ShirahBet

Having worked for local government before, may I politely suggest that insulting the people who are responsible for moving your application forward may not always be the best idea? It sounds as though you are having a reactive response to things that are being told. One trick to prevent that from happening is to listen what you're being told, take a few breaths before you respond, then respond. It can dramatically change the tone of events.
That being said, and not to beat a dead horse, I just read this entire thread and I see how easily the information you've read has been just slightly misinterpreted. The about.com website is not official government information, it's a series of people who are deemed "experts" trying to explain a confusing set of US laws. I know that when my I-130 was approved at USCIS, I got confused and thought that was the official approval... and then I figured out that it was a first of many things to come. Even the official sites are very confusing, like the information from Morocco, which requires a court clearance and a police clearance (I got the same checklist for my husband as Ismael & Blair did, super frustrating!)
There is no set number of visas for spouses of US citizens, however, there are finite numbers of worker visas or visas for brothers and sisters of US citizens. The distribution following approval of these visas is based on priority date, and in many cases takes up to 10-20 years to actually obtain the visa.
Hopefully your case gets moved along quickly, but be mindful of the tact that you take, they do log calls and site visits. And while I don't think it's right to do something like this, I wouldn't put it past them to also be logging their perception of your interactions with them. What's the old adage? You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.

As an impartial bystander, I do think you are ignoring some important information: there was nothing that your brother could have done to change the CO's mind. As it has been said before, the mere fact that you were a foreign national and now have become a USC has worked against your brother.
Does it seem backwards? Perhaps. Does it SEEM unfair? Perhaps. But none of us are trained Consulate Officers. To them, they are protecting the interest of US citizens and the United States. When someone is attempting to travel or even immigrate from a country where conditions are less than desirable, the consulate will be even more harsh and use their discretion in order to protect the US. That's the reality. So, while your intentions (and likely your brother's intentions) were and are good, it still means that unfortunately, at this time, your brother will not get to study aviation or accounting in Ohio; perhaps there are other options that your brother can look in to that don't currently involve the United States?
Traveling one time to France is not going to prove anything. I would imagine that a longer history of international travel with returning in a timely fashion (prior to visa expiration) might go to establish a strong pattern, especially if you have relatives in other foreign countries. There is no one thing that will change the mind of the CO at this point.
I really do wish him the best of luck.

Agreed, everyone might want to go back and read to understand that the award is NOT for overall USCIS customer satisfaction, but their responsiveness to customer improvement surveys related to a very specific component of a website.
Also, the nasty comment about Spanish speakers in the original post, highly uncalled for.

We emailed them the approval notice on friday and today i received email stateing that approval email was forwarded to us consulate so my roomate will have to wait on what they say afterwards...

Having done our waiver by myself and had it approved and my husband arriving next week... and having generally not agreed on many things, I have to say that my first comment to you will be that a child is not a qualifying relative. It is not arbitrary who is a qualifying relative. That being said, if you choose to proceed with this - understand that it is expensive. The fee is nearly $600, plus the cost of all the records you'll need to acquire in order to prove extreme hardship.
I2us is not a dead forum, in fact, it's just much slower than visa journey because the specific nature of the forum is waivers. Register over there and read the guides on how to assemble a waiver packet. Read through the approved letters. And I'd really consider NOT arguing why you shouldn't have to write the waiver and the decision should be overturned because USCIS and the embassy are two separate entities that don't communicate as we think they should. You run the risk of offending your adjudicator by pointing out the flaws of the immigration system and, well, because they're human, they may not adjudicate in your favor. Stick to what is required and prove extreme hardship - that is to say, why you can't live here without the immigrant and why you can't live where the immigrant lives.

This thread needs reading comprehension to understand what the email was about, apparently.
Go ahead and re-read it again. Slowly, if necessary.

I wasn't suggesting your post in particular. I read the whole thread and everyone is telling the OP to "man up" and that this is "normal for older people." It's not normal for anyone of any age regardless. And why shame the guy? None of us knows the actual situation. We know what the OP has told us, but there's always more to the story.

