MickAmy

We had our second interview today! We are finally approved! I will finish updating my signatures and such tomorrow but I wanted to let those of you who aren't in the facebook group, know. They said we should have his visa within ten days! I'm on cloud nine! It's been a long and stressful journey but we've made it! 

Hi all, I don't know how many of you followed us through our journey, but I still get messages from time to time. I decided to do an update for anyone and hopefully give some good information to those possibly going through a similar situation or who might end up going through this.
Our story in a nutshell:
We filed our petition and got fast tracked basically the whole way through, so much that our interview was scheduled before we could get medical done or the police check back. After my fiance's interview, we knew there would be an extended amount of time for processing of all of his papers. We were shocked to get a status update of refused a month after his interview. We spent hours searching for possible reasons and basically figured out it had to be something with his court records from when he was a teenager. We freaked, as anyone would and wanted answers. We tried calling the embassy, knowing they wouldn't give us answers and they didn't. We also emailed them, however they did not respond. My fiance and I decided something must be up as it had been nearly a month since the status changed and we hadn't heard a word about it from the embassy. He finally sent another email the other day stating that he hadn't heard a word since our status change and he was trying to make plans for travel to visit during the holidays. He had no idea how to go about doing this as he didn't know where our status stood or how to get his passport back.
Today he received an email from the embassy finally telling us that we were in fact refused but that we do qualify for a waiver. It was in fact due to something in his court records, but it is able to be bipassed with some more money and patience. We are okay with this and actually relieved to finally have answers. He should have his passport back within a week along with further instructions on what to do and more details on exactly what the waiver is needed for. We were also informed that he can no longer travel on a visa waiver but he is allowed to apply for a visitor's visa with sufficient proof that he will return to his home country as he is an intending immigrant.
Here is what I want to share:
*If your visa is refused on ceac, you have to get the word from the embassy to know what is going on. It may take them quite a bit of time.
*If you think you will get red flagged for your court records, be up-front about them (He was).
*Bring adequate proof including your federal police check and your court records, not one or the other. He also submitted both, making the processing times shorter.
*Be honest, it gets you somewhere!
*Don't stress until you know what is going on with your case (Easier said than done!)
*Remember once you are refused a visa for immigration purposes, you will not be able to travel on a waiver again (usually)
*Be prepared for a longer journey and remember you are together for a reason- work together, not against one another. You are your biggest support network through this.
We have worked together through all of this and stayed strong through days of the unknowing. We are going to be going through the waivers now, which I believe take a lot of time. From here on out, I will be a part of the waiver forum but I am open to messages if anyone else needs answers on further information that is similar to our story. Sorry for such a long post, but I know there were a few people out there wondering.

Actually, this board is for anyone who is going through immigration and has anything they want to talk about. We are all here to support one another in every step of this, even if it's after immigrating and settling in. This is not simply a board for people to get information on the immigration itself. Many people find comfort in getting advice on their daily lives from others who have had similar situations occur. This is exactly why this post is in the forum for change in family dynamics. 
 
To the OP, I would suggest having a sit down again with your spouse. Make a list of benefits and disadvantages for taking the position. Break it down in different ways so that you can see the different options and she can see it on paper. 3 hours seems like a long distance for a job but being offered the opportunity for relocation and they are willing to pay is a huge benefit. I personally have joint custody of my children and we have the 50 mile rule, except that we do not follow it. We asked the court to waive the rule due to job opportunities for us, and it was granted without a fight. If she is worried about it being an issue, she could talk with her FOC worker about it. Even if you could talk with the company about maybe relocating you halfway between where you are now and where they would like you to be, it would cut the commute down for you going to work and her getting the kids. It is hard to give sound advice on something when I don't know much about your relationship, but relationships are best when there is compromise. See if there is a happy medium you guys can work out before turning down the position or risking your marriage. 

Actually, this board is for anyone who is going through immigration and has anything they want to talk about. We are all here to support one another in every step of this, even if it's after immigrating and settling in. This is not simply a board for people to get information on the immigration itself. Many people find comfort in getting advice on their daily lives from others who have had similar situations occur. This is exactly why this post is in the forum for change in family dynamics. 
 
