RJandHamid

How long was your last visit? Moroccan culture is very different from culture and lifestyle in the US. It maybe be fine to visit for a few weeks as a fun holiday, but how do you think he will do with the culture difference? My husband lived in Rabat, a rather modern city, and had a somewhat worldly view from his time spent studying at his university. He's been in the US over a year now and the culture difference is still huge for him. 

As for his cousin...he came here 5 years ago on a work visa or marriage visa? Times are a lot different know in terms of the speed of the immigration process. 

Can your fiance help with any of the fees? It's not fair to put the burden all on yourself. 

And I think we all know the struggle of being apart from a loved one and having the unknown factor of not knowing when you will be together again. I understand it's especially tough in Morocco if he comes from a more conservative view point where you cannot be alone before marriage. We don't advise you to take your time to make you wait longer, the reason this forums gives this advice is because we want his visa to be approved, and we've seen this situation many many times. In the end, the more time you spend together, the higher your chances of approval. 

What will you do if the K1 visa is not approved? That also will add to the wait time. 
You are right though, the minimum requirement is to have met at least once within the last 2 years. If you feel like the K1 route is the path you want to take, then go for it. The guides here on VJ will walk you through each step. 

Depending on where your fiance live lives (if he's close to Casablanca or Rabat), you could get married in under 2 weeks. And it shouldn't take more than a few days to process the marriage and have the marriage certificate in hand. Especially if you go there prepared with translations of documents that you will need. The fees will vary a lot. Your fiance will need to research and understand the path to marriage. He should know which court building you will need to go to and which documents you will both need in order to marry. 

The US embassy has a list of basic things you will need to do/bring to marry in Morocco, but your partner should also check with his local court as sometimes the requirements do vary. https://ma.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage-information/

Again, you can go the K1 route if that is what you feel is best. I still recommend making another visit before you file the I-129F. 

AOS is adjustment of status. If he comes here on a K1 visa, you will need to pay $1225 after you get married in order for him to receive the 2 year green card. This process alone takes several months. He also will not be able to work or travel outside of the US until he has the green card or work/travel permit, which currently takes at least 4 months. 

Yes, it's a hassle to get married in Morocco, but it's generally cheaper than the K1 AOS fee, and he would be receiving the conditional green card right away, so he would be able to work and travel almost immediately after arriving in the US. K1 is taking about 7-11 months or so to process while CR1 is taking about 12-14. It's really only a few month difference.

Again, what you do is up to you, but those of us who have gone through the Casablanca consulate know it's hard. Immigration is not simple or cheap and there are not short cuts if you want to have a successful visa journey. 

That is a question that doesn't have a very clear answer. The CO will likely ask about the last visit and it could be beneficial to say that you had visited again recently. At the same time, going off of other reviews about Casablanca, many times the CO won't ask to look at any additional evidence outside of what was included in the initial petition. How many visits did you make prior to filing the I-129F? 

You can't attend the interview with the beneficiary, but they could take your passport with them to prove that you are in the country. But again, often the CO won't look at this or won't care. It still would be nice to be there for the emotional support. 

Yes, you can complete the sections that require Arabic using a pen. We did this (and the rest of the document was completed digitally) and had no issues. 

Is she planning on moving the the US to start her job soon? That would help her establish domicile (required for the K1 visa to be approved).

This will mean that you will be living in separate countries for at least several months, as the K1 process is currently taking around 8-12 months.

As for the affidavit of support, it is not needed until the time of the interview, which will occur about 7-9 months after filing the initial I-129F petition. Your income can not be used to meet the requirement of the I-134 (and eventually the I-864) affidavit of support. She will either need to meet the requirement on her own or use a co-sponsor.

As said in the post above, the CR-1 spousal visa might be a better option for you. Either way, the process is not fast and you will likely need to spend some time apart.

@Elijah Finch you don't need to pay anything online to schedule the interview. The only fee K1 applicants need to pay is $265 in person at the consulate on the day of the interview. Casablanca does not allow you to schedule the interview through traveldocs, so you need to email them (follow the steps outlined above).

The only fee you pay is the $265 fee paid at the consulate on the day of the interview. 

The interview will be set up by the consulate. In order to get the interview scheduled, you will need to email the consulate (IVCasablanca@state.gov) and tell them you are requesting a date for your K1 visa interview. The email should contain the first and last names and birth dates of both the petitioner and beneficiary. The USCIS receipt number (WAC....) and the NVC case number (CSB...) should also be included. It can take them anywhere between 1 day and several weeks to respond. I'd email them once or twice a week until they respond with the date and packet of instructions on what needs to be done and brought to the interview. 

Like everyone has already mentioned, CR1 is your only route forward now. This is actually better for your situation anyway, since it sounds like working right away is important to him. With the K1 visa, there would have been at least a 3-4 month wait before he could start working legally. The work visa is unlikely to happen. Has your friend met your fiancé? Why are they so willing to hire someone who they have never met, and they could easily find similar employees in the US, at a fraction of the cost?

Go for more visits, get legally married, and get to know him better while also building up relationship evidence. Nothing is quick or easy in the world of immigration, but with patience and a good understanding of the process, you'll be together eventually. Good luck on your CR1 journey. 

I don't think any of us will ever truely know the answer to this. But as mentioned above, people from the Fez region are not the only applicants in Morocco who have been asked to submit the DS-5535. And Morocco isn't the only country to request the DS-5535 from visa applicants. So it can't just be a home town/region thing that is flagged for additional review.

I agree with the thought that lawyers, while some have claimed to have successfully sued or have caused quicker processing time, have not actually proven to be more effective than just waiting out the AP. Of course they want to attract new clients, so they'll use the approvals as a selling point, whether they had an influence over it or not. 

I think the DS-5535 is one of those mysteries of USCIS that we likely won't ever know the actual and factual details behind. 

No fingerprint/biometrics fee. Maybe that's part of what the $265 is used for, I'm not sure, but $265 is all that needs to be paid on the day of the interview.

Yeah we also paid about $700 for the medical, translations, and transportation to/from Casablanca.

Yes, you will pay $265 at the time of the interview (you can also pay in dirhams). The cost of the medical exam depends on the physician that you see and the number of vaccinations that you need. My husband paid about 2400 dirhams when he did his K1 medical exam with Dr. Maach in Rabat. I heard that the doctors in Casablanca are slightly cheaper, but still above $40 from what I've heard. You might want to call the physicians to confirm the current prices. 

It is under 2019 because USCIS uses the fiscal year calendar, I think in part due to some visas types (not K1, CR1 or IR1 visas) being capped at a certain number per fiscal year. 

Your fiancé can try brining additional relationship evidence to his interview, however there is no guarantee that the CO will want to look at it. 

To add to the above, the email for the consulate is: IVCasablanca@state.gov.