Heartland

I dont know... it seems that they always ask for soemthing else or require more. I am totally frustrated. I just wish we all knew what was going on. No double speak. No games. But thank you Dawn

I don't know, but I do hope they are exagerating the estimated times. Amman does that for everything else it seemed. I'm sorry that is happening to you guys.

first we were in ar now we are in security clearence

Dear Madam,

This mean a security check which takes at least 2 to 3 months. We will contact you once we receive any response from the Department of State.

Regards,

IV Unit6

How long did this take for you?

They have thier passsports....

I called DOS, they could tell me nada. It seems that admistrative processing means that they will look over the file and see if there are any more hoops we have to jump thru... any more a$$es to kiss. Then the man told me that pretty much it is to get ready to print the visas. However, dont quote him on that... ok so which is it? First they didnt accept the police report from Yemen and they needed original documents and a court ordered custody paper. We got all that and submitted.... They then said they will accept the paper from yemen... and we waited and waited... only to be told that we needed a paper from his ex wife stating we had custody.... UMM she is in a totally different country and hasnt seen them since the baby was three months and she is almost three...After two emails they are going to accept that... what next??????

My anniversary is this week... on the 25th. One year and we cant spend it together... why... more paperwork and red tape it seems. No one can get a straight answer. If they would only say, you know this is all you need, get it and you are done. But it isnt like that at all. Why is it we do not deserve straight answers. Why is it so hard just to say, ok you need this or that... and call it good?

I am frustrated. I am tired. I am just upset... The way the email was sent I though they were getting ready to issue. Heck now, I dont know... no one does. My husband wants us to move back there... If we only knew what they wanted from us.

adminstrative processing and adminstrative procedures are different correct?

Im calling tomorrow as I only work till noon'

Have you called the DOS to see if they're done with security checks? The number is 202-663-1225, press 1 and then press 0 to get a visa specialist. Could be that you have to still go through the checks.

we heard two weeks ago today that they accepted his paperwork ....

Dear:

We accepted the paper submitted by your husband and your explanation.

His case is pending administrative procedures with the department, once we receive the response we will issue both visas

Thank you

4

I thought adminstrative proceedures were just the paperwork to complete and issue the visa. They have the visas there as we sent them in with the paperwork they requested...

when i emailed them asking about time frame I got...

Dear:

Your husband case is pending administrative procedures, once completed the visa will be issued

Thank you

4

our nerves are shot, we expected things to be completed in a week or so and it has been two weeks. My husband has had a cousin come here last month and has reported he cannot get a job and has had racial profiling and blatent hostility.

I feel like i am losing my mind here. Like there isnt enough stress in my life between teenagers, job, money and this visa taking forever, my husband is getting cold feet!

Is this the type of emails you women got also from the embassy???????????

we heard two weeks ago today that they accepted his paperwork ....

Dear:

We accepted the paper submitted by Samir and your explanation.

His case is pending administrative procedures with the department, once we receive the response we will issue both visas

Thank you

4

I thought adminstrative proceedures were just the paperwork to complete and issue the visa. They have the visas there as we sent them in with the paperwork they requested...

when i emailed them asking about time frame I got...

Dear:

Your husband case is pending administrative procedures, once completed the visa will be issued

Thank you

4

Dear:

Your husband case is pending administrative procedures, once completed the visa will be issued

Thank you

4

how long does the admistrative procedures take? It will be two weeks on thursday,,,,

has anyone gone thru this....

I changed my name to my husband name. I have three children with a different last name. I am very proud to be his wife. It means alot to both of us. I got all papers changed but my mortage and my passport. My passport would cost me 90.00 and right now I just dont have it. My husband brought it up this past week have I changed it yet... LOL He wants every part of me to be "his"...

This is me to a T! I am allergic to smoke, it put me in the hospital too many times with pneumonia! My husband will not smoke here he promiced!!! I am thinking about the lazer treatment I hear it works! He tried the patch and is alleric to the glue...lol I heard of champtrex and the welbutrine.... so not sure about those...

the other thing is after working a full day... I dont want to lift a finger at home other then to cook. I want magical powers like mary poppins or the charmed ones. I would love a maid but NOT one who lived with me.

I like to walk around naked, yes my girls are blinded by the sight! But why get dressed in the bathroom when you can walk naked to your bedroom?

I have two teens in the house so I have the fashion police already with me.... "Dear God! MOM, you cant wear that!!!" I also get, mom, are you going thru a mid life thing? Arent you too old to wear that? Mom cover the girls up more... god! My husband is alittle more subtle with things... He use to say, "your going out of the house dressed like that?" I would smile and say , "yep". He would say "noooooooooooooooo"... Ok at times, I would wear stuff I would KNOW make him upset..why? god only knows.. LOL

I made very small changes. I am a family person. My life revolves around my immediate family and he just fit right in the scheme of that. My husbands likes and appreciates me for just who I am.

