N&P

You applied for a K-1 fiance visa, your wait time has NOTHING to do with our. Please post in the appropriate forum, and try to watch the caps lock. Thanks!

From what I have read here, they usually get the Visa within 3 working days. I have not encountered anyone on VJ from Malaysia that goes into AP.

Here are my two cents on red flags..
Let's separate two important things here - what a "red flag" is, and what it is not.
A red flag is a metaphor used for peculiarities in a particular case. By peculiarity I mean something that might make a USCIS adjudicator, or consular officer decide to look a little closer at the case. Since this is a K-1 thread, I'm only going to discuss marriage based cases. To understand why your case might stand out, it really pays to look at your case from an outsider's perspective, rather than seeing it from your own biased view. I do not mean to offend anyone by saying biased, but let's face it, we are all all biased towards our own case because that is the only case we are not seeing from an outsider's point of view. No matter what evidence you have, no immigration officer will ever feel what you feel. They can only see the facts as they are presented to them.
An immigration/consular officer's job is to make a subjective opinion, often in a very short amount of time, based on the facts presented before them. Marriage based cases differ from other cases in that they are not presented with firm evidence such as a birth certificate or DNA to show a family relationship. Rather, they are presented with a certain set of (somewhat relevant) facts and evidence on which to make the decision of whether a legitimate family relationship exists. These officers generally go through multiple cases on any given work day. Naturally, certain things will stand out more than others. That's the essence of what a "flag" is - something in your case stands out from the other cases in the pile.
What makes the flag red is when the peculiarity, the thing that stands out, actually makes your case either seem less probable, or, that the flag is in the form of a motive for why the person would potentially want to marry someone whom they do not love.
A red flag is not an automatic denial. No one can be denied a visa because of a red flag. A visa denial comes from a complete package of evidence and facts weighed up against one another. A red flag is not an immigration officer's bias against you or your spouse, it is not an attack so to speak against you. It is simply a fact that makes your case stand out, and in the eyes of the immigration officer, makes your case differ from the norm, thus prompting any experienced officer to take an extra look. Keep in mind also that what might be a red flag to a consular officer in Morocco, might not even be worth a second look to a consular officer in the Philippines. This is due to certain facts being common in one country, while it might be socially unacceptable in another.
Here are some common red flags:
1. A large age gap.
I see this one a lot, and there is a multitude of good reasons why immigration officers take a second look at some cases. This one also depends, as all other red flags, on the country and culture in question. A prime example: For example, a relationship where a 50 year old American male marries a 25 year old female from the Philippines. While the age difference is 25 years, most of these cases are approved, and I wouldn't even consider the age gap a red flag. However, if twisting it around and applying to another country, it makes a huge difference. A second scenario: A 50 year old American woman marries a 25 year old Moroccan man. This is absolutely a red flag, not because the consular officers are biased, but because it is simply very uncommon to see in Morocco.
2. Vast ethnic, religious or cultural differences.
Again, there is nothing illegal under US law about about interracial or inter-cultural marriage. It is socially acceptable in most places in the US, and for the most part, an interracial marriage will not be a red flag at all. However, to use an example: An American new-age hippie marries a practicing religious orthodox from a strictly religious culture. While completely legal, it raises questions as to the bona fide nature of the marriage because it is uncommon, maybe even socially unacceptable in the beneficiary's culture. So the consular officer's question will be "why is this person marrying someone who might actually get him/her disowned by their family?"
3. The beneficiary is from a high-fraud country.
This is guilt by association. Some consulates see a lot of attempted fraud. Some consulates see very little. If you are an immigration officer at a consulate where attempted fraud is a frequent occurrence, you will naturally be more suspicious.
4. The couple got engaged/married after a very short time of meeting.
It is uncommon in the US for couples to get married within weeks or even months of meeting one another. Why? Because marriage is a lifelong commitment, and two people generally aren't expected to know each other well enough to make a lifelong commitment after a very short time. In addition, it is easy for fraudsters and scammers to set up a fake marriage, but it is difficult to forge a scam to last a significant amount of time.
5. The couple have only met in person once, or on very limited occasions.
While the USCIS and State Dept are aware that online relationships are more common today than before, couples are still expected to have spent some time physically together before committing to a lifetime together. It is uncommon in the US to marry someone you have only met once, so the USCIS and State Dept views it as unlikely that an international couple would do the same. However, they are mindful that international travel can be difficult for some. The thing to keep in mind here is that you aren't trying to show then how hard it is to visit - you are trying to show that a bona fide marriage exists.
6. The beneficiary sends money to the petitioner.
I see plenty of people asking "should I show that I send my American husband/wife money?" - The answer is, only if you want the US State Dept. to believe that you are paying them for a green card. While it is normal to support your spouse here and there, this only looks good if you're helping out with shared expenses.
7. The beneficiary is in removal proceedings (for AOS cases).
A major red flag in an adjustment of status case is where the beneficiary is in removal proceedings, especially if the marriage itself happened after removal proceedings were initiated. The first thing on the USCIS' mind will be that the marriage is just a last ditch effort to stay in the country.
8. Substantial language barriers.
Very rarely will you be able to convince a USCIS or consular officer that you are in a bona fide relationship or marriage if you cannot communicate in a common language, be it English, Swahili or sign language. You are expected to be able to communicate with the person you are engaged or married to.
As I stated earlier. None of these alone are grounds for a denial, but the more individual red flags, the higher the burden of proof is. Also, these aren't "set" factors that will end your case up in some list, they are just factors that will make your case stand out from the norm. Certain factors, such as age difference, may be a huge red flag in some countries, but might not even stand out in others. To figure out of your case has any red flags, be honest and look at your case from an outsider's perspective - Is your case somehow abnormal? If you are the beneficiary, is your case abnormal in your country/culture? If you are the petitioner, would the average Joe look at your case and think "how did that happen?" Don't be biased and overly defensive about your case, because the best way to defend your marriage is to know what you're up against.

