mandyu1

Hi Everyone,

My Fiance's visa was approved today! We are really happy. However when she was at the US Embassy in Cairo, the person at the Window (before the Consular) asked her if she could leave before June. My Fiance said yes... then the Consular approved her and said she would get the Visa in 10 days.

1) Today being the 22 of May, in 10 days that's June 1.

2) Do you think we should buy her ticket to come now? or when Visa is in hand?

3) has anyone had to deal with this before? Our original Interview date was back in Jan 30 but because the Egyptian Revolution - she just had it today. What is the usual expiration date on the Visa?

Anyways - we're really happy... just a bit confused and trying to make the best plan moving forward.

My fiance just had the same situation. His interview was on Jan 12 and he completed his medical a few days before then. His visa was approved and finally issued but they asked him if he would be traveling prior to July 9, if not they gave him the option to redo the TB test and have the visa reissued for the full 6 month validity.

It is correct that the K1 is valid for 6 months, but most ppl receive it shortly after their intervew, so their travel dates are not that much of a concern. From what the embassy told me, the TB test is only valid for 6 months, that's why the visa is only valid that long.

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy for you, that is great news...and give me great hope since yours took exactly one year. So when is the big day...how soon will your hubby be coming over??? Am off to Egypt in a month to wait out the remainder of the process with mine.

Sam....hope this means yours is on it's way as well

Thank you so much!! He hasn't received his passport back yet, so until he does I'm not making any concrete plans. The embassy wanted to know if he wanted to redo his TB test so that his visa would be valid longer or if he would be traveling within the next couple of months then he wouldn't have to redo it.

Do you have an interview date yet? I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, I hope it goes smoothly for the both of you!! I think being there too and waiting it out will help your case also. Keep me informed

I've read through most of this thread, and as I'm sure you've heard, in the eyes of the CO age does matter. I'm only 6 years older than my fiance and of child bearing age and the CO still questioned our relationship. I think what helped us is that I had visited my fiance 3 times (staying 1 week, 3 weeks & 2 weeks) in under 9 months and I was there with him for the interview. We were interviewed seperately and the CO stated that it was her job to look after the American citizen and that it is common to see younger males looking for older women just for immigration, she even gave me the opportunity to back out and cancel the petition right then and there if I wanted too. We also took with use two 2" binders of evidence and photos of our relationship and at this time we had only been together 1 1/2 yrs. Since you and your fiance have been together for twice as long, if not longer, what kind of evidence did you provide and how much?

My advice is to do what everyone else here has stated, go live with him for awhile, or if that is not possible, visit and marry, and bombard them with tons of evidence.

Good luck!!

Finally, after nearly 4 months since our interview, the visa has been issued!!! Thank you everyone for all of your help and support. I wish everyone still waiting all the best!!

***Kinda strange, visa took exactly 1 year from the date VSC received our petition, until the visa was issued (see timeline below)

congrates!!!!

Thks for the reply manyu1 , however my embassy website does not have the tracking link maybe you should copy paste your embassy link to me I could check through it. Congrts again.

Thanks again. Here is the website for the Cairo embassy, but it only works for cases processed through Cairo, you're going through Nigeria.

http://egypt.usembassy.gov/consular/ivstatus.html

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooow Mandy woooooooohooooooooo i am excited already for you lol, congratulations my friend keep us updated, i am sure this is the end of your long wait

This is really good news Mandy omg i am so happy damn i am so happy for you guys :D :D

Thanks Sam!!!! I pray that your AP will not take long either. Keep us posted.

Congratulations.... good luck with new life.

thank you!!

Hello mandyu1, pls can you give me the link on how to check AP. On uscis. Website ? Am still in AP, Thanks

I checked the status through the Cairo embassy website, not USCIS. Does your embassy have a way to track it on their website?

I called the embassy first thing this morning and our AP was complete on April 6 and his visa is ready to be issued I'm still in disbelief, I will not believe it until he is on his flight here! Thanks to everyone for all of your support I pray that this nightmare ends for all of you soon.

well I think this is good news. I was away all weekend and today when I got home decided to check the embassy website for our case status. It changed from "under processing" to "Need passport," I'm guessing they are ready to issue his visa, but I'm trying not to get too excited until I talk to the embassy or DOS tomorrow. Plz keep fingers crossed for us. thanks

hi

sorry if u may explain more plz.? i did not understand what u said

ask if my AP is WA/DC or its in the embassy level ? what is that ? sorry

WA/DC means Washington DC, the DOS headquaters. If your case is pending AP there it is for background/security checks, if your in AP at the embassy more than likely they are investigating into the relationship more.

thanks mandyu1 and samoray for your support well in my crises you were more than brothers i hope to meet some day in the us

It will be over soon, have a safe trip and welcome to the USA!!

Also, are we in fact in AP? Please see above post. We did not receive a 221g but was told by embassy that our case needs additional processing and it will take a few weeks.

