MonicaP

Details:     Myself, American born and raised.
                  Moved to UAE in 2012 to get married, stayed here for 6 years without going back home (husband denied B2 visa for no ties to UAE).
                  No work history here, no tax records, virtually no maintenance of traditional U.S domicile but I didn't have UAE domicile either, temporary residence visa.
                  1 child born in 2015 in Dubai and given American citizenship at birth and received American Passport.
 
                  Husband, Palestinian Refugee born and raised in Syria Damascus. 
                  Living and working in UAE for 10 years, has not visited Syria since 2011 (before the war).
                  Palestinian Passport
 
Issues:      Lack of Domicile
                   Travel Ban
 
Resolves: I ended up gathering a decent amount of domicile worthy evidence but they didn't look at most of our paperwork for the interview.
                 Travel Ban didn't apply to Palestinians born and raised in Syria after all.
 
Questions asked at interview:  Who is petitioning you?                                                                     : My Wife
                                                       Does your wife work?                                                                        : No
                                                       What do you do for work? What is that?                                        : Group Management (goes into detail... * they're impressed)
                                                       When was the last time you went to Syria?                                   : 2011
                                                       How long were you in the Army and what did you do there?      : 1 year 8 months, I was an accountant
                                                       How many years have you been here?                                           : 10 years
                                                       Have you lived in another country?                                                 : Syria 
                                                       Have you gone to Israel?                                                                  : No
                                                       Has your wife gone home?                                                              : No
                                                       Where did your wife live before she moved to UAE?                   : Los Angeles
                                                       What do you have for domicile?                                                     : Child's School enrollment
                                                                                                                                                                      Rent contract
                                                                                                                                                                      and Plane Tickets  for wife, child ,and myself hopefully
 
 CO then proceeds to ask for my husband's passport and tells him he will receive it in 2-3 days and my husband had to ask 3 times to make sure of what she said, he was handed a white slip and left. CEAC website changed from Processing to ISSUED today.
 
 * I think a huge factor in our case was that both of us lived away from our friends and families and didn't establish domicile in each other's county. Our main concern was my lack of domicile and they ended up not looking at 1 form or my declaration of intent to re establish domicile.
 
Documents they looked at: Army Certificate
                                                 Police Certificate
                                                 Birth Certificate
                                                 Marriage Certificate
 
Duration of arrivial to departure: 2 hours 30 minutes
 
                
November 29, 2017 - Hired a lawyer and started Petition.
        January 24, 2018 - Petition mailed to USCIS.
        January 26, 2018 - I-130 Received by USCIS.
       February 15, 2018 - Homeland Security check cashed.
              May  22, 2018 - Petition Approved by USCIS.
              June 26, 2018 - NVC - Request for documentation (needed different form of id) and payment.
                July 18, 2018 - NVC - Payment made.
             August 2, 2018 - NVC - Submit Documentation (website down 2 weeks).
           August 27, 2018 - NVC - Accepts all fees & forms, interview date pending.
    September 14, 2018 - NVC - Interview scheduled for October 28, 2018
          October 28, 2018 - Abu Dhabi Embassy Immigration interview, CR-1 VISA APPROVED!
 
                  
 
                  
 
        

 

When my husband did his medical exam about a year ago, he didn't schedule an appointment. He simply took his interview appointment letter with him and they completed the exam. That said if it's really busy, you may have to wait a bit.  

Hello VJ Family, After 14 months my husband got his immigrant visa. The journey was relativity easy if you have all the correct documents in hand. Now we are just waiting for the passport to be delivered by the embassy. I would like to thank everyone who advised us and helped us out if we had any doubts. I pray and hope everyone gets their case approved. Once again thank you and I'll see you on the other side  

salam brother
I think you have been quite clear
you were not eligible fir a K1  and were rightly denied, a religious wedding means you are married regardless of the legal aspects
make your marriage fully legal and apply for a spousal visa, hope the misrep does not catch up to you

You can apply for anything but with a US Citizen "wife" you will not be granted a "non-immigrant" visitor visa.  If you were married at the time you interviewed for a fiance visa, then being married would be the reason your fiance (K1) visa application was denied.  If you claimed to be unmarried when you were actually married, then you have a lot bigger problems than a wife in the US who needs you.

Hey, I just checked my status online today and my case is approved! I’m both shocked and delighted! 
 
