jennifernhoussine

We filed in late May 2010 to our local office. They told us we needed documents, that were already sent in the first package. We did biometrics just a few weeks after filing. The case was transferred to CA servicing center. Everything is good up until now, right? Well, here comes the kicker...

NOTHING happened for nearly 2 months. Then, our case was transferred back to the local office. Then NOTHING for weeks. We made an infopass appointment, and the day after we made the appointment our case was transferred to some unkown location. (it just said "transferred to a uscis office"). During the infopass appointment, the woman said the following:

The case never left CA servicing center. "Someone probably just thought your case needed an interview, and they were going to send it to the local office, but they didn't actually send it." (oh well that's great. I'm glad they let just anybody push a button on a keyboard that will eventually affect our lives in a HUGE way. So what's been going on with it the past 3 months. Has it just been sitting there?) her response "I don't know. I can't explain why they did that" (lady, "they" are YOU. You work for this agency, don't you? So what do we do now?) "Your case is in the queue at the National Benefits Center to be assigned an appointment for an interview."

Really???? After waiting months, expecting everything to go smoothly, we have to wait even longer for an interview??? Why? That's stupid. My husband and I have a REAL marriage. We are not one of those couples who have "red flags" all over their marriage (who, by the way, probably already got their greencard before us anyway). What about our simple, honest, case would cause us to have an interview? It's just a ridiculous process. We want to go on with our lives, travel back to his country to visit family....but we have to wait.

I know many of you have had similar situations, and some have been waiting so much longer than I can imagine. Good luck to all of us in this crazy game of Immigration!

That notice normally means that they received your file at CSC and have resumed processing. First they give you a notice letting you know you're *being* transferred to CSC, then in about a week you get the message that it *was* transferred and they've safely received it at CSC.

A lot of people seem to misunderstand the info they're given after the transfer (As was I when I was transferred), they *really* need to reword the generic 'at a uscis office' thing. This question gets asked practically daily.

Thanks for the info. When we were first transferred to CSC, we recieved the usual "being transferred to CSC" and then the "transferred to a USCIS office". That was ok. But with this latest "transferred to a USCIS office" notice, there was nothing preceding that to tell me where it was going. It went straight from "transferred to the local Jacksonville office" to this new "transferred to a USCIS office" notice. still confused as to where it could actually be....

We Filed the I-485, the local office is in Jacksonville, FL. The case was transferred to CSC (California) and was then transferred back to the local USCIS office for processing on 08/04/10. We received no interview notice after that, and the online case status remained as "transferred to the local USCIS office".

This morning, I made an infopass appointment for 09/14/10. BUT then this afternoon, our case status changed, with the following message:

The I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS was transferred and is now being processed at a USCIS office. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from you....

What does this mean? Was it really TRANSFERRED or are they just pulling the file to prepare for the infopass appointment?

thanks in advance for any help

You got your case transferred back because more than likely your local office is handling the case quicker than csc. If your marriage is legitimate then the interview is nothing to worry about.

That slightly calms my freak out. Thanks so much! My job has us travelling out of state for a few months, and I am curious as to how far in advance I will know the interview appointment...

Our AOS case was transferred to CSC (california) on June 14th (after the Biometrics were completed on June 3rd). We just recieved the email with the following:

On August 4, 2010, we transferred this case I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS to our JACKSONVILLE, FL location for processing and sent you a notice explaining this action.....

I was hoping and praying the transfer to CSC meant no interview....but now... With the transfer back to the local office, does this mean an interview is coming????

If an interview is coming, will the "notice" referenced in the email case status contain the interview date? How long will we have to wait to know our interview date?

Our AOS case was transferred to CSC (california) on June 14th (after the Biometrics were completed on June 3rd). We just recieved the email with the following:

On August 4, 2010, we transferred this case I485 APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS to our JACKSONVILLE, FL location for processing and sent you a notice explaining this action.....

I was hoping and praying the transfer to CSC meant no interview....but now... With the transfer back to the local office, does this mean an interview is coming????

Here's the issue. You have moved. Failure to change your address within 10 days of moving can result in some serious penalties (if you're caught BEFORE you change it).

So, YES, change your address. Normally when changing address your issue would be not being able to collect ail from your old house... in your case your mother lives there so you know that you can collect mail there if needed. Remember that the sponsor (you) must also changed you address by filing an I-865.

Here is the change of address link: https://egov.uscis.gov/crisgwi/go?action=coa

The thing is that we haven't actually moved since he arrived and we filed. We are still living at the same house (my mother's house) for the next few months, we receive our mail at this address and everything. It's kind of like we are living in one house, but own another house.

