jaws2003

15 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Because the petitions are independent, it doesn't really change the amount of time it takes.  You are correct, probably 2 years or so, all told, as long as you've build strong evidence of a legitimate relationship and there are not RFE's or issues with the children's father providing permission or court ordered sole custody to mom. 

 

Kids are typically easy for the system because well, they're kids.  It's adults who have histories including work, travel, etc that take longer to verify.   

Got it!!! Thanks for the information. I'm learning a lot from everyone today. I would need to talk to her about if she has sole custody or if the father would grant permission to let the kids go. 

1 hour ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

Aside from general relationship advice, like meeting first, your case is not much different than any other case for CR1, except:

 

1.  Morocco is a difficult embassy.  You will need more proof of genuine relationship than typical

2.  Fiance visas seem to get denied more often than spouse visas.  I recommend getting married and go the spouse visa route.

3.  It helps you are both Muslim.

4.  If things work out and you do get married, remember that you will need separate petitions for everyone:  one for your wife, one for your stepdaughter, one for your other stepdaughter.  3 petitions in total.

Thanks for this information. So that's basically 3 filing fees and everything? Would filing for children be the same fees or something different? Also how long does it take for a packet that large? I was seeing on the site here that it's been an average of 2 years that people get fiancé and spousal visas approved. I can only assume that with adding kids to the equation would make it a long process. 

1 hour ago, smilingstone said:

 

You can't realistically consider spousal before meeting atleast once. It will be a huge hurdle to overcome in your petition and quite a red flag to USCIS/Consulate. 

 

For reference, we petitioned (for K1) during my second trip. Between filing and my interview, I will have visited 3 times. The more, the better. Not just for evidencing a real relationship, but also for you to see if it will work. Online is very different to IRL. 

I totally agree!!! I want to calm everyone's nerves and say I will meet her in person however many times I can with earned vacation time.  I wanted to get as much information as possible to see what I'm getting myself into. 

43 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Big red flag...for practical reasons as well as immigration concerns. Proof of actual time together will be your most important evidence when the time comes.  You are dealing with a difficult consulate which makes that even more important.  I certainly would not marry at this point...or on the first visit.

I totally understand. I need to see her in person but like I mentioned before I don't want to open up a big can of worms either and have a lot of big hurdles to cross. 

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

You are getting WAY ahead of yourself.

 

At least go over and actually meet her first.

 

Meanwhile google International Child Abduction.

Of course!!! I will meet her first. I just wanted to know what possible hurdles would be ahead if I went over to meet her and everything. Also yes!!! That international child abduction is serious from what I've read. Not trying to get tied up with those issues. 

17 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

OP is talking about marriage and a spousal visa.  The children would not be eligible for a K2.  They would be immediate relatives of a US citizen.

 

 

That doesn't really matter.

So would the permission from the other parent still be required though? 

3 hours ago, smilingstone said:

1. Yes, it's possible. I think they would all be on K2s (but I could be wrong). 

 

2. From what I understand, the absent parent still needs to give consent. 

 

3. Do you live with your son? If so, your household size would be including you and 4 dependants. To be safe, you need to hit 125% of the poverty guidelines. You can read exact numbers here: https://citizenpath.com/faq/federal-poverty-guideline

 

4. Most (if not all) here reccomend Utah zoom marriage and then meeting. Or marrying physically together, then filing. 

 

5. Have you only met once, or at all? More demanding embassies require a decent amount of physical time together. 

 

6. I can't advise on that one. I'm sure another VJer can. 😊

3. Yes. My son lives with me sometimes and then with his mom. 

5. We haven't met yet. So even I would still have to have a lot of physical time together? What would be a satisfactory amount of trips? 

Hello everyone. I am looking for some answers in regards to marriage to a Muslim woman I am interested in. Here's some background on both of us. I am 39 years old, Muslim, and she is 32. She has two kids(girls 11 and 13) and divorced and I have one kid. She has a job as a French and Arabic teacher in Casablanca and I work for the Division of Emergency Management in Florida. She does speak English as well. Here are my questions: 

1. Is it possible for her to bring her daughters over or is that a special process? The father isn't in the picture if that matters. 

2. Would the father have to sign off on them leaving Morocco? 

3. If the children can come then what would be the income requirements? Would the household size include my son? 

4. I see now there are online marriages in the USA and I see that Florida offers this. Would it be easier to marry online here, fly over and consummate the marriage, just marry in Morocco? I would like to file for the CR-1 visa if I decide to marry her. 

5. Would multiple trips to see her first be b%etter and then file? 

6. Is the mhar different because she's divorced(officially and unofficially)?

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

That makes sense, studying in the US is very expensive.

 

Visiting is not cheap.

Ok. That's good to know then. 

10 hours ago, Boiler said:

No impact

 

Why was she refused a Student Visa?

