camistanbul

Merhaba arkadaslar! I haven't posted or been on here in a long time, but I wanted to say that our Visa Journey is OVER!!!

My husband took his citizenship oath last week and we are thrilled to be done with USCIS! Woohoo!!!

It has been a long road since we first decided to apply (we were both living and working in Istanbul) and moved to the US right when the economy took a nosedive at the end of 2008. It took him a year to find work, but he focused on taking IT classes, doing an internship at Oracle, and has been happily employed with a great tech company for the past 2 years. Of course, we've had our ups and downs and it hasn't been easy, but seeing him take that citizenship oath was inspiring and meant a lot for both of us.

It was not easy, but it has been worth it.

If you're just starting or in the middle of your visa process, hang in there!

Merhaba - I just want to chime in because we also had to have my parents sign on as joint sponsors for my husband when we were going through our visa process from Turkey. Because we lived and worked in Turkey, our income did not meet the requirements. It was a huge thing to ask of my parents, as it does obligate them financially. While your mother seems to be misinterpreting what that means (ie sending payment every month), it's still a huge commitment and does not end once your husband moves here. Since you are a graduate student, I would caution you to think about how you are going to be able to support yourself and your husband. How likely is it that your husband will be able to work in the US? Do you have a financial plan for yourselves? Do you have savings? Can you go to graduate school part-time and work to bring up your level of income?

I think pushbrk is asking good questions for you to think about. It IS a big thing to ask someone to do so you really need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row.

Tebrikler! Congratulations Mari & Kadir! That's great news to see and I wish you the best in this next phase of the journey.

Has your boyfriend ever traveled outside of Turkey before? If not, since he's a student and lives at home, I imagine it would be fairly difficult for him to get a visa to see you in the US. Not impossible, but he (and you) would need to prove very strong ties for him to return.

As for marriage, it takes a significant amount of time and money to go through the visa process, so you should really read through the forums and learn about the pros/cons of each visa. I was fortunate to be living in Turkey and when my husband and I applied for his visa, so we went through DCF (filed in Turkey in Ankara vs having to file in the US) and that is a much faster process. I had been living in Turkey for several years, so it's what made sense for us.

Try this:

http://www.ups.com.tr/eng.asp

Does ANYONE have any idea or experience with the DCF process in Ankara, Turkey? We sent our package last Friday and we haven't heard anything as when or how we will be notified! I REALIZE it has only been a week...not knowing is the worse and since we are going the DCF route, we cant check "things" as we could if we were in the states AND yes, I am a worry wort that's what I do!

Hi -

I got your PM and just saw your post. We went through the DCF process 2 years ago and it went smoothly, but just be patient... you are in Turkey, after all! We tracked our package to the Embassy and I think we received notification (via email) 2 weeks after they received it (see my timeline below). Since it's the holidays, things might slow down at their offices, so try not to worry too much. We had really good experiences dealing with the people working there and despite having some random, weird problems with the payment (long story) -- every time I needed info, I spoke to a person there and they were helpful.

Be patient! I know it's difficult, but we were very happy with our experience doing DCF in Ankara.

-c

Congratulations!

That's 3 approvals for CSC. Come on VSC!!!

Thanks, everyone! My fingers are crossed for you now! We got the green card on Saturday, so just a couple of days after receiving the approval letter. We're heading to Turkey in December to visit my husband's family, so we're happy this part of our visa journey is over! Good luck and best wishes to you all!

Woohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Approved! Got the letter today! Be patient.... I'm sure more are coming!!!

***********************************************************

California Service Center (21 applicants, 2 approved)

VJName.............Date of I-751....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....Local DO

SUPERMANBACK.......07/26/10.........08/02/10.......09/03/10........09/09/10....ST. LOUIS, MO

MARIENMICHELLE.....07/29/10.........08/09/10.......09/14/10........--/--/10....LOS ANGELES, CA

LILI...............07/30/10.........08/02/10.......08/27/10........--/--/10....SEATTLE, WA

BRIAN&MEL..........08/03/10.........08/09/10.......08/24/10........--/--/10....

SWEETPIANO.........08/03/10.........08/13/10.......09/10/10........--/--/--....DETROIT, MI

PSHO...............08/04/10.........--/--/10.......09/27/10........--/--/10....SAN FRANCISCO, CA

RMC................08/05/10.........08/09/10.......10/01/10........--/--/10....SAN JOSE, CA

REALPI.............08/05/10.........08/09/10.......09/03/10........--/--/10....MILWAUKEE, WI

KGSODIE............08/06/10.........08/09/10.......08/30/10........--/--/10....OMAHA, NE

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER...08/07/10.........08/09/10.......08/27/10........--/--/10....

