WonTanNara

Julia, Sibel, hang in there. It WILL come to an end, I promise you.

WonTanNara--hey what is going on with your husband's AP--any news? How was your visit?

Sibel

Our visit was great thank you! We did go to the embassy and confirmed that things are moving along. It won't be too much longer now! I'll post details later.

Julia, Sibel, hang in there. It WILL come to an end, I promise you.

I'm actually just stickin' with what they ask for - two affidavits - nothing more. Having previous experience working in a governmental office I can say most don't want the extra "fluff" and it causes most to wonder what someone is trying to hide by "burying them in paperwork".

You are only sending in two affidavits as proof of your relationship? That's it?? From what I recall in the instructions they ask you to provide any and all proof of your relationship including but not limited to affidavits. I will be heartily surprised if you don't get an RFE.

Also, in the unlikely event that your petition is approved with only two affidavits as proof of your relationship, I can assure that Dakar absolutely will not accept that as your only proof. I sat in that interview room for a full day listening to the CO's grill the people who were trying to get family related visas and more of them were denied than were granted. You will need to provide a heck of a lot more than two affidavits to Dakar.

Good luck.

So, two of SO's friends did attend the wedding, but they weren't the "legal" witnesses that are on the wedding certificate. I have requested SO to get affidavits from them, but they live 8 to 10 hours from him. My mom could write one up I suppose. As for the pictures, their isn't a way to remove them once they are imprinted. I attempted photo shop but I suck at that kinda stuff so they look horrible (the copies that is). If I crop them it comes out worse. So not sure if I'll send those at all. I do have a better photo program at work, maybe I can try to work with that. I did print copies of all my skype phone logs and my cell logs as well as a list of incoming and outgoing emails. Part of me wonders though if I give them tons of paper they are going to look harder for something to use against us. Maybe just stick with affidavits and give more as they ask for more. I don't know.

My advice would be to give them as much as possible up front. If you give less and wait for them to ask more, you will delay your husband's visa, potentially by months. It's already going to take months for your petition to be approved. If you don't send enough proof, you'll get a RFE and have to resubmit the petition. It will then take more months to get the approval. Give them the pictures with the wrong date and send an attachment explaining what happened and why the date is wrong. Give them all your call and chat logs. Give them everything!

That is the best Christmas present ever!! Enjoy your first one in the good o'l US of A together!

Thanks for all the well wishes everybody! Right back at y'all!

Insh-Allah our AP will finish before it's time for me to leave... Please God!

Tiggi, I'm so jealous you are going to Guinea! We need to stay out until my fiance's visa comes through because of all the talk talk talk. Be safe and I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

Merci! I am wishing for all of us to be reunited soon!

TRUE! One thing we have in common, we all don't think it's fair to wait around for someone else to decide whether or not we should be with the ones we love. Regardless of the situation. BTW: we do face a potential ban, if our waiver is denied, she will have a 10 year bar, and the worst part is that if we had married in the U.S NOTHING of this would be happening, but she got some BAD advice from a greedy lawyer, and went back to her country to rectify her immigration status dumbest decision of OUR LIFES. So now we wait...and pray!

Have any of you seen the movie "The Visitor?" It's about a man from Syria who was here illegally. He entered with his mother, then their application for asylum denied, then he was detained and deported. It was such a sad film. It sucks that the world has to be so damn complicated!

I really hope your fiance does not face a ban. Though... I'd personally rather move to Brazil than to Guinea. Can you say CHURRASCARIA!

I can't wait to feel the Africa sun (among other things) on my skin!

Oh goodness! (but boy don't I know it) Safe travels...I must be nice to see your loved one after 5 months! West Africa is great during this holiday season, no matter the religion. So much to do and people to see. I hope you have a great time

Thank you!

Johny, definitely not trying to personally attack you or tear you down, just filled with emotion and expressing my opinion.

I will say this, I wish you the very best of luck with that waiver process for your fiance.