According to her she did not have enough money in her account. I thought that only applied to a tourist visa. 

Thank you everyone for your input. I have another questions that was raised by the Moroccan lady that I do not know the answer to. If she applies for a tourist visa to come and see me and for some reason it is denied would that affect her chances when a K1 or CR1 is filed? She also tried to apply for a student visa after her study abroad was up and was denied. She just told me this. 

On 12/4/2017 at 4:40 PM, usmsbow said:

 

Primarily: 

1. You're male and she's female.

2. She's been to the EU and USA, and has traveled frequently. 

 

To a lesser extent: 

 

3. You're both Muslim.

4. You're close in age.

 

 

Those are very good to know. When I was looking for a person to talk to I had certain qualities that I was looking for. Also seems like Morocco was one of those countries where a lot of women would want to talk to me. 

On 12/4/2017 at 5:49 PM, Boiler said:

USC is older

 

You both seem well educated

 

A few others, the only thing I can see in common is that you are a USC and have a child..

Yes. I made sure of this from researching earlier. 

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

I would not pay too much attention to others going through that Consulate, your situation is very different to the the ones we see normally.

Ok then.  Just curious how is my situation different?  

1 hour ago, EandH0904 said:

Having answered your questions, Morocco does seem to be difficult, but as I said, less for women than men. Right now with how long the processing is (almost a year for a K1, 12-14 months for CR1) There are certain benefits that doing a CR1 has over a K1 (she can work/go to school/travel as soon as she gets here) but it takes about 2 weeks to get married in Morocco. It's up to you two to ultimately decide where to get married. If her family really wants to be there for her wedding, you might consider doing CR1 instead. I would suggest NOT filing after the first visit, at least doing 2 visits before filing for a K1 or getting married, to strenghten your chances of having a successful application - especially since they are shorter visits. 

 

I just got married 2 weeks ago in Morocco after a failed/returned K1, so if you have questions about the procedure there that she isn't able to answer, feel free to send me a message. 

Thank you for the information. I was worried about that before with people getting denied. Also thanks for the offer as well. 

1 hour ago, usmsbow said:

1. It is generally Moroccan men that have difficulty getting a K-1 visa, not so much women.

 

2. No, certainly not.

 

3. No, why would it be?

 

4. No, why?

 

5. No.

 

6. No. The k-1 is taking about a year now, and the cr-1 is more than a year long now I believe.

 

7. Probably. 

 

8. No idea. 

 

And do you speak French? Your fiancee's dad probably does, and it is a lot easier to learn than Moroccan Arabic IMO. 

 

 

I do not speak French. Only English and Spanish. I asked her if her dad does speak French and it was only a little. He speaks Arabic and her mom as well. Only she and her younger sister speak French. 

1 hour ago, Russ&Caro said:

As far as traveling to other countries, including the US, on legal visas and abiding by all the restrictions on such visas, then returning home within the allotted time - those are usually good things in a person's favor when applying for another visa.

That is good to know. Glad that can work in my favor. 

Hello Everyone, 

I have been following the site for a while and have been registered but I am finally making the step to meet a woman that I met online in Morocco. We met through an online dating site and I intend to meet her this coming February. Some background about us and then I have some questions. We are both Muslim and I live am a USC and she is a Moroccan citizen. We both have a college education and we are close in age. I am 33 and she will be 31 on the 15th of December. I do have a child from a previous relationship but I was not married to my son's mother. She does work for a French company in Morocco and she can speak 3 languages. She also has a passport of her own and she has studied abroad here in the USA about 5 years ago for one semester through her university and she does travel frequently(mainly to Europe). She does not have any family members that live in the USA but she does have friends from studying abroad and other Moroccans that have immigrated to the US. I haven't found out anything about the bride price other than her dad usually requires the husband to have a place for his daughters to live and some money to give to the family(this part has me nervous as I do not know the price he will ask). He also doesn't speak English and I only know a few phrases of Arabic(She said she would translate but I prefer to speak with her dad on my own if possible). I found out this information through the young woman. My questions are listed below: 

1. From reading on here it looks like K-1 visas get denied a lot is it typical for people to go the CR-1 route for Morocco? 

2. Will her constant traveling to Europe be a red flag? 

3. Will her semester of studying abroad in the US be a red flag? 

4. She and I are in favor of a marriage contract will we have to file a prenuptial or post nuptial agreement in the US if we decide to marry? 

5.    Will her Moroccan friends(that immigrated to USA) possibly raise a red flag to the CO? 

6. She is attempting to get her Master's there in Morocco would that cause a conflict with the visa application(K-1 or CR-1) if we decide to go forward(It's a one year program)? 

7. I only can take one week off from my job so if things go well then I will plan another visit in the summer. Can  multiple one week visits be sufficient for the application? 

