NuZayetsPogodi

My fiance was in AP for 6 weeks. Men from middle eastern countries can expect to be in AP for a while -- there's a good chance it will take several months. There are many background checks the Department of State will run on your husband, and if he works in certain sectors (military, defense, anything related to science and technology), there will be more checks. The only thing you can do right now is be very, very patient and try not to let this drive you insane because it can. The odds of your husband making it to the US before the New Year are very low, but you never know. There is no guarantee for anything.

We had a somewhat similar situation. I was recently divorced, fiance had made error on a previous visa application, and the CO was suspicious. My fiance was in AP for 6 weeks but had his visa issued yesterday. It would help us if you would fill out your timeline.

On September 23 (or maybe 24?), I posted my fiance's interview experience in Moscow. We thought he would be approved without issue, so we weren't expecting the emotional journey we just went on.

At his interview, the CO asked about my fiance's DS-160 forms from when he applied for a B-2 visa in the spring. He had marked that he was in a common law marriage because he had a live-in girlfriend at the time. My fiance explained why he marked common law marriage, and the CO really grilled him on the dates of our meeting. We had all the proof in the world that our relationship is genuine- I even lived in Russia with my fiance all summer! But it didn't seem to matter because the CO suspected my fiance of lying on his previous DS-160 forms.

So, coupled with the fact that my fiance is an engineer, he was put in AP. The CO said he needed to think about our story and case because "something just doesn't make sense," and he said he would make his decision in a week. My fiance and I waited nearly 6 weeks - 40 days to be exact - when his status changed to Ready and from immigrant visa to non-immigrant visa. We were excited but I was still cautious. This morning, the status changed to Issued. We are thrilled, but I am still having trouble getting excited. Every step in this process has been agonizing. We both lost a lot of sleep and our nerves are completely frayed. We drove ourselves crazy with, "What if? What if? What if?" But now he will be home for Christmas and we can move forward!

To anyone starting out on any visa journey, you have GOT to be careful on every form. Don't omit information, don't blatantly lie, don't tell a tiny lie, don't fudge numbers. Post your situation on these boards and ask people to analyze your situation from a CO's perspective. These CO's truly are trained to find the tiniest inconsistency, which can delay your case or even result in you being refused completely. If you made a mistake on your form, even unintentionally like my fiance did, you need to be upfront about that with the CO. It doesn't matter one iota how genuine your relationship is- if you are caught lying, your journey is over. You will not get a visa and you will probably be banned from ever getting a visa.

Also, if you are interviewing from Russia, China, or any Middle Eastern country, and if your job is even slightly related to science and technology, prepare a resume in English. If possible, email it to the embassy ahead of your interview because you will be asked for it. You will go through AP and it may take weeks or months. This is to run several background checks on you to make sure you don't have plans to come to the US and send sensitive information back to your home country.

Finally, make no plans. We thought our case was solid. We assumed my fiance would be approved right away and he would get his visa a week or two after his interview. Luckily, we didn't buy any tickets. Nobody is safe from a long AP wait. Nobody is guaranteed an approval. I see so many posts on here from people who have made hard and fast plans for after their K-1 approval, and after our experience and others that I've read, I have to warn everyone to be more cautious and tentative in their planning.

Good luck to everyone in their visa journey! Thank you so much for everyone's support, especially those who reassured me in those dark moments right after my fiance's interview. Looking back, I value the honest (sometimes harsh) responses I received. These ended up being the most helpful.

No, you didn't. You receive the NOA-1 by mail, and you receive notification of NOA-1 by email. Two different things.

Yes, I'm sure. I received Noa1 on October 12th via email.

Every consulate is different - however, there shouldn't be any problem asking for the interview to be no earlier than January and there certainly shouldn't be any problem telling them you're here in the US. You're here legally and as long as you leave on time, you'll have no problems. Italy isn't high-fraud by any stretch. And just because NOA-2 came fast doesn't mean your interview will be scheduled very soon -- some embassies do K-1 interviews only on certain days of the week, so there's a longer wait period.

tl;dr Contact the consulate, tell them you need a later interview, you're going to be OK.

