ProPaki

Hi,

My wife's case has been in AP for over 6 months now; I'm a US citizen and she is Pakistani. We've been regularly emailing the embassy (they never pick up via phone, always busy) and either the embassy doesn't reply to us or they send a generic "please wait" type of reply. To compound the issue, my wife is now pregnant with our child and we would prefer to have birth in the US due to higher quality of healthcare.

My questions are:

1) Is there anything I can do to push along this ******* AP process?

2) If our baby is born in Pakistan, will we have to apply for his or her visa or will he or she get US citizen/visa based on me and/or my wife?

Thanks!

FYI: the attorney I talked to says the Ajudicator's Manual doesn't apply to our situation because that is for the USCIS, which we have already passed. He said http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86920.pdf is more relevant, which says the following:

The determination of the status of a "spouse" in an uncle-niece or first-
cousin marriage involves three variables:
(1) Laws of the place where the marriage took place;
(2) Laws of the State of proposed residence in the United States; and
(3) Facts that vary in each individual case.

What isn't clear is if (1) will overrule (2) or the other way around.

So far all the attorney's I've talked to are giving the green light, but I'm still a bit nervous.

Thank you all for the help.

This is so bloody confusing. I have two attorneys that are telling me her visa will be approved but we may have to move to another state two years later so that her I-175 is approved. On the other hand, multiple people are saying it will not be approved.

Ugh.

Arizona. My understanding is the state only matters if going for K-1 finance visa (yeah, sorry for typo in OP -- I meant K-1 fiance). We went for CR-1 spouse since we are already married. Will the state I live in affect her eligibiltiy for CR-1?

Hello,

I've married my cousin; it is legally allowed and culturally accepted in our religion(Islam) and the country we are both original from (Pakistan). We have applied for CR-1 and are almost done with the whole process; the only thing left is now the interview which she will have soon.

My question is this. Will the fact that we are cousins affect her eligibility for spouse visa? Should she try to hide the fact (but not lie) that we are cousins or be upfront about it? Basically I'm wondering if us being first cousins will cause any issues and what to do to resolve those issues? (We have a legitimate marriage, not for visa purposes only.)

I understand that K-1 spouse visa of cousin spouses depends on the state you live in but how about for CR-1? Isn't there some law in the US where marriages that legally took place in other countries are observed in the US?

Thanks!

Hi all,

My wife is getting ready for her interview at US embassy in Islamabad. I'm wondering if I can get some feedback as to what type of questions they are likely to ask? I've looked around at generic sets but would like some feedback from people who went through this same process.

Also, how many photos are enough to provide legitimate marriage?

Thanks!

Hi well i had same issue you have to get NADRA marriage certificate. it's same as your NADRA Birth certificate if you have any question feel free to contact me. now they are asking marriage Certificate from NADRA i did send them and that's what they are looking for.

That is BS! All information on State Department's website, directions for DS-230, etc. show the nikahnama (properly stamped and approved by the relevant authority) as the required marriage certificate. No where do they mention a separate marriage certificate, such as from NADRA.

I'm going to try to talk to a supervisor about this. My guess is they won't budge so this is going to delay my wife's visa by at least a month, if not more. If I had known about this earlier I would have had her send it to me with everything else. =/

Thanks for your help.

Sorry no answers from me, but you might want to post this or have it moved to the regional forum to get specific answers and others who've experienced this before. Good luck!

Thank you, I did that.

if nothing specific comes up on your country's portal, get back on the phone with NVC and request to speak with a supervisor who will be more knowledgeable about what you submitted.

you can also send an email to them and indicate on the subject line with your case number: SUPERVISOR REVIEW then explain your dilemma.

Thank you. I sent an email with "ATTN: SUPERVISOR SUE" yesterday and got a quick reply today. In the email it said NVC has no record of receiving such documents, which is BS because the rep I talked to said they did receive it.

