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study_up

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    Johannesburg consulate

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    Hi,

    we are having a problem now getting information about an interview date from the johannesburg consulate. We received Packet 3 on February 2nd, and my fiance returned it to them March 20th (he was in the US with me). Since then we have been waiting for the interview date, but no word. They called last week to say they received his medical paperwork and to let him know that they haven't forgotten about him, but that's it. Everything else has gone pretty smoothly- five months processing at USCIS, but that was estimated so that was okay, but they said they usually schedule interviews 1-2 weeks after the documents are received and we're going on 6 1/2 now. He's called several times and said they tell him to just wait for due process, but we are concerned that something is wrong and it's frustrating to not be able to get any information. He had a ticket to come back here for May 8th which will have to be abandoned, and a job offer which would require us getting married in June which may also have to be abandoned- it's a teaching position and has to go by the school schedule, so it can't be delayed for visa problems. Can anyone provide times for when they submitted their documents, got their interview, how far in advance they scheduled the interview? Thanks for your help, this is so incredibly stressful!!!!

    Sorry to hear that--they schedule for the next month in the first half of the previous, so you should get a date in the following month--basically it either takes 2 weeks or 6 weeks. Ours took 6. good luck!

    Inappropriate Job Interview Questions

    in Finding Work in America

    Posted

    Actually there's nothing illegal about asking whether they're legal to work. They're SUPPOSED to ask that.

    The OP also volunteered the information about the gap in history due to pregnancy so there's no violation there either.

    The questions following the volunteering of the complicated pregnancy WERE unprofessional (some but not all. Like asking whether she's planning on remaining in the States is a valid qn 'cause they prefer to hire people that aren't planning to leave) and more like a little chat than an interview. I personally am ALWAYS asked questions like "What brought you to the States?" "Where did you meet your husband?" "How long have you been here?". They're harmless questions in my opinion.

    Problem is if the OP has already been rejected for the job it will just look like she's making things up. I would complain BEFORE being hired or rejected so there's no question about it. It could be the norm to ask SOME questions about personal life (like I mentioned are asked of me) but several of the questions are nothing to do with it (living with his mother?? What does that have to do with anything?).

    actually its not "harmless" to ask about marital status while interviewing people its illegal. even if you know you are not discriminating, it gives that appearane

    going to pursue CR-1, live with him abroad (not in his home country). how will this affect the visa process

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    Ummm... I get these messages ALL the time. They're scams... Why on earth would you friend someone who you don't know? As soon as you friended that person he had a chance to read through your wall and peoples posts to find out how to play you.

    You state that he's posted pics of you and that people say "is she the one?" and "lucky guy". You read that as "the one you love". I read "the one you're scamming". You take "lucky guy" to mean he's a lucky guy to have found you cause you're attractive, I read it as he's a lucky guy that he's scammed an attractive person rather than someone less attractive, makes it easier on him.

    Of course it could be totally innocent but I doubt it. No offence but I doubt he took one look at your pic and thought you were the most wonderful girl in the world, though he probably told you that's how he felt. You are a path to the US. That is all. Maybe you'll get a relationship out of it, for a small period at least, but I doubt it.

    However you'll not listen to any of us and hey, you'll never know unless you try. At the very least find a NICE hotel to stay at when you go to visit him. Don't cheap out on it. It's too risky. Don't go anywhere after dark, stay in public places. Do NOT travel anywhere alone, and your mother counts as "alone" because she is another woman, she cannot protect you when she is also being attacked herself. And this also means do NOT be alone with him anywhere he recommends. Maybe at your hotel but nothing else. If you're meeting his mother in his home country, find somewhere NICE to stay, and public. Have her come to you and your mother somewhere public-ish, or even the hotel. Do NOT get in a car alone with him or his friends. He might find this offensive but you're a young woman who needs to protect yourself and if he likes you then he'll undertand that.

