againstthegrain

Does anyone know how long the process is of transferring a case from one U.S. Embassy to another?

The NVC idiotically sent our I-129F case to Amman, Jordan instead of Damascus, Syria where my fiancée resides (and which was specifically stated on the I-129F application). I've contacted the U.S. Embassy in Amman, and they said that we can have the U.S. Embassy in Damascus request the case be transferred.

However, they didn't give us any indication of how long this process would take. Does anyone know? If it is a matter of a few days to a couple weeks, we'll do it. But if it is a matter of a few weeks or months, I'd rather travel to Jordan with her.

The problem is that she is Iraqi, and could be denied reentry to Syria if she leaves (and Jordan isn't granting Iraqis visas easily these days, either).

Has anyone transferred a case from one embassy to another? How long did it take?

Does anyone know how long the process is of transferring a case from one U.S. Embassy to another?

The NVC idiotically sent our I-129F case to Amman, Jordan instead of Damascus, Syria where my fiancée resides (and which was specifically stated on the I-129F application). I've contacted the U.S. Embassy in Amman, and they said that we can have the U.S. Embassy in Damascus request the case be transferred.

However, they didn't give us any indication of how long this process would take. Does anyone know? If it is a matter of a few days to a couple weeks, we'll do it. But if it is a matter of a few weeks or months, I'd rather travel to Jordan with her.

The problem is that she is Iraqi, and could be denied reentry to Syria if she leaves (and Jordan isn't granting Iraqis visas easily these days, either).

Has anyone transferred a case from one embassy to another? How long did it take?

Try emailing or calling the consulate. It might delay further the interview if you ask for it to be transferred to Damascus from Amman.

Yeah, I already e-mailed them, though I imagine I'll have to wait until Monday or Tuesday for a response. I'm going to see if anyone at the NVC help, considering it has only been 2 weeks since our NOA2. If it will result in much of a delay, we'll probably just arrange to do it in Amman, but it will be a pain.

I'm just worried that she'll lose her residency to Syria by leaving (she already needs monthly extensions, and I believe they don't allow Iraqis back easily once they've left), and if she's unable to get the visa in Jordan quickly, she'd have no other option but to return to Iraq... which would be a disaster.

Plus, traveling to Jordan as a single woman is going to be quite intimidating/uncomfortable for her. She has enough trouble living alone in Damascus...

Its not easy for an Iraqi to get into Jordan. It took my husband three tries so if you go that route, you might start soon and make sure she has some proof of her embassy interview in hand. Women get into Jordan much easier than men so hopefully she will not have many problems. Her being alone could work to her advantage. Its too bad you can't travel with her though. As an American that could help. Do you have that option? I went to Syria twice myself and didn't have any problems. I've been to Jordan too.

Hopefully the Jordanian embassy in Damascus will be helpful and would grant her a visa beforehand. My fiancée's parents traveled from Iraq to Jordan to get their U.S. visas about a month ago, but the first time around they were denied entry into Jordan. They had to reschedule their interview because of it. I'm more concerned about her being denied reentry into Syria, though. We'd be in a very difficult position if she had to leave Jordan and couldn't return to Syria. I guess we'd be moving to live in Irbil together if that happened.

I lived in Syria for 2 years (that's where we met), and I've been to Jordan plenty of times as well. I was planning to go out there and travel back with her, but after she had the visa in hand (was hoping we could also take a little trip to Lebanon together). Not sure if I can hold on to my job if go early for the interview process as well. Might still do it, though. I miss Damascus a lot anyway.

I loved going to souk hamidiya. I let my husband do all the bargaining so we could get the Iraqi price and not the American, lol. I was there for the presidential referendum last year. It was an exciting time though my husband got made at me for saying out loud "I'm so shocked the vote was 99 percent yes, who would have thought". He was always worried we could get in trouble. I was normally careful, but my American sarcasm slipped on that one.

Yeah, I lived in the old city, around Bab Sharqi (the eastern gate). It is an amazing place. The most charming of the old cities in the Middle East, I think.

I was also there during the presidential referendum. Amusing days, for sure. A lot of my Syrian friends were embarrassed by it, but people generally wouldn't talk critically about it unless they knew you well. One of my university friends told me that they literally locked the students out of their dorms to get them to go to a rally. And numerous times I saw party members distribute Assad posters to shopkeepers, obviously suggesting they could have problems if they didn't put them up. Apparently they also went around to businesses signing people up to 'voluntarily' attend rallies, most of whom obviously attended as to not get into trouble. ... but all that being said, they're still better than Mubarak and a lot of others, in my opinion.