Yes Johnny, everybody is entitled to their own opinions. It's a tough subject, isn't it...

I too would never intentionally wish heartache on anybody but at the same time, I agree with Y_habibitk. Immigration is very broken and needs lots of fixing but I think this would cause more problems then it would fix.

After waiting for a YEAR for a K1 visa for my fiance, my head occasionally spins with thoughts of sneaking him across the border illegally. But, it's not the right thing to do!

This makes me think of those commercials about lawyers who can "help you settle your IRS tax debt for pennies on the dollar!" "I owed the IRS $10,000 and paid a fraction of that to settle my debt!" Well how about you pay your friggin' taxes like the rest of us do and you wouldn't have put yourself into that situation to begin with? Completely irrelevant, except when it comes to accountability!

Before we were romantically involved I once asked my fiance if he ever felt like he wanted to escape the poverty and difficult conditions in Guinea. He said no, I'm an Africa man and I take courage. God put me here. My life is sometimes difficult but I work hard and do what I can to be happy. I have so much respect for him.

People make choices that put themselves into situations and need to be held accountable for their actions. Nobody forced anyone to enter this country illegally or marry somebody who did. The unfortunate thing is that is was forced on the children by parents who made bad choices. Nonetheless, allowing illegal aliens to simply adjust their status on go on their merry way removes all accountability for their actions.

OMG OMG OMG I am leaving here next Tuesday to go see my honey! I have not seen him in five months, and it's been a really long five months. Please pray for us that our AP will finish while I'm there and we can come home together! Insh-Allah...

Leedah where are you? Do you have plans yet? We will be leaving Dakar for Banjul on 12/24 and staying with Janice.

I can't wait to feel the Africa sun (among other things) on my skin!

I would never agree to give an illegal the right to adjust status within the US. If it were possible, everyone woud sneak their SOs across the border.

Hope your petition fails.

I agree. Our system is already set up to reward bad behavior and I do not support this. Those of us that are trying to do this legally are being punished because of those who have done it illegally.

Thank you so much for the information. This entire visa process has been a game of hurry up and wait. I can see by the other responses that AP is tracked in months rather than weeks. I called the DOS today and was told that our visa is still in AP. He couldn't (wouldn't ) tell me the reason. He did suggest to wait until we reach the 90 day mark before calling anyone else. In the time being, I will compose a letter to my rep. just in case we need it.

Thanks again!!

No harm in asking your Senator to do an inquiry now, then at least you'd know why your case is in AP. Good luck.

I would also have to completely disagree that the length of time spent in AP is not country related. If you look at past AP times, very few outside of Pakistan take longer than a year while it is not uncommon for Islamabad to take 1.5-3 years. What I suspect is likely is that the checks take comparable times wherever you are but that Islamabad just asks for more of them. Also, because of the sheer number of AP cases, the embassy has a much slower turn around time when it comes to requesting the passports and issuing the visas.

A good sign to me about that email they sent you is that they said it could contact them again in two weeks. Typically if they know AP is going to be long, they do not say that.

Well, Dakar told me to contact them if I had not heard from them in two months. I immediately asked them "Do most cases clear within that two months?" They said "No, most do not." I'm not trying to be Negative Nelly, I'm just being realistic. Ok... well yeah I guess I'm pretty negative after waiting for a K1 visa for a year... but still, just presenting my own experience.

I do absolutely agree with you that some embassies are a lot slower than others, and Islamabad seems to be one of the slowest. Chaingang said it would take them a month to review his medical and police reports which I take to mean it will sit on somebody's desk for a month until they get to it. Absurd.

But remember, I didn't generalize and say that length of time in AP is not country related. I'm talking about a very specific scenario. I said I think it's not country related for stateside security checks. I still think that once the case is in Washington, from the point it gets to Washington to the point it leaves Washington, the embassy has no control. At least this is what Dakar is telling me. It seems to be dependent on how common the name is and how many hits there are in our various security related databases. Different names come from different countries so I suppose you could look at it that way...

