KittyPollitt

I've searched the forum and haven't found much information on this:

Since the K1 visa requires marriage in the US and re-entry would be difficult, if not impossible, prior to obtaining AP... where are people honeymooning? Most of the "cool" destinations are outside the US and thus ruled out. Anybody given thought to the US Virgin Islands?

If you're not nailed down to going to beaches, Washington DC is an amazing city with alot to see and it's surrounded by beautiful countryside.. Every American should see it once. There's so much history and culture there..

Thanks to everyone who responded.. It's not only a frustrating situation for me because my fiance and I are choosing to do things the "right" way, but also because this guy is a friend of mine, and I would hate to see him mess up his chances to be with his loved one..

I guess all I can do is relay the things I have been informed of here, and hope that he makes the best decision..

Thanks again,

Sarah

Topic title pretty much says it all.. He comes from a fairly wealthy family in Morocco, so it's possible he might actually get a visitor visa.. I've explained to him that if they find out he intended to marry on it, he could get banned.. His fiancee has 2 kids and is unemployed and afraid to fly, so they see this as an only option- I also told him he could come here and stay for his visa, then return to Morocco so she could file a K-1, but they seem pretty intent upon disregarding immigration laws to satisfy their own impatience

What kind of obstacles are they putting in their own path? Maybe I could get him to see the light before he seriously screws up their case!!

Thanks

Sarah

My husband had said the same thing. My Moroccan friends have all said that the northern accents are considered "better" than the southern - my husband is from the south and they always tease him about his accent.

LoL that's like my ex from Rabat telling me that my fiance is "ghetto" because he's from Casablanca.. It reminds me of the way people from here in Baltimore talk about people from Washington DC.. so silly..

Hi Everyone,

Well, my Moroccan husband has been in the States for 5 months with me and we just had our 3 month wedding anniversary! Our AOS appointment is next Wednesday. Wish us luck!

I'd really like to try to learn Moroccan Arabic. It's frustrating not to be able to speak to his family. Of course, I could learn French but they all speak Arabic to each other and it would be nice to understand a little of what is going on when I visit them... or even when he's talking to them on the phone. His mom called me on my cell the other day and all we said 1 million times to each other was "Labas, labas aleek, kolchi mazziane, beher, beslama etc." Ridiculous!

I wish there was a Moroccan Arabic class I could take here in Los Angeles but I don't think there is. If you know of any in LA or online, please let me know. I researched some books on Amazon including:

1. Travel Talk Moroccan Arabic - Audio CD (Arabic Edition)

2. Moroccan Arabic: Shnoo the Hell is Going On Hnaa? A Practical Guide to Learning Moroccan Darija - the Arabic Dialect of Morocco by Aaron Sakulich (2009)

3. A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic With Mp3 Files (Georgetown Classics in Arabic Language and Linguistics) by Richard S. Harrell (Author), et al.

Has anyone read any of these books or do you have any good recommendations for me?

Thanks so much! Chokrane!

Jayme

I have #3- The Georgetown book, and have been told by a Moroccan friend who heard it that the darija taught in it has a northern regional dialect, I believe the native speakers they used in the MP3s were from Fes... just something you might want to know..

even though we dont want kids i always told my husband if we did have one we could never name her fatima. its a pretty name but with the word fat in it im sure the kids would call her fatty or something. u know how cruel kids are.

That's exactly why we're going to use Zahra for when she's in school.. lol..

Our daughter is due in 3 weeks, we're naming her Fatima Zahra.. He had insisted on choosing names, and then ended up being pleasantly surprised when he got stumped and I chose myself.. If we ever have a boy, we'll name him Cherif Abdelah, after his grandfather.. hopefully, there will only be two

Congrats and great name!!!!

Thank you!

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll give it a shot-

I'm due to have my fiance's baby in 3 weeks, and we want to put his name on her birth certificate. My state requires that if a parent is not present in the hospital at birth, that both parents sign an affidavit of parentage and have it notarized, in order to list the father's name on the birth certificate. I'm not sure if they will accept a foreign notary's stamp, but I know that US Consulates offer a notary service for documents that will be used in the US. What I'm not sure of is if this service is only available to US Citizens abroad, or if my fiance would be able to use his government issued ID to get something notarized at the Consulate.

Has anyone had any experiences similar to this? What should I do?

Thanks in advance,

Sarah

Yes you can go in US CONSULATE for notarized document . I also had to notarized some 4O1K related document for my wife she is US CITIZEN she sent me paper by email so i printed out and im Pakistan Citizen living in RIYADH they asked 113 Saudi Riyals to notarized that paper .I hope this Info might helpful.