Almost the same situation, we married in Turkey and have Nikah cuzdeni- which means marriage certificate, it's international you can see the translation in many languages in it, we haven't got our Noa 2 yet but your topic makes me think maybe they wants notarized certified translation in English

AFAIK, if your nikah cuzdeni is in English, too, then you don't need a translation. The issue with me seems to be whoever checked our documents didn't realize nikahnama and marriage certificate are the same document...

Here is the issue I am facing.

We sent in our IV form and all required documents. I received a checklist via email saying we need to provide our marriage certificate. The problem is we included the original marriage certificate (nikahnama) which was in Urdu plus an attested English translation. I called up NVC and the lady on the other line thoroughly confused me. She said the note on our account says NVC received the original Urdu marriage certificate and English translation but they need the nikahnama. What we sent is the nikahnama and marriage certificate -- they are one in the same. I explained this to the lady but she insists nikahnama and marriage certificate are two different things and if I sent the nikahnama then I still need to send the marriage certificate.

The issue is I have no bloody idea what she is talking about. The nikahnama is the marriage certificate for Muslims who get married in Pakistan.

What is going on? Anyone else face this same issue?

Thanks!

Here is the issue I am facing.

We sent in our IV form and all required documents. I received a checklist via email saying we need to provide our marriage certificate. The problem is we included the original marriage certificate (nikahnama) which was in Urdu plus an attested English translation. I called up NVC and the lady on the other line thoroughly confused me. She said the note on our account says NVC received the original Urdu marriage certificate and English translation but they need the nikahnama. What we sent is the nikahnama and marriage certificate -- they are one in the same. I explained this to the lady but she insists nikahnama and marriage certificate are two different things and if I sent the nikahnama then I still need to send the marriage certificate.

The issue is I have no bloody idea what she is talking about. The nikahnama is the marriage certificate for Muslims who get married in Pakistan.

What is going on? Anyone else face this same issue?

Thanks!

about 3 weeks, and no, there's nothing you can do.

Bah. Have the IV packet waiting... just need IV to be invoiced so I can pay and send the packet.

Hi,

How long does it take for NVC to receive and process the DS-3032? My wife sent it in via email on the 23rd and receive that automated NVC response. However, it still isn't showing up as being processed. Any idea how long will it take? Any steps I can take to quicken the process?

Thanks!

now that's quiet strange..which city do you live in

I live in karachi & a friend offered me PCC at my doorstep

in 4000 approx. but I did that all on my own & the total expense

was about 3000 with all the efforts & time consumed...so I guess

find a connection & do it that way it saves u time as well

doing it on ur own isn't a good idea & I am telling you

because I did it...so go other way round..there must be some friend

of yours..

Karachi. I'm going to tell my wife to try again... maybe offer more Quaids.

Letter from Institution is just sheer bullshit nothing else..tell them she needs it for USA Visa

& thats all you need to let them know..dont need any thing from any institution but one from State Bank of Pakistan

and you knw what I mean..

Tried that. They aren't budging...

Hello,

Anyone know how to get PCC in Karachi? My wife tried to get it but they are asking for "Copy of Embassy's letter of institution". What the hell is that and how do I get it to show them?

Thanks!

cheers bro.

Stay Blessed

Can you help me with one question. How did you get the PCC? The police is asking for some sort of letter of institution from my wife before they give PCC but no one seems to know what that is...

there is one other way...

whilst at NVC, submit all except the police thingie.

Wait for NVC to issue a checklist letter asking for it.

Then take that letter to the police office.

I thought about that. The only two issues:

1) It will delay the whole process

2) It is not guaranteed to work

3) She is going to mail me all the documents, meaning she would have to mail the PCC separate which would delay even more

Does anyone know of an official checklist or document that asks for PCC that I can print out?

I think we are going to have the same problem as you (Tokyo consulate). If all correspondence with the NVC is via email, then we have no official looking letter to give to the police(to prove we need a certificate), I'm not sure how to get around it.

