moroccan love

My apologies. My timeline needs to be deleted. I am now divorced. My question was in general. If I were to go through this process again, I wish to be prepared. I know of others in a similar situation. My husband never came to the states and we divorced prior to knowing the results. I am sure this would have been a question asked. 

I simply was seeking input regarding lawyers who may have input and guidance similar to Marc. 

I will correct the timeline issue.

As for the hotel, I asked this question for my friend. 

Hello, 

I believe Marc Ellis has retired from Immigration law.  Does any know of or recommend any other good lawyers with experience in difficult cases or consulates.  This is a pro-active inquiry.

Thanks

I am traveling to Morocco in December. We are not yet married. We will stay with family but will also be outside the home for papers and to explore. Any suggestions where we can stay without issue?  Thanks

We have a friend we have invited to visit us in the USA.  

He know what is required per the website, however, we have heard a certain amount of money MUST be in his bank account before being considered. 

Has anyone experienced this and if so what is the amount?

He will not have any expenses to travel or while he is in the USA.  

He has a  car, an apartment, a good job and a family all in Morocco.

He has traveled outside of Morocco previously, as a student. 

We are aware nothing is guaranteed, but we would like to help him have everything ready before submitting an application. 

Thank you

Is there a form available to request expedited processing for IR1 cases?

If not, is the letter free form and you supply the information and attached documentation?

Thank you in advance

Try finding a location where you can use Chronopost. It can be tracked and is quick.

Good luck

More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call

per this site http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=d99c49c62ed6e210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

California and Vermont Service Centers currently co-process:

I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker

I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)

I-539, Application to Change or Extend Nonimmigrant Status

I-130, Petition for Alien Relative

I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence.

I hope this helps

I hope you have a swift journey

sritco123, congrats! You should fill out your time line so others from our Morocco portal can use your information to give them hope for their own cases!!

Congrats and good luck

Glad you posted this Shayma!!! I will also needs this because I did not send with my app. either

Where does it say on the application that this is needed when filing? I was reading the guides and I did not see where it mentions sending this with the application. I know it is needed later with the medical etc. Thanks

When we met, I did not have a webcam and wasn't comfortable with them. I did see him on cam but he could not see me. We talked a long time before I bought one and he saw me. I believe it was 6-9 months later he saw who he was chatting with all those nights :-). His family and friends joked that he did not know who he was talking to and I could have been a man playing a joke on him. When I went to see him face to face the first time, my flight was delayed. I barely made it to Morocco and I was 12 hours late. No way of contacting him (cell died and could not stop at a pay phone). There he was waiting patiently, praying I was really coming. (I loved him even more for waiting and knowing in his heart I would be there. He did not live close to the airport) We were the last people to leave the airport that night. There were no other flights that evening. We had to stay in Marrakesh the night because my luggage did not arrive with me. We went to a hotel and checked into two rooms. We traveled the next day to home. We reflect back to that night many times and it always makes us smile

Well it definitely is a eyebrow raiser in tnnir culture,and society because it wouldnt take place amongst themselves(there could be exceptions)large age differences raise a red flag in the usa consulate, the fiance visa is the most fraudulent visa and most rejected and most scrutinized visa in morocco,so much the usa consulate in morocco has dedicated a web page to the fiance visa predators.

Many times in the usa consulate Ive seen them threaten and eject MALE moroccans who appear and appear for multiple visa interviews(all moroccan men arent bad).

A lot of times in the interviews I hear their is a moroccan translator/employee who inserts his two cents ,acting like a well trained doberman pincher for the usa consulate asking questions that are irrelevant and quite disrespectful.

Age differences are a red flag, agreed, however, my experience shows it happens in Morocco just as anywhere and it is regardless of race. It is interesting that in the US, a man in his 60's can marry a woman in her 20s and it seems acceptable. Reverse the rolls and it is a horrible act. There is an age difference between my husband and I and his mother and father have the same age difference. Age is only a number and it is quite sad that people put such importance into it. Just my two cents worth and I understand this was a general statement, no offense taken or meant.