Thank you !

Thank you so much!

HI dont want to spund stupid but can you tell me what a affidavit of parentage and where would you get 1 ?

I am in the same boat I will have our daughter on nov 16 and I would like my husband name on her papers not my x husband .

Thanks u so much Broklyn

In my state, you can go to vital records or any health department to obtain this document.. I found this out by searching for "acknowledging paternity" and "affidavit of paternity" in google, or you could call the department in your state that handles birth certificates.

Congrats on your new baby!

Our daughter is due in 3 weeks, we're naming her Fatima Zahra.. He had insisted on choosing names, and then ended up being pleasantly surprised when he got stumped and I chose myself.. If we ever have a boy, we'll name him Cherif Abdelah, after his grandfather.. hopefully, there will only be two

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll give it a shot-

I'm due to have my fiance's baby in 3 weeks, and we want to put his name on her birth certificate. My state requires that if a parent is not present in the hospital at birth, that both parents sign an affidavit of parentage and have it notarized, in order to list the father's name on the birth certificate. I'm not sure if they will accept a foreign notary's stamp, but I know that US Consulates offer a notary service for documents that will be used in the US. What I'm not sure of is if this service is only available to US Citizens abroad, or if my fiance would be able to use his government issued ID to get something notarized at the Consulate.

Has anyone had any experiences similar to this? What should I do?

Thanks in advance,

Sarah

Yes you can go in US CONSULATE for notarized document . I also had to notarized some 4O1K related document for my wife she is US CITIZEN she sent me paper by email so i printed out and im Pakistan Citizen living in RIYADH they asked 113 Saudi Riyals to notarized that paper .I hope this Info might helpful.

Thank you !

Thank you so much!

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll give it a shot-

I'm due to have my fiance's baby in 3 weeks, and we want to put his name on her birth certificate. My state requires that if a parent is not present in the hospital at birth, that both parents sign an affidavit of parentage and have it notarized, in order to list the father's name on the birth certificate. I'm not sure if they will accept a foreign notary's stamp, but I know that US Consulates offer a notary service for documents that will be used in the US. What I'm not sure of is if this service is only available to US Citizens abroad, or if my fiance would be able to use his government issued ID to get something notarized at the Consulate.

Has anyone had any experiences similar to this? What should I do?

Thanks in advance,

Sarah

Every state has a federally funded program for pre-natal and post-natal care for women without insurance, and also well baby care. Check with your local social services department

I agree, even some states have locally funded medical assistance programs specifically for women and children. No matter what happens, the baby will be covered after birth. Check your local Social Services website. They just don't EVER deny a pregnant woman healthcare. I've never seen it.

BTW, congratulations!!

Wow, thanks so much for this thread.. The food issue is something we have discussed alot.. He doesn't want to eat any meat that is not halal.. I've thought of buying halal meat in bulk and putting it in the deep freezer.. But then issues pop up in my mind like- for the first time he will be able to afford McDonald's, but won't be able to eat there.. and so many restaurants are not halal.. any time I go out to eat, it becomes clear to me how difficult the transition will be for him.. even just to order a pizza, we'll have to find a place owned by Muslims to order from (which isn't always a problem, but cuts down on variety). I've never eaten pork, personally, I have only been eating meat for about 2 years, after having been vegan since I was 11, so many of the dishes I know how to cook don't contain any meat at all.

Any advice on eating out? I guess we will be confined to Pakistani owned Indian restaurants and other halal establishments. I'd love to hear other's experiences about eating out..

Thanks,

Sarah

I have a Nolo guide to Fiance & Marriage Visas in which it says that even though you have 3 months on a K-1 Visa to get married, that it is wise to get married immediately. The reason the guide gives for this is that you need a marriage certificate in order to submit the adjustment of status forms and acquiring a marriage certificate can sometimes take up to three months.

I'm trying to get a sense of how true this is. Does it really take three months to get a marriage certificate? Is there a way to know for sure how long it will take? What happens if you don't get the marriage certificate by the end of the 90-day period? Do you have to file for an adjustment of status before the 90-day period of the K-1 visa is up, an what if you don't? Finally, I'm curious when people on this forum who may have gone through the process have typically been married within the 90-day period.

Thanks in advance for the help...

That sounds a little extreme to me.. You should call the clerk of the court in the district you plan to marry to find out how long it will take to get a marriage certificate. In Maryland, where I live, they gave us copies of it the same day we had the civil ceremony. I can't speak for the rest of the process, as I'm still muddling through it myself- I wish you luck in your journey..