To the OP, I would suggest having a sit down again with your spouse. Make a list of benefits and disadvantages for taking the position. Break it down in different ways so that you can see the different options and she can see it on paper. 3 hours seems like a long distance for a job but being offered the opportunity for relocation and they are willing to pay is a huge benefit. I personally have joint custody of my children and we have the 50 mile rule, except that we do not follow it. We asked the court to waive the rule due to job opportunities for us, and it was granted without a fight. If she is worried about it being an issue, she could talk with her FOC worker about it. Even if you could talk with the company about maybe relocating you halfway between where you are now and where they would like you to be, it would cut the commute down for you going to work and her getting the kids. It is hard to give sound advice on something when I don't know much about your relationship, but relationships are best when there is compromise. See if there is a happy medium you guys can work out before turning down the position or risking your marriage. 

Actually, this board is for anyone who is going through immigration and has anything they want to talk about. We are all here to support one another in every step of this, even if it's after immigrating and settling in. This is not simply a board for people to get information on the immigration itself. Many people find comfort in getting advice on their daily lives from others who have had similar situations occur. This is exactly why this post is in the forum for change in family dynamics. 
 
To the OP, I would suggest having a sit down again with your spouse. Make a list of benefits and disadvantages for taking the position. Break it down in different ways so that you can see the different options and she can see it on paper. 3 hours seems like a long distance for a job but being offered the opportunity for relocation and they are willing to pay is a huge benefit. I personally have joint custody of my children and we have the 50 mile rule, except that we do not follow it. We asked the court to waive the rule due to job opportunities for us, and it was granted without a fight. If she is worried about it being an issue, she could talk with her FOC worker about it. Even if you could talk with the company about maybe relocating you halfway between where you are now and where they would like you to be, it would cut the commute down for you going to work and her getting the kids. It is hard to give sound advice on something when I don't know much about your relationship, but relationships are best when there is compromise. See if there is a happy medium you guys can work out before turning down the position or risking your marriage. 

Actually, this board is for anyone who is going through immigration and has anything they want to talk about. We are all here to support one another in every step of this, even if it's after immigrating and settling in. This is not simply a board for people to get information on the immigration itself. Many people find comfort in getting advice on their daily lives from others who have had similar situations occur. This is exactly why this post is in the forum for change in family dynamics. 
 
To the OP, I would suggest having a sit down again with your spouse. Make a list of benefits and disadvantages for taking the position. Break it down in different ways so that you can see the different options and she can see it on paper. 3 hours seems like a long distance for a job but being offered the opportunity for relocation and they are willing to pay is a huge benefit. I personally have joint custody of my children and we have the 50 mile rule, except that we do not follow it. We asked the court to waive the rule due to job opportunities for us, and it was granted without a fight. If she is worried about it being an issue, she could talk with her FOC worker about it. Even if you could talk with the company about maybe relocating you halfway between where you are now and where they would like you to be, it would cut the commute down for you going to work and her getting the kids. It is hard to give sound advice on something when I don't know much about your relationship, but relationships are best when there is compromise. See if there is a happy medium you guys can work out before turning down the position or risking your marriage. 

Actually, this board is for anyone who is going through immigration and has anything they want to talk about. We are all here to support one another in every step of this, even if it's after immigrating and settling in. This is not simply a board for people to get information on the immigration itself. Many people find comfort in getting advice on their daily lives from others who have had similar situations occur. This is exactly why this post is in the forum for change in family dynamics. 
 
To the OP, I would suggest having a sit down again with your spouse. Make a list of benefits and disadvantages for taking the position. Break it down in different ways so that you can see the different options and she can see it on paper. 3 hours seems like a long distance for a job but being offered the opportunity for relocation and they are willing to pay is a huge benefit. I personally have joint custody of my children and we have the 50 mile rule, except that we do not follow it. We asked the court to waive the rule due to job opportunities for us, and it was granted without a fight. If she is worried about it being an issue, she could talk with her FOC worker about it. Even if you could talk with the company about maybe relocating you halfway between where you are now and where they would like you to be, it would cut the commute down for you going to work and her getting the kids. It is hard to give sound advice on something when I don't know much about your relationship, but relationships are best when there is compromise. See if there is a happy medium you guys can work out before turning down the position or risking your marriage. 