Rachid & Karen

I'm not certain, but it sounds to me like your case is in administrative review at the embassy or AP at the embassy level, that is usually the only time when a 2nd interview is done, unless something comes up in the background checks in Washington that prompts for a 2nd interview. You stated they wanted to send your case back, that sounds to me like they suspect fraud or something and the AP for that is entirely different from the background checks. I have read of a couple cases on here where a case was in AP at the embassy level, and not for very long, but once it cleared there it was then in AP at Washington, so it is possible to have it at both places.

Maybe I'm wrong and someone else will come along and correct me or be more clear, but from what I've read on here that is my understanding.

received this email ,well i finally eilhamdel eilah feel at ease and waiting your inquires to my friends her

Kindly note that your visa was issued on 31 March 201.

thats great news, congrats!!

lol once she gets home from work i am gonna show her the thread :P she might also type something do you know i called her 6 times after my interview to tell her i did good but i was so hungry actually after the interview so first thing i stopped at a restaurant i picked up a sandwich so she was probably in the bathroom taking a shower before getting ready for work when i called her and then she called me back before she gets to work but i didn't hear my phone, lol, i am very happy we got this step done hopefully we won't wait long, but you know the lady took my medical first said to me that i should travel before July, and you know i always ask why but unfortunately i didn't, why do you think she even mentioned that to me ? i am assuming because my medical will expire in July as i made it in January

Did she open the medical before telling you that? I know your visa is good for 6 months after its issued, but I always thought your medical was good for 1 year, unless there was a medical reason that came back, and in that case its not valid for as long. When did you do your police report? Other than than I'm not sure, unless things have changed.

Sorry but Detroit and Chicago have nothing in common.. Born and raised in chicago and my $ /ex lives bear Detroit The city proper is to costly to live in Crook county .. But you will find many good suburbs .. It's all about jobs and commute time

Well you're entitled to your opinion and I'm entitled to mine. I was born and raised in Detroit and have been to Chicago many times and have several family/friends that live there that give me their input as well. However, the bottom line is, I was trying to help and offer advice coming from living within a large, midwestern city, if she doesn't want it then fine.

I just talked to my fiancee last night. After I made my lawyer fill out all the paperwork on the computer, so it is easier to be read. My fiancee talked to me yesterday, and told me that a girl told her that someone from the embassy told her you can't fill out the forms we sent you on the computer. It has to be filled out using handwriting.

Is that true? Anybody heard of something similar?

Kim, and Dahlia, do you know?

I actually helped my fiance complete all his forms on the computer and he had no problems at all, I've never heard of it needing to be hand written before.

I appreciate your contribution but I really wanted Chicago residents to reply to my post, no pun intended just because I want real city life experiences not what every body *thinks* of it and where we should have stayed and lived. Thanks.

Detroit is very similar to Chicago, and the city life is pretty much the same, that is why I responded. I apologize for trying to be helpful..

:dance: :dance: Thank you very much Mandy I really needed that advice you gave me last night but you know i think i impressed the guy with my language, Thanks to speaking to my wife everyday for years really helped my English so much i owe her a lot i love her i adore her .............. shhhhhh lol i think i can go on forever lol wohooooooooo i wish we both can get out of this AP soon inshallah

I'm glad I could help and glad to know you didn't try using the accent on them I wish I had your wife's email, I'd send her a copy of this link so she could always remind you how you "owe" her LOL

I don't know - you really can't be all that concerned about the weather in Chicago if you decided to visit in May to "experience living there". Go again in December lol.

I have a friend that is from South Florida and complained about the heat and sun here, blah blah, she decided that she was going to move north because she hated it...after about 3 months of winter she was ready to come home and she only lived in southern N. Carolina LOL. The cold is brutal, especially up in the NE & midwest because there is a lot of humidity so it is a wet cold, not dry like out west, and although the snow is beautiful to look at, its overrated, after you drive in it and ice for a while you learn its not all what its cracked up to be.

Thanks Carolyn...I don't know if I will be going now. I had a drs appt yesterday and I've had many complications in this pregnancy, and since I'm in my last trimester my appts are running a lot closer together, I'd hate for something to happen and me be all the way over there. Also my fiance has told me that the situation in Egypt is still not good and safe like it was before, there is suppose to be another protest tomorrow.

I pray you hear some news soon, that is ridiculous that it took them 3 months to review your papers before putting you into AP

I'm from Detroit, which is very similar to Chicago and now I'm in SW Florida, probably the same size city as you are. The difference between you and I, is that I actually love it here and hate it up there, mainly because of the weather. The winters are very brutal, and Chicago is just the same. You have winter 6 months out of the year, a month or 2 of spring and fall, and 2 months of real summer. Also, big cities in the US are not like big cities in Egypt, the crime rate is a lot higher. The job market may be better up there, but the cost of living in the city, in a secure area is extremely high so that is something else to consider. If you're not going to live "in" the city, you'll be living in the suburbs just as you are now, so really it will be no different other than change in seasons, and his parents will not be around to control the both of you. Also, personally I would not use public transportation in the city (maybe a taxi, but thats about it). I think he should have stayed in AL, the cost of living is low and he was making good money. If he moved to FL for his parents is he now ok to move away from them? I can relate with controlling parents, thats another reason I moved to FL, to get away from my controlling parents.

