100% Al Ahly Fan

Members of Congress have no involvement in how long or short AP will be for any particular individual. You happened to get out of AP around the same time as your congressman enquired; this was a coincidence.

Link, please. I don't remember that lunacy.

Games are not the problem - people are

Came across this new book and thought it may be interesting for members here:
The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey.

As a newbie but not being USC in here, i've been noticing so much demoralization and hope-destroying people, many of them justify their behaviors as being factual or to-the-point because immigration is no fun, the newbies eventually realize it's no fun, and that they should do their absolute best to overcome their weaknesses and to not anticipate or expect any good from the immigration corps, "oldbies" are supposed to open newbies' eyes not demoralize them which harsh.

I think having affidavits created specifically stating you are not married is confusing. You aren't married, they are accustomed to engagement ceremonies, there is no need to explain further really. I wouldn't provide *any* proof (pictures etc) that you guys have had anything remotely similar to a wedding. Why muddy the waters?

So... after a few years here, I've seen the drama, I've seen the... strong women sharing their sometimes unpopular or "harsh" opinions with newbies and/or people who they characterize as the "rainbows, sunshine, and unicorns" folks... the skepticism that many MENA people get when they post here without telling their USC partners about this place... and it got me wondering...
Do we need a FAQ or "Welcome to the MENA boards" sticky? Something to explain a bit about the tone of the boards to the newbies who come here and might get scared off by the content here? Because I know that the "reality checks" are needed, but it seems like there are an awful lot of questions that come up a lot. It feels like we're constantly describing red flags, etc.
Is a FAQ/introductory post something that we might want to work on as a board and make a sticky? It could include things like:
- What is "MENA" and other acronyms?
- What are "red flags?" How do we overcome them?
- Why is there so much talk about fraud on the MENA boards?
- Why do people keep asking me hard questions that might seem irrelevant or like they don't trust our relationship? (answer- because that's what you are up against at the consulate)
- Past interview questions
- Why do people here seem "harsh?"
- Country-specific details that come up often
Again-- just a thought! I know that it would have been helpful to me to see this all in one place when I first started... before jumping into the discussion head-first, so to speak!
Love and respect to all!
k

Egyptian Accounting Degree = Future Taxi Drivers/Convenience Store Workers of America
It's worthless in terms of employability in the US.

Hi, OP, it seems everyone else has more or less pointed out a lot of the flaws with your case and how they will be perceived. I'm addressing something a tad different. You mentioned your husband is an accountant in Egypt. I am not sure what you guys think he'll do here when he comes, but if it is being an accountant or any other profession, you may want to begin checking into what he will need to do. Professions don't always transfer from one country to another, especially from a country that has lost accreditation for its university system. At best, things will transfer and he will simply need to be certified here. At worst, you can find out he needs to get a new degree. Many people have had to redo portions of coursework. Just an FYI. Also, the clock sounds fun. Were your pictures on the face?
Good luck.

Oh, sigh! Not my Ahmed! Do you have any idea how many times I've heard this both on and offline?
I was not in any way bashing you personally and if you took my posts as such then it's kind of an indication of your mentality and maturity *it's me against the world* and all that jazz. Been there and done that. Besides, I could have been you. At 18 I went through more cr*p than most people do and yet I still didn't grow from those experiences or appreciate them until my mid twenties. I tumbled headfirst into my fair share of BAD relationships where I was used for various different reasons but at the time I was too blind to see. I WISH someone had sat me down and voiced concern of any kind. But that person never came so I had to learn the hard way and I will be scarred by that both mentally and physically for life. Even my current relationship with the guy who is the great love of my life wasn't so healthy in the beginning (mostly this was my fault, by the way).
Ultimately it doesn't matter what I or any other person on this forum thinks. It matters what the consulate thinks because they hold ALL the power over whether or not your husband gets to come live with you in the US. You posted because you knew already you had red flags, it was in your post title in fact. We advised you on how to proceed. You are most certainly free to do as you choose. Hell, you could file now and see what happens. But if you can't prove you have the proper finances to support him and you and your husband can't prove you have a legitimate relationship then his application is going to be denied. A denial hurts like a ton of bricks. It will be wasted time, money, and tears and you will need to expend much, much more of all of those things when you're ready to try again. Hence the consensus on this thread was that you wait, spend more time over there with him on your breaks, graduate school, then file.
As RFQ said, people on this forum do for the most part have good intentions. It is of no consequence to us whether your marriage works out or not or whether your husband succeeds in getting a visa. We have nothing to gain and yet we dedicate our time on this forum to give advice to those who seek it (usually in a constructive way, sometimes not). This is why you should not take our advice with a grain of salt, even if we tell you something you don't like hearing. We're all at the mercy of a system that is confusing, painfully slow, and sometimes unfair. But our end goals are all the same. Wishing you the best.

Considering your overall situation, yes, it might be very wise to wait to file. As you say, it would give you time to be better prepared financially to support an immigrant spouse through the process and after arrival until he gets established.
Also, waiting will give your more time as a couple to build and accumulate more evidence of a bonafide relationship - the additional visits and "real time" spent together, perhaps your family meeting his, the regular communication between the two of you, maybe some mingling of some of your financial assets/obligations, etc. These are the types of evidence that the consulate would regard as more positive and persuasive, and could help you out-weigh the red flags.