Actually, this board is for anyone who is going through immigration and has anything they want to talk about. We are all here to support one another in every step of this, even if it's after immigrating and settling in. This is not simply a board for people to get information on the immigration itself. Many people find comfort in getting advice on their daily lives from others who have had similar situations occur. This is exactly why this post is in the forum for change in family dynamics. 
 
To the OP, I would suggest having a sit down again with your spouse. Make a list of benefits and disadvantages for taking the position. Break it down in different ways so that you can see the different options and she can see it on paper. 3 hours seems like a long distance for a job but being offered the opportunity for relocation and they are willing to pay is a huge benefit. I personally have joint custody of my children and we have the 50 mile rule, except that we do not follow it. We asked the court to waive the rule due to job opportunities for us, and it was granted without a fight. If she is worried about it being an issue, she could talk with her FOC worker about it. Even if you could talk with the company about maybe relocating you halfway between where you are now and where they would like you to be, it would cut the commute down for you going to work and her getting the kids. It is hard to give sound advice on something when I don't know much about your relationship, but relationships are best when there is compromise. See if there is a happy medium you guys can work out before turning down the position or risking your marriage. 

Hi all, I don't know how many of you followed us through our journey, but I still get messages from time to time. I decided to do an update for anyone and hopefully give some good information to those possibly going through a similar situation or who might end up going through this.
Our story in a nutshell:
We filed our petition and got fast tracked basically the whole way through, so much that our interview was scheduled before we could get medical done or the police check back. After my fiance's interview, we knew there would be an extended amount of time for processing of all of his papers. We were shocked to get a status update of refused a month after his interview. We spent hours searching for possible reasons and basically figured out it had to be something with his court records from when he was a teenager. We freaked, as anyone would and wanted answers. We tried calling the embassy, knowing they wouldn't give us answers and they didn't. We also emailed them, however they did not respond. My fiance and I decided something must be up as it had been nearly a month since the status changed and we hadn't heard a word about it from the embassy. He finally sent another email the other day stating that he hadn't heard a word since our status change and he was trying to make plans for travel to visit during the holidays. He had no idea how to go about doing this as he didn't know where our status stood or how to get his passport back.
Today he received an email from the embassy finally telling us that we were in fact refused but that we do qualify for a waiver. It was in fact due to something in his court records, but it is able to be bipassed with some more money and patience. We are okay with this and actually relieved to finally have answers. He should have his passport back within a week along with further instructions on what to do and more details on exactly what the waiver is needed for. We were also informed that he can no longer travel on a visa waiver but he is allowed to apply for a visitor's visa with sufficient proof that he will return to his home country as he is an intending immigrant.
Here is what I want to share:
*If your visa is refused on ceac, you have to get the word from the embassy to know what is going on. It may take them quite a bit of time.
*If you think you will get red flagged for your court records, be up-front about them (He was).
*Bring adequate proof including your federal police check and your court records, not one or the other. He also submitted both, making the processing times shorter.
*Be honest, it gets you somewhere!
*Don't stress until you know what is going on with your case (Easier said than done!)
*Remember once you are refused a visa for immigration purposes, you will not be able to travel on a waiver again (usually)
*Be prepared for a longer journey and remember you are together for a reason- work together, not against one another. You are your biggest support network through this.
We have worked together through all of this and stayed strong through days of the unknowing. We are going to be going through the waivers now, which I believe take a lot of time. From here on out, I will be a part of the waiver forum but I am open to messages if anyone else needs answers on further information that is similar to our story. Sorry for such a long post, but I know there were a few people out there wondering.