THE2OFUS...........08/08/10.........08/10/10.......09/02/10........--/--/10....MILWAUKEE, WI

FREEAGENT..........08/09/10.........08/13/10.......09/27/10........--/--/--....CHICAGO, IL

Z AND S............08/09/10.........08/16/10.......10/05/10........--/--/--....CHICAGO, IL

MURDOCK............08/09/10.........08/16/10.......10/05/10........--/--/10....LOS ANGELES, CA

GOUCHO727..........08/10/10.........08/10/10.......09/08/10........--/--/10....

CAMISTANBUL........08/10/10.........08/20/10.......09/16/10........10/07/10....SAN FRANCISCO, CA

DANYELYMIGUEL......08/11/10.........08/16/10.......10/05/10........--/--/10....DETROIT, MI

ALI E JEFF.........08/12/10.........08/16/10.......09/27/10........--/--/10....SEATTLE, WA

MACPARA............08/17/10.........08/23/10.......09/30/10........--/--/--....TUCSON, AZ (Early Bio 09/16)

DDKM...............08/20/10.........08/23/10.......09/29/10........--/--/--....TUCSON, AZ

GINA-S.............08/26/10.........08/30/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....URBANA, IL

Vermont Service Center (20 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....Local DO

MARKANDLADA........07/29/10.........08/02/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Charlotte, NC

BABYBEBITA.........07/29/10.........08/03/10.......09/03/10........--/--/10....

HELIOSPAN1676......07/31/10.........08/03/10.......09/01/10........--/--/10....

MURFIE.............07/31/10.........08/02/10.......08/24/10........--/--/10....

WI751..............07/31/10.........08/04/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

V&STEVE............08/02/10.........08/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

MEL AND SYL........08/02/10.........08/06/10.......09/27/10........--/--/10....Tampa, Fl

PAUL&OLENA.........08/04/10.........08/06/10.......09/27/10........--/--/10....Tampa, Fl

BUTTERFLY1978CN....08/09/10.........08/11/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Houston, TX

RAINBOW007.........08/11/10.........08/16/10.......09/30/10........--/--/10....

ODOJOE.............08/12/10.........08/16/10.......10/04/10........--/--/10....Orlando, FL

BOURNE25...........08/13/10.........08/19/10.......10/12/10........--/--/10....New York (Early Bio 10/04)

EJBROOKS...........08/16/10.........08/19/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

SCOTSVISA..........08/17/10.........08/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

MIKIMIKI...........08/20/10.........08/24/10.......10/08/10........--/--/10....Philadelphia, PA

SURYA..............08/21/10.........08/28/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

JGREENIE...........08/23/10.........08/27/10.......10/07/10........--/--/10....

MANILA_2005........08/23/10.........08/30/10.......11/02/10........--/--/10....Nashville, TN

SOLIDPOWER.........08/26/10.........08/27/10.......09/27/10........--/--/10....

STORYANGEL.........08/26/10.........08/31/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Houston, TX

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California Service Center (19 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....Local DO

SUPERMANBACK.......07/26/10..........08/02/10.......09/03/10........--/--/10....ST. LOUIS, MO

MARIENMICHELLE.....07/29/10..........08/09/10.......09/14/10........--/--/10....LOS ANGELES, CA

LILI...............07/30/10..........08/02/10.......08/27/10........--/--/10....SEATTLE, WA

BRIAN&MEL..........08/03/10..........08/09/10.......08/24/10........--/--/10....

SWEETPIANO.........08/03/10..........08/13/10.......09/10/10........--/--/--....DETROIT, MI

PSHO...............08/04/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....SAN FRANCISCO, CA

RMC................08/05/10..........08/09/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

REALPI.............08/05/10..........08/09/10.......09/03/10........--/--/10....MILWAUKEE, WI

KGSODIE............08/06/10..........08/09/10.......08/30/10........--/--/10....OMAHA, NE

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER...08/07/10..........08/09/10.......08/27/10........--/--/10....

THE2OFUS...........08/08/10..........08/10/10.......09/02/10........--/--/10....MILWAUKEE,WI

Z AND S............08/09/10..........08/16/10.......--/--/--........--/--/--....CHICAGO, IL

GOUCHO727..........08/10/10..........08/10/10.......09/08/10........--/--/10....