In the end, you need to research where it is you want to live, the cost of living, the average income for that area, even price out car insurance and other little things that we don't necessarily think of everyday. Also, you need to think about when you have kids, there are reports that the public schools in the city are not the greatest and safest, so could you afford to send your child to private school.

Hello Guys , Am i approved ? Read the review and you judge

First thing i arrived at the embassy at about 6:30 AM, i waited outside with other people, about 7:30 a guy came out of the embassy's front door then started calling names from a piece of paper that he had in his hand but he called my name wrong, then asked me if i had an interview appointment, then he said ok guys you gonna have to go and stand on the other side of the street until i get the full list of names, around 8:30 we started standing in line to get into the embassy, once i got in they took my phone and they gave me everything else, i went in and took a piece of paper with a number and waited among other people, around 9 AM they called my number and i went to the window to that Arabic speaking woman, she look like thirty some years old but wow she was so sweet, and kind to me, i gave her the medical report and after that she was sorting some of our papers and she gave me a stack of papers that my wife sent to USCIS then i asked her for the original documents, she said ok but you have to pay to get them lol i said of course anything you want she told me to go to the DHL desk and gave them my address and phone number and stuff and by the way you don't pay for the DHL there any more, you just pay when you receive the package. anyway did that then went and sat down with some guys that two of them were diversity lottery and the other was a spouse too, then i was called again to do the Finger Prints, the woman at the Finger Prints window told me something very funny before i put my fingers on the screen, ( she said wipe your fingers on your shirt ) i started doing that but then i realized i had some tissues lol then i asked her if i could use them instead of my shirt, she said yes of course lol

Then i went back to sit again and wait for my name to be called then about 15 minutes later they called my name i went to the window, and there was a guy that neither looked Arabic nor American and he had a British accent, well don't ask me how i have no idea He had a girl next to him with a scarf that was translating everything he said, well i didn't need her to do so but she did it anyway and she was also sorting out papers for him, Anyway he said Good Morning, I said Good Morning then he started asking me :

1. How did you meet your wife ?

2. When was that ?

3. When did you first meet your wife in person ?

4. How many times have you seen her in Person ?

5. When was the last time you've seen her in person ?

6. How long has she stayed in every visit ?

7. He mentioned my wife's father name and asked me who is that ?

8. He asked me to show him pictures of us together

9. When did you get married ?

Then He said well everything looks good and your part of the process is done now, let us continue the Administrative processing and we will contact you when we gonna issue the visa and he gave me my passport, I asked him if i could ask him a question ?, He said sure, i said how are u gonna give me the visa when you don't have my passport, He said we will contact you and you will send it to us Via DHL, i said why don't you just keep it with you, He said cause it might be lost. I said so How long the AP might take, He said a month, i said exactly ?, he said well it might be less or longer than that, i said how longer ? he said two months, i said ok thank you very much sir and i just left :D That's it, what do you think guys ? did i do good ?

Congrats Sam!!! I think the interview went well, he didn't ask you too many questions, so I would assume that he didn't suspect fraud or anything like that. Now you join the wait with me and others in AP I pray your AP will not last long at all. I'm sure your wife is excited too.. I know it stinks to not get your visa in a few days, but it won't be much longer. I know what a huge relief it is to have this step done, now go celebrate!!

I have 2 older teenagers who stay with their father for the 2-week spans when I am out of the country. I think it's good for their relationships with their father and hope it won't be seen as neglectful on my part. The rest of my time is spent with them when they're not at school.

I haven't been hassled yet at PoE, I hope that it doesn't happen. I guess I will deal with it if it does, though. I guess it's not really a situation most people would understand.

I almost had a slight problem last time entering Egypt. I didn't have any issues until after I got my luggage, then as I was walking to leave the airport the guy checked my passport and started asking me a bunch of questions on why I was there, and if I lived there and what I was bringing with me. I'm not sure if all the visa stamps so close together was an issue.

I attended the interview with my fiance and it was my 3rd trip there in 9 mths. I think it actually helped us. She did ask how many times I had visited and I think was a little surprised by not only how many visits, but by the length of the visits too. I also have children at home, and the only thing I was asked was if they had ever been with me to Egypt, I was honest and said no, basically because every time that I have come it has been during school and I have stayed for long periods of time and I didn't think it was a good idea to bring them with me on my first visit. I'm planning my 4th trip in a couple of weeks, like you I'm very lucky and fortunate to be able to go visit him as often as I can. Good luck!!

I did research, the visa fee's were changed on June 4,2010 and the Egypt information was updated on July 31,2010. This happened to the girl in late December 2010 to early January 2011. So now this is really very confusing to me

I know of 2 people that got their visas last year over the summer and had to pay the extra fee at the embassy, thats how we knew about it, but we only paid what they emailed to us and then paid the balance at the embassy.

How is everyone in AP doing?? Has anyone heard any news lately? It seems a lot of people have been getting their visa's, thats excellent and encouraging news for all of us.

No news here for me, I called the embassy yesterday and got the same response...pending!! I'm planning another trip to Egypt in a couple of weeks, I'm praying for a miracle and he'll be able to come back with me!