Hi all, I don't know how many of you followed us through our journey, but I still get messages from time to time. I decided to do an update for anyone and hopefully give some good information to those possibly going through a similar situation or who might end up going through this.
Our story in a nutshell:
We filed our petition and got fast tracked basically the whole way through, so much that our interview was scheduled before we could get medical done or the police check back. After my fiance's interview, we knew there would be an extended amount of time for processing of all of his papers. We were shocked to get a status update of refused a month after his interview. We spent hours searching for possible reasons and basically figured out it had to be something with his court records from when he was a teenager. We freaked, as anyone would and wanted answers. We tried calling the embassy, knowing they wouldn't give us answers and they didn't. We also emailed them, however they did not respond. My fiance and I decided something must be up as it had been nearly a month since the status changed and we hadn't heard a word about it from the embassy. He finally sent another email the other day stating that he hadn't heard a word since our status change and he was trying to make plans for travel to visit during the holidays. He had no idea how to go about doing this as he didn't know where our status stood or how to get his passport back.
Today he received an email from the embassy finally telling us that we were in fact refused but that we do qualify for a waiver. It was in fact due to something in his court records, but it is able to be bipassed with some more money and patience. We are okay with this and actually relieved to finally have answers. He should have his passport back within a week along with further instructions on what to do and more details on exactly what the waiver is needed for. We were also informed that he can no longer travel on a visa waiver but he is allowed to apply for a visitor's visa with sufficient proof that he will return to his home country as he is an intending immigrant.
Here is what I want to share:
*If your visa is refused on ceac, you have to get the word from the embassy to know what is going on. It may take them quite a bit of time.
*If you think you will get red flagged for your court records, be up-front about them (He was).
*Bring adequate proof including your federal police check and your court records, not one or the other. He also submitted both, making the processing times shorter.
*Be honest, it gets you somewhere!
*Don't stress until you know what is going on with your case (Easier said than done!)
*Remember once you are refused a visa for immigration purposes, you will not be able to travel on a waiver again (usually)
*Be prepared for a longer journey and remember you are together for a reason- work together, not against one another. You are your biggest support network through this.
We have worked together through all of this and stayed strong through days of the unknowing. We are going to be going through the waivers now, which I believe take a lot of time. From here on out, I will be a part of the waiver forum but I am open to messages if anyone else needs answers on further information that is similar to our story. Sorry for such a long post, but I know there were a few people out there wondering.

Hi all, I don't know how many of you followed us through our journey, but I still get messages from time to time. I decided to do an update for anyone and hopefully give some good information to those possibly going through a similar situation or who might end up going through this.
Our story in a nutshell:
We filed our petition and got fast tracked basically the whole way through, so much that our interview was scheduled before we could get medical done or the police check back. After my fiance's interview, we knew there would be an extended amount of time for processing of all of his papers. We were shocked to get a status update of refused a month after his interview. We spent hours searching for possible reasons and basically figured out it had to be something with his court records from when he was a teenager. We freaked, as anyone would and wanted answers. We tried calling the embassy, knowing they wouldn't give us answers and they didn't. We also emailed them, however they did not respond. My fiance and I decided something must be up as it had been nearly a month since the status changed and we hadn't heard a word about it from the embassy. He finally sent another email the other day stating that he hadn't heard a word since our status change and he was trying to make plans for travel to visit during the holidays. He had no idea how to go about doing this as he didn't know where our status stood or how to get his passport back.
Today he received an email from the embassy finally telling us that we were in fact refused but that we do qualify for a waiver. It was in fact due to something in his court records, but it is able to be bipassed with some more money and patience. We are okay with this and actually relieved to finally have answers. He should have his passport back within a week along with further instructions on what to do and more details on exactly what the waiver is needed for. We were also informed that he can no longer travel on a visa waiver but he is allowed to apply for a visitor's visa with sufficient proof that he will return to his home country as he is an intending immigrant.
Here is what I want to share:
*If your visa is refused on ceac, you have to get the word from the embassy to know what is going on. It may take them quite a bit of time.
*If you think you will get red flagged for your court records, be up-front about them (He was).
*Bring adequate proof including your federal police check and your court records, not one or the other. He also submitted both, making the processing times shorter.
*Be honest, it gets you somewhere!
*Don't stress until you know what is going on with your case (Easier said than done!)
*Remember once you are refused a visa for immigration purposes, you will not be able to travel on a waiver again (usually)
*Be prepared for a longer journey and remember you are together for a reason- work together, not against one another. You are your biggest support network through this.
We have worked together through all of this and stayed strong through days of the unknowing. We are going to be going through the waivers now, which I believe take a lot of time. From here on out, I will be a part of the waiver forum but I am open to messages if anyone else needs answers on further information that is similar to our story. Sorry for such a long post, but I know there were a few people out there wondering.