8. Will me having a child from a previous relationship be a roadblock if we decide to marry in Morocco? 

10 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

It won't raise any suspect just for you being 10yr older. it will however raise a bit just because you aren't Moroccan or of Moroccan heritage, even if you are Muslim. In your setup it is more important to have a shared language you are both highly conversant in plus shared values and wanting a common future. Do you look well matched, do you both have the same aroundabout level of education, things like this. 

 

I would be leery of this whole wanting to come over ASAP thing. Women being left by American/UK/Canadian men is actually not common and she more than likely knows this, this ghost act tends to happen when they marry men from the gulf countries hence them having a bad rep there. 

 

Having a child on your end won't affect the visa process but be highly aware of the cultural stigma attached to step parents in Moroccan culture. It is considered less than stellar ideals for a man to raise stepkids, even less than this for a woman to raise stepkids. Also, an Islamic wedding won't suffice to AOS from, unless you follow with a civil marriage.

Thank you for your input. As a matter of fact at this point we do have a lot in common. Especially the points that you mentioned with education and common language.  I am taking my time and learning more about her. Yes, this young woman seems to want to come over ASAP because of that and she's told me about how men gulf countries do like coming just for sex and leaving or "marrying" and then leaving after having sex. Honestly I told her from my research that she has to wait regardless rather if we applied for a fiance visa or spouse visa. It is just how things are and I also told her if she could not accept that then we do not need to continue talking to each other. Also I did not know that there was a social stigma with stepkids in Morocco. Honestly it happens here in America too. The step parent does not treat the child the same as their own with that person. Is that that what happens in the Moroccan culture? If it does I believe the step parent needs to make it clear to the other party and handle any situations where the stepchild may feel out of place or treated differently. Thank you for letting me know that the Islamic wedding will not suffice. Honestly if things keep going well then I am leaning to a fiance visa with this woman. 

On 4/29/2017 at 9:15 PM, geowrian said:

1. I'll defer to others who know more about Moroccan culture, but I don't believe only a 10 year gap and with an older male is considered unusual in that culture, and therefore wouldn't raise any flags.
2. Having the same religion is generally a plus. Having two different religions is when a flag could be raised (not that it's prohibited at all, but something they will take into consideration).
3. I think spousal visas are a little "safer" IMHO, but either a K-1 or CR-1 should be fine. I would look at it more from the perspective of what suits your needs. Do you want to be married in the US? Do you prefer to be together sooner or being able to work and travel sooner? K-1 is more expensive overall, too. there are pros and cons to each type of visa, and I suggest looking into that and basing your decision on what you two want to do. K-1 is taking ~6-8 months currently, and CR-1 is taking a little over a year currently, on average. You can file the I-129F for a K-1 now if you want, whereas a CR-1 needs an I-130, which requires you to be married before you can file.
4. Yes. Face time is important, especially with high fraud embassies. The more you have, the better. Only one visit tends to have a pretty low chance of success with high fraud embassies. Front load and side load, too.
5. Having a child won't impact the process (except maybe getting the CRBA processed to recognize the child as a USC and travel with her). A child isn't proof of a bona fide relationship or marriage.

Good luck!

Thank you very much. These answers have been very helpful. Wish someone could answer the first one. 

Hello Everyone, 

I am new to this site after doing some research and I have some questions. I tried to post in the "Morocco" section but I could not create a thread there. I have been talking to a woman online that is from Morocco. She is a Muslim woman and I am a Muslim man. She is also ten years younger than I am(I am 32 and she is 22). On this site it looks like more women talking to men and bringing them to the U.S. but not as many men talking to women from this country. Not sure if this makes a difference with visa applications. Since reading about some people posting about the interviews it seems that Morocco is a high fraud country for marriage and I want to be careful. Also the consulate officers question very tough from posters on here. She also wants to be careful as well because of people marrying and leaving the spouse in Morocco never to return. The young lady I am talking to right now as well wants to get married and come over with me as soon as we get married. I had informed her this is not possible because there is a process from my research. The biggest thing to her is that the marriage is genuine and she can come afterwards. She is scared because she's heard stories of men from abroad coming to her country and having relations with the new wife and then never coming back. I understand that a woman that goes through that in her country can be looked down upon.  With that being said she is open to doing a fiance visa if we decide to continue and then have a Islamic wedding where I live. I know fiance visas are faster so here are my questions below: 

1. I see that older women marrying younger men can raise suspicions to consulate officers but is the opposite true(older man and younger woman)?

2. Is Morocco known for approving fiance visas for two people of the same religion?

3. Can it be more beneficial to become married and then apply for a spouse visa if we are the same religion(even though it takes longer)? 

4.  Can visiting the person more be better for your visa case(more than just the one required time)? 

5. Can having a child on my end affect a potential fiance or spouse visa from Morocco?