janetusman

The whole immigration process is frustrating. We were stuck at USCIS for almost a year and then spent almost 2 years in AP. The only thing you can do is focus on your relationship and not the waiting. It will drive you crazy. The best thing to do is to have your husband reach out to a congressman who can make periodic inquiries on your behalf. There is nothing you can do to make AP go faster and there is no rhyme or reason as to why one person gets AP and another doesn't. This process is definitely a test of patience and the best thing you can do is realize that Allah has a plan and this is part of it. All the best to you and I hope your AP ends soon.

Wow...SMH

My husband was in AP for 20 months when he was called for a new medical, passport photos,etc. He went in for his appt and had his oath and fingerprints. One week later he had his visa. Sounds like your journey is coming to an end.

Yes it does end. My case took longer at the 1st stage because of additional name checks. Most get through USCIS in 5-6 months...mine took 11. We were in AP for almost 2 years and I can defintely understand how you are feeling. Having all these questions and not being able to get any answers. What is the process, where are they in the process, how much longer is it going to take? No one knows why one person gets a visa in a few days and another takes years. Carolyn is absolutely right to be angry when you see other countries issuing visas in days, but it takes years from Pakistan, China, India, etc. Just keep in mind that Allah granted you your marriage and that you are meant to be together. He tests us with this process to teach us and test our faith. All things happen for a reason, and even though right now you don't know why this is necessary, you will in the future. May Allah bless you and make things in easier for you in the future.

Please for the love of God do not help this woman. My husband and I just spent 3 years in AP hell at the Islamabad embassy because they thought our marriage was fraud. Helping this woman to be a nice guy is a slap in the face to people like me that did everything the right way and was still penalized. Not to mention the fact that you will committing fraud yourself. If she is doing this to you, why in the world would you want to help her?

Wow...just wow...not all US women are crazy. We don't all threaten to deport our immigrant husbands and use them for money.

To answer the OP...If you have a 10 year GC, she can't do anything. If it is a 2 year conditional, she could refuse to cooperate on the AOS and make it more difficult for you, but not impossible.

The state rep conversed with me via email and would check in every few weeks or so with me to see if I would like them to contact the embassy. They mostly got the "In AP" standard answer. The state senator called me with the embassy reply and said they would check back in 6 months. I just felt that the state rep was more invested in my case than the senator.

Well, that is an interesting question. I don't really know if the congressman helped in getting my visa actually issued. What happened in my case is that my file (after 15 months of AP) was returned back to USCIS. I never received a NOIR. The liason was able to find out that my case was transferred to the San Francisco field office and then to the Sacramento field office (local to me). At my husband's interview the CO returned the entire contents of his file to him, including some very interesting documents that said "Do Not Release Under FOIA". These were checklists and forms related to determining if there are fraud indicators in the marriage. When my case was transferred to the Sacramento office, my liason contacted them and I was told to make an appointment to bring all the paperwork that had been returned in to the office. The next day a Homeland Security officer showed up unannounced...this was 9:30 on a Saturday morning. He asked to come inside to ask some questions. He also photgraphed my bedroom and closet (looking for evidence of another man living there). The officer sent my case back to the embassy (this was May) and it arrived back in Pakistan in July. My husband's visa was issued at the end of September that same year.

The embassy responds fairly quickly to congressman...usually in a day or two. In my experience my state representative was more helpful and responsive than my state senator.

Wow...just wow...not all US women are crazy. We don't all threaten to deport our immigrant husbands and use them for money.

To answer the OP...If you have a 10 year GC, she can't do anything. If it is a 2 year conditional, she could refuse to cooperate on the AOS and make it more difficult for you, but not impossible.

Wow...just wow...not all US women are crazy. We don't all threaten to deport our immigrant husbands and use them for money.

To answer the OP...If you have a 10 year GC, she can't do anything. If it is a 2 year conditional, she could refuse to cooperate on the AOS and make it more difficult for you, but not impossible.

Wow...just wow...not all US women are crazy. We don't all threaten to deport our immigrant husbands and use them for money.

To answer the OP...If you have a 10 year GC, she can't do anything. If it is a 2 year conditional, she could refuse to cooperate on the AOS and make it more difficult for you, but not impossible.

Wow...just wow...not all US women are crazy. We don't all threaten to deport our immigrant husbands and use them for money.

To answer the OP...If you have a 10 year GC, she can't do anything. If it is a 2 year conditional, she could refuse to cooperate on the AOS and make it more difficult for you, but not impossible.

Wow...just wow...not all US women are crazy. We don't all threaten to deport our immigrant husbands and use them for money.

To answer the OP...If you have a 10 year GC, she can't do anything. If it is a 2 year conditional, she could refuse to cooperate on the AOS and make it more difficult for you, but not impossible.

Congratulations to those who recently received visas. I hope and pray for those still waiting your AP will end soon.

Thank you Natasha...I hope yours comes to an end soon too. AP is a horrendous process that tests the commitment of a couple to its furthest limits.
Sometimes I look over at him and I feel like its a dream I haven't woken up from.