Actually, Ceac shows ready multiple times.
Between NVC and Interview
After Administrative Processing AFTER the interview (it switches to non-immigrant "Ready") - Approved
It basially goes like this-
In Transit (Immigrant)
Ready (Immigrant)
Administrative Processing (Immigrant)
Ready (Non-Immigrant)
Administrative Processing (Non-Immigrant)
Issued (Non-Immigrant)
These CAN vary slightly depending on what happens with your interviews. But this is what you look for.

I just got home from the US Embassy in Brussels!
I was there 2 hours early but the security left me in the pouring rain until 15 minutes before 2pm.
That`s okay though I was just ready to get it over with.
Once in everyone was very friendly,
I was approved in no time, they did not ask for any pictures or any receipts or any extra proof at all!
I`ll give a more detailed description of the interview later tonight but I just wanted to let you guys know we have been APPROVED.
My visa will be issued next week!

You can file for the K-1 visa for your fiance whenever you want as long as you are legally divorced. A word of caution is to make sure you have an abundant amount of relationship proof as you will likely be scrutinized more than most due to your previous petition for your wife from the same country. In order to do the petition for the K-1, you need to have met in person in the last two years in the US so make sure you have adequate proof for that. If you look through the guides at the top, they will give you some great answers for the K-1 visa process and the requirements.

Hi there!
It is hard to judge on what exactly is going on as I only know what you wrote. What I would say is compare how she is acting now to before she was pregnant. Hormones can do some crazy things to women (I know! I have three children). I would get her to sit down and talk to her about what is going on while you are in private. Try to keep it calm and relaxed and make sure she doesn't know you are attacking. I would definitely take a step back and assess things. You just got here not long ago so maybe it's a readjustment thing? This whole thing can cause a lot of stress on people and when the stress of it isn't there anymore, it can really be hard to adjust to it. I would definitely talk to her about how you are feeling but remember she is likely to be super sensitive being pregnant as well. Try to work it out and don't give up yet. I am by no means defending her or using her pregnancy as an excuse, so please don't think that. The only one who knows if she has changed since getting pregnant is you. Good luck!

In our case, we even knew about the MRV fee because I did that much research. I have done research daily since first talking about getting the visa and still research daily. I tend to over research, if that is possible so I literally knew of all of the fees prior to doing any filing at all. We could have gotten married, as that was one of the options we weighed out, and then filed the spousal visa but again, I researched that as well. Basically this is a learning experience for many and not an easy process. One of the things we first heard is that this will be the biggest stress your relationship will likely go through and it has been. But at the end of the day love brings you together and no amount of stress or time apart is going to change that if you are truly supposed to be together. We were apart just under 7 months this time around before I made a visit to him. Basically our thoughts are no amount of money is too much, even for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck, if you want to be together. Good luck O.P. I really hope you guys the best.

Then no, it was not legal for them to do so. Contact the people higher up and if they don't have higher up, contact the BBB. I'm sorry this happened to her :/

Then no, it was not legal for them to do so. Contact the people higher up and if they don't have higher up, contact the BBB. I'm sorry this happened to her :/

Hey, so I think you make some valid points! But there is only a shadow of truth to some of it......
I won't reply line-by-line, because some of what you say is dead-on.
BUT,
1. Army veterans do not think they are heroes. The american public thinks they are heroes, and they are right. We are one of the only few countries in the world who are willing to die in another country to fight for someone else's rights
2. Leads to the next topic of free speech. I fought for my country ( ex -paratrooper ), so that you can talk as beligerantly as you like.... So no, I will not say negative things about you just because you want to say something negative about us....HOWEVER, I think it's important you realize why....
3. Why we are the greatest country on Earth? Because even though we have a lot of problems in this country. We believe in accountability... We believe in equal rights for all.... and we believe in dying for it so that everyone can have that.
4. That is very far from "not caring at all"
5. I think it's important to understand why Americans feel the way they do. Yes, we do have a lot of welfare problems. But, we also have alot of compassionate, intelligent people also.
-Nurse
-Ex 82nd Airborne Infanty

Your first thread was locked. Are you trying for a double header? If you are as unhappy and as miserable here as you seem to be, off you go then.

