sachinky

I sent them the 2009 and 2010 tax transcripts. We still haven't filed for the 2011. Somehow we owe $1500 in taxes. Blegh. So I am not going to file till April 15. If we get a RFE, then I'll send those returns in.

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=232168,00.html?portlet=105

Go to "order a transcripts" online and fill in your information. That's what I did and it took about 5 business days to arrive.

Juliava, thanks, that WAS helpful!

I can't sign into the USCIS.gov site using my receipt number. Says it's an invalid number.

Anyone else tried signing in?

Fedex will not ship to P.O. boxes. I sent UPS priority mail. Mailed it Monday, they received it on Wednesday and NOA1 was issued on Thursday. Cost me less than $15.

I ordered my tax transcripts online. Two sets. Arrived in 5 business days.

Instead of b!tchin' on VJ -- which is cathartic, no doubt, but kind of pointless -- you should use your (very valid) argument to convince your momma.

I married a white boy. My parents absolutely adore their gora jamai.

Give it a shot!

I think most males are pretty clear what the deal is if they import a younger spouse that would not otherwise give them the time of day.

I just wonder if the issue here is that women have different expectations?

Bingo. This is exactly what I said to my husband last night.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/355017-interracial-couples-post-here/

You might find this thread useful.

USC petitioners are not allowed inside the Bombay consulate for the interview. FYI.

I would bite the bullet and tell the parents.

Read the guides, interview reviews, and the other India related quirks that have been discussed ad nauseum.

Arm yourself with information. Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best.

Let me know if you need anything else -- I'd be happy to help you out!

I'd like to add to this that family support and approval is also HUGE.

Meh, I will offer a different perspective. Family support and approval matters, of course, but it only goes so far.

A regular text book case (without any of the aforementioned red flags) having family approval is just another + 1 in the box. Of course, it's helpful but it's not going to swing the CO's decision one way or the other.

A couple that has tons of red flags AND has family approval? Yeah, that's just ANOTHER red flag. No matter how liberal or progressive one might be in their outlook, you are not going to convince me that some elderly Indian couple is super-thrilled and totally behind their 25 year old son's betrothal to some fat, black, old, divorced woman with two kids. Ha. More like they are in on the scam and also mapping out their own immigration in the future.

In such a case, parental disapproval could, frankly, go a long way. Again, I do not feel comfortable discussing some one else's case without their consent but suffice to say that I know of one case where this was true. A lot of this was through PMs so I will keep it brief. They didn't have a TON of red flags (two, I think - online meeting, and I think the lady was slightly older or had a previous marriage) but the beneficiary's parent's refusal to even meet the USC petitioner actually bolstered their bona-fides during the interview. They were totally against the marriage and didn't even attend the wedding. In Indian society, it would take a lot of "guts" for a guy to go against his parents to that extent. One would usually imagine it would be for a noble or higher cause (not a green-card). The visa was granted -- however, unfortunately, at the last minute, the man refused to come to the US and it seemed, buckled under pressure from his parents.

D/D,

I agreed with your original post! There is definitely bias in the immigration process. Me and my husband have two areas on the so-called red flag list: Divorce / new marriage dates close, and we are different races. The result: we are still waiting for a NOA2 going on 14 months. We know our relationship is true, and we are praying each day.

When I hear cases on here when some poor USC has suffered fraud I get so angry because how can the fraudsters get through but me and my husband kept apart because of a bias system.

Looks like the petitioner was interviewed twice already. This does not seem to be a normal case. NOA2s shouldn't take 14 months. There's more to this story. Is your husband of French origin?

Wet Hot American Summer.

7/10

What's the current timeline from NOA1 to biometrics? Just trying to figure out if I will have to take a day off from work.

Hear Hear!! Totally agree with the above. And I also find it difficult to buy into the whole "not culturally normal" attitude. I get it, believe me. But I'm not trying to immigrate to my fiance's country, he's trying to immigrate to the US and cultures are different here. So why does our relationship have to follow what's culturally normal in his home country? I understand that family plays a part in every relationship, but we're not living with the family and if our families are in agreement anyways, why would couples be denied or at least be put into AP based on "not culturally normal"? Just my opinion.

