Becky&Sam

Just a little update on our AP nightmare.... my senator's aide emailed us this pleasant news yesterday.

The administrative processing on Mr. xxxxx's immigrant visa case has been completed. He now needs to update his medical and police reports and mail them our office before we can issue his visa.

Once we receive the required medical and police report, we will process his case to conclusion.

I guess AP is finished, but his medical exam has expired. He's going tomorrow to talk to a Dr.

His passport is at the embassy & he has to present it to the doctor. What to do ? What to do ?

And who knows if they'll have to do more AP after we send that stuff in. Oh, well.... here goes another step.

Is this normal? I have never heard of this before. I mean you've only been in ap for like 6 or 7 months right? I have seen people in it longer than that who never had to redo these things. That's whacked!

Maybe the difference is that you are DCF??? I just don't know. Sam's physical is a year old and we have not had a request for new physical or police report, also no request as of yet for a movement certificate.

Take care of yourself and I hope you are 100% better real soon.

Good luck and I hope that this is the final piece of document before he gets his visa!!!

Congratulations!!!!!!!

Do yo know when your case first went to DOS - Becky? or when it was completed

I don't know when it went to DOS, but the checks were complete through them sometime in late August 07 or early Sept 07.

Today I called DOS to do my weekly check and expected to hear the same thing as always which is AP is still processing. Last week when I called the lady I spoke with told me that she couldn't find where Cairo had requested any security checks from DOS. She told me that she was going to send an email request to her supervisor to inquire at Cairo what they were doing with our case as if it was in AP there were no security checks being done with DOS. Well...........amazingly today when I called I got the lady that I spoke with last week (which never happens it is always someone different) and she remembered our case when she pulled it up. She checked her emails and Cairo had sent an apology to DOS and was supposed to do something. She said that she couldn't see that they had done anything since the email so she sent another email to her supervisor today and told me to call back next week. Now, if only I could be so lucky to get her again next week too. Otherwise I don't know if the person I get will be so helpful. Has anyone here going through Cairo had something like this happen? If you did could you please help me out with a little information about what happened in your case?

Wow you got the visa yesterday! Congratulations!

Can you please tell me what the LAST update you got from DOS? I called las week, said the case is complete, now saying it came back to DC, then says its at the embassy. I am so confused!

Thanks and good luck!

Tam

The last update from DOS was actually the day that I got the email about the visa. They showed that processing was being done in Cairo Embassy and all checks were complete through them.

Thanks to everyone for prayers and well wishes in our behalf. It means so much when most other people are supportive, but really don't understand what we are going through.

Thanks for your congratulations everyone. I hope this is the beginning of a big roll out for all those that have been waiting for a visa from Cairo!!!! And I really, really, really, really need for this to be the real thing and not just a mistake like back in June when they told us in final review. I think this is different though as the person I am dealing with is higher up and she just sent me a message yesterday that she would be sending me something as soon as she had news.

And my husband is sound asleep and nothing can wake him... I know this from experience...not the phone, not anything. He works nights and gets to bed around 3-4 am so I just send him an urgent text to get in touch with me as soon as he can and now I am too worked up to go to sleep. But tonight is with happy thoughts and not more thoughts of when, when, when, are we going to hear something!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! I have agonized reading your long and painful journey and am sooooo happy for you!!!!

I received an email from the chief IV officer at the Cairo embassy today. She says his visa is APPROVED!!! She gave me a separate number from his case # and said to use that when he sends in his passport and the visa should be back to him in two weeks. ( I know how that has worked in the past!!), But thanks God that we are to this stage at least!!!!! yay

Congratulations! A child is a blessing no matter the age of the mother. Everything will work out.

Congratulations!! and I couldn't have said the quotes above any better

I have a stupid question....I was searching airgorilla.com for airfare for april and they have some new low fares, like a whole bunch under $1,000 but when you click on it to purchase WHAMMO you get hit with taxes to the tune of around $500!!! Now that was BA...$980 (or around there) for the flight and $500 for taxes, but Alitalia was around $880ish for the flight and only about $200 or so for the taxes.