Uh Oh started it again huh.
Well I could say some of those same things about plenty of other countries around the world. You are generalizing, stereotyping, and lumping every Amercian into the same category. You are very wrong. I know plenty of hardworking, dedicated, never been on government assistance, caring individuals that fight everyday for what they believe in. Government assistance was put in place to help those in need, there may be abusers to the system, but the benefits outway the bad.
As far as #6, yes we are patriotic and anyone who chooses to put their safety and life in jeopardy to fight for others is a hero all day in my book.
So here are your options:
1. Leave and go back to your country if you don't like it here.
2. Do something about it. Instead of making these whining posts go out and do something actively to improve the situation
Peace

Today Mick (Beneficiary) went to his local medical office to get tested for what he still needs immunization wise. In the end, it will likely be cheaper for him to just have those done at his medical. I suppose that's good news. He also was able to get his medical scheduled before the interview, however it is only one day prior. They did tell him that they would make sure to send out the information immediately after his appointment which should still get it to him by the end of the week. With all luck, the embassy will only be waiting about a week for those results from the time of his interview. We are still in shock at how quickly they got us in and even though we wanted to push back the date, we decided not to take a risk and end up with an interview in November instead. So we are working out our budgets and time the best we can to cover for this. We spent a bit more than we planned on my trip to visit him because we though he wouldn't be coming home for another three months! Cannot believe this has happened so quickly!
Packet 3: August 27th
Packet 4: September 1st
Police check mailed: September 1st
Medical: September 14th
Interview: September 15th!
We will likely be put on administrative processing until his medical is received but I will of course keep you guys informed on how that goes for any of you who may end up in the same boat in the end of this crazy step in the journey

Hi there!
It is hard to judge on what exactly is going on as I only know what you wrote. What I would say is compare how she is acting now to before she was pregnant. Hormones can do some crazy things to women (I know! I have three children). I would get her to sit down and talk to her about what is going on while you are in private. Try to keep it calm and relaxed and make sure she doesn't know you are attacking. I would definitely take a step back and assess things. You just got here not long ago so maybe it's a readjustment thing? This whole thing can cause a lot of stress on people and when the stress of it isn't there anymore, it can really be hard to adjust to it. I would definitely talk to her about how you are feeling but remember she is likely to be super sensitive being pregnant as well. Try to work it out and don't give up yet. I am by no means defending her or using her pregnancy as an excuse, so please don't think that. The only one who knows if she has changed since getting pregnant is you. Good luck!

Hi there!
It is hard to judge on what exactly is going on as I only know what you wrote. What I would say is compare how she is acting now to before she was pregnant. Hormones can do some crazy things to women (I know! I have three children). I would get her to sit down and talk to her about what is going on while you are in private. Try to keep it calm and relaxed and make sure she doesn't know you are attacking. I would definitely take a step back and assess things. You just got here not long ago so maybe it's a readjustment thing? This whole thing can cause a lot of stress on people and when the stress of it isn't there anymore, it can really be hard to adjust to it. I would definitely talk to her about how you are feeling but remember she is likely to be super sensitive being pregnant as well. Try to work it out and don't give up yet. I am by no means defending her or using her pregnancy as an excuse, so please don't think that. The only one who knows if she has changed since getting pregnant is you. Good luck!

Hi there!
It is hard to judge on what exactly is going on as I only know what you wrote. What I would say is compare how she is acting now to before she was pregnant. Hormones can do some crazy things to women (I know! I have three children). I would get her to sit down and talk to her about what is going on while you are in private. Try to keep it calm and relaxed and make sure she doesn't know you are attacking. I would definitely take a step back and assess things. You just got here not long ago so maybe it's a readjustment thing? This whole thing can cause a lot of stress on people and when the stress of it isn't there anymore, it can really be hard to adjust to it. I would definitely talk to her about how you are feeling but remember she is likely to be super sensitive being pregnant as well. Try to work it out and don't give up yet. I am by no means defending her or using her pregnancy as an excuse, so please don't think that. The only one who knows if she has changed since getting pregnant is you. Good luck!