Mandy P

Ghani got his 2 year residency card! YAY!

What happens now? LOL

Thanks for all the well wishes and congrats! He is here and aside from him being bored while I'm at work... everything is great! Wedding is set for January 29th.

If you don't file a report and fast... you will never be able to hold him accountable for his actions. If you do not have a documented history of his actions, no one will ever help you. Not the courts, not anyone. Domestic violence is a crime and should be treated as such. If you go to divorce court and claim abuse they will ask for your proof. If you don't have documented backup they will dismiss the claim of abuse. I've seen this happen several times. Document document document. Even keeping a personal log of events is helpful. But make official complaints against him.

We have his visa in hand. He will fly to Dallas on Dec 7!

Maybe he or his family members could provide you with ideas and/or family traditions for weddings. I would ask his mother or sisters, if he has them. They would know best. I also want to incorporate some of Algeria into my wedding in January. I am going to Algeria next week and intend to discuss things with his mother while I'm there.

We are working on things to send them. The most we could send would be a couple weeks of chat logs. The computer I was using previously to talk to Hamza is no longer functioning, so I don't have any conversations saved from his interview till the point the computer broke. (other then the past couple weeks). I could send a phone log of texts sent back and forth. We don't call each other, because using the computer and web cam is financially more logical for us. I'm not able to go to Algeria at this point, so I wont have any visa, or airline tickets purchased to show them. Maybe we can find other things to send. I have called them a few times to ask if there is anything we can show them, to help prove our relationship is real... and they always so NO, if we need something we will call and ask for it. So i don't know. We are trying to come up with some things to send anyway

Were you in AP, or AR ? Were they just doing background checks, or were they questioning the validity of your relationship ?

I don't think they ever seriously questioned the validity of our relationship. We've been together for almost 3 years now and have visited quite a few times, once for a solid month. So we had more to go on than a lot of people I see here. I see a lot of couples that met online then met in person once and started this process. I think they question those relationships more than one like mine that is long term already and they can see a lot has been invested in it time wise even before filing the petition. Doesn't mean your relationship isn't real... just means they have less to go on and so they take longer to decide.

Most people don't have the funds to pay for this process AND travel back and forth to visit. I'm lucky in that respect. We did spend a solid year apart though when I was jobless and he was jobless too! You are in my prayers.

I suggest that you scan and email them any new evidence you can add. This may be a coincidence but.... I scanned in copies of phone records from the interview date to the current date and also sent them a copy of my Algerian Visa and my flight information for where I'm going to see him later this month. The next day they called him with the approval. We are now waiting on them to call him to pick up this passport. It's been over a week and a half just waiting for that! They certainly don't get in any hurry for ANYTHING!

Hang in there. You are in my prayers.

Got the call this morning. His K-1 is approved!!!! He goes on Sunday to take his passport to them! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy!

I'm going to Algeria to visit him in November and we plan for him to come back home with me.

Good luck to all the rest of you!

God bless.

~Mandy

I called for a update, just to see what they would say, the day AFTER my fiance got the NOA2 approval text and email. They told me that there was no update from the last time I'd called. LOL Then I called the day AFTER he got called by the Algerian embassy regarding Packet 3 and was told that his case was still in transit to Algeria but was not yet received there. They don't know anything.

Personally, I intend to embrace his culture and his family. Not to the point where I lose myself but to the point where the "two become one". I don't expect him to Americanize himself completely either. In fact, I HOPE he doesn't. If I had wanted to marry an American man I would have. I love that he is different from me and that we can teach each other many things about different cultures. I am trying to learn French. But I'm doing it so that I can communicate with his family with less difficulty. Right now, I can only talk to most of them using Google translator. It works... but it's not ideal.

I am not converting. I do not expect him to convert. If either of us ever changes our minds I hope it is because of an individual conviction and not to "please" the other person.

I want his mother to teach me how to cook a lot of things she makes and I want to feel like a part of their family. I want him to also feel like a part of my family. I want our children to know about both of their cultures and to carry on his tamazight (berber) language and to know Arabic and French as well as English. I wish I'd grown up knowing more than just English.

I want us to blend. I have no intention of losing myself. Of course, when I am in his country I will present myself in a way that is appropriate and I will follow the customs that must be followed.

This is too, too true. They have seen it all and their are some terrible fraudsters out there. For those of us on VJ for quite sometime we have seen it all and heard it all.

