Shagarat

Ahlan wa Sahlan, Welcome to the boring USA... I know why so many Egyptians chose to live in New York... it's just about the only city in the USA that comes close to the nightlife of Cairo....

You will find many arabs in Fresno, don't buy cars from them.... For $3000 you should be able to get a nice old Honda or Toyota with great gas mileage and alot of life left in it... We got a 1988 Toyota Tercel with 105,000 miles on it for $750! Gets 38 miles per gallon and is more comfortable than the Lada in Egypt!!!

Good for you using the GPS!! You'll do fine! Hard to find work these days (don't count on any help from Egyptians....) but try to be friendly and out going... it helps...

Good luck!

thanks a lot,i bought a tom tom gps i drove my wife's car actually it is great for me,i drove back from the mosque to home after the friday prayers,i will wait till next week for the ssn. cos i am not sure if any one will hire me with the cr1 on my passport only

They can be doing more than one thing at a time, but it's most likely your case sat still (where ever it was in the process) until they got the information they requested (her divorce papers)... They may have then spent some time authenticating her divorce papers, and then resumed processing your case, from what ever point it was at when they stopped it pending the provision of the divorce papers...

Nothing is fast or not much is easily understandable in this process.

Not much they will tell you, and it doesn't really matter what they call it, you're not finished yet. And as long as they aren't waiting for something that YOU or your SO is supposed to send or do, then waiting is all you can do, except politely make inquiries about the status of the case to make sure it hasn't fallen off the track...

- What's the maximum period I'm allowed to have until I return the packet to the consulate?

There isn't a time limit specifically related to Packet 3, but the approved I129 has an expiration date, but not sure if it's a year or what...

- Do I include any proof of our relationship inside the packet, or do I just bring it with me to the interview? If I include proof in the packet; how much is enough?

Submit what they ask for, bring your proof to the interview.

- Do I need to get my translated police certificate and birth paper notarized like the originals?

The Egyptian employees at the Embassy who will be working on your file read arabic.. No you don't notarize a police report.. you send the original IN ARABIC as required. You submit a copy of the official birth certificate, arabic is fine... again, the Egyptians can read arabic... You need English translation for the USA, not Egypt.

How to do the medical exam? Call the clinic/hospital, book an appointment, go and then? From what I understood I should include the medical exam results in the same packet right?

Yes you call the doctor listed in your paperwork and send the results of the exam in the sealed envelope with all the other required documents. I suggest you request that the doctor give you a signed copy of his report for YOUR records in case the report you submit is lost either in Egypt or in the USA.

Ok we just received packet 3 in the mail today we filed the petition DCF in Cairo Egypt. I have some questions about the packet 3.

First there is a form in the packet called DS-3032 I have never heard of this form does anyone know what this is and if we have to fill it out?

Also when my husband gets all things he needs on the checklist in packet 3 does he send copies and originals back to embassy or just send copies and bring all originals with him when he comes to his interview?

I also know anything in Arabic must be translated in English does he send the translation in the mail along with the copies or bring them with the originals when he comes for his interview?

Can these English translations be copies or must they all be originals?

In the checklist it mentions copies of all things but the only thing that doesn't say copy is the police record, it says original should we still send a copy of this or just the original? Everything else says copy and original.

I have heard lots of info that there is DS-156, DS-156K, DS157 and I-134 that you fill out also but there was nothing in the packet 3 about these or was there anything said about these forms so Im not sure if we need them or not because its not listed in the checklist for packet 3.

If anyone could please help me I would appreciate it because I am really confused about all this after receiving packet 3. Thank you

For documents submitted in Egypt you do not need to translate them. They have plenty of Egyptian employes to read them. Documents submitted in the USA must be translated. Submit copies unless they ask for originals, (the police report needs to be an original) take the original documents to the interview, and write on each copy you submit that the original document is available upon request.

Have his birth certificate translated, you'll need it in the USA later on. Check for updated versions of the forms they request at uscis.gov

Sorry I can't answer questions about specific forms... each Embassy is different.

You can't get an EAD until you've had your Biometrics Appointment. They will use the photo they take at Biometrics to put on your EAD card. We got our EAD about 3 weeks after the Biometrics Appointment, so in total it was about 4 months from the time we filed for AOS until the EAD arrived. Biometrics Appt. took 3 months!

After the EAD arrived our AOS interview came about 6 week later, and the greencard arrived about 10 days after our interview.

No one knows how long anyone's stuff will take.. every case is different.

It doesn't do any good to walk in where I live. Here they won't even let you IN the bldg. if you don't have your appointment letter. And if they did let you in and they didn't have all your paperwork already they couldn't process you anyway. If you are in a hurry contact your elected official and ask for assistance. Ours was able to help.