It never hurts to take the extra time. Try to get more visits to Egypt in, spend time being married and establishing your love and relationship together. It's not always easy to have a long distance relationship, most of us here have had to go through it for several months (our wait was 10 months from filing to visa in hand) to a couple of years. It's worth it in the end when he's finally here with you!!
When you are ready to do all the paperwork, we can help you figure it all out.....best wishes

Do you think it would be wise for us to wait to file? We are trying to plan a trip for me to come to Egypt in the summerm. By next school year I should be able to get a job as a nursing assistant as long as next quarter goes fine and I will be better prepared financially. It would also give him more time to save up some of his own money. He is a man of faith and I'm more of a realist which will make discussing this a tad difficult. There are times where turning it all over to god isn't the best option, you also have to put in some work before relying on faith. I think the best point from this post is that waiting wouldn't hurt. Except for even more time apart, which won't kill us.

Nobody here wants to know your life story or even asked for it. We are not judging you, your husband or your relationship. We are stating facts about how the consulate will view your specific relationship and circumstances.
YOU are the one who asked for advice about your red flags and your petition, and through all of our experiences combined, as well as most of us being more experienced in life than an 18 year old, we were giving you honest feedback how the Egyptian consulate will view your specific circumstances. And we do actually care about someone not getting used and want to help you.
If you think that the fact that your best friend's huband is your husband's cousin is not a huge red flag that the consulate will probably suspect as a set up, you are in denial. Just be prepared to prove yourselves sincere and you will be fine.
Good luck to you then.

If not, it's quite possible there will be one of those notorious "He used me!" or "My wife is drinker woman" or "My American wife has boyfriend" threads in the Major Changes section.
OP, as for your rather snotty and immature retort, don't listen. It's your life.

To the bolded - no, "all" of us didn't (although I agree that some responses did imply that.) Helpful people are trying to tell you what the consulate will likely look at very closely, and also explain why. This is priceless information for you in preparing your case, because you have to deal with the consulate successfully if you want your husband to get a visa.
This forum is one of the best places on the net to find information about navigating through a (sometimes) confusing immigration process with a MENA spouse in general, as well as specific information about the Cairo consulate in particular - from people who have personally gone through it with cases similar to yours. You may find some of the members' comments to be unhelpful, or maybe they assume things that aren't the case, and of course some people are just blunt. Welcome to the net. But if you can grow a thicker skin, you have much to gain from the members' collective experience here. So I wouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater... but of course it's your choice.

That's all well and good, but that consulate is going to chew you up and spit you out in all likelihood. But maybe not.

Look, everyone has pointed out some things that may or may not be issues. Only you can sort that out for yourself. Go into things with your eyes wide open. Be a little suspicious. Ask the questions openly to yourself that others have given you here, and consider the answers. Understand problematic behaviors and subtle clues that may not stand out at first.
Now assuming everything is good on your end, and since you are already married-- lets look to the next step.
I130-- I'm not saying its good for everyone, but I got by on 2 affidavits from a family member, friend, and some pictures from our Nikah and with my family-- less than 10. (I never realized just how lucky we are to have that 5 year B2/visitor approved)I married my husband the 2nd day he was in town on our first visit.
When my NOA2 arrived 3 months later, I was like... ZOMG!! I expected it to take a little longer. I have taken my time through the NVC stage. He has 2 visits here and I have been there once in the last year. I still don't have hard marriage evidences like bank accounts and land, or insurance, but I have now plenty of evidence of an ongoing relationship between him, and me, and our families. My focus is on the interview.
My advice-- take your time.

Yuck, auch, poor girl, how poverty de-humanizes us.
To the OP - put him to the test. Tell hims you decided to move in with you, never to go back to the US, live your whole life there. Tell him that he will not step foot in the US either, because it is corrupted and blah blah. See if he wants you or US citizenship.

Clearly, you don't read this forum much.

i'd like to hear more about this photo clock, and how i can go about getting in on that awesomeness.

I just looked at your profile:
"Ahmed is related to my friend's husband and I remember them both telling me over the phone they had found me the man I was going to marry."
Tread carefully. In fact, the last thing I would be doing is busting my a$$ on a visa application. Instead, I would be getting down to the nitty-gritty of married life. For example, talking about dividing up the household chore list and whether or not you're willing to wake him up every morning with a glass of tea under his nose instead of talking about how hard it is to be apart.
You ran head first into a culture you don't understand. Take your time.
Where is he from? What is his university degree? What is his job now?

These same issues jumped out at me as well. I agree that it's the connection between the two Egyptians (the best friend's husband and the cousin in Egypt that she was introduced to) that is likely going to receive the closest scrutiny at the consulate. A lot of people think being introduced to a foreigner through a member of that person's family who is already in the US is persuasive evidence of a couple's sincerity; in fact, it's a big red flag - it's been identified as a common factor in many fraud cases. (Of course this does not mean that everyone who matches this description is a fraud case; it just means that the consulate has been trained to scrutinize cases with these factors very closely.)
Elizabeth - How long has your best friend been married ? How did she meet her husband ? The consulate will want to know. They will also want to know when you and your now-husband first discussed marriage, and when you first discussed his immigration to the US.

The red flags that I see (for Cairo) are
you are 18 years old.
you are best friends with his cousins wife (VERY BIG RED FLAG)
You seen him once and married
You only spoke for 3 months online before marrying
Different religions
The CO will believe this was a set up marriage. The cousin wanted to get his egyptian cousin here so he had his wife encourage you to marry him quickly, without knowing him but a few weeks. After they see this reg flag then all the other red flags will be amplified.
Remember many people have alot of red flags and they have no problems. Some people have no flags and they get denied or put in AP. There is not rhyme or reason for Cairos thinking.
Just keep hoping for the best