As for address verification, if my mother signed an affidavit, confirming that we are living in her house, would that help to validate the situation?

I have searched the forums, and not found anything to help. So, ALL pertinent advice is most welcome.

I was living in Florida with my mom, which was symbiotic (I saved money on rent/bills and she got a free live-in maid ) I was in the market of purchasing a home in the neighborhood, so I went ahead and filed the K1 visa for my love to move here, in order to have the house purchased and ready by the time he arrived. When filing everything, we used the address at my mother's house.

I bought a house, right next door to my mother's home, on the same street. After my love arrived in April (Thank God he is here!), we prepared to move into our new home together (buying furniture, appliances, etc). My mother advised that she wanted to spend the summer (at least until September) in Indiana, with the rest of our family. She requested that we stay living in her house, kind of like house-sitting, until she returns. She has an older, high-maintenance home and if no-one lived there for several months, it would not be good. We agreed, and used this as an opportunity to get things even better prepared for OUR home.

So, here's my dilemma: We have all our mail, including anything my husband has received and his FL state ID, going to my mother's address. I already had the electric and phone setup at OUR new home. We are afraid that USCIS may think we not living in the same house, or that we are trying to be deceiptful. Should we file the change of address, stating we live in the new house, because that is where the bills are in my name and I have that as proof of address? OR is it best to keep everything as it is, and explain the situation to the USCIS interviewer?

My fiance' entered the US on the K1 Fiance visa. We legally married a few days ago. The VJ guides are great, but I am confused as to which one to follow. Should we follow the I-130 Petition and Adjustment of Status Guide under "US Citizen and Spouse both live/reside in the US"? OR Should we follow the Adjustment of Status Guide (K1 & K3 Visa Holders)under "Work, Travel and Becoming a Permanent Resident"?

It seems to me that the "Work, Travel and Becoming a Permanent Resident" I-485 would cover everything we need, but the VJ guide says the I-130 is for if you are married.

Help is most appreciated!

This is great news !!!

Are you planning any celebratory meal for this evening?

Good idea, but it wouldn't be the best without him here to share it. Maybe I can postpone that celebration until our first meal together here in the states.

Houssain has the Visa, in his passport, in his hands! Alhamdulillah! Allahu Akbar! I am so relieved, I cried when he told me.

It almost didn’t happen. The consulate was supposed to have the visa ready this past Friday, but they lost some forms, so Friday was spent with him taking new forms to the consulate. They told us it would be ready Monday, then I called Monday and they said it will be ready Tuesday. I called Tuesday, and they said it will be printed Tuesday. Well, they actually printed it this morning (Wednesday) and called Houssain. They told him to come pick it up tomorrow (Thursday). He can’t, because he has to work. So, he mad rushed to the train station to get the next train to Casablanca and be there about 3:45. (Keep in mind, he had to be there before 4:00 to pick up the visa today.) Well, the train was delayed due to some issue, and he did not arrive in Casablanca until after 4:00 (oh no!) He grabbed a taxi and ran to the consulate! (he told me “I was running like a thief, like I stole something!” LOL) The security guard told him “sorry, they’re done for the day” and would not let Houssain inside. Houssain went to the window, and saw a man that recognized Houssain from last week. (Houssain and this guy actually got into a heated discussion last week, and this guy actually told Houssain “Do you want the visa or not?”, but that’s another story)

So, Houssain asked this guy “PLEASE PLEASE let me have the visa today. The train was supposed to be here on time, but it was late.” Houssain showed the guy the train ticket as proof. The man said some snippy remark about being late, but he gave Houssain the Visa and the paperwork for his point of entry when he gets to New York!

Alhamdulillah! (may Allah bless that rude little man!)

So, tomorrow my honey goes back to work after his holiday, and we start the process of planning his trip. I know he has to work for the next month, before he can leave his job. So, we are probably looking at sometime in the 1st/2nd week of March for his arrival, insha’allah. It would be so awesome if we could be married on March 20th, which is the first day of Spring (kind of symbolic of new beginnings).

I wish the best to everyone, as always.

Jennifer

Thanks for the support. I am sure he will get the visa, his approval won't change. It's just frustrating that the consulate is so un-organized that they actually lose documents containing important personal information. If the corporation I work for lost anything like that, we would be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Our taxes are what pay the american consulate employees. So, you would think they had more respect for us and our loved ones.