CAMISTANBUL........08/10/10..........08/20/10.......09/16/10........--/--/--....SAN FRANCISCO, CA

DANYELYMIGUEL......08/11/10..........08/16/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....DETROIT, MI

ALI E JEFF.........08/12/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....SEATTLE, WA

MACPARA............08/17/10..........--/--/--.......--/--/--........--/--/--....TUCSON, AZ

DDKM...............08/20/10..........--/--/--.......--/--/--........--/--/--....TUCSON, AZ

GINA-S.............08/26/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....URBANA, IL

Vermont Service Center (13 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....Local DO

MARKANDLADA........07/29/10..........08/02/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Charlotte, NC

BABYBEBITA.........07/29/10..........08/03/10.......09/03/10........--/--/10....

HELIOSPAN1676......07/31/10..........08/03/10.......09/01/10........--/--/10....

MURFIE.............07/31/10..........08/02/10.......08/24/10........--/--/10....

WI751..............07/31/10..........08/04/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

MEL AND SYL........08/02/10..........08/06/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

PAUL&OLENA.........08/04/10..........08/06/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

RAINBOW007.........08/11/10..........08/16/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

ODOJOE.............08/12/10..........08/16/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Orlando, FL

BOURNE25...........08/13/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....New York

EJBROOKS...........08/16/10..........08/19/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

SCOTSVISA..........08/17/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

MANILA_2005........08/23/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Nashville, TN

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California Service Center (15 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....Local DO

SUPERMANBACK.......07/26/10..........08/02/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....ST. LOUIS, MO

MARIENMICHELLE.....07/29/10..........08/09/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

LILI...............07/30/10..........08/02/10.......08/27/10........--/--/10....SEATTLE, WA

BRIAN&MEL..........08/03/10..........08/09/10.......09/08/10........--/--/10....

SWEETPIANO.........08/03/10..........--/--/--.......--/--/--........--/--/--....

PSHO...............08/04/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....SAN FRANCISCO, CA

RMC................08/05/10..........08/09/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

REALPI.............08/05/10..........08/09/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....MILWAUKEE, WI

KGSODIE............08/06/10..........08/09/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....OMAHA, NE

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER...08/07/10..........08/09/10.......08/27/10........--/--/10....

THE2OFUS...........08/08/10..........08/10/10.......09/02/10........--/--/10....MILWAUKEE,WI

GOUCHO727..........08/10/10..........08/10/10.......09/08/10........--/--/10....

CAMISTANBUL........08/10/10..........08/20/10.......--/--/--........--/--/--....SAN FRANCISCO, CA

DANYELYMIGUEL......08/11/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....DETROIT, MI

MACPARA............08/17/10..........--/--/--.......--/--/--........--/--/--....TUCSON, AZ

DDKM...............08/20/10..........--/--/--.......--/--/--........--/--/--....TUCSON, AZ

Vermont Service Center (10 applicants)

VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date......Biometrics......Approved....Local DO

MARKANDLADA........07/29/10..........08/02/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Charlotte, NC

BABYBEBITA.........07/29/10..........08/03/10.......09/03/10........--/--/10....

HELIOSPAN1676......07/31/10..........08/03/10.......09/01/10........--/--/10....

MURFIE.............07/31/10..........08/02/10.......08/24/10........--/--/10....

WI751..............07/31/10..........08/04/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

MEL AND SYL........08/02/10..........08/06/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

RAINBOW007.........08/11/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

ODOJOE.............08/12/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....Orlando, FL

EJBROOKS...........08/16/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

SCOTSVISA..........08/17/10..........--/--/10.......--/--/10........--/--/10....

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Approved = The Date your case was approved

* Please Capitalize your VJ Name when adding it to the list

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Ohhhh..... I see... do you know why I wouldn't be???????????/

When we did ours, we were both called up at the beginning of the interview and then they told me I could go sit down. They then proceeded with the visa interview with my husband, and did not ask me anything else.

Merhaba -

Yes, you will be able to be there. You might not be interviewed with him though!

I tried to read in Turkish but the link is not working! We already sent the papers! I wanna ask you something, what is the receipt number? does it mean they will look at our file soon? We called them today and they said they will send a receipt number tomorrow! 3 months is a very long time for us because we will not have anywhere to stay end of the month :-( Also do you think they will tell my husband to go alone and get a house and a job then I can go? He is self-employed sohe has a job when he goes back also we will stay with his parents plus he has a car in california (we sent the documents for that) We met in california so we have a lot of pics to proof our marriage.. we are just very stressed out...