What taxes? Are these state taxes like to Massachusetts or international taxes that depend on the airline or what??? Once I add those into the equation they're comparable to priceline or expedia. What a scam!

It can have to do with no only taxes, but charges that the booking site is including in the taxes, airport fees, etc. Also when I have been researching fares I have noticed that it makes a difference what airport you are going through and the fees that they charge at those airports.

When I have decided to give myself some daily punishment I call them. As far as getting info from them........it totally depends on who you get. Some will look and really give as much info as they can and others will only say the canned "still in administrative processing." The last time I called I got a woman who really talked to me and she told me that they are actively working on his case. She also asked me if he had ever applied for a visa before (the answer is no) and she said they are doing a lot of name checks there in Cairo locally. But no time line for any end to the processing.

I can't see your song, Becky. Can anybody else see it??

Thanks everyone for all the great songs !

Sorry about that I couldn't get it to show up and then when I checked last night none of the other songs on other postings were showing up either so, just thought it was the system. I'm at work now and can't access youtube to try posting again, but the song is "If I Ain't Got You." by Alicia Keys

The words in this song fit how I feel exactly, but the ending shows the guy going to jail, and in a way I feel like we are in jail right now with not being allowed to be together and our lives held in prison "never land" for so long.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANNE!!! HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT DAY AND LOVE YOUR CAKE WITH THE PIC AND SPARKLERS!!

OMG.........such beautiful pics from your wedding JP....you all look literally "picture perfect." So happy for you and thanks for sharing.

Good morning and happy Friday to everyone!!

We spent the day in Cairo yesterday. Weather was so perfect...blue skies and slightly warm. A great day for taking more pics and doing some last minute sightseeing. We hired a car and driver and I must say it was just fantastic! He picked us up at the apartment, spent all day with us taking us wherever we wanted to go and brought us back to Alexandria. No waiting around for taxi's and no crossing those horrible Cairo streets. Was kinda hard to see Cairo for the last time. Hope we can come back soon.

We will post more pics soon. Hope you enjoy them!

Have a good day and a great weekend.

<a href="http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=lastupby&uid=36714" target="_blank">

</a>http://www.visajourney.com/gallery/thumbna...y&uid=36714

Jean....Thanks for sharing the pics you both look so happy together and as always the sites in your pics bring back great memories. I have that same pic with the hand over the pyramid! lol I am glad that you have had this time together in Egypt before coming to the US. I wish that I could do that too and stay there until we get the visa.

Looking forward to more pics when you can post them!!!

OMG!! THis is one of my biggest fears for my children. I can't imagine what you are going through right now. It is wonderful that your daughter was so level headed and got herself to a safe place. Be proud of her and yourself for teaching her so well.

Congratulations on completing this part of the process ...........now on to the next phase of hurry up and waiting.

The advice I would give ya'll is to make sure you have all required documents and then some. It sounds like you have tried to address any issues there might be (regarding previous marriages, etc) as well as you can. Just be prepared to be out in the abyss of the unknown once you are at Cairo. I have not found much reasoning as to why some cases move through Cairo smoothly and others do not. Heres hope for your case that it will move through smoothy with no problems.

We have had this same situation come up over the nine months we have been waiting since the interview. Sam has had two job offers in Dubai which would have paid him like double or triple what he is making now. It was a hard decision, but ultimately he opted to stay in Cairo and wait it out where he is. We believe that it would definitely complicate things and make our very long wait that much longer.

Good luck for whatever ya'll decide, but for the visa situation staying put is best I believe.

Goodmorning all..... well I had to log in just to find out what day it was. Medo and I have been living on american time....waking when the sun sets and sleeping when it rises. We need to change this a little I cant belive almost a hole week has past with me here the time is going so fast.

Hope you all have a wonderfull day

Cheryl

Hey Cheryl,

We tended to keep this same schedule when I was in Egypt too. It was much easier to adjust when I came back to the US, but made it really hard to get up if we had something we wanted to do during the day. We adjusted this and got to sleep a little earlier and then were able to get up a little earlier in the day. The time goes by quickly but maybe the approval for the visa can happen while you are there!! Wouldn't that be exciting?