You know any one of us who have been through this nightmare of a visa process could probably walk into the consulate and have it running in tip-top shape within 24 hours! We could set them straight in no time! LOL

Sorry to hear about the trouble they've been! I think once they get the forms he will get the visa... I know it's a hassle but in the future you'll laugh about it.

This morning (Morocco morning time) Houssain was getting ready to go to Casa to pick up his visa (approved, yay!). But the consulate called him and said they lost some of his forms, and they need them before they will issue the Visa. He called me and told me all this while he was on his way to the consulate this morning. They "lost" the following forms: DS 156k, DS 156, DS 157 and DS 230 part 1.

I called the consulate right at 3:00pm (morocco time) and the woman I spoke to was quite rude, and unhelpful. She said that Houssain would need to bring the forms (which was not a problem, because he had them with him today). I asked why he was not told this before today, because he is supposed to get his visa today. She just kept repeating (in a rude manner) "I'm sorry ma'am. We never lose forms, I don't know what happened, but we need them before he gets the visa." I told her he gave the forms to them at the first interview. She said "I don't know what happened ma'am, maybe the interviewer gave the forms back to him." I said, very slowly, "No. The interviewer kept the forms, and gave nothing to Houssain but the 221g letter about additional review." She said they will take the forms today, but they won't have the visa ready until Monday! I was respectful, but firm, about the fact that the consulate lost the forms, and they should make an exception to get his visa ready by close-of-business TODAY. She said "That won't be possible. I'm sorry ma'am but the fact is that we did not have the forms this morning, and do not have enough time to process the visa by today." I told her that he has to work next week and will not have time to get the visa next week. She said "well, he can have someone pick it up for him." I said to her "Would you want someone else to pick up somethign as important and private as your visa? I don't think so, ma'am!"

Needless to say, Houssain took the forms to the consulate, he called me and told me that they said "we will call you", meaning the visa will not be ready until next week.

You know, I can deal with the "administrative review", making sure we are both really in love and not terrorists and all that, I can deal with having to wait a few days to get the visa, BUT what I cannot accept is that the reason Houssain has to go through all this stress is because the consulate lost the forms! I mean, they hold us accountable for sending them all the correct forms and money and being there on-time, so why should they not be held accountable when they screw-up?

Alhamdulillah, Houssain’s Visa was Approved! “Happy” cannot begin to describe what I feel right now! I keep thinking, “Is this truly happening?”, it almost doesn’t seem real. He goes to the consulate tomorrow afternoon to pick up the Visa. We haven’t really discussed yet about when he will be coming and all the details. I mean, he just called me and told me 2 hours ago, so we will talk about all the arrangements over the next few days, insha’allah.

So here’s what happened: His appointment was at 8:30am. He showed up at 8:15am. They called him inside, he sat down with the American guy. The man asked a few questions, which had already been asked at the 1st interview and were not really anything to worry about – like “Why do you love her?”, “Do you like her kids?”, etc. Houssain said all good things about me, of course, and that he loves each of my kids and can’t wait to meet them. Houssain told the interviewer that “me and Jennifer match”. The interviewer asked for examples of how Houssain thought we were a good match. Houssain explained that our sense of humor is so similar and that we think about things in life in the same way. Houssain told him “When I go to Europe and tell a Moroccan joke, nobody gets it. But when I tell Jennifer, she gets the joke and laughs. And she makes me laugh. I do love her so much.”

The man just listened, then gave Houssain a little blue paper with a number on it, and told Houssain to come back to the consulate tomorrow at 3:00pm to pick up his visa! Yay!

One odd thing about this process, I have to say, is that I do not make above the required poverty line. In fact, for my household size, I make about $3000 under the designated poverty line. So, of course, we had a co-sponsor fill out the forms, thinking they would be needed. Well, Houssain took the co-sponsor forms to the consulate this morning, and they never asked for them. They actually approved the Visa on just my income alone (which, again, is under the poverty line). I am happy about this, hamdulillah, but it was unexpected from everything I had heard previously read about this process.

Anyway, best of luck to those who are waiting, and congratulations to the recent approvals.

Jennifer

My fiancé had his first K1 visa interview this morning, he was the last one for the day. (I wrote a detailed review on it, under the Moroccan consulate) The end result was that the interviewer gave him the “we regret to inform you” letter, which has the Other box checked and the explanation: “Further Review of Your Case”. the interviewer told my fiance that they would call him within one week. I called the consulate immediately after, and they told me that they will "review the communication, the file, and when the review is complete" they will call him "when the case is ready".