Anyway, the U.S. Embassy in Amman went so far as to schedule my fiancée for an interview at the start of November, but they've said we can have the U.S. Embassy in Damascus request the case and it wouldn't be a problem to transfer it. I'm still not sure what we'll do. If it is only a matter of a few days or a week to transfer the case, we'll probably do that. If it is a matter of many weeks/months, maybe I'll fly to Jordan for the interview and stay with her until the visa is granted.

Try emailing or calling the consulate. It might delay further the interview if you ask for it to be transferred to Damascus from Amman.

Yeah, I already e-mailed them, though I imagine I'll have to wait until Monday or Tuesday for a response. I'm going to see if anyone at the NVC help, considering it has only been 2 weeks since our NOA2. If it will result in much of a delay, we'll probably just arrange to do it in Amman, but it will be a pain.

I'm just worried that she'll lose her residency to Syria by leaving (she already needs monthly extensions, and I believe they don't allow Iraqis back easily once they've left), and if she's unable to get the visa in Jordan quickly, she'd have no other option but to return to Iraq... which would be a disaster.

Plus, traveling to Jordan as a single woman is going to be quite intimidating/uncomfortable for her. She has enough trouble living alone in Damascus...

Its not easy for an Iraqi to get into Jordan. It took my husband three tries so if you go that route, you might start soon and make sure she has some proof of her embassy interview in hand. Women get into Jordan much easier than men so hopefully she will not have many problems. Her being alone could work to her advantage. Its too bad you can't travel with her though. As an American that could help. Do you have that option? I went to Syria twice myself and didn't have any problems. I've been to Jordan too.

Hopefully the Jordanian embassy in Damascus will be helpful and would grant her a visa beforehand. My fiancée's parents traveled from Iraq to Jordan to get their U.S. visas about a month ago, but the first time around they were denied entry into Jordan. They had to reschedule their interview because of it. I'm more concerned about her being denied reentry into Syria, though. We'd be in a very difficult position if she had to leave Jordan and couldn't return to Syria. I guess we'd be moving to live in Irbil together if that happened.

I lived in Syria for 2 years (that's where we met), and I've been to Jordan plenty of times as well. I was planning to go out there and travel back with her, but after she had the visa in hand (was hoping we could also take a little trip to Lebanon together). Not sure if I can hold on to my job if go early for the interview process as well. Might still do it, though. I miss Damascus a lot anyway.

Try emailing or calling the consulate. It might delay further the interview if you ask for it to be transferred to Damascus from Amman.

Yeah, I already e-mailed them, though I imagine I'll have to wait until Monday or Tuesday for a response. I'm going to see if anyone at the NVC help, considering it has only been 2 weeks since our NOA2. If it will result in much of a delay, we'll probably just arrange to do it in Amman, but it will be a pain.

I'm just worried that she'll lose her residency to Syria by leaving (she already needs monthly extensions, and I believe they don't allow Iraqis back easily once they've left), and if she's unable to get the visa in Jordan quickly, she'd have no other option but to return to Iraq... which would be a disaster.

Plus, traveling to Jordan as a single woman is going to be quite intimidating/uncomfortable for her. She has enough trouble living alone in Damascus...

Anyone have any idea why an I-129F application which clearly states the fiancée would apply in Damascus, Syria would be forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan instead?

We received our NOA2 two weeks ago, and today I got mail from the NVC saying our case was being forwarded to Amman, without an explanation as to why. The I-129F application showed my fiancée (who is Iraqi) resides in Damascus, Syria and the U.S. Embassy in Damascus was where she would apply.

I know other Iraqis have had their fiancée visa applications handled by the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, so I don't believe her nationality is the reason. Some relatives of hers applied for (and were granted) visas at the embassy in Amman in the past, but I don't see why that would matter to her case (or how the NVC would even make that connection).

Or are all visas for the region initially handled by Amman, and then are forwarded on to embassies in Damascus, Beirut, etc.?

I'm quite confused...

That is odd because they refused to transfer my husband's case to Amman even though I switched his address from Damascus to Amman. They kept saying he had to go to Damascus where his original address was and where I filed.

