Gretch

Hang in there, everyone, our dates are starting to get close, besides the Filipinos who have already been processed! I am trying not to be envious of the people sent to California who are about six weeks ahead of those of us in Nebraska. I catch myself thinking, "what if I'd only mailed it a day earlier or a day later? Maybe mine would have gone to California?" but in the end, six weeks will not make much difference.

Hello Everyone

I wanted to know what happens after getting your NOA2?? Is the process fast or they take months to gather all the information and give you an interview date?

Thank you!

Here's a link to the NVC wiki. Don't get overwhelmed! http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process

I'm sorry if I've caused offense somehow. My point is that I don't KNOW what the issues are when an American citizen marries someone from their hometown in Africa. I just know that there are some differences. I get asked by every government official why I would want to marry someone from their country, as if there's something strange and possibly wrong about it. I doubt that happens when, for instance, someone who immigrated to the US from Senegal and is now a US citizen wants to marry a Senegalese national.

Most of the posts I read on this SSA forum seem to be from people who are immigrants themselves, or perhaps first-generation Americans. (I don't know why my "basic premise is wrong", I just stated my impression, and I'm talking about SSA, not MENA.) I was interested to hear from people who have experiences more similar to mine. I appreciate the encouraging words and advice above, which are what I was hoping to find.

If this topic is somehow offensive, it can be closed.

There are always issues involved in immigration, aren't there? But many of them are different for people from the same vs different cultural/ethnic backgrounds.

Great! Did you talk to them about the CR-1 at all? What kind of visa did your wife have? My friends in Brazil have had more trouble getting the visa in the first place--not at POE--and none of them have even been married to USC... they can really be sticklers at the consulates there for handing out tourist visas.

When I browse through these topics it seems like most people who are petitioning for an African beneficiary are married/engaged to someone from their home country, which has a different set of issues (although we still have some things in common... like the wait!). Who else is an American citizen without African heritage, petitioning for an African national? (Or has finished the process?) I'd love to share experiences.

I guess it's fairly unusual for a Rwandese to marry an American, based on reactions from government officials... I'm a little worried about how the interview will go. Not sure if it is an American employee or a Rwandan one who will conduct the interview. It seems like some Rwandese are a little suspicious of the situation and don't believe Americans take marriage very seriously, so I'm afraid they might really grill my husband for details if his interviewer is Rwandan. And for that reason I wonder if he should not choose to do his interview in the local language (it says they can choose one of three languages). Maybe if he asks for English they'll give him an easier time.

Read the book Committed for what can happen when someone tries to just leave the US every three months (short answer: immigration was watching, denied entry, taken into custody, the non-citizen was barred from the US until visa proceedings were sorted--and if the petitioner hadn't been a well-known author, and the beneficiary fairly wealthy, it would probably have been a lot worse). You're fortunate in that you presumably have VWP available so she can visit at least some of the time while you're waiting; my husband is unlikely to be granted a tourist visa.

The first time was judged non-fraudulent since she got the green card, but what you're proposing this time is not according to the letter of the law. It sounds like you need to plan on a long-distance marriage for a year, and feel fortunate that you will probably be able to plan some visits in the US and France.

I filed I-130 in January, NOA 1 January 6. I recently moved and tried to change my address with the link from myUSCIS, but I get a popup that says the form number I chose doesn't match the receipt number. I've checked both a number of times and that's the information I have (form I-130, receipt number copy/pasted from USCIS site itself). Anyone run into this problem? Is it possible that my NOA2 is already approved so I can't change the address for I-130 yet? My case status still only talks about NOA1.

Gretch, are you still waiting on NOA1?

I won't be home to check for several more weeks (no, unfortunately I'm not with my husband either!), but I got an email 1/6. Putting my receipt number into the case status tool shows a receipt date of 1/4. I'm assuming my NOA1 is 1/6. I got sent to Nebraska.

Think I'll join this thread, since I see there's another December mailer up there. I was hoping to get an email today, but I knew it was a longshot. I mailed on 12/30. I know a day or two doesn't make any difference, but I'm so anxious to see some movement!

My husband and I were just married a few days ago in Rwanda. There are three kinds of official marriage certificates here, but USCIS says only one of them counts, and it's the one that's hard to get. Since I have to go back to the US in a few days, it will take some time for my husband to get that certificate, get it translated, and get it through the mail.

The "unofficial" one that I have is signed and stamped and everything. Can I send that one in now to get the process started, and have my husband take the real one to his interview? Or is there a big risk that my application will be denied and we'll have to start over again anyway?

I don't really have a lot of supporting evidence. We're going to have to scramble to get a joint bank account before I go; otherwise it's basically pictures. We don't have a joint lease. It sounds like the letters from friends/family are not given any credit so I wasn't going to try to get those from anyone here in Rwanda before I go... unless it's necessary?

Basically, my main question is, do you guys think I should wait to apply until I have the super-official marriage certificate, even though it might take several weeks.

Also, in order to avoid the problem of slow and possibly lost mail: is a scanned and printed copy of the marriage certificate acceptable?

The US Embassy in Rwanda claims that documents in French are acceptable untranslated, and that almost no documents issued in Rwanda need translation, but USCIS says everything has to be in English, so I'm thinking to translate everything to be on the safe side...

Thanks so much for the responses! I am learning so much so fast.

--Re: a wedding: so the thing is, even though Rwandan weddings are typically complicated with many guests and several different ceremonies... no one would ever do that for a second wedding, after divorce. Divorce is shameful and rare here, and a second marriage really would, culturally, be at the courthouse only. Thinking about it, I'm not even sure I have a "choice". Maybe we can explain that in the interview? We'd have some close friends and family at the courthouse, so that would help, I think.

--Re: marrying first. Thanks for the info regarding the salary. I'm paid by an American company while I live here, so I wonder if that counts as American salary. My contract is up in about four months. I wonder if I can go ahead and begin the application process, or if I have to wait until I'm home. My permanent address is still in the US, even though my current residence is Rwanda. Silly me, I thought being here would be an advantage! There doesn't seem to be any DCF option in Rwanda--the consulate says they do absolutely nothing with permanent immigration. (Processing is in Kenya.)

I have been poking around here and see that the general advice is, this process can be done well without a lawyer. (I don't have a lot of faith in lawyers here to do the job properly and fast, anyway...) But I'm afraid my case is asking for a refusal. Both my fiance and I have been married before, and although he has been separated for many years, the divorce is only now going through. I plan to put in my application as soon as his divorce is finalized. My fiance also has a minor child, who we will not be applying for.

I had thought to apply for K1 because it's faster, but I think we have a better chance of convincing the officials that we are bona fide if we marry here. We have been together six months, all of that time in person. We'll be applying through the Nairobi consulate, which I gather has a reputation for refusing.

So, because my case sounds a bit sketchy (though it's really not), I thought that it might help to hire a lawyer--though I think I can get through the paperwork on my own otherwise. Otherwise we have no issues I can think of--no arrests, my fiance has never been to the US, I have a stable job with good income, etc.

We also really have no interest in a wedding, since we've both been through this before--we just want a simple courthouse signing. Please tell me I don't have to go through a formal Rwandan traditional wedding!

Any opinions?