    Re: the nice hotel part--My husband agreed that she should get he ownlodging for the 1st trip. I'd actually suggest renting a "chalet" or furnished "granny flat" for a couple of reasons (one much cheaper--like per month cost is the same as two nights in a fancy hotel and there is usually facilities for cooking your own food) and 2 these are usually on the property of a local family who will get to know you and notice if you go missing and help you get to know the place through eyes other than your potential spouse. You can find listings for this on "gumtree" with sections for each major SA city I'd also be willing to point to some directions for the OP via PM if shes going to joburg or durban.

    going to pursue CR-1, live with him abroad (not in his home country). how will this affect the visa process

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    South Africa has the highest reported incident of rape in the world.

    While men are also subjected to sexual violence and 3.5% of men have

    been forced to have sex with other men, the majority of sexual violence

    is against women. The South African government reports that one of

    these reasons is the culture of patriarchy in South Africa. Its report

    states that patriarchy is firmly rooted in the country and fighting it

    is seen as attempting to destroy African tradition or Afrikaner ideals.

    The danger from rape and sexual assault is compounded because of the

    prevalence of HIV/AIDS in South African townships. A woman being raped

    over the age of 25 has a one in four chance that her attacker is HIV

    positive and more women than men are affected from HIV/AIDS.

    The perpetrators of rape in South Africa tend to be men known to the

    victim. It is reported that a husband or boyfriend kills a woman every

    six hours in South Africa. Many men and women say that rape cannot

    occur in relationships; however, one in four women reported having been

    abused by an intimate partner.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_violence_in_South_Africa#Rape_of_women

    These statistics are mostly relevant to poor south african women not tourists. I work in social science research and your use of this study is not really the most appropriate here. She is not in grave danger of rape just by going to SA. I lived in SA for more than two years without being raped or sexually assaulted in anyway. Wish i could say the same about the previous three years in the USA!

    going to pursue CR-1, live with him abroad (not in his home country). how will this affect the visa process

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    The Catch 22 in all this is that if you don't spend significant time together in person, that makes your evidence of bona fide relationship pretty slim. If YOUR concern is for the parents to meet your fiancee before marriage, a failed K1 process won't accomplish that. Your chances of obtaining a visa for him are far greater if you live together for some significant time. If for you, that means marriage first, then great.

    Why does HE want to take the K1 route?

    For your residence together to be in SA instead of Nigeria, (big difference) obviously, you will BOTH need the appropriate visas.

    "appropriate visas"..not really the USA is not especially concerned with your SA status, ether USC or petitioner. I am sure of this from experience.

    going to pursue CR-1, live with him abroad (not in his home country). how will this affect the visa process

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    Hello. I'm Sarah, I live in Virginia, United States. I'm 20, currently live with my parents, and am unemployed.

    My boyfriend, Mike, is from Lagos, Nigeria, but he currently lives in Pretoria, South Africa. He's 26, and he's working on getting his work permit.

    We have been dating online for 10 months now, and we're planning to meet for the first time in August, in SA, then fly up to Nigeria to get married. After we get married, I will file for a CR-1. I wanted then to live with Mike in SA until the visa goes through. How will my living abroad change things? Am I better off just spending a few months with my husband so I can come home and set things up here?

    Ok now, some proof I've thought things through:

    I checked out travelers' insurance. "MAGELLAN". The best package covers medical expenses, emergencies, return plane fare for a family member to visit if you're in the hospital, emergency repatriation, document translation ... it looks like a really good deal. I'll go over it with my dad to see what he thinks.

    Living together would be good proof of the legitimacy of our relationship. He could add my name to his bank account. And when I got back to the States, I could add his name to my bank account. Then rent an apartment. (Living with my parents after I'm married wouldn't look good to immigration ;) there's no room in the house for one more person)

    Well maybe I just answered my own question... but I'm posting this anyway, in case someone has some advice to share.

    I did this--lived in South Africa with my husband who was from another African country (his case, Zimbabwe). A few things--I would actually suggest you get legally married in SA and file through JO'burg as the embassy there is much better than Lagos.