Mandy, if I was you, I would be very, very careful with the information you are posting here on VJ - you have your names, pics, tickers, etc. Just a bit of caution: It is a known fact that the COs do read VJ and do keep up with various couples, interview dates, etc from different threads. I realize you are very upset and all of this is quite raw right now, but your statements are also quite derogatory and that could be used against you. Just sayin'.

Then she needs to learn how to seperate her personal thoughts from doing her JOB. If she can't be professional in the way she handles people and what she says, then she needs to find a new line of work. If I were rude to people like that at my job, I'd be fired. No matter how "justified" I felt in my words and actions or how "right" I was about thinking that some of the cases are frauds. I realize some cases are frauds but not all of them are. Like I said before they opperate on a guilty until proven innocent basis, which is 100% Un-American.

If they look at any of my posted information all they will see is that my relationship is real and that we are in love with each other and want to be married and together. So let them look. If they want anger because of the questions they ask as proof of something... then they will get it. There is nothing they can find, legally, in any of our information that can justify a denial.

But regardless, we are making plans for the worst case scenario. If he is denied I will move there. He's fine there. He's working. He has his family. He's having a great time with his friends. The only thing he is missing is me.

I apologize for the comment about getting laid, but I am angry. People often say things in anger when they just need to vent.

He had the blonde interviewer that I've read such bad things about here from other VJers. I think she needs to get laid. She just seems like a real b!tch to everyone who she sees.

Anyway, hopefully they approve him. If not, we are prepared for me to go live there with him, marry there, and file for a spousal visa and wait it out TOGETHER. That is all that matters to us is that we can be together. The problem is that if he's never given a visa he can't even come to meet my family... ever.

He said to me last night that "You and me is you and me and noone can change that or take it away but us."

Their job is to find out if we have provided what was asked for, that we aren't hardened criminals, that there is no obvious fraud (because I can promise you that there has never been an SO that walked into an Embassy and said "You're right, I don't love him/her. I'm just using them for a visa."), and to see if the relationship is ongoing as another way to avoid fraud. If we've had sex or not is not a determining factor. You can't prove love by asking questions. You don't know how those two people are together from some papers and a few questions. You can only really look at the documentation and do your job and make sure that all that was asked for is there and legit. Our green form just says AP. Doesn't ask for anything more from us. So if they have everything.... why can't they just approve it. That's what I don't understand. Look it over, and either it's there or it isn't.

I'm not stirring the waters there until after he is here. But once that happens the letter writing begins and the calling starts and the formal complaints are filed. And then I will follow up on each complaint.

This is our lives they are dealing with. Not just some papers that can wait forever. It's ridiculous. I keep telling people that after this is over I'm going to move to DC and become a lobbyist for immigration reform. LOL

This is just funny.... had to share...

My future sister-in-law just said... about the fat question... "What did they expect him to say to that? Would he say 'now that you mention it, she is a bit fat, you are right, I am just marrying her to get my papers' or maybe 'OMG, I should have noticed that before! I should have married a skinny French woman that don't love instead'." LOL What response do they expect from a question like that?

Thanks for all of your responses. I am doing ok. Just mad mostly. I almost expected to get AP. I mean, I know that most Algerians do. So I'm not so upset about that as I am about the questions asked. He was not taken into a seperate room or anything for all these personal questions to be asked. He was asked to, in a room full of people, talk about our sex life, me naked, and my physical appearance.

He did get a little rowdy with them concerning the comment about my weight. He said he took out a picture of me and told the woman to look at me and see how beautiful I am and ask herself why any man would not want to marry such a beautiful woman. He told her to look at how kind my face is.

My senator's office is going to call for me to make an inquiry. I have to get a release filled out and write a letter about the issues and then they will call. I already spoke to them.

They asked him why he didn't marry a French woman when he was living in Paris. He told them because he only loves one woman and so he can't marry another. They asked him why he didn't marry an Algerian woman and he told them the same thing. He told them that there is one reason he wants to marry me and that is because he loves me. They asked why he doesn't bring me to Algeria to live. He told them that I have a good job and my family is here.

He gave them pictures of us and of me with his 3 brothers and his 1 sister that live in France. He showed them emails between me and his mother. He had letters of support from my mother and sister. Everything is there. I'm sure they will just waste our time and our lives for a while and then approve it. I just hope it's not 6 months down the road.

If we don't hear anything in a couple weeks, and I know we won't most likely, I will start planning a trip to go see him in Algeria. We've been apart for too long.

Ghani just interviewed. I guess we are on AP. They told him they would review our documents and call him. They gave him a green paper. What does the green paper mean? Anyone know?