My husband has lived in the same province and the same city since he was a child. He has never traveled outside of pakistan, not even his province. Background checks have been completed and my case was sent back to USCIS for whatever reason. I did not get a NOIR, what I got was an unannouced visit from a Homeland security officer at 9:30 on a Saturday morning. He interviewed me, inspected my home, bedroom, closet and took pictures. He told me that they do this because people are known to get paid for visas and they were looking for evidence of another man living with me. My husband was in AP for 15 months when my case was requested back by USCIS. They did not find anything on him, so they turned their investigation on to me. Neither one of us has a criminal record, I have a good job and no financial issues. We are a "mixed marriage", as much as we would like to think that they don't discriminate, they do. The embassy COs have complete autonomy.
The problem is, that there is no transparency into the process. People could have to hope if they told us that they have to do X Y Z and we are on step Y. Some people are in AP for months and some for years there is no rhyme or reason as to why they do this.

I am not trying to belittle your feelings. I wish there was someone that would have prepared me in the beginning and told me about the reality of AP. My attorney had never dealt with this embassy and he did not prepare me for what I was in store for. The people here have provided me with such hope and support through this horrendous process that I can't thank them enough. My husband and I have been on a five year journey. Everyone here has hardships of one kind or another. Who am I to say that anyone has it worse that someone else. I have seen stories of financial, medical, and emotional hardships of different varieties. The point I was trying to make is that the embassy tests all of us to see if they can break us apart during the wait time. The embassy doesn't care about your hardships, they only follow their own timelines and procedures. In cases of mixed marriages, they even go as far to deny and send your case back to USCIS for revocation adding a year or more to the process and trust me...no one can prepare you for that. I wish there was a rhyme or reason for what the embassy does, but there isn't. In the end, all you can do is stay strong for each other.

Hello All:
Sorry I have not been around much (I have been busy at work). So the update on my case is that it was returned to the San Francisco field office and then forwarded to my local field office. Finally my congressional liasion was given the direction to have me make an appointment to bring in all the paperwork that was returned to my husband at his interview. I had my appointment today and surprisingly they were very helpful and pleasant. They told me that it was strange that they returned all of the paperwork to my husband and they took everything from me. I asked them if my case was sent back for revocation and they said it was under "extended review" and there are no notes about revocation. The woman at the window then started asking me questions about how we met, how many times have I visited, etc. I answered them and then she asked me to write it all up. I told her that all of that information is in the paperwork I gave back to her. I also handed her 9 months of fresh chat logs and copies of my last 3 plane tickets with the passport stamps. She said that it would take 30-60 days for the officer to review and he would contact me if they need any more information.
Part of me is relieved that it was not sent back for revocation, but I still feel like I am going through that process and they are just calling it "extended review". I just hope that this is the final step and we will see something positive in the next two months.

Well I am not sure what you are planning on doing to put up a fight. Everyone here is not in AP by choice...I know you are frustrated...we all are. I wish someone had looked me in the eye and honestly told me what I was going to be up against so I could have at least been prepared. My attorney told me that it would be 8-10 months...boy was he wrong. It's only when I came to this forum that I fully understood what was going to happen. We all want to fight for our loved ones, the problem is we don't know how to fight them. We can hire attorney's, file writs, try to get help from congressman nothing will change to end this AP hell until someone with power is willing to fight for us and band us together. Are you that person?
If you went through this then you should know what your wife is up against and you should be preparing her for what is coming.

That is very sad, if she has proof you can file for a hardship waiver.

Yes that was my point exactly...damned if you do, damned if you don't. I agree with you completely...the over documentation is absolutely absurd.

I only posted a small part of the sheet. Here is a complete list of the USCIS checklist:
Large Age Difference (wife older by several years)
Cultural Differences, especially if language and religions are different
Physical Mismatch
Petitioner lists address on I-130 where he/she doesn't actually reside
Petitioner's phone number not listed in Part D and/or beneficiary's phone number no indicated in C-18
Petitioner attempts to conceal prior marriages
USC petitioner has more than 2 marriages with foreign nationals
Benficiary has multiple marriages within the year prior to filing I-130
Rapide sequence of events: Petitioner and beneficiary both divorce their ex-spouses shortly before getting married
Beneficiary entered EW1 from a non-contiguous country and married the petitioner within one year of entry to the US
US marriage fraud profiler (USCs who have criminal records who work as dancers, nail technicians, casino dealers, etc
Petitioner has low income job, yet submitted evidence of more than one trip overseas and/or money sent to spouse overseas
Over Documentation - Petitioner submits any of the following: I-864 Affidavit of support, sight seeing photos, studio photos of the two in their wedding attire, photos of minister, groom/bride signing wedding documents, airline ticket stubs.
Of course my favorite one is the Over documentation...if you can support you are suspect, if you can't then you have to get a co-sponsor. And what I love most of all are the other items because that is what they ask for in the RFE. So if you have the documentation you are a fraud, if you don't then you are fraud...damned if you do, damned if you don't.
The red flag specifically states wife older than husband...not the other way around.

I am sorry to tell you, but the embassy and DOS are not telling you the truth. As I have stated before, I have paperwork from USCIS that was given to my husband at his interview. It is titled the Suspect Marriage Referral Sheet and the number one item is Large age difference (wife is older by several years). Please look at the attachment on this post.

It's not a matter of whether or not an older woman marrying a younger man SHOULD be a red flag. The point is, that it IS a red flag to immigration. Yes, I understand that its perfectly normal for an older woman/younger man in PK, but here in the states its not the same. There are plenty of older men who marry younger women here, but when its the other way around its a big deal. Case in point when celebrities Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were together and then married, the age difference was constantly pointed out in the tabloids and media. When its the other way around, no one bats an eye.