    Second living in SA is not easy, particularly jo'burg. go with eyes open! Not sure if you are an interracial couple, but SA is similar to the US south in 1965 on that score. you will be denied service in restaurants, not really be allowed to associate with polite (read: racist) white company, and get stared at a lot. You are also not legally allowed to work in SA as a US citizen; you will be there on a visitors visa. Be sure to keep your own documentation up to date while you are there (you have to renew every three months.) you might consider enrolling in school--then you can have a year. Otherwise every three months you will be at home affairs wondering if you are going to have to leave; when they check you out they will check your bank account for sufficient funds and want to see that you have a ticket home. Another option is signing up to volunteer with an SA or international NGO--they can sponsor you for a longer visa. If you can find a way to make money online (eg editing papers? thats what I did--$1500k a month goes a long way if you have a place to live. Rent is expensive, gas is much more expensive than in USA. )

    Finally, regardless of your race, you should be aware that Nigerians are very discriminated against and stigmatized in South Africa, as are African immigrants generally. There have even been recent pogroms against African immigrants. If you are a "foreign" woman of any race with a Nigerian guy, many will assume you are a druggy and a prostitute. Not that pleasant a way to travel through life--make sure you have a thick skin!!

    Finally SA is very expensive--if you are going to move there, great but dont go totally dependent financially on a guy you have not met in person. You need to control your own money and your own documents (Eg passport) at all times! This is crucial. You also need to make sure these items are secure in case you are robbed (an unfortunately common experience in SA). If you can find the cash you might consider buying a used car when you get there--its possible to get around using taxis (privately operated mini busses--i did this for many months) but you have to learn a little zulu and it leaves you very much stranded at home for many hours of the day (taxis stop running after dark).

    of all things health insurance is ok, but health care, even private health care there is relatively cheap compared to USA. id say spend the 2 grand on having a vehicle.

    feel free to PM me if you have other questions about my experience.

    AP in South Africa

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    Does anyone know, on average, how long AP takes in South Africa? My fiancee had his interview on Nov. 22 and was given a 221G request for more documents. He turned the documents in on Dec. 12. We both know that he's getting more scrutiny because he's originally from Nigeria (now a South African citizen). I also know with the holiday season things may be a bit slower. I couldn't find anything in regards to a time frame for AP in South Africa and was wondering if anyone has any ideas.

    agree with others that there is no way to know bout AP, but we had a good experience with the jo'burg embassy w/r/t time. they were speedy, professional. my husband is a Zimbabwean but we lived/filed through SA.

    So Nervous

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    Hi, I've been married since August 2010. I'm finally filling the first petition i-130 for my husband. As this journey begins I am so nervous and i can't even sleep. I guess i just need some encouragement. I keep thinking of every possible thing that could go wrong. I'm also 7 months pregnant and i know the stress is not good for the baby but man this whole thing is scary. :( I keep going over and over the packet. I'm a wreck! i need to just mail it already!

    Best of luck to you!

    encouragement

    in Africa: Sub-Saharan

    Posted

    congrats!!!! :thumbs:

    Thanks all--hes on his way now, going to meet him at JFK at 7am tomorrow. I am so excited. I have been mostly lurking on this board for almost two years and just want to say i have really enjoyed reading everyones stories and learning from others' experiences. its amazing to me how much race and gender impacts this process, but the africa board has been a reassuring haven in the overall VJ world. I wish everyone the best of luck in their relationships and futures in case i dont post here again. But i probably wont be able to stay away...

    Kate

    Racial statements about our son

    in Moving to the US and Your New Life In America

    Posted

    Americans use the word "stationary" too---its just that apparently some people slept through their K-12 education. Can't be helped.

    As for the OP, if I found myself in the same situation with my daughter (black dad, white mom), I would say "This is Tendayi, what is your name?" and then something like "yes, her skin is brown, like yours is (peach, red, sickly yellow, whatever,) but she is Black like her dad. Isnt she lucky?" its not that hard to outsmart a 10 year old is it?

    OCTOBER 2011 IR-1/CR-1 Interview

    in IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports

    Posted

    HI EVERYONE!!

    I'm starting this forum for us who are Hoping for an OCT interview date. WELCOME and lets wait together. Share your questions and concerns we are here to help and guide. I've been waiting since July 19th for an interview and some have been waiting longer then us so trust me I understand!!

    We are hoping for an oct interview--got RFE'd on our affidvits of support a couple of days ago, hopefully we can close the case and get a date soon!

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