He said they asked him MANY MANY MANY questions. About me and our relationship... of course... and about my friends and family... of course... but also about if he's ever seen me naked, if we have sex, when we started having sex and why he wants to marry a fat woman. I'm humiliated.

Danni, I'm praying for you and Hamza. Ghani goes tomorrow. I think everything will work out for you but it may take a little time. You know any immigration procedure... they like to take their time. I've seen congressman and senators offices help other couples here so maybe they will be able to move things along for you also. I've never been to Algeria either, but I do text message with his mother, talk to several of his siblings and friends via email and MSN messenger, and I have met several of his siblings while in Paris. I hope that makes a difference. There are pictures of me with his siblings also and he is taking those.

Stay strong and remember why you are doing all this and that he's worth it!

~Mandy

Thanks guys. He took it way better than I did. I guess because I'm American and feel more entitled to my rights. LOL He talked me down last night and made me feel ok. Now, to wait for Tuesday!

The paperwork we received with Packet 3 said that he was to bring $131 USD. So he did. Then today they ask him for $350 and refuse to interview him because he only had the $131 that they told us we had to have. He goes back on Tuesday to interview. He said he's taking all the money he has.

Still waiting!!!!! I'm so ready for him to call!!!

I'm so nervous. He's in there now. Prayers are appreciated!

Name five of them (or however many constitutes "a lot of people"), the nature of the "attacks," and the reasons that may have inspired or drawn the "attacks."Then report that, too!I perceived none of that at all.How can you be certain that the OP is not receiving professional advice, and for free, at that?

I'm done with this really. Fighing on the internet is useless.

I'm not about to name people who have contacted me privately.

I can be certain that people who have openly said that they are not attorneys here, are not attorneys and therefore not legal professionals.

Anyway, I'm about to add some more members to my ignore list and from now on, anyone receiving bad advice has my sympathies. I don't usually add much advice on here, just say what I have experienced personally. From now on I won't post anything. I'm nobody's advocate here nor am I qualified to give advice, other than for people to seek professional advice. Just want my own case, and the few nice people I've met here and those I haven't met, to have quick and fruitful visa experiences.

Carry on. I don't thrive on drama... so I'm out.

1. The OP's situation is hardly unusual. There are many people who have gone down that road before.

2. My best guess of the Algerian situation is that there was an outstanding deportation order. A guess and we will never know.

If #2 is about the situation I was talking about... he isn't Algerian. Just to clarify. No deportation order.

Every time? Then there must be good reason. Perhaps it's because a Mandy-come-lately is summarily and quite haughtily dismissing, disrespecting, and disregarding two of the most serious students of the immigration process and its details -- two of the most valuable resources on this site -- and, two of the most restrained respondents to the dissing that they have received from you.And, on the basis of your contributions in this thread and others, exactly who at this point will beg you to stay, and on behalf of what value to VJ? This is a serious question, posed without rancor. Honestly, if you're this dissatisfied, take your toys and go home, or suck it up and try to learn some things from two of the most valuable contributors to a site that you (say that you) want to find valuable to you.

I don't expect anyone to beg me to stay. And it's not just me who gets attacked here... it's a lot of people. I see it all the time and report it often. And yes, when advice is given that is full of error, I disregard it. I was disrespected by those 2 before I ever said anything to them at all. I haven't asked for any advice from those 2, yet I've been subjected to it. All this came from me saying that the OP in this thread should seek professional advice as opposed to getting information on his very serious situation from people on this site. If there has ever been good solid advice given here... it is that.

Hie Mandy P, I'm replying to you because I would like to politely disagree with you about the quoted part of your paragraph. (Hence I am not talking about your debates with JimVaPhuong and the other VJer on here.) I have spoken with JimVaPhuong personally (through PMs) and I think he is wise, experienced, and kind. He is very good with immigration issues though he may not be a lawyer. I am very grateful to Jim for his help, and I do take him at his word Just putting that out!

Sincerely,

*A*

I'm glad you feel he's been helpful. My recent experience with him tells a different story. But I wish you well. Just make sure you get your information from a real source, not someone just saying what they think they know. That's been my point from the start of all this debate. I've never said that he is stupid, just that he is not an authority on immigration and that he has been, through this debate, wrong. Anyone can be wrong. That's also part of my point. Everytime I post on these forums I'm attacked by some know it all who thinks they know everything. I'm sick of VJ altogether. Seriously thinking about deleting my account here, if I can find another site that has some information but less of the know it alls then I will. I just hate to see people here being led in the wrong direction by people who most likely think they are doing good.