I have been told that this is AP (administrative processing) or AR (administrative review?). So what is the difference, and which one is the better one? After considering that the letter states the word “review”, I would assume that our case in under AR now. I have read previous posts which lead me to believe that AP is not so bad, but AR is probably bad.

Thanks so much!

Jennifer

The usual date format of paychecks/pay stubs here in the U.S., as being used for proof of income, give the month, then the day, then the year (MM/DD/YY), and sometimes, in rare cases it is in the format of giving the day first, then the month, then the year (DD/MM/YY). However, in conjunction with the affidavit of support, the proof of income provided is the military LES (Leave and Earnings Statement), which is basically the US Military’s type of pay-stub. The dates on the LES are in the format of year first, then month, then day (YYMMDD). So, for example, the date for today would read: 091207

Will this not be confusing to the people at the consulate? I mean, they must be able to verify that the pay stubs are recent, and they may read the format of 091207 as meaning September 12, 2007.

Have others here used the US LES as proof of income? Was the date format ever an issue?

Thanks so much!

With our interview date coming up in January, I wanted to ask about your visa interview experiences at the Moroccan consulate. I am not so much concerned with the specific question asked, because everyone has been so good about giving that information previously. I read the VJ reviews, but I still have several specific questions to ask, so that I can compare and get a realistic idea about how things play out with the interviews.

- Were you married or engaged before the interview?

- Did you go to Morocco for the interview?

- If you were there, did it really make a difference? Why do you think it did or did not help?

- If you were not there, do you think it would have helped if you were there? Did the interviewer say anything like “too bad she’s not here to explain” or “if she really loved you she would be here”, etc?

- Which interviewer did you have?

- What was the interviewer’s attitude? Did they try to insult your relationship, were they cynical and negative, did they just stick to business and ask their questions, were they somewhat friendly and positive?

- Was the interview in English? Did they offer it in any other language? What is your guy’s level in English? Did that have a significant impact on the interview outcome?

- Did the interviewer ask “What will you do if you are denied”? What was your guy’s answer to that?

- If you have kids, did the interviewer ask questions about your husband’s expected relationship with your children? Like “how will you deal with having children” or “what role do you expect to have in the children’s lives”?

- Did you have a co-sponsor? Did your guy take the co-sponsor papers to the interview? Did the interviewer look at the co-sponsor stuff?

- They ask for so much proof (pictures, email, phone records, etc) in the packet your guy received, but did the interviewer actually take or look at all the stuff your guy brought to the interview? (some people said the consulate never even took the proof/evidence)

- Did they keep his passport after the interview?

- Was he approved on the spot, or did they have to review it some more? If he was approved immediately, how long did it take to get his visa? If he had to wait, how long was the wait until he was approved and then got his visa?

Houssain is not at all worried about the interview. He is more worried about having the time to get everything done before the interview, and having enough money saved for everything (including plane tickets, if approved). I tried to explain to him, no matter how solid our relationship is, it’s still intimidating that a single person working in the consulate has the power to decide the direction our lives will take. If that man or woman is having a long, hard day, they just may not be in an “approving mood”.

I recieved the letter from NVC, confirming they recieved my I-129F petition, on 10/24/09. Since then, I have tried several times to check the status by calling NVC 603-334-0700. The automated system keeps telling me that they have not recieved the package. I am using the receipt number (beginnig with EAC) provided in the letter FROM the NVC, so how can their system say they don't have the package. I figure 2 weeks is more than enough time for something to have been recieved and even shipped to the consulate in Morocco.

Does anyone have any advice? thanks!

My fiance lives in Morocco, and his native language is a dialect of Arabic, of course. However, Morocco tends to use French for business/address/etc.

On the forms required for the K1 Initial Petition, there are sections stating "If your native alphabet is other than Roman letters, please write your name/address in your native alphabet."

For those of you with fiances in Morocco, please tell me if they had to complete those sections in arabic, or if it was acceptable to leave those sections blank (as all the info is provided in the forms using Roman letters)?

Thanks!

Good Afternoon!

I have a question about sending regular mail to Morocco. I have sent two letters via regular mail to my fiance. (I dropped it off at the post office just to make sure the postage was accurate). I sent one to the address at his apartment and one to the address at his family's house, around the end of April and the first of May.