Because chances are, without the green-card "sweetening the deal," -- so to speak -- the beneficiary would not be engaged to someone who looks like his grandmother, in all likelihood. I think the important question here is, if you take out the immigration factor, does this relationship still make sense?

I am going to quote JimVaPhuong here because he put it much more elegantly in another thread. The sentence in bold hits the nail on the head.

Age doesn't matter at some consulates, but it's a very big deal at some others. It depends very much on what would be considered socially acceptable in the beneficiary's country. In many cultures the primary purpose of marriage is to produce a family. In those cultures it would be unusual for a woman to enter a marriage if she was nearing the end of her child bearing years.

Also, in some cultures it's considered unusual for someone to marry outside of their race, religion, or social group. The couple might be subjected to persecution or ridicule.

Neither one of these is proof positive that the relationship is a sham, but they do cause a consular officer to wonder if the relationship would exist if immigration was not a factor. Would the beneficiary be as willing to break those cultural taboos if they were going to continue to live in that country? A consular officer ... would usually conclude that they would not, and they'd deny the visa.

Buffalo chicken wings and bleu cheese.

Oh, and trays that produce ice-cubes in the shape of a human skull.

God, I love this country.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/256469-cr-1-interview-review/page__hl__review

Here's my CR-1 interview review. I interviewed in Mumbai in May 2010.

Got home from work and found the NOA1 in the mail dated March 1, 2012.

Payment was processing when I checked this morning.

What I did is have the credit card company send us a letter that stated that we were authorized users on each other's credit card. For example, Mr. Sachinky is an authorized user on account number 01948830. Sachinky is the primary account holder. Vice-versa. Highlight that information. Contact your CC company -- they should be able to do that for you. Easy enough.

We also have one credit card on which we are joint holders. All the statements are in both names.

I know of several successful MENA-American relationship and they are your everyday, average lovely couples who've been married for several (7-15) years. These are folks I interact on a daily basis with. The white/MENA couples usually have 2 kids. The women have converted to Islam although none of them wear the hijab.

Two points stuck out to me that showed a very different picture than the one I see often on VJ:

1) These couples usually met in some third country (usually in the middle east) on work related trips (nursing, air hostess), or the MENA guy was in the US on a work visa/ student visa and/or already had his papers sorted. None of this online/FB stuff.

2) Also, crucially important, all of them are similar in age/ level of attractiveness. No one looks like a grandma or a model.

The A# is on the CR-1 visa. It's also the USCIS # on the green-card.

Ha, it figures you would pick up on my "subtle" reference to Goa.

VERY true of India though! Things like this that no American would bat an eye at can be heavily scrutinized in India. I recall reading a thread a while ago about an Indian couple going through the K-1 and being denied because they took a trip together alone and the CO thought they must be married because as you said, no Indian parent would allow their unmarried son or daughter to do this.

Eee, Mr. Sachinky and I took a trip to Puri a couple of days before our wedding since he was scheduled to fly out right after our wedding and there wasn't any time for a honey-moon, per se. While my parents, of course, knew about it and so did my close, immediate family, I was advised by mother not to mention it to extended family/elderly relatives/village-cousins for fear of outright disapproval. Of course, she should know better than that. Things like that just make me mad so I told all and sundry during the wedding that our lovely tan was from sun-bathing at the Puri beaches. Oh, the horror!

Do you know if this couple was able to overcome the denial through reaffirmation or by reapplying?

It was a CR-1 the second time round, if memory serves me right.

Package delivered on February 29, 2012 at 2:44p.

Will keep an eye on my online banking activity over the next few days.

All that being said, we're happily married, he's going thru ROC right now [had his biometrics appt today as a matter of fact]...and I completely agree with Sachinky - a whole LOT of the relationships here [on vj] seem to be somewhat sketchy. A lot of quick break ups, irreconcilable differences, other significant others, etc.

Good luck with your ROC!