Every case is different so folks should try and get as much information as possible. The DOS people keep telling me that the gov't went in and changed their system so they can see absolutely nothing about my case anymore. I've talked to some really nice people and they always tell me "I wish I could give you more information but I can't see anything about your case except that it's in AP." Again, that might be different if somebody is not in AP for stateside security clearance.

In the beginning during my freak out phase some well intended people told me that Guinea wasn't all that complicated and didn't have long AP's. In fact somebody said it to me the other day. Here we are into our 8th month...

As I write this I think to myself what difference does it make? I'm numb from this process and I've given up trying to make any sense of it.

This is why I say to everyone in this situation prepare for the worst and hope and pray for the best.

We can agree to disagree. This is what makes the world interesting.

My fiance and I are into our 8th month of security checks. Our relationship is also verified and they do not require additional proof. If you have not confirmed this is the case for you, then you could ask your Senator to do an inquiry right now. I had my answer within a week. The people at the DOS can't tell you why your case is in AP, but your Senator's DOS liason can.

Nothing personal, but I disagree with those that predict a faster or less complicated AP based on country, at least for stateside security checks. Once a case is in security checks in Washington we are at the mercy of the agencies who need to do the checks. I've been told by Dakar that it's completely out of their hands. This is why I suggested that Jacq1018 do an inquiry now to find out why their case is in AP. Guinea shouldn't be all that complicated or slow either but here we are, 8 months later and still waiting...

The bottom line is that every case is so different, it's impossible to predict how long it will take.

Prepare for the worst, hope and pray for the best.

This 'AP' thing is one of the biggest frustrations that I have faced in my whole life.I wouldn't pray for my enemy to go through it.I was interviewed January 30, given a slip which says that the Administrative Process will average about 6 months.It's going to 11 months and nothing.It's so frustrating cos we don't know what step to take next.We can't even make concrete future plans because we still don't know where we are going to start our home, whether she'll just leave everything behind and come join me or if I will get to go join her.

Bottom line: Prepare and pray hard before your interview.

PEACE AND BLESSINGS!

I feel your pain, we are into our 8th month of AP. I've spent enough time in Africa to know I don't want to live there, and my fiance doesn't really want to stay there either. So what do we do? I've thought about asking for a transfer to London or Toronto. Luckily I work for a huge global company and have lots of options. But... deep down I don't think it will come to that.

If your relationship is truthful and your spouse/fiance has no criminal record, the visa will eventually come when the time is right.

I think we will go too. Onur only lives about 45-60 min car ride outside of Ankara. And I know I'd regret it if I didn't go. Plus, I've never been there before so I'd like to take a look at this place that is affecting my life so much right now!

I leave Dec. 20th and get back Jan 4th. Woohoo! I am so excited...it is getting me through these last few weeks. Take lots of pics while you're there!

Woo hoo! We'll definitely take lots of pics, you too! I think it's good that we're both going to the embassy... if nothing else, they will see we are serious about our relationships!

PS Stuck you should fill in your timeline.

Thanks for the advice. This is not my real account. It is just a dummy account because I did not want to make a big deal about what the state department said or make it seem like I was finished AP. AP can take forever! The words from the state department just gave me some hope. I have never heard anything like that from them before when I called. It is always "The case is still in administrative processing blah blah blah." The case has been in Washington pending security checks so from what DOS said, all of them were completed. I just not know what this meant exactly, where to go from here, and what are the possible scenarios. Thanks!!!!

Oh you know I misread your original post! My head is tired. So this is good news for you! Chaingang probably has more to offer on this. He's out of Islamabad too and his AP was finished I think sometime in November but I'm not 100% sure. It should be very soon for you I think. I also think you should definitely start calling and emailing the embassy. Don't let them sit on your case and let the checks expire.

Just curious, how long did your security checks take? I'm ready to pull out my hair and my fiance is frustrated too.