Sarawak:
Dr. Kang Tee Yong
173 Jalan Song Thian Cheok
93100 Kuching
Sarawak
Tel: 60-82-243872
E-mail: htkang@pl.jaring.my
Experience (FOR FEMALE BENEFICIARY):
I booked my medical for 9.30 am but I got there early at 9 am. The lady at the counter allow me to register. It is a regular clinic where sick people can see the doctor too. It might be crowded on your medical day. The lady at the counter asked me for my passport and ONE photo(2x2 inches). She will then fill in your detail on a piece of paper with a form attached behind the paper. She then asked you to sit down and wait. After waiting for a couple of minutes which is probably around 10 minutes. Another nurse came out of the first room and pass me a cup and asked me to urine in it. After I did that, I pass it back to her and she have the cup urine transferred into a tiny bottle. She then asked me to stand at a square near the table. She have me read the chart with words on it. Cover your left eye and read, repeat the same for the right. If you wear spectacles which I did, she have me remove my spectacles and do the same. I told her I could not see without my spectacles. After that, She have me sit on the bed and took my blood pressure. After she is done, I went into the doctor's office and sat down. Waited a couple of minutes for the doctor to come in. He then tell me that he wants to ask me questions. He then asked a long list of question regarding drugs usage, smoking etc etc. I can't remember the exact question. I have asthma so I answered yes to that question. After he is done asking all the questions on the form. He further discuss about my asthma. He asked me when was my last attack, drug usage for asthma, how frequently do they attack and since how old did I get it. He have that scribble on a piece of plain paper for the report I guess.
After he is done scribbling, he told me that he is going to do a very detail check on me. He have me lay on the bed with another nurse in the room. He asked me to unbutton my pants and unhook my bra. He then checked my stomach for something and then bend my knee and elbow and used something to knock it to check for reflect action. He then said he needs me to remove my pants for a few seconds and said "I will not touch you, I just want to see." He used about 2 seconds after I remove my pants to check on my private area. After that he have me put back on my pants. He then said "this time I need to touch your breast, he then touch the side of my breast to check for stuff (I don't know what stuff). He then close the lights and make me focus on the wall so that he can check both of eyes. After that, he have me stand my pull the lower half of my jeans up so that he can check on my calves. THAT IS ALL FOR THE CHECK UP!
After that, the doctor inject me with MMR because that's the only shot I need. He then took my blood after he is done with MMR. He then told me that since i have medical history (asthma), I will not be able to collect my report so my report will be sent directly to the embassy. He said I could go for my X-ray which will be at another place.
I finished at around 10.30 am so the entire medical only took about an hour and the half.
Went for lunch after I am done with medical and then head straight for x-ray.
X-ray:
Timberland Medical Centre Kuching
Lot 5164-5165, 2 1/2 Mile,
Jalan Rock, 93250 Kuching, Sarawak.
Tel: 082-234466
Fax: 082-232259
They took my passport and have me go to the first floor. The nurse have me remove all the accessories and then put on a robe and go into the X-ray room. We are done in about 10 minutes. They gave me back my passport and I did not collect my X-ray on the spot. I have to go back to Dr Kang's clinic to pick up my X-ray the next day.
Break down of fees: (this only applies to this particular clinic, the clinic in Kuala Lumpur and Penang charge differently)
Medical Exam and documentation RM80
Chest X-ray with report RM80
MMR shot RM50
Blood test-UDRL RM20
Courier fee RM50
Total RM280
NOTE: Try not to wear a dress for medical so that you don't have to remove everything to be checked.