Since when did punching anyone for any reason become acceptable? Since when is age an excuse? I'm sorry, but as a social worker who routinely travels from nursing home to nursing home, when ANY resident hits ANY other resident (regardless of age), we have to report it as abuse.
Do any of you know the circumstances about why this guy lives with his mom and the 78 year old? It's actually pretty common place in this economy for people in their twenties to live at home. And to belittle someone because their dreams of going to fashion school are essentially too girlie for you? It's just shameful.
This thread is seriously just sad. The poster, the responses, just sad.

the 601 is to waive inadmissibilites to obtain a visa whether it be overstay, fraud, cimt's, etc. and Boiler, which you're right she may not need the waiver, however it is good to plan for one just in case. the case i was referring to previously, there was no overstay by the applicant that had her tourist visa revoked, it was only taken away from her for misuse. she then waited out in her country while husband petitioned for her and at the interview was denied her visa and she received a ban for misrepresentation in connection with the tourist visa being used that was revoked. she never overstayed, and she was told she was eligible submit the i601 because she was found ineligible for her visa due to inadmissable misrep, she then submitted the i601 and i think was approved and went on with her life. i am not saying that op will in fact need one, just that there is a possibility because of the reason for having the tourist visa revoked. the deportation totally beside the point and taken care of with i-212. not too long ago we had a case here where an i-212 was not requested at interview only i-601 and there was never a deportation. RFE came to client citing due to an expedited VD, 212 was being requested, attorney agreed totally outrageous, but needed to be filed in order for approval eventhough technically was never necessary, 212 submitted and waiver approved. Hopefully once OP has interview all will be explained at interview.

As an impartial bystander, I do think you are ignoring some important information: there was nothing that your brother could have done to change the CO's mind. As it has been said before, the mere fact that you were a foreign national and now have become a USC has worked against your brother.
Does it seem backwards? Perhaps. Does it SEEM unfair? Perhaps. But none of us are trained Consulate Officers. To them, they are protecting the interest of US citizens and the United States. When someone is attempting to travel or even immigrate from a country where conditions are less than desirable, the consulate will be even more harsh and use their discretion in order to protect the US. That's the reality. So, while your intentions (and likely your brother's intentions) were and are good, it still means that unfortunately, at this time, your brother will not get to study aviation or accounting in Ohio; perhaps there are other options that your brother can look in to that don't currently involve the United States?
Traveling one time to France is not going to prove anything. I would imagine that a longer history of international travel with returning in a timely fashion (prior to visa expiration) might go to establish a strong pattern, especially if you have relatives in other foreign countries. There is no one thing that will change the mind of the CO at this point.
I really do wish him the best of luck.

I'm confused?
Afghanistan is among a list of high fraud countries. US Embassies specifically warn against this exact situation. My only point is that they will go through his file VERY CAREFULLY because of his timeline. I'm not saying that he's ineligible to apply for a K1...my point from the beginning stands: it will look bad to USCIS. Meeting someone face to face is not a consideration by USCIS if you get engaged while still married? It absolutely is. It is common knowledge that USCIS and the immigration system as a whole has no real standard they follow - they approve some petitions and deny others with identical profiles. Your petition is more or less dependent on what kind of mood the person reviewing your file is in. If you think someone over there will look at this file and not question this as possibly being fraud, then excuse me, I believe you are the one who is "confused" about this process.
Although I am new to this site, I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, new to the Immigration system in the US. This is a dance I have been doing for literally 7 years. I am not confused at all. Additionally you're telling him to avoid having a party as it could look bad to USCIS. I'm amazed that you are concerned about him having an engagement party (something that is common culturally speaking) but not concerned that he divorced his wife immediately upon receiving citizenship and then turns around and barely skips a beat before getting engaged to someone from his home country ... a situation that US Embassies in several countries in that region specifically warn about. I'm curious as to why they'd be up in arms over an engagement party that could be viewed as a marriage, but not even bat an eye over the fact he divorced his wife upon receiving citizenship and then immediately files for a fiancee from his home country.
I'm not saying it's fraud at all ... I have no idea, nor am I one to pass judgement, my only advice was to be open and honest, provide all the proof of relationship there is (calls, video chats, emails, messages, texts, airline tickets, photos, etc.) and to be prepared for a longer battle because of the extra scrutiny they will pay to his petition. You have to go through the same process as everyone else. I suggest you take a look at a K1 thread if thats the route you will take. Good luck.