Strange.

I put her address in Mosul, Iraq for question #2 on the I-129F, as that is a more permanent address (her family's), but for questions 15 and 16 for her "address abroad" I put her address in Damascus, and question 20 regarding which embassy she would apply at, I answered Damascus, Syria.

So I have no idea why Jordan would be chosen, unless they only looked at question 2 and didn't examine the rest of the application to see that she currently resides in Syria.

Hopefully they'll be able to clear it up. If she had to travel to Jordan, I'm not sure Syria will permit her to return with all their new visa regulations on Iraqis.

Anyone have any idea why an I-129F application which clearly states the fiancée would apply in Damascus, Syria would be forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan instead?

We received our NOA2 two weeks ago, and today I got mail from the NVC saying our case was being forwarded to Amman, without an explanation as to why. The I-129F application showed my fiancée (who is Iraqi) resides in Damascus, Syria and the U.S. Embassy in Damascus was where she would apply.

I know other Iraqis have had their fiancée visa applications handled by the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, so I don't believe her nationality is the reason. Some relatives of hers applied for (and were granted) visas at the embassy in Amman in the past, but I don't see why that would matter to her case (or how the NVC would even make that connection).

Or are all visas for the region initially handled by Amman, and then are forwarded on to embassies in Damascus, Beirut, etc.?

I'm quite confused...

I recently requested expedited processing for the I-129F application of my fiancée for similar reasons, and it was approved.

My fiancée is Iraqi and is living in Syria. I simply wrote a letter explaining that she could be denied further visa extensions to Syria at anytime, and it is far too dangerous for her to return to Iraq. I provided some reasons for the danger (her city being particularly unstable, some violent incidents that have happened there recently) and provided copies of her Syrian visa stamps and extensions. I didn't hear anything for the first 2 weeks after sending the letter, but after calling and speaking to the officer in charge of my case, it was approved within 10 days.

Good luck.

As you have only been waiting since Feb 2008, I dont see where the "waiting over a year" comes in, Only expidites I have ever see are for Life or death situations and soldiers about to be deployed.

But good luck.

Jon

I submitted my I-129F at the end of May, filed for expedited processing in June, and received my NOA2 in July. I'm not 100% sure the expedite request was what resulted in the quick approval, but it was approved less than 10 days after I spoke to the officer handling my expedite request.

My expedite was on the basis of humanitarian reasons. My fiancée is Iraqi and lives in Syria, and I tried to demonstrate that she faces the possibility of being denied further visa extensions to Syria, and it is too dangerous for her to return to Iraq.

lol, I hope that means soon!

me too but hubby has a little more to do to catch your husband. Keep HOPE alive!

I got a call today from the local agency that handles refugees. They have gotten the request to sponsor my husband after he gets here. They called me to verify that I wanted him to come to my city (lol, of course I do). They are sending back their acceptance today. They also said all we are waiting now on is booking his flight. This means he is approved!!! Hopefully he will get the call from the IOM soon. I am so excited. Not long now.

big big congratulations to u :dance: :dance:

Thankyou, this is the best news I have heard in a long time!

Nice to see some others filing on behalf of an Iraqi fiancé/spouse on here. I just sent in an I-129F application to get my fiancée over here a month and a half or so ago. She's from Mosul, but has been living as a refugee in Syria (where we met). I just requested an expedite on humanitarian grounds, explaining she's at risk of being deported from Syria and would face extreme danger back in Iraq... hopefully the folks over at the USCIS have some conscience about what Iraqis are going through and approve it.

Did you apply for accelerated processing?

- Daniel

I'm trying to get more details on the financial requirements that apply to the K1 visa. In the searching I've done, it seems the income requirement is 125% of the official poverty line, and my father can co-sponsor for me to meet this requirement.

I, however, spent 2006-2007 abroad (where I met my fiancee), and I had no official reported income. I was teaching English and being paid in cash, and my income would have been far below U.S. poverty level (although I was quite comfortable with that income in the country I was living in). None of it was ever deposited in a bank account, and I didn't file any income tax those years.

I read that, even if you have a co-sponsor, the same income documents are still required. Is this true? What if I didn't have a bank account or any income tax returns (unless I go back to 2005)? Anyone know?

Thanks,

- Daniel