Your interview is coming up next week! I hope that your file is together with that shipment too! I am not going to think too much about mine yet. I thought that when status changed to in transit, they have sent the file out? Oh well, I have approximately 10 weeks to get everything done on my side..

pretty sure that means it was approved. The visa should be in the passport once it's picked up. If you get a chance, please leave a review of the interview in the KL Consulate forum. Malaysia doesn't have many reviews

Emma already said that she wouldn't be a part of the film. She's smart. The novel is stupid. I tried downloading the first book early last year and couldn't read past two chapters. Horrific piece of cr@p that doesn't deserve to be a part of literature.

Congratulations to all those who recently got their NOA2, good luck to those who will have their medical exams.
For those who will take their medical check up at SLEC:
Try to register online. It will save you time. Try to come in a bit earlier too so you will finish early. Who knows, you might even get lucky to finish in a day Bring a book to read if you must, it could be a bit boring. Or maybe iPad? It could be cold there as well so a jacket or something to keep you warm would help. No companions allowed in the building. They would either have to wait outside or somewhere else so it won't be wise to bring someone along. For those with long hair, make sure to bring a pony tail or hair clamp. You will need this when you take your chest x-ray. And oh, a pen. Bring a pen as you will occasionally fill out forms etc. To all those who are still anxiously waiting for their NOA2, sending you positive vibes! Approval is just around the corner.
For those who will be having their interviews soon, best of luck to us! Hope we can also post our interview questions here to help others out.
Cheers y'all and let's keep each other posted!

If everyone expedites then no one expedites.
Expedites are for serious, emergent situations (such as the death of a close family member overseas), not just to jump to the front of the line and take someone else's spot for yourself.

My fiance received our NOA1 on 3rd september! Our timeline is really close!

Hi folks! My wife passed her IR1/CR1 interview yesterday and we thought we'd post the Malaysia-specific info that we've learned along the way.
General stuff

The US consulate in KL is really good about replying to emails within a day or two. They're not so great with reading comprehension and tend to answer only the last question posed, so ask one question at a time and use simple English.
When shipping documents to rural areas of peninsular Malaysia, expect an extra 7 days of delivery time on top of Fedex's quoted times. The local couriers with whom Fedex contracts for the last few km are not very efficient. Fedex suggested we mark all packages as containing "business documents".
The US recognizes both Malaysian civil and Muslim marriages as valid. The marriage license needs to be translated into English.
Malaysia is not a high-fraud country. Immigration to the US is relatively low and the consulate is generally friendly.