Bouncing this back up to the top...... No one seems to have answered Yoshi89's question.

Nancy 1980: How is can someone show a final divorce decree when they didn't get divorced? The question is about a legal seperation vs. a divorce.

It's a very interesting question... and I hope SOMEONE will give a good answer..

How can a man who lives in the USA going to obtain an Egyptian Residency Card simply by marrying an Egyptian woman he plans to bring to the USA to live?

You want it for a discount on hotels??? I've heard it all.... You won't be able to STAY with her in a hotel unless you can prove you are legally marrired... and then just show them HER ID card and I would assume you'd get the "Egyptian rate"... On the other hand, the full price is less than half the cost of a night in Motel 6 here... so what's all the fuss?

I'll be interested to know what they tell you in the Consulate in New York...

Hello everyone,

Everything is going good and planning to see my wife this or next month when all plans are finalized now that she has her VISA in hand.

I want to know if me as an non-Egyptian American apply for Egyptian residency from America providing our Egyptian marriage certificate. Please let me know if this is doable here (US) or in Egypt and how long does this process takes place.

I appreciate your help in advance. Thanks,

I'm confused by your question. Why do you want residency in Egypt if your wife is coming here? If you are planning to reside in Egypt why does she need to become a resident here?

If you are asking about becoming an Egyptian CITIZEN the answer is no, you cannot become one, even if you are married to an Egyptian national. Here's the info on the Egyptian Consulate's website: http://www.egy2000.com/ft33l.htm

Egypt does not give Citizenship to husbands of Egyptians, just wives. In the past your children could not be Egyptian Citizens either. (that may have changed, not sure). Only children of Egyptian fathers were/are eligible for citizenship.

It shouldn't be difficult for you to visit there for extended periods of time with the proper Visa. Check with their Consulate here in the US. (There are several around the country.)

My husband cannot understand why his income will be taxed at the same rate as my income (when next April 15th rolls around).... considering that I am making CONSIDERABLY more $$ than he is... I tried to explain about JOINT INCOME TAXES, etc. but it was like talking to the wall... He comes from a country where almost no one pays taxes, and they get nothing from the Government in return... so this is whole tax thing is a new concept...

I am self-employed so I pay a BOAT LOAD of taxes... I make quarterly payments and then typically owe another CHUNK of $ on April 15th... His Federal Tax Bracket is 10%, mine is 28%. Our joint filing tax bracket will be 28%, so that means if he pays 10% I'd be making up the other 18%.

If we filed Married but Separately, his would still be 10% and mine would be 33%! (If I make as much this year as I did last year...) So I guess I'm supposed to pick up the 18% he doesn't pay, rather than face paying another 5% on my earnings.... Guess it all depends on how much he earns... whether 18% of that is more, or 5% of my earnings is more... UGH!

When he got his first job I suggested that he claim 0 dependents if he wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to come up with any more $$ in the future. (and I figured I'd not ask him to contribute any more $ come April 15th if he already had the maximum deducted, even if it wasn't at the full tax rate we're going to be hit with...) Since obviously they can't figure out at the restaurant he works at what our joint income is... But this wasn't acceptable to him, after he talked to his friends who told him to claim himself, AND ME as dependents so he could keep more of his paycheck.. (They don't know how much I make, nor do they have wives who even WORK... much less wives who are self-employed and in the 28% bracket...)

IF he planned to make significant contribution from his earnings to the household, I might see it differently... but he will likely be only making enough to send support to his children and his elderly Mom back in the "old country"... and keep pocket $ for himself.

I'm the one who is providing for all of the living costs for both of us, and since he failed to save up enough $ before he came here (as I suggested he should) to leave his family able to manage while he went through the immigration process, (thinking he'd get a job on about Day 3 in the USA) I've been sending money every month to THEM!

Guess I feel like paying the taxes means I"ll be subsidizing his income, so he can have more money for his dependents (of which I am NOT one...) and himself, and maybe a little left to start paying me back (his vow) for the money I've spent on them for many months...

Am I being selfish? Heartless? Nit-picky? Cheap?

He lives the life style of my income level... but it doesn't cost him a dime... I am totally in agreement with him supporting his dependents. (however he is supporting them in a lifestyle that is far beyond his means... IF he had to support himself, he could NEVER send them the amount he sends now...)

I was thinking that if he doesn't want to pay the extra 18% taxes, he could give me rent and pay his share of the utilities, food, insurance, etc. Which of course would leave him NOTHING to send to the "old country"...

It's not like whatever he manages to save will someday be mine... He will leave everything to his children and expects me to leave everything to my children... (guess you can figure out we're not young...)

What's fair? I'm really perplexed over this...