My husband had to make changes. He quit smoking and drinking almost a year ago. That was my only request so far. I am glad our lifestyles are compatible.

Thank you soooooooooooooooo much... Trust me I will be on the phone IMMED when I get more news!!!

Don't forget within each cultural there are also classes. My husbands family are all educated. Education is so important that the women were not allowed to even THINK of marriage till they were done with college. All are professionals, which is so very good as only one is married at this point. One is a widow, one is divorced one still married- you never know what life will throw you. His sisters argue and tend to mother my husband... I don't think they are submissive in the least! So when they think that the women are less educated or that all men who come from these countries are all college educated... so not true.

just because you may not argue with a man outright doesn't mean that you give into what he wants... remember my big fat Greek wedding???? My point~!

My neighbor is in her late 50's. she married a man who is in his 60's. She must clear where she goes and what she does with him. He is 100% American and so is she. There are people who tend to be dominant types and some who are submissive. Of course within a family there is give and take.. Perhaps she is very happy with this arrangement, if so more power to her. I happen to like a man who is more in control. I was raised very old fashioned where the woman stayed home and took care of her family too. I worked only when I was not married... and now because my husband isn't here and will not be able to support us for a year or so. My oldest daughter is married and has a child. She married a man who also believes as I do that her job is at home. I also use to listen and subscribe to Dr laura's ideals. My heritage is polish and German.

As for religion... I know Muslim women and men who say they are religious and are not. They smoke, have done drugs, will steal you blind and lie like heck. I know Christians who are the same and profess they are religious and go to church weekly. Does the Muslim faith make the women submissive? I don't think so. The Christian belief also has many of the same attributes.

I still go back to what I was asked by typical common people in Jordan.... Are there really prostitutes on every corner? Does everyone really hop in and out of bed with so many people? Does everyone do drugs there? Does every family have many guns? Where do they get it.... movies, books and thanks to Jerry springer TV. I had to laugh when my husband said that my step father was a red neck therefor would not like him. I said WHAT?!?!

We all have misconceptions. I only knew what I read and saw on tv... and don't tell me that our news is biased... just watch the BBC or read other countries news papers. We are the original spin doctors! I didn't know what to expect when I moved to Jordan. It is more like the US then not.

What I am getting at here is that it is the individual not the culture, religion or class.

Its late and I think I am rambling too much... just my two cents worth

YES YES YES YES YES

Doing the happy dance!

Thank God.

in my husbands divorce papers it states that he was asking for a divorce because of abandonment... the custody paper also stated he had sole physical custody and that the mom hadnt seen them since three months after her birth as she had left the country ect... this was also colaborated by three or four witnesses etc.. so yes they did have the papers in front of them.

I thank Andrea for helping write the letter that did it! She was persistant that I could make a difference. I didnt think it would work, I mean they had all the information in front of them. I guess it got over looked...

Sure, but the consulate doesn't know that his ex-wife has nothing to do with the child and they're certainly not going to take your man's word for it at face value. It's not your guy's fault, but divorces often turn nasty and the children turn into bargaining chips.

It's just not MENA. There have been Canadian couples needing to contact ex-boyfriends and husbands to get permission for the kids to emigrate, or having to present evidence that the other parent has been out of the picture.

It sucks, and I'm glad you two have managed to convince the consulate.

well I dont know if this pertains.. but before I traveled over seas.. and all the Visa #######... I got a letter from a court judge that i was the sole legal guardian of my children.. I know some times a fuss can be made.. especially with international abductions.. traveling over seas.. dealing with ANYBODY over seas.. etc..

I dont remember seeing if you actually got this paper???

I have sole legal and physical custody of my girls

I laughed as I read your stories. Mine is a work-aholic at the moment and constantly tells me when he gets here he needs to find something to do right away. Well, a year ago, I purchased a second home that is a fixer upper. It needs plenty of work which I can do, if I had the time. I started it, but have not gotten far. I have had it on the market, with no luck selling it. Needless to say, we have talked and he agrees to learn how to do the things necessary to work with me to fix it up. He will be plenty busy and then some. Even though he knows nothing about carpentry, he is willing to learn. Sounds crazy, but I am hopeing this formerly unsuccessful venture will eventually pay off for both of us. Good luck ladies. Remember, this is the life they know. Ahmed thinks nothing of working 8 hours in the classroom teaching, and then going home and giving private lessons another 4 to 6 hours. Even now during his vacation, he is working the fields and then doing private lessons in the evenings. It is simply a way of life. Just go with it.