Petitioner here responding now.....

There have been a lot of rude comments here regarding the intent of the visa, intent of the petitioner and reasons why I cannot travel. I have been on dialysis since 2008 and before that my transplant that never started completely and had many many many complications with it and it only lasted 4 years. I was never able to travel without getting sick somehow and having a rejection episode of my kidney. As for the fact that Amna (The OP) can travel and meet me, that is half true. Yes she's perfectly healthy and able to travel, but being in medical school, there was never a break long enough for her to travel, and during the time of her medical school, there was a lot of terrorism within her country, and many travel advisories against Americans traveling to Pakistan. On top of that the terrorism in her country gave partial 'gaps' in her schooling, which meant any break she did have, was shortened to make up for her schools closure.
As for the life we plan to have with my devastating debilitating condition.... I work, I go to school and have a perfectly capable life, 99.99% of people would never know that I have a condition in the first place. I have dealt with the issue since childbirth and the whole reason i had to leave Pakistan (my birth place) was because of my condition. I do not have a nurse with me, nor do I need a nurse/doctor/caretaker. I have been taking care of it since 1989 without ever having any form of additional caretakers, besides my mother, just like your mom, who probably took care of you too as any mother would.
As for the intent of the OP, Amna, on whether or not she is here just to work as a doctor. We were engaged long before she was even in the medical profession and wasn't even on a career path when our engagement was set. I love her and will take care of her whether or not she's works as a doctor in the US, and besides if she wanted to come work in the US as a doctor, they have a specific visa for that as well which she would qualify in a heartbeat for unlike you guys.
Being cousins is not an issue, we have never met as if we were strangers. Genetically it doesn't matter, the condition I have is idiopathic (look it up because Amna doesnt have to). When you study genetics like my fiancé, and know what will happen to us in the future regarding the fate of our children i will gladly apologize, till then it is unfair to assume that we did not think of these issues before hand.
In our petition, we submitted the WAIVER as required if we did not meet due to hardship of the beneficiary. Just for good measure, we hired a respected lawyer to oversee and file our case who will see it to the end. And if the unfortunate event that it is denied, I will gladly reapply for whatever visa is necessary to marry my future beautiful intelligent wife who deserves a bit more respect then I have seen here already.

We are 2 people who are trying to marry and live our life together. She has completed her education and is completely free from obligations and is able to fully come to America to marry me, whereas if she had applied before, she wouldn't be able to attend the rest of her school due to the 2 year requirement to stay in the US after being married and applying for Change of status. And visiting was not an option for either of us as explained above.

Sorry for sounding so harsh in my first response here, but I didn't really appreciate seeing my fiancé attacked when she was just looking for answers. Thank you.

Yes, the cost of the airfares is outrageous. I felt the same way too. My husband was able to find a 1 way ticket within 1 month of departure through ROYAL MAROC for about $1100 leaving from Casablanca straight to NYC. It was the best price for September 2013 within 1 month of purchasing it for departure.
The price may be high now too because of Spring Break and especially if you don't book 3 month ahead.
Anyhow, congrats to you & your husband reuniting!

why would anyone label him as ADD and give him drugs? Just because he isn't educated? As the parent of a child with ADD, I can tell you for a fact ADD has zero to do with intelligence or literacy and they don;t just give out medication like candy. My son is educated with a 3.8 GPA, one has nothing to do with the other. SMH.
In the mean time his father needs to be reported. he is abusing that child, and as far as I'm concerned if you don;t report him, you are just as responsible as the father by knowing about it and sitting idly by doing nothing.

It's not a new trend, fraud has existed long before you noticed it. USCIS works to combat it.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed too! Your fiance and mine had interviews about the same time last summer, and I've been following your updates ever since. You're on the home stretch now! Must be very exciting, but I'm sure you're trying to keep your feelings in check with all of the uncertainties. I'm wishing you and your fiance the absolute best!

Congratulations!

How exciting! Keep us updated!

It was a simple overstay case. So a 10 year ban.