Nebraska Service Center
PD June 22, 2017
 
For all those who are still waiting, hang in there! 

By mail only,  no text message or email.

Just some encouragement for Nebraska June filers. I got my I-130 approval today for my husband on to the NVC.
PD 6/5/17
Approval 1/22/17

Finally received our approval, still can't believe it!!! On to the NVC!  Hang in there everyone, I certainly have been feeling your pain! 
 
Pd 5/8/17 at Nebraska center. Approval 1/16/18.

Congrats on everyone receiving this great news of I-130 approvals. I'm excited. Has anyone from Nebraska gotten a approval yet. Potomac and Texas ain't playing. They trying to finish before the end of the year lol. I'm expecting any day to receive my blessing.🙌❤

Nebraska is indeed that far behind.

Just an update after doing a lot of research in visa journey forums...
Potomac is working now on April filers
Texas looks like is stuck on march filers 
(Btw march was the month they received more I 130 applications) and Texas approved some April cases but they also sent the I129F for a K3 visa, that's why some people thought Texas was working on April filers, but no yet . 
Nebraska is working on December, January and some filers of February.  
 
So it looks like we have to wait 3-4 months more... 
 
TSC PD June 22. 😔

Persons from Nebraska keep the faith your wait time is greater than anyone else but remember the prize at at the end of all this is an life time with your spouse. Happy waiting every one .95 days of waiting and still counting 

When we first got our receipt notice we where very exexcited, I thought to my self this is not so bad how did everyone say that you got to wait a 6-12 months to finish the process. So I went online to start the next part of the process only to realize that I need a next receipt number and only to find out I had to wait another 3-5 months before I can get it lol

Agreed Crespo... LOL... it does require patience... trust... gratitude... positive focus. All of those things are so important to my husband and I! It does us no good to focus on anything negative, including news, etc... just trying to stay in the best place possible and feel good about the fact that he's coming home soon! 

Ive never been the type to be paitent but this right here is patients of the highest order no denying it.

@cloved these months can certainly make or break a relationship/marriage it gives you so much time to think about your partner as well as it can get really frustrating  hence you have to find ways of keeping your marriage going ,keeping the spark that started it to flame high by doing simple things

Most keep talking about Texas filing center...but what about Nebraska? I've checked, so I sorta know what that looks like... but, as Crespo stated above, staying strong is important. I would like to add that focusing on the positive is also vital for my husband and I. Helps us appreciate the fact that we even got to meet and fall in love in the first place. I can remember a time when none of that would even be possible without the technological advances we have today! Anyway... continued best wishes to all of us!! 

My wife and I hope to get approved by November the latest so we can wrap this entire thing up by February.

As for the agent don't listen to him he and everyone else only reads what's on the website they don't know if the cow really went over the moon, from what I gather they are almost in April so I'm guessing by November we can hear from them and for those of us with late June can look out for something by early or mid December

Never let it be said that we are not strong because we are very much , it takes strong faith to take your marriage through this bull

Hey I just needed confirmation that it was a bad idea to travel to the U.S, as a tourist, in a newly renewed B-2 visa (which required an interview) in order to adjust status for a green card, practically filling a 485 as soon as I arrive. Something tells me this is a bad idea but I'm being pressured to travel and try it. Since according to this page https://www.hooyou.com/familybased/exceptions.html , it is bad because in my interview, I practically made them understand that I had no intentions, whatsoever of emigrating to the U.S permanently because of my home ties, studies, relationships, etc. And by filling a 485 as soon as I get there would raise a red flag, mainly because I'm contradicting myself in a fresh interview and probably even at the point of entry. I know the 30/60/90 day rule is not valid at all, but based on all of what I've done, if I attempt what I just described, it will most likely get denied, and I could even be barred from entrying.

Thank you, I mentally prepared myself and my wife about how long would be this. So let's say that we are "prepared"...
That's why I was saying that I expect POE sometime at January 2019.
Giving my Timeline Visa Journey a total of 16 months 1 year and 4 months ,if it's less time well but not making false expectations and to.my wife and step son too.

Sorry it was sent to NSC but we don't get a choice is the matter. It gets sent where they choose... Yep they are behind and slow 

We did not do DCF........We filed in April 2016.........had visa in hand mid May 2017.......about 13 months from filing to visa in hand.