You should probably concentrate on the time from your denial to the present, especially if they have previously seen past evidence. Frontloading the petition with a handful of photos (5-10 really good photos, stuff of you with him and his family, etc, maybe one from each trip to show how long term the relationship is) is a good idea, because they WILL look at that stuff when it arrives at the consulate. There's only a 50/50 chance of them looking at any evidence you take to the consulate, as you most likely know. So make the frontloading count.

I'm not very familiar with your case and what red flags you may have, but addressing them directly in the new petition with any kind of evidence you can provide is probably wise. Affidavits from both yours and his family regarding the relationship, etc could be helpful to put into the petition itself. If sending affidavits, make them short and to the point, one page max. I sent in an "evolution of relationship" timeline letter, describing the milestones of our relationship from start to the present- this is something that is recommended to do in several Asian countries, and I liked it because it gave me a presence at the interview, and showed some of my personality to the CO.

Think quality, not quantity, and try to make the evidence you send irrefutable. I made sure the photos I let them see did not seem at all posed or phony (we all put on phony smiles for the camera sometimes). I tried to convey to them our everyday lives and interaction in them. They did look at them. I don't know if it helped, but it seemed the right way to approach them.

Good luck, hon. I really REALLY hope you make it this time.

Sarah

Thanks Sarah.

I will send you a private message with a few questions.

That's not 100% true. There are trends about the CO's at Casablanca that can be studied and used to one's advantage. They tend to favor people that are well prepared, but not over prepared (don't take too much evidence, minimalism is best). They like people that are relaxed and confident, but not cocky. Going over practice questions repeatedly (to the point of extreme) is advisable, so that one is comfortable with the answers, but doesn't seem too rehearsed. Trying to relate to the CO as a person and not talking like you're at a job interview is a good thing- being conversational and somewhat jovial loosens them up a bit.

I've studied this consulate extensively, both before and after my husband's interview, and waited with several people while their SO's interviewed to get a first hand, fresh perspective on how an interviewee feels after leaving the consulate. There's no doubt, the place is a nightmare- but it's not impossible to get out of there with a visa the first time.

OP should read the reviews, go back in the MENA forums and read about the interviews of those both approved and denied- look for trends in both. There's also a set of videos of a town hall meeting in Washington, DC that the chief of the non immigrant visa section did a while back. Her name is Nahal Kazemi, and she handles a lot of K1 interviews herself. Watching the videos gives you a good feel for her personality and how to approach her:

Yeah, it sounds like preparing for war. Know what you're up against. A key to winning a battle is to know what your opponent will do first.

There's some supportive tips for success at Casa.

We are preparing to send in our CR-1 after two failed K1 attempts. Thank you for this information. We are not sure how much to send and if we should concentrate more on the time since our last denial up to today? We sent 25 pounds of proof and were denied. I don't want to kill them but we want it to be good and enough. The denials reasons were very weak but they were denials none the less. We have been together for 5 years so as you can see the proof could be huge. Any advise? Thanks

I too am seriously considering relocating to Morocco. I brought my husband here 2 years ago and we both agree we would rather live in Morocco. It will take me a couple years to save to move over and I am trying to find out how to get a savings account going over there from the US. We want to live in El Jadida. I also want to send over some of my things like one of our cars and some of our furniture. Has anyone done any of this? Also I want my kids to go to the public school instead of private does anyone know if this is possible, we are in the process of learning arabic so that they will be ready.

I would like to know some of the same information. I have read where people will use a moving container, like you see on a semi truck, and in most cases they will share it to save costs. Someone else told me that if you take your car, you have to pay heavy taxes on it when it arrives. Something to think about. I thought someone said you would be taxed on the original purchase price, but I am not sure that is correct. I would like to know if you were to open an account in the US with maybe Chase, would that help you get something going in Morocco since they are there too.

Best of luck in your future

Congratulations. I like the name given to you. I did not have to do this and I have heard many women speak of their "Arabic" name given to them by their husband and/or his family. I read through my marriage papers and I do not see a reference to religion. I am also curious as to why this was done. I will have to ask my husband :-) and see if he can shed some light on this.