I would appreciate everyone's help with this. My spouse has been in AP for a few months now. I called the Department of State this morning and they said there is nothing else pending on the case but we have not received a call yet from the embassy. I am not sure what to do next with this. Do I just wait? Should I email or call the embassy? Is there a chance the embassy could order more checks/AP or are we in the clear? What should we do from here and what could possibly happen next?

after our interview we were informed that some sort of "AP" was needed and that the embassy would call "in a few days"...after a few days went by I called the embassy each and everyday for the next 3 weeks, and everytime I called I told them I would be calling everyday...on one call she said she was going to put a remark in the system that I would be calling everyday...2 days later the visa was approved...

Well then you were one of the extremely lucky ones if you only experienced 3 weeks of AP.

MENA and sub-Saharan African countries seem to be getting the worst of it.

Welcome to the club, StuckInAP. AP can last anywhere from a few days to several months and in some cases a year or more. My fiance has been stuck in AP waiting for security checks for just over seven months. There are several others here who have been waiting between 4 and 6 months. Chaingang, also from Pakistan, was stuck in AP for something like 20 months. Prepare for the worst and pray for the best. Have faith that the visa will come when the time is right. The only thing you can do is to keep calling the DOS and the embassy. One day you'll get a nice surprise. I'm still waiting for mine.

PS Stuck you should fill in your timeline.

OMG my fiance laughs at me when we go to the fabric market together because I could stay in there for DAAAAYS ON END. He has the patience of a saint. It's too bad you can't get your fabric directly from Nigeria, you'd pay a fraction of the price. I am always amazed at how cheap fabric and tailoring are over there. We had our wedding outfits made in Senegal, both of them with incredible intricate embroidery for under $100.

I wish the best for the both of you!!

Right back atcha KK.

Hugs...

I just bought my ticket to Turkey Dec. 20th - Jan. 4th.

Would it be at all helpful for me to visit the embassy while I am there? Would I be able to speak with someone? Does anyone have any experience with this, even in another country?

Let me know your thoughts!

P.S. For those of you who don't know my fiance has been in AP for 4 months.

Well Julia I just decided that we are going to pay a visit to the embassy while I'm in Dakar. It probably won't get us anywhere but I think Tam is right, God sees everything.

Did ya get your ticket yet?? Are you excited?? I am out of here in 11 days!

I wholeheartedly agree that having your relationship questioned is a horrible, horrid, experience. We still don't know if all the supplemental information we sent in on our first 221(g) finally answered that question. We did get a 2nd 221(g) for additional information that had nothing to do with our relationship, so we are taking that as a good sign...but the bonafides of a relationship can be sooooooo subjective. Part of me wishes we were just put straight into AP for security checks, at least I would have known that the relationship hurdle was crossed.

Yeah, that's why I said before I believe the hard part is over for us. I think if I had not been at the interview we would have gotten RFE'd too.

I wish you the best!

Interesting... Dakar says they do not have any information except that our case is undergoing security checks. I've specifically asked if they can see any progress or updates and they tell me "we are not privy to that information, we can only see if the case is complete or incomplete." Hmph.

The consulate is waiting for the name clearance from DOS who is waiting for FBI and other security agencies. And those agencies are very quiet about their process.

The only info really is calling the DOS number and asking for last updates on the case. That at least gave me hope that someone was looking/inquiring about the case. Some are more helpful than others to read/dig around for an update on your case.

And although name checks are a PAIN - at least it is better than trying to prove your relationship, IMO. At our interview, we were told "good news, we believe your relationship; bad news, need to do more admin processing" - which was the name clearance.

Keep the faith!!

I totally agree, the hard part is over. Our CO said the exact same thing to us. "Good news; your relationship is verified and all your paperwork looks good. Bad news; we need clearance from DOS and that usually takes many months."

I have my bad days where I cry and have a hissy fit and swear I am going to sue the DOS lol but I deep down I believe the visa will come when the time is right. Insh-Allah. One thing is for sure.... I believe neither one of us will take the other for granted after going through this!