Let me know if you figure it out.

@Darnell:

I've looked and cannot find any example 'Checklist Letter from NVC' to print out. Can you point me in the right direction, please? Thanks!

the only way the IV kit is sent out to the Beneficiary

is

IF you (petitioner) is doing nothing, for 3 months, after paying the IV fee.

Do you really want to wait three months?

Why not study LingChe in the wiki here, instead?

Not at all! We actually sent in the DS-3032 last week and are waiting on that, and the AOS invoice to be 'paid', to proceed further. I'm actually having my wife gather all the required documents + DS-203 to cut down on time. The issue we are having is the police refuse to issue a certificate without some sort of "letter of institution".

I'm fairly familiar with the process of what we have to do next. Once AOS is 'paid', I need to file I-184 with a joint sponsor + tax documents. Once IV is invoiced, we need to pay that, and she needs to fill out DS-203 + civil documents. This whole "letter of institution" is what is messing it all up.

re: letter of institution.

Study 'Checklist Letter from NVC' here at VJ using the advanced search tool.

Your wife can print that out, and then take it in.

Are you studying the DS-230 forms, instructions, and DoS online portal about it ?

Thank you I will look for that.

Yes to your question, except: what is DoS?

Have you asked anyone in the Asia:South forum? There are many applicants from Pakistan who can probably shed some light if this is specific to your country.

I'm confused. What forum? I cannot find it. Plus I've seen a few posts about the PCC from Pakistan -- no mention of such a letter.

In any case, if someone can simply let me know, from their experience, if the DS-230 comes with any such letter then that would be greatly appreciated. Forget the fact that I'm trying to get a PCC from Pakistan. Thanks!

If you post in your regional forum you may get a response from someone having gone through this issue.

What regional forum? I couldn't find it.

Hi,

From what I understand, after IV invoice has been generated and paid, NVC will send a DS-230 package which will contain directions as to what to do next, plus include the DS-230 form that needs to be filled out. My question is does what does this package contain? In particular, does it have any sort of letter that formally requests a police certificate?

This may sound like an odd question but, as I've explained in another thread, my wife is trying to get her Police Character Certificate from the police in Karachi Pakistan but they refuse to give it without a "letter of institution" from the US embassy. Seeing as I've never heard of this letter and couldn't find any info on it (plus no one on these boards seems to have heard of it), I called up NVC and asked them. The lady confused me and told me it will work like this:

1) We submit AOS and NVC accepts

2) NVC requests DS-230, my wife fills it out, and sends DS-230

3) NVC will officially request the police certificate and other documents (the "letter of institution")

Based off what I have learned, the AOS and DS-230 run parallel and one is not dependent on the other. Plus, all civil documents (including police certificate) must be submitted with DS-230, not after.

Can anyone please clarify? Thanks!

I'm going through the same issue, and they are being stupid about it asking for some letter from the embassy whereas I've read over and over people in Lahore aren't required such things.

In any case, see http://www.karachipolice.gov.pk/2012/05/16/character-certificate-2/ -- the forms tell you what you need.

Thank you everyone for the response. I'll probably put $0 for my income and have a joint sponsor, then just put a little note that I do have a job I've already signed on to, it just hasn't started yet.

Hello,

I am a student who has never held a job in his life (yet) because my parents have financially supported me. That means I have no tax returns and no income. However, I will be graduating this semester and have a job lined up to start in the Fall. My question is: should I put the earnings from my job as my annual income then include a letter explaining what is going on and why I don't have tax returns? My dad has already agreed to be a joint sponsor so I will have him fill out a I-864, too. He has plenty of income to cover us.

But, in addition to my dad being a joint sponsor, should I include my annual salary (once I start my job in the Fall -- I have already signed with them) on my I-864? Would it help or hurt either way? I'm thinking it can probably only help except I'm afraid they may think "he won't have a job until Fall, let's not approve his wife until then".

Thanks!