Thank you very much for your answer.

I will contact the consulate in Naples and ask about it. Do you think it is ok to tell them that I can't attend the interview before January because I am currently in the United States?

My fiance was put in AP and it will be 5 weeks as of tomorrow. He has a mechanical engineering degree and has worked as both a mechanical engineer and process engineer. No matter that he's switching careers and wants to be an interpreter - the fact that he's a Russian scientist routes him through several background checks. The fact that you're from Pakistan and you have a background in science puts you down that same path, and what's more, you are working for the department of defense. You are going to be screened very, very carefully, and it's going to take a long time. Sorry. :-/

The K-1 visa is considered both a non-immigrant and immigrant visa because it's conditional. People who arrive to the US on a K-1 visa can only stay permanently if they marry the person who petitioned them. It's really up to the CO, not us. If the CO is convinced that you made an honest mistake, and if you otherwise qualify for a B1 visa (you must show very strong ties to your home country, among other things), then you'll be approved. What we are trying to explain to you is the fact that just a few short months ago, it seemed like you had strong ties to the US and had intention to immigrate there. Suddenly, you don't have those strong ties anymore and only want to travel to the US for business. For this reason, the CO will scrutinize your application. It's no different from anyone else who would be in your situation.

Yes, it can be brought up because it's on your record. If YOU found it, so will the US government. It sounds like the drug charge was dismissed but not the DWI. The CO may not bring up the drug charge, but what if he/she brings up the DWI? Frankly, I think that's more serious than having weed in your pocket.

they will actually bring up dismissed charges? I wasn't charged with a crime. im not trying to be dishonest. im going to tell her. I just don't want it to be some focal point of the interview or get my petition denied in the first place because of it. im sure it wouldn't. im just curious. thanks for your answers and suggestions!

Just chiming in to agree with everyone else. You must tell your fiance. She deserves to know, and yes, the CO may ask about it. They've asked about pettier things.

Please update your timeline.

It probably won't make a huge difference, but it can't hurt. I'd include it.

This thread is 10 years old. Start a new one.

What exactly did the email say? I'd prepare for an interview, but it sounds promising. Good luck!

A quick Google search turns up this link: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/study-exchange/student/residency-waiver.html.html

Also, please update your timeline.

I think you may find this old thread helpful. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/442612-k1-medical-and-mental-health/

I don't have a complete answer for your situation, but I can tell you that unless you're coming from a Western European country, your odds of being approved right now are pretty low. You already had your interview - there is no point in withdrawing your application at this point. If you weren't flat out denied, there's always a chance. But, the CO probably sees your situation and has put together this story:

-You fell in love with an American.

-She withdrew the petition, for reasons that weren't explained to the CO.

-Only 5 months later, you want a non-immigrant visa to come to the US.

-You said nobody has ever filed an immigrant visa for you, which looks like you're trying to hide the I-129f filing.

It looks like you are trying to get a visa anyway you can to come to the U.S., and because you didn't give the CO the full truth, that is almost definitely going to hurt you. Now, all that said, I can believe that mistakes can happen. I can believe you filled out your DS-160 the way you knew how. My fiance also answered a DS-160 question for a B visa incorrectly, and if you don't know the whole story, it almost looks like he was trying to lie to come to the US. However, in his K-1 interview, he explained to the CO what happened and why he answered the question in the way he did.

I think your best option now is to wait for AP to finish, and if you're denied, perhaps wait and try again. Next time, you must be 100% honest on your DS-160 and be ready to explain the discrepancy in the interview. Good luck!

I also agree with the others. Ask the embassy to extend the time needed to interview (this should be done automatically, but just in case). I think you can extend that time for up to a year. Hopefully she'll come around. I think nearly everyone who is engaged gets cold feet to some degree, and after another visit or some time (or heck, after this election!!), she'll feel confident in moving here.

Good luck to both of you!

So your problem is....

Your boss wrote a letter explaining your employment situation. She made a mistake. You just now caught it.