You should just google "US Embassy Ankara Turkce" then and you can find it. 3 months is very fast as far as anything visa-related is concerned. I remember another couple on here did DCF around the same time as us and it went faster, but even then it was still 2 months or so.

I believe you need to go to the interview together.

Hi All!

I am new here. I hope I can help you guys and I can get some advices!

I am Turkish and My husband is American. My husband has been in Turkey for 6 months. We will send all the papers this Tuesday to Ankara (DCF). Before we send it I have a couple questions.

My husband never got the residince permisson! He went to Cyprus every 3 months and renew his visa. When we called the consulate they said it's no problem as long as he has the entries and exits on his passport. We didn't get any resident visa for him because I talked to a few people they told me If he gets it then the consulate causes a lot of problems (like they tell him to go back to the US by himself and prove his resident there) so he only has the tourist visa. Do you guys think it will be a problem?

Also I didn't see anywhere in the form If we need a cover letter but here everybody says they wrote one. Do we need one?

When we pay the 355$ at Fortis bank(Cashier's check) are we gonna say it is for immigrant visa? does my husband (American) or do I have to get the check?

We will send it this week and one of my friends said that it takes for 8 months! is this true? I thought it takes for 3 months.

Thanks for all the answers

Merhabalar -

You should go to the Embassy website and check the instructions in Turkish:

US Embassy Ankara (Turkce)

I think that will be most helpful to you to double-check you have done everything. My husband and I did DCF in 2008 and we had a cover letter.... the instructions for the check at Fortis Bank are very clear "blok cek" or something like that.... I think it is made out to the Embassy.

I don't think it matters who gets the check, but we went together when we did it.

If you are applying for DCF (which you should, since your husband has been living in Turkey) it will be much faster than any other way. We were done in 3 months I believe (check my timeline!).

Good luck!

Hi there... We went through the DCF process in Ankara in 2008. There were a few hiccups in the process, but overall it went very quickly. My parents were our co-sponsors as I had been living in Turkey for quite some time and it's difficult to save that much $$ when you're paid in liras! Feel free to PM me if you want to know more.

Yea we are signing him up at the community college for Fall classes to improve his English and then take other courses from there, so hopefully that helps. Another thing that was frustrating for me is that he is afraid to speak for himself regarding jobs and interviews, telephone etc, so I told him he has to just do it as I am getting stressed for being responsible for everything! He kept saying what if I don't understand a long word or something or they speak really fast.....as I fill out the online apps for him as he doesn't want to make a mistake. So tomorrow he has an interview with an employment agency to clean offices...the ONLY call back in the last 16 months, not very hopeful, but it will be good practice for him. I am making him call from a newspaper ad tomorrow for another job. He is very nervous.

I understand... my husband's English is quite good, but it was still difficult for him to "get out there." There is a fairly active Turkish community here in the Bay Area, so I pushed him to do that. That didn't really lead anywhere, but another option we had looked in to was volunteering. If your situation is OK and you want him to go out, interact with people, and start practicing English or networking-- volunteering could be a good thing, too. I was also getting very stressed out from feeling responsible for everything, but you just have to let them do it. I lived in Turkey for 4 years and I went through the same things -- and if someone was willing to help, of course I took them up on it! It didn't help me in the long run though. Not understanding can be incredibly frustrating, but we never learn how to do it if we don't try. Are there ESL classes offered near you? Get him signed up sooner rather than later. It will help a lot!

Hope your husband gets the job! It might not be the best, but it's a job and you're right -- good practice!

Oh...just fine and dandy. Except Hamit still cannot get a job-not even a call back! Not surprising as I have had very few myself being a nurse which is totally not normal..but in this economy....sigh. HE is getting depressed I think....I don't know what to do. Anyhow, other than that all is well.

Yea, how is everyone?

We went through that for a year and a half.... the most depressing time I've had, I think. The saving grace for us was that my husband started taking classes at one of the local community colleges, which then led to a really good internship-- and then a job! It took a long time, but thank goodness it happened! Don't lose hope.... the economy is so bad, you just have to get creative. Good luck!!!

Hi Jenn - so sorry to hear of your diagnosis and wish you happy, healthy days -- just think positively! Gecmis olsun.