Both letters were never received. I did not get them returned back, which makes me think they at least made it into the country of Morocco. Both addresses are in French using Roman Letters. I thought maybe I just did not format the address properly, being that it was going to another country. So this is how I had the address written (not the real address, I just made up the street name & #s hahaha):

Name of my Fiance

Rue El Frog Appt #1 Imm #1

Pepiniere Frog

11000 Sale

Morocco

From now on I plan to send everything to my fiance via DHL, so we can track our packages. But I was just wondering if I am the only one who had the "mail never received" issue.

Everything I have sent to my groom made it to him in varying amounts of time...EXCEPT our first anniversary card...which of course sucked! You have written the address correctly except maybe the state...46300 Youssoufia, SAFI.....which I don't think would make a difference.....I do think the tangible things are important for them at their interview. So, I would keep trying. How much is DHL???

DHL is a little expensive, but I always believe that paying extra is worth the peace of mind. Tell me about the state...Morocco is divided into states? (wow, I feel stupid asking that. HAHA) My fiance lives in Sale. I have seen people write something like "Sale / Bettana". Could Bettana be the state?

THanks!

Good Afternoon!

I have a question about sending regular mail to Morocco. I have sent two letters via regular mail to my fiance. (I dropped it off at the post office just to make sure the postage was accurate). I sent one to the address at his apartment and one to the address at his family's house, around the end of April and the first of May.

Both letters were never received. I did not get them returned back, which makes me think they at least made it into the country of Morocco. Both addresses are in French using Roman Letters. I thought maybe I just did not format the address properly, being that it was going to another country. So this is how I had the address written (not the real address, I just made up the street name & #s hahaha):

Name of my Fiance

Rue El Frog Appt #1 Imm #1

Pepiniere Frog

11000 Sale

Morocco

From now on I plan to send everything to my fiance via DHL, so we can track our packages. But I was just wondering if I am the only one who had the "mail never received" issue.

I finally received my final divorce decree from my first marriage, allowing me to now legally use my maiden name. I have not yet sent my passport to be changed, so everything is still under my married name.

Now that I am ready to gather everything for the I-129F, I am faced with figuring out how to go about submitting the I-129F Petition and all followup documents. Advice is most welcome!

Should I use my maiden name for all paperwork and EVERYTHING that requires my name (including the copy of my passport under married name), and then just send a copy of the divorce decree to the Service Center? If so, then will the entire process (including everything done at the consulate in Casablanca) be done under my maiden name?

Thanks.

Thanks YuandDan. I have a followup questions....

If Casablanca does not require the I-134, then how do they know whether or not I meet the income requirement?

Two things, I-134 is NEVER filed with I-129F when initially filing for a K-Visa, it is always brought to visa interview.

Secondly, Casablanca does not use or require the I-134, but is a good idea to have one handy at the interview just in case.

**Although instructions in packet 3 do not request an I-134 affidavit of support, it would be a good idea to have one ready just in case as an interviewer may choose not to grant the visa unless that form has been provided at the interview.**

http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...;cty=Casablanca

I am starting to gather information to file the initial I-129F petition for the K1 visa (my fiance is in Morocco). I do not meet the income requirement on my own, so I have a co sponsor.

Do I need to include any of the co sponsor's information with the initial I-129F petition? OR Do we wait until the I-134 is requested to give the co sponsor's information?

I am wanting to give the co sponsor and idea of when we will need their documentation (like now before filing the I-129F or months from now when the I-134 is being reviewed).

Thanks so much!

In review of the A1 Customer Guide on the USCIS website, there is a short comment about one's spouse being in the USA after filing the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative.

This is annotated directly from the A1 Customer Guide:

Can my relative wait in the United States until becoming a permanent resident?

Answer: No. If your relative is outside the United States, filing an I-130 does not allow your relative to live or work in the United States. An I-130 petition only establishes your relationship with your relative. Your relative should wait outside the United States to immigrate legally. If your husband or wife, unmarried child under 21 years, or parent is already in the United States after having entered legally, they can apply to adjust their status to permanent resident at the same time you file their I-130 petition.

* The piece I am concerned with is "If your husband or wife, unmarried child under 21 years, or parent is already in the United States after having entered legally, they can apply to adjust their status to permanent resident at the same time you file their I-130 petition."

I read this to mean that if they legally entered the US on some other type of Visa, that they can REMAIN in the US as long as they apply for AOS when I submit the I-130 petition. However, the comments from the A1 Customer Guide do not clearly say "Yes, they can remain in the US while awaiting on the AOS."

What does everyone else think? Or Does anyone know where can I find a solid answer to whether or not they can remain in the US?

Thanks,

Jennifer