I hate when this happens, all of us are waiting for our visa to be approved and "NOW" she decides not to follow through. Note to everyone make sure you are willing to spend the rest of your lives together BEFORE you file for a K1 visa. This is very upsetting to me. Someone elses petition could have been approved and actually want to get married.

Omg what a terrible thing to say!! Any one of us who as actually been to their fiance's home country should realize how difficult will be for them to move here, away from their families, and cultures. And any foreign fiance who is in regular touch with their American SO's should know that this is not the land of milk and honey- America isn't for everyone, and while it's terrible for the OP that this happened so close to the end of the process, it's so much better that it happened NOW and not when she stepped off the plane, or worse yet, after they began a life together. I'm sure it was a difficult and painful decision for her as well.

To the OP- I'm so sorry this happened to you. I hope things will work out for you in the long run.

Sarah

Bump for all the new Moroccan MENA members. Introduce yourself please and welcome

Name: Sarah

From: Baltimore, MD

SO Name: Moulay Idriss

SO is from: Sbata04-Casablanca

Was in Sbata all of March this year.. We're expecting little Fatima Zahra in 4 weeks Haven't been able to return to Morocco to visit because of my pregnancy :'( I'm hoping to take my tax return and join him when he interviews next year

Set up a Cisco Telepresence. Webcams are so 2009.

umm.. thanks?

Hii, I'm due to have our first baby in about 4 weeks, and I'm wondering if anyone can share their experiences with having their baby while their husband/fiance was still in his home country.. What did you do to make it as inclusive as possible for him? Did the hospital allow you to have a webcam in your room after delivery? How did he handle it?

I'd love to hear any stories that could help us deal with these crappy circumstances

Thank you all in advance for your time

Sarah

Congratulations

Just a quick question-

Since this thread was originally started 4 years ago, have people noticed a difference in the trend of Casa returning petitions? Have things gotten any better?

Thank you all so much.. I do have a whole rack of photos, but I wasn't sure how good they would be about proving the two year rule, because they could be from any time.. I looked again at my passport, and I think I may be able to fool with the contrast in photoshop or something to make it clearer.. the departing stamp is far clearer than the arrival stamp.. I just wanted to make sure I had ample evidence.. if I can avoid the $575 it costs to do an international paternity test, I certainly will.. Hearing other people's experiences has been a great help, though.. I feel much more secure about using the stamps now.. I really wish I could use my credit card receipts, but I use a prepaid debit card (banks are not my friend), so I don't know how much good it would do..

Thank you for your help Starting to get stuff together now.. we're so excited.. this site is a huge help..

Sarah

Passport stamp is good primary evidence. Do you have the luggage tags? They often have your name, flight number, date printed on them as well.

I haven't heard of anyone getting boarding pass copies from the airline. A copy of the itinerary isn't as good, but will help in support of the passport stamp.

Thank you so much.. your wife is beautiful!

Before I ask this, I want to be clear that I am NOT asking if having a child can be considered proof of the seriousness of the relationship or of ongoing contact. I understand that a child is not a pawn to be used to get someone into the country, and I have proof of ongoing relationship in the form of letters and packages between us, INSANE phone bills, and chat logs, as well as letters from both our families..

My question is this- shortly after I returned from Morocco in March, I had to move quickly, in an emergency situation, and my ticket stubs from the trip were lost in the move (they're tiny little things). I DO have my passport which was stamped for arrival to Morocco and admission back to the US, but the stamp is rather blurry, and I'm not sure if I can contact the airline to ask if they can provide proof that I was on the flight. I'm due to have our baby late in November, and planned to apply for him shortly thereafter, and wondered if a DNA test of our daughter can be used to establish that we have met within the past two years, as he has had no prior contact with US Immigration and has never left Morocco.

Thank you all in advance for not chastising me about getting pregnant before marriage. It happens, and I am aware of the situation I have placed myself in.. I don't need reminders And thank you also in advance for your advice.

Sarah

you people are crazy... mdr

Thanks everyone, I'm about done with this site, yea, I'm going to PAY a lawyer to give me advice because it's WHAT THEY DO FOR A LIVING, and I'm going to be just fine. I hope some of you had fun at my expense, and to those who were kinder, thank you. If I could figure out how to delete my profile on here, I would. What a tremendous, stress adding waste of time this forum has been. I hope none of you are judged so harshly on your misgivings as you have judged me.