Birth certificates
You can get an newly-issued original birth certificate from most Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara branches. The head office can definitely do it. Call other branches to ask first. The branch will supply you with a form to fill out. Submit it to the counter with a copy of your I.C. and pay 5 RM per original. They will call you up to check over a draft before issuing the new originals.
Police clearance
You can apply for a Certificate of Good Conduct at Putrajaya. Make an account here and print out two copies of the required form. Fill them in and take them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Putrajaya. Bring 2 passport-size photos, 2 certified/notarized copies of your I.C., and 2 certified/notarized copies of both the biographic page and signature page of your passport. There is a 20 RM fee. When submitting the application, make sure you mention specifically that the application is for US immigration purposes. There is another version of the certificate that is given on your sworn word only, but that is not sufficient for US immigration.
The Certificate of Good Conduct can take up to 2 months to become available. You can check its status with the online account you made. When it is ready you can go back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collect it. If you prefer to have it mailed to you, then provide a self-addressed stamped A4-size envelope with your application. 1 RM in postage should be sufficient.
Medical exam
There are two clinics capable of doing the medical exam. Both are in peninsular Malaysia: one in Penang, one in KL. You will get the addresses and phone numbers when your interview date is scheduled, or you can find them here. The rest of this information pertains to the clinic in KL because that's the one my wife used.
The KL clinic has normal week-day hours and limited Saturday hours. Unless you live in KL they will discourage you from making a Saturday appointment because if, for any reason, more tests need to be run or the X-ray must be re-done, it might be a time crunch. If you ask for a Saturday appointment, make sure to get one of the earlier appointments: 8 AM or 9 AM.
The receptionist at the KL clinic is rather rude and curt. I had to call her and be pretty stern before she answered our questions properly. Don't let her push you around! There are several doctors there; the female doctor my wife had was extremely nice and very gentle.
The KL clinic is near St. John school and CBN and (so says my wife) easy to find. The appointment will involve filling in forms, providing a urine sample, answering medical history questions, and asking for medical records. Bring any medical records you have, or request them from your current or most recent doctor. Bring your birth certificate - some people have their childhood immunization records printed on the back.
You must also bring your interview appointment letter, plus means to pay for the exam and X-ray. The clinic will tell you to bring 500 RM, but it will probably cost less than 400 RM. The extra is in case you need to do additional tests.
If you have no medical records and no immunization records on your birth certificate the doctor will judge from your answers to questions what immunizations you need. More than likely you will get two; the third is commonly given to all Malaysian schoolchildren so you've probably had it. The jabs are given on the butt - ouch! My wife says they weren't too bad, more like a fire ant bite.
Blood will be drawn, but the doctor was very gentle - my wife has very difficult veins too, so that's saying something.
You won't need to disrobe completely, but the doctor will do the usual checks. Expect to answer questions about any piercings or tattoos.
Finally you'll get directions to the X-ray place. It's along Jalan Raja Laut, in the ground floor of the DBKL building or the building next door; my wife isn't sure from memory which it was. The nearest LRT stop is the one near Sogo.
When you're all done you'll be told to call the clinic in a few days to check when the results are ready. Then you can stop by any time to pick them up. A friend had hers sent electronically to the consulate but we were never offered that option; I checked with the consulate and they said they have no preference. You only need to bring the exam results to the interview, not the X-ray results; but they might be in the same packet. If so, the consulate will return the X-ray results when you give them the packet before your interview.
When you pick up your results you will be given an unsealed copy for yourself, so you can see what's in the report.
IR1/CR1 Interview
As mentioned at the top of this post, Malaysia is not a high-fraud country and the interview is relatively easy. Of course you should be prepared for anything, but from most accounts you won't be given trick questions or grilled on obscure details of your application. Your interview appointment letter will tell you to come to the consulate at 9 AM. You can definitely go earlier, and because the line forms quickly, it's recommended.
First you go to the counter and give your ID to get a numbered tag. Then you line up and go through security, giving up your car keys and phone. Unlike some consulates, there is only one line, not separate immigrant / non-immigrant lines. Hang onto all your documents! You'll be told to go the room on the right, where you'll wait until your number is called. Then you'll be sent to the room on the left, where you be asked for your passport, medical exam results, another passport-sized picture, and who knows what else. Bring copies of all important identity documents so you can give them whatever they want.
After that you'll be told you can leave, and to come back to the consulate at 1:30 PM. Find something to do in KL for 3 or 4 hours! My wife went to Bangsar Village and read books in a book-shop to keep calm.
Head back into the consulate a little earlier and this time you'll be sent directly to the room on the left. You'll have the same numbered tag and they'll call you by the same number. However, if you aren't called for a while make sure you ask, especially if they seem to skip past your number. I've read that sometimes they get confused and if you don't ask they'll have to give you a new number, making you wait longer.
My wife's interview was incredibly easy. Her interviewer was an Asian-American guy that she says looked suspiciously like Keanu Reeves. First he swore her in, having her raise her right hand and promise to tell the truth. Then he looked at her passport and saw that she had an active B-2 (visitor) visa. Before doing anything else he explained that he had to cancel it, which gave her a positive feeling, because why would he cancel her visitor visa if he wasn't already pretty confident he would approve her CR1? The visitor visa was cancelled with two big stamps from a "Cancelled without prejudice" stamp.
Then came the questions. After all our preparations, the phone logs we printed, the pages of emails and Facebook chats and folders full of other stuff, he only asked three questions!