Merhaba! I haven't been here for a long time, but I wanted to share the good news. My husband has landed a fantastic job! We moved to the Bay Area over a year ago and unfortunately, he could not find work. He probably applied for over 200 jobs, had a ton of interviews, but because there were so many senior IT people out of work, it was impossible to find a job. We didn't waste time and he enrolled at a local college to take more IT classes, and did an internship with Cisco. Then last week, he got not 1 but 2 job offers! He took the better paying job with full benefits, at an international company, and will start on the 19th! Yay!

We've been in the US for a while, but it feels like this is a 'second beginning' for us. He was starting to talk about going back to Turkey for a while, even just to work for a few months, so he could help take care of things. We're both so incredibly thankful that didn't have to happen!

Anyway.... we got the news yesterday morning on the job offer and it was also our 2nd anniversary! Kismet.

Hope you're all well!

Hello from Istanbul

Just got in a few hours ago and waiting for Fuat to get off work. I can't believe our interview is actually in four days! We'll leave for Ankara on Sunday, and will sight see in the city the day before the interview.. then head back here, on Tuesday, right after the interview. I hope the interview goes well.. otherwise, it's going to be one heck of a long, depressing bus ride back to Istanbul.... but I am keeping my hopes up we won't end up in AP ( though that seems to be the trend lately).

I'll be sure to post on Tuesday and let you know what happened!

GOOD LUCK!!! :thumbs: :thumbs:

We will have 4 days together, before the interview, so we could take pictures. I usually just take my camera card to Walmart and print them out on one of those instant machines. Any idea where I might find something like this in Istanbul or Ankara? What would be the easiest way to get them printed quickly there?

It won't be hard to find a place like this. There are photo shops all over the place, in malls, on the street-- most do the typical 1-hour processing so just bring your camera and/or a USB stick or CD with your photos and they can turn it around really quickly. Very very easy to find.

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself to this forum because VJ seems like the best support out there for this whole process. I'm a USC and my fiance is from Turkey. We met 2 years ago when we were both exchange students in Spain and we've been best friends ever since. For the past few months I was in Turkey (Kusadasi to be exact) and before I left, he proposed! I couldn't be happier. But unfortunately Efe just began his military service (short term, he'll be out in May). Before I left Turkey I told him that I could handle most of the visa forms on my own. Little did I know how overwhelming this would be, especially doing it completely on my own (+ the help from VJ). That's it! Has anyone attempted to start visa process while their fiance/husband was in the army? Anyone from the Philadelphia area?

Hi Nicole & Efe -

Welcome! Good luck with all of your forms and the process! We did ours from within Turkey, but getting through all of the forms was a formidable task! I still can't believe that part is done. Glad to hear your fiance will be out of the army soon -- that's a really short stint, so he'll be out before you know it!

and ps tanyakaraman - baby defne is adorable!!!!

Hello Camistanbul and everyone,

Your message is very informative and answered several questions that comes to mind. I just recently sent my I-130 and I am excited at the same time anxious of what will be the next step to do. Either I have more papers to send them to complete the application or what I've sent was just perfect. I was married in Izmir, Turkey last July 9th. My life style made my action a little behind in sending my application but I'm sure things will turn out just fine. I like this site and group, I've learnt so much and I feel that I am not alone doing the legalities of getting my husband to be in the US.

Thanks...

Belle

Welcome! Glad you found that informative. Still no change here, unfortunately, but we're still positive. At least we're here in the US together... that was a big enough of a leap!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Enough of the unhelpful banter!

At the Ankara Embassy, when we had our interview, there were several couples in line for the K-1 visas. I believe that most everyone went in together. I remember that before our interview, a couple got called up to do their interview and they were engaged-- he was American, she was Turkish. They asked them some questions together and then they had the man sit down while they continued the interview with his fiancee. There were no rooms where interviews were happening privately, it was all just happening in the same room where everyone waits. That's how our interview went too... we got called up and the woman made me go sit down. Of course, you're within earshot of what's being asked so it's a little nerve-wracking!

I think it would be helpful if you got clarification on this from someone at the Embassy before you shell out for a ticket to Ankara. I'm fairly certain you can be in there, but having that in writing always helps.

Good luck!

We had ours notarized last year, but I believe there was something in the instructions that said it needed to be translated and notarized and also we needed a paper that said the translator (tercume) was certified to translate. Trying to get that last piece of info was like pulling teeth, but in the end they gave us a copy (I think they were afraid it would get out and circulated). I would just get it notarized as the Turkish bureaucratic process and the US visa process do not necessarily line up. Good luck!