First of all i wish I had the money to get a fixer upper... my husband is an engineer who builds houses. you would THINK he would know how to do some of this stuff. He tells me today, Love, I dont work with my hands... rotflmao... ohh Macho husband of mine, when you get here, you will! I try not to hire anything done. I cant afford it. I read on the internet of how to do things and get to it!

Dh is already thinking of getting a job straight off the bat when he gets here....Ummm yes sure... How about a vacation?

Im sorry I couldnt make it... I had an accident on Tuesday and was out of commision! I really appreciated when you were all there for me...

i replied in the other post. if i remember i told u along time ago u needed a letter from his ex.

Well after two letters to the embassy they accepted the court papers. We do not need to find his ex!!!! Thank you dear God!

Sometimes justice prevails

Hi all...

After writing two letters, explaining EVERYTHING.... It was accepted. Now we wait for more processing and the visa to be issued... Not sure how long but HOPE SOON

sarah: I think that them being so thorough is a good thing, and I think every single one of us would want the same thing for our kids if we were in that position.

Well Normally I would say yes to that... however. His ex wife had abandoned them both since thier daughter was 3.5 months old. I dont think this woman has any rights. She lives in another country. I think there comes a time when you have to LOOK at the situation and say, Each stituation is totally different. If the bio mom lived in the country and had SOME imput, that is different.... however this is not a case of a child being taken away from the mother, or kidnapped, this is giving a child a mother and sisters again...

Thank you US Jordan Embassy....

My husbands interview went kinda bad. They required my step daughter there for the interview. She is almost three... what could have been gained by this? THey sat there six and a half hours... Her without a nap.

Then they needed custody papers from the court... and another police clearence which they changed their minds about...

SO we went the court and had papers made up....

AND WE WAITED>>>> and WAITED

Today I got an email stating they have tried and tried to contact my husband.. and we need a paper from his EX wife who abandoned them almost three years ago with my step daughter was only four months old to go back to her country. SHe isnt willing....she lives in malta and cannot go to court and get the paper as her daughter was born "out of wedlock" and doesnt exsist. I said I would pay for her to fly to Jordan and do the papers...

So we are faced with what to do next. I wrote the embassy stating the obvious...

He got a job offer in Saudi for 6000 rials. I dont think it is all that good... Plus I have two teens (girls)

The question is this... do they hate arabs that much that they put them thru such #######? or is it just normal paperwork? the woman I work with is from peru. She got here in four months without a problem...

ANY IDEAS

My husbands exwife abandoned him and their four month old daughter almost three years ago. She has never gone back. He has raised his daughter by himself.

For our paperwork we had to submitt a court document stating he has sole legal custody. Today , we were notified we needed a paper from his ex wife stating that he had custody... WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!!? Is this not insane? We were told we just needed papers from the court now this. Are they Yanking our chains here? What next?

Thank you US Joran Embassy...

I use uniontelecard.com the cost to joran is .14 min.

there is also jajah.com and they cost about the same..

I miss being able to have conversations that don't cost 34 cents a minute. Or having conversations, period.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps the statement that was made that he IS the father of my daughter was made not as literal but as spiritual. My children's father is nonexistent. My husband is their father in most respects but one... I wish he would have been there to actually father them, however.... he was not.

This thread was started about education, don't lose sight of that fact. If you don't like what is said, don't bother to look at the thread that was started by the person that irritates you. Or simply ignore it all...

As for Z,

Yes I would love to hear more of your experiences and such .... My husband has been courted many times by different companies Thur out Saudi however I know nothing of what anything costs, or what it is really like. I went to the library and rented a documentary on the Saudi family... that is all they had there. Sad.... I have looked on line and there are American communities that have their own "enclosures".

I am surprised that the schools are co ed. In Jordan the high schools are NOT. I thought Jordan to be more liberal.

Is 20,000 riyals allot for school? What does an avg Civil Engineer make? I know nothing of what anything costs!!!

As for the schools a lot has changed since I left. More of the private schools are coed (there is only one private girl's school in Jeddah that I know of). There are a lot more schools that are cropping up to accommodate the growing numbers of expat kids there. The school I went to was around 18-20,000 Saudi riyals a year and that included books and uniforms and stuff. I'm not sure what the prices are now but if you wanted to know more I could ask my mom (she still teaches there

Ok I have to tell everyone I am very hard of hearing. My daughters were trying the words and phrases and laughing like crazy... mysalami is what i said... ok the phrase sounded like it (good bye) and I HAD THE GIRLS LAUGHING ALL OVER THE PLACE. Then came alsayeed well darn that is what it sounded like to me, (sir) again more laughter and they said come on mom say it right,,, try HARDER we want you to say , Hello Mr O when you call tonight.... Ok Ok I have tried. I spent the last hour trying. I think it might take me a week to get it right... !!!!! DH aught to laugh like crazy over this.