What are your husband’s parents’ names? She gave my parents names and explained that she'd visited them several times.
I see your husband compiled lots of pictures including the wedding. Want to tell me about it? She talked about our wedding in detail while he looked at pictures.
What does your husband do? She told him the company I work for, my title, and what I do there.

After that he said "Ok Ma’am your visa is approved. Have a seat and wait for the next instruction." And that was that! He kept her passport and soon she was called to the counter and given a red card that lists the address where she can collect her passport and new CR1 visa, as well as the date it will be ready. They also returned her old passport (expired, but associated with her now-cancelled visitor visa).
And with that, 11 months of paperwork and bureaucracy was finished! Feel free to ask us questions while it's still fresh in our heads, or check out our blog, where we've kept track of everything we've done since we started the process (including all the stuff we got wrong the first time!). This link will take you to the category that contains all our visa posts.

3 injection + blood test + X-ray cost me RM420. try to have the medical examination as soon as possible, at least 2 weeks before your interview date. i did mine in Bangunan Ming, KL.
it took 7 days for my report to get ready.

I think this is a conversation meant for just the two of you, or between a good friend or family member who knows you both. By coming on here and asking you are going to get many different answers formulated by random peoples perspectives on the situation. These are people (including me) who are trying to help but honestly it's like asking a stranger on the street what they think of your situation, would you do that? Sit down and ask her why she feels she needs to dig into your past, but also take a step back and see how you would feel if you moved to another country to a person you "think" you know. Maybe she is only after a green card. Maybe she is just scared now that she is here. Maybe she wants to know more about you? The answer to all your questions are locked away in the beauty sleeping next to you, so be the key that unlocks them.
Good Luck.

Hello everyone,
I hope things are going well for all of you! I am so excited, but confused?
I sent our application on August 7th. I received the NOA1 email/text in one week, the NOA1 hardcopy in two weeks. I received the NOA2 approval email/text on September 5th and the NOA2 approval hardcopy on September 9th.
I am stunned and amazed. I had to read the text/email 50 times to believe it. I have read the hardcopy 50 times to believe it!!!! I can only hope that all of you will be as fortunate as we have been. I'll keep you posted Chris

hi,
Just Check your bank statement ,

Only a birth certificate is requested for the USC Petitioner (or other evidence of citizenship) at this time.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-129finstr.pdf

Yea, I don't understand how people send money on a monthly basis for food. How did she eat before? Makes no sense.
Dude, withdraw and move on with your life. You don't need crazy in your life, be it from her or her ex-boyfriend.

Sending someone money for food is not the norm. How did she support herself before you met, did she not eat? Never at any point before my husband arrived here did I send my him money, nor did he send me money.

Kaysil17,
link below approved in 15 days from thier NOA1 date.
http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=166295

I must add that the person providing the translation provided verifiable info about herself, with contact info, and resides in the USA.

In my wife's case, during the entire process, i130 to n400, the affidavit from someone fluent in both languages was good enough. Her BC was in Malay only.
In the case where there is English on the BC, no translation is necessary.
I hope I'm of help.
Good luck to you.