As an impartial bystander, I do think you are ignoring some important information: there was nothing that your brother could have done to change the CO's mind. As it has been said before, the mere fact that you were a foreign national and now have become a USC has worked against your brother.
Does it seem backwards? Perhaps. Does it SEEM unfair? Perhaps. But none of us are trained Consulate Officers. To them, they are protecting the interest of US citizens and the United States. When someone is attempting to travel or even immigrate from a country where conditions are less than desirable, the consulate will be even more harsh and use their discretion in order to protect the US. That's the reality. So, while your intentions (and likely your brother's intentions) were and are good, it still means that unfortunately, at this time, your brother will not get to study aviation or accounting in Ohio; perhaps there are other options that your brother can look in to that don't currently involve the United States?
Traveling one time to France is not going to prove anything. I would imagine that a longer history of international travel with returning in a timely fashion (prior to visa expiration) might go to establish a strong pattern, especially if you have relatives in other foreign countries. There is no one thing that will change the mind of the CO at this point.
I really do wish him the best of luck.

Exactly.
OP: I believe that is the root of the denial. Student visa applicants have in the vast majority of cases already been accepted into a college/program, then that college provides paperwork as to the acceptance and this paperwork plus documentation supporting the financial aspects is what leads into the visa.
In your original posts, you noted that he would study "aviation or accounting", which seems to be saying he is not accepted into a college yet and he would only later decide and apply. There is no guarantee of admission into a college, except for private ones that will take you as long as you pay their tuition. Aviation is very expensive, and there are very constraining rules for foreigners (thanks to 9-11), which esentially have closed the field for all but rich foreigners. Accounting means a 4-year college, and an admission process.
Admissions don't happen overnight, even if he is inthe US it would be a 6-7 month process. What would he do for that pereiod of time. The student visa is granted to start studies within a short period of time, couple of months usually.
I believe that is the problem here. You don't just go asking for a student visa, to come into the country and then figure out what would you study. Even for non-college type of studies, inclusive to aviation. The prospective student has to be accepted first. Otherwise is kind of asking for a fiance/e visa without having a fiance/e and then come to the country to 'find' one.
SO, for specific advice: your brother has to go to an admission process to a school/college, then be accepted, then can he ask for a student visa. With the financial supporting documentation; and here is where your aid might kick in: if the college is in the area you live, you can offer a housing support for example, which reduces his overall financial liability.
The college/school will provide him, during the admission process, the estimate costs of living, tuition, insurance, etc; such that it is clearly spelled out how much money -minimum- per year he must have to support his studies. Then he provides strong documentation that he has those financial resources, then the possibility of a visa is strong.
I don't believe, like others have noted that the fact that you are a citizen would count as much at that point -a lot of first hand experience here-; but it does when there is no specific admission to a program.
Good luck

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you do have to identify every place you've lived for over six months since the age of 16 and provide police clearance for those places. So while living or overstaying in a different foreign country may not impact the visa application per se, the fact that he lived there for over six months may impact what documents he has to provide.
Police Clearance doesn't necessarily mean that fingerprints were ever taken or that he was registered, in fact, requesting the documentation and showing that they don't have his presence noted or no criminal activity is what they're looking for.

Ha, I wasn't going insane by thinking I had somehow read the same issue from Norway.
OP, it would not surprise me that they ask for money receipts as a way of tracking if there's a potential visa buying issue at hand. You need to remember that in some countries, the possibility of fraud is very real and they do what they can at the Embassy to try to ascertain if that is the case or not. That is what you are now dealing with. They are trying to see, from the evidence at hand, if yours is a genuine and loving relationship.
You need to look at what you've submitted with emotional distance and see if it proves that or not, then figure out together, what you can do to prove that you have a bona fide relationship. It's not just quantity, but quality. Have you fought and made up in chat/IM/ whathave you, for example? That's what real couples do, not just have only lovey dovey stuff. This is only an example, but it's the sort of thing you might want to think about when choosing what to show.

I wasn't suggesting your post in particular. I read the whole thread and everyone is telling the OP to "man up" and that this is "normal for older people." It's not normal for anyone of any age regardless. And why shame the guy? None of us knows the actual situation. We know what the OP has told us, but there's always more to the story.

Oh dear, absolutely, DO NOT DO THIS.
Proof of sex is not proof of a relationship.