional unhealthy lifestyle (drinking in excess, smoking, fast food daily) they can't do enough damage in 25 or 30 years to cause their own cancer.

Modern medicine has me living a normal life but it's expensive and I will be on it forever or until they find a cure, whatever comes first. There's simply no option for me other than to take these expensive treatment if I want to stay alive (and I do, I'm 32 years old and not ready to check out for at least another 30 years...)

3 hours ago, IAMX said:

So I absolutely agree that the "part" of Obamacare that dealt with pre-existing conditions was essential. However, it could have been passed without the mandate, which was what was far more contentious. Any mandate to the insurance industry will raise prices.. as predicted by those critical of Obamacare. Virtually everything Obama and Democrats promised about Obamacare was a lie. 

The thing with the individual mandate is that it was supposed to help spread the cost of buying insurance over the population. The problem was that a lot of young, healthy people opted to pay the penalty instead of buying insurance. 

I just don't understand the lack of compassion Americans have for others. Before my diagnosis, when I used healthcare only for my annual physical and maybe a sinus infection every five years or so, I was still willing to pay more in taxes to help less fortunate. Five full years before cancer entered the picture, one of the major reasons I voted for Obama was because of his promises to overhaul the healthcare system and I really felt for people who needed healthcare and it was inaccessible to them. Why are Americans so unwilling to help their fellow countrymen?

 Before this goes completely off the rails and gets closed I'd like to tell my story, to dispel some notions of irresponsibility that seem to prevail whenever this debate comes up.

 I lived a healthy lifestyle. I exercised; in fact I was a student athlete. I did not smoke or do drugs and l ate my veggies. I maintained private health insurance even when insurance was not offered by my employer and it was a stretch on my finances.  I went to the doctor every year for annual physical.

Eight months after my physical in 2013, I found a breast lump. I was only 28 years old so I was not very worried but wanting to be responsible I still went to the doctor and got it checked out. It turned out to be a stage IIIc breast cancer. I had no risk factors except some family history all among much older women.

 I did all the recommended treatment and then some. I underwent chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation, surgery, a clinical trial and hormone therapy. It still came back with Stage IV cancer. I will be on extremely expensive treatment for the rest of my life.

 My husband got trained in a job that provides good benefits. Without insurance my medical bills would total hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.  Even with insurance the co-pays take up about half of our income.

 I am terrified of being dropped from my insurance for having an expensive pre-existing condition and I am terrified that lifetime and annual caps will be brought back.  I was responsible and I am still stuck in the situation  to a combination of bad luck and bad genetics. This is the story for people that have expensive chronic and serious conditions. this healthcare bill will ruin lives and kill people.

Us funding their trip...I see it as akin to when we sometimes travel with my parents for family events and they pay for the children, spouses and grandchildren. It's a nice gesture to give loved ones an experience that would not have been able to have otherwise.

FIL staying and working illegally...I don't think the CO would see that as a threat. He's elderly, on retirement, has a comfortable even if not wealthy life and has his entire family in Morocco minus my husband. In a few years, he could actually apply without an interview but it's too chancy to wait that long - we want him to have the opportunity to visit while he's still in decent health. MIL is not coming with because she hates even traveling to neighboring cities. She gets anxious and worries about her grandchildren. 

I agree SIL chances are dicier. She's younger and single. She does own her own house and shop though.

4 minutes ago, Suss&Camm said:

I don't understand why your husband wants to send a form that is not asked for, and can do potential harm.

He wants to feel like he's doing more. I understand in a way because so much is out of his hands with the interview but on the other hand I've used VJ his GC and his European visa a few years ago and we flew through both processes with the advice here so I wish he would trust it.

My husband still wants to provide all this information just in case. How would including a 134, our bank statements and a letter of support hurt their chances? I understand these documents aren't relevant but including them would make my husband feel better, like we've done everything we can possibly do to up their chances.

Thanks, that was my instinct. Hubby got info from someone else who had his MIL visit from India but that was awhile ago. The only thing I'm still wondering is if there's any way they can show that we are paying for their travel expenses since they probably don't have enough in their accounts for round trip airfare and hotels (and they'll be staying with us anyway).

My father in law and sister in law have interviews  for tourist visas on Thursday. What do my husband and I need to do from our end? My husband believes we should furnish an invitation letter, bank statements, employer letter and passport pictures from us. From what I read here, that seems like overkill and might hurt their chances. They will of course bring evidence of their ties to their home country (they both own homes and have other ties). They don't have a ton of money though so we do intend to pay for their visit. What should we do?

also, are they expected to bring i134 forms to their interview? My husband thinks so but it seems those are for immigrant visas and not non immigrant visas.