No, you cannot count on the consulate catching any mistake. It was your responsibility to make sure all of your documents were correct. You'd better get a corrected letter and send it right away. Maybe the consulate will be ok with your income, maybe not. You may need a co-sponsor since you've not been earning enough for that long, and you're barely making enough now.

No, you shouldn't be denied a visa based on your Hepatitis B status. It's recommended that you get treated for it and that your partner be immunized against it because it's contagious.

These are the diseases that will prevent your entry to the US.

1. Chancroid;
2. Gonorrhea;
3. Granuloma inguinale;
4. Hansen's disease (leprosy);
5. Lymphogranuloma venereum;
6. Syphillis, infectious stage; and
7. Tuberculosis, infectious.

Please start your own thread.

Good Evening ,

I had Interview in AbuDhabi Embassy on 20 SEP 2016.

First Update 20 SEP 2016.

Second Update 21 SEP 2016.

Third Update 16 OCT 2016.

I don't know this today update in weekend evening time Sunday was from AbuDhabi Embassy OR from USA ? Anyone has experience similar updates ?

Kindly Share your experience, Thank you.

"If everything goes well." Her interview is in 3 days (end of this week), and IF she is approved, she will leave her passport at the embassy. It takes most approved people at least 2 weeks (8-10 business days) to get their passport with their K-1 visa back. That's already the first week of November. But she could be put in a longer term AP. She might not be approved. Nothing is guaranteed.

Your friend should reschedule her interview to after she returns to Germany after her vacation so that she'd enter the US on VWP. Alternatively, and this is a stretch, she could go to the interview and then, if approved, ask if she could bring her passport back to the embassy after her trip so that the visa can be added. I'd guess she'd get a 221g form, which is the embassy asking for a missing document (her passport) and she'll be put in AP until she brings it back. This will also likely add time to her case, as many people who don't bring necessary documents with them to their interview have several weeks of AP.

Also, just in case your friend is wondering, she cannot arrive in early November, get married, then go to Jamaica. She will need to go through AOS and receive a green card, which will take several months. If she leaves before she receives her green card, she will have abandoned status, and her then-husband will need to file for CR-1. In other words, the smartest thing in this situation is to reschedule the interview until after her trip to Jamaica.

Ummm.... are you familiar with Russian visa and immigration laws?!

True, true, you're right, the US is already very generous.

I just would feel bad if some old folks got in trouble for taking care of their grand kids, seems a little bit too much. There are cultural differences between nations when it comes to grandparents, I think Russians would be aghast at the idea of grandparents being seen as "working" when it came to babysitting their grand kids!

I think we can all agree that the federal ban on marijuana is draconian. But investing a lot of energy and time into complaining about how unfair it is, is just a waste. This topic has been posted again and again and again, from numerous countries and embassies. If you admit to using marijuana or any other drug, you will certainly be banned for a year. People then post and cry that they've been banned from entering the US because of confessing to drug use, as if it were a surprise or as if they were singled out.

Who cares if it was called addiction or not. Frankly, none of us were there -- not even the OP, to my knowledge. It is possible that the doctor never actually called it addiction, for all we know. But the fact of the matter is that the beneficiary confessed to using marijuana (or tested positive for it, I'm not sure), and the fact of the matter is that there's absolutely nothing anyone can do except wait for the year.

As far as the law goes, immigration law won't change any time soon. This should really just serve as a lesson to everyone considering attempting a visa to the US. Do not do anything that will jeopardize your chances of coming here. Doing any type of drug is a conscious choice we can all choose to make or not make. Attempting to get a visa is, likewise, a conscious choice. These two conflict with one another. So, major bummer, now the beneficiary will need to be drug free for a year and try again. It's not an unsupportive statement. It's life.

You should contact the NVC or the embassy and give them his email address.

How do they contact the beneficiary without an email address? Will they use my email address on the I-129F? The embassy site says they no longer send out packets.

Just seconding Laurel's post. Your fiance's middle name is included as part of her given name, written in First Name Middle Name order. Good luck!

For the Moscow embassy, I put my business's name, my title (owner), and had no problems. But do check your embassy's requirements.