If you received more information, please share

I'll add on a bit... though I like the previous poster's answer

Well how do you find your standard of living in terms of buying food and clothing?? I remember from my visit 2 years ago that food was cheap, especially fresh food but clothing was really expensive.

This depends on a few things: what kind of money you have, and where you are living. In Rabat, Casa, and Marrakech, you can find good quality imports, but they are expensive.

For example, in Casa, there is a mall (http://www.moroccomall.net/EN/index_EN.html) with import stores. In Rabat, there is MegaMall (http://www.megamall.ma/#/home) complete with a skating rink and bowling alley! Again-- pricy, pricy, pricy! These are places that the elite and ex-pats shop. I'm not as aware in Casa what there is, but I know they have a lot of shopping. Rabat has a district called Agdal with stores like Mango, Pimkie, Steve Madden, United Colors of Benneton, Zara, etc.

For a lot of the population, this is too expensive, and people get clothes from a variety of different areas. In general, I'd say the quality is cheaper than a lot that you would get in the US and the price higher than you can find on sale. The Old Navy metaphor is pretty accurate, I'd say.

If you are living in a rural area and feel comfortable wearing more traditional clothing (I wouldn't recommend this in the cities as a foreigner, you will probably look silly, though some might disagree... maybe around your neighborhood is okay..), you can get decent quality jellabas made for reasonable prices. They are comfortable, and I have one for when I go to the corner store and am in pjs (throw it on overtop and out the door!) and one for special occasions, but that's it.

If you are a non-standard size, it might be hard to find clothes in Morocco. Shoes for women rarely fit over a size 9 or 9.5... but the good news is that getting things tailored is relatively cheap and certainly worth it!

Also what do you do for fun? I stayed home most of the time on my last visit, barring the visits to Marrakech and Rabat.

Oh, man. LOTS. I went to sushi with a friend tonight and we walked home the 2.5 miles and just talked and it was great. One of my favorite things to do is to wander around the old medina of Rabat and have a street-food dinner.

On the coast, you obviously have the beach. I just started "running" (the couch 2 5k program is AMAZING), so I adore starting my day with a walk/jog along the coast watching the waves splash on the rocks. Invest in a good set of headphones to drown out the catcalls The beach is great, shopping for vegetables and cooking fresh food can be a great hobby... I also have really enjoyed the "cafe culture," and have never run into problems with it, even if traditionally it's the "man's domain." Dinner parties with friends, particularly theme nights, board games from the States, and trying new restaurants are all interesting as well...

Big cities also have a lot of cultural events. In Rabat, there is a movie theater that shows interesting movies (usually in French) every Saturday. Most cities have at least one film festival a year. Oh, man, festivals in general are phenomenal... Rabat has Mawazine (with Shakira this year as the headliner! Elton John and Sting and Santana were here last year, for free!), a fantastic jazz festival at the Roman and Merenid ruins of the Chellah... a myriad of film festivals, etc. If you speak Spanish, French, or German, there are institutes for each of those countries in big cities (Instituto Cervantes, Institute Francaise, Goethe Institut) with weekly or events that are more often.

Then, there are theaters (Theatre Mohammed V in Rabat has things most nights, or at least a few times a week: symphonies, opera, theater, etc.), the Villa de Arts in both Rabat and Casa... There are museums all over... there are art galleries places like the Oudaya Gate... in other words, there is ALWAYS something going on in the cities; it's just a matter of plugging into the right networks to figure it out. I often say that Rabat and Casa need some sort of weekly city guide with a list of all the events, but it hasn't gotten there yet.

If you can get out of the city... oh, man. Camel treks in the desert, skiing near Ifrane or Okaimden (spelling??), hiking all over the Atlas mountains, camping, beaches (the ones on the Mediterranean can be phenomenal, like Al Hoceima!), mountain climbing...

In other words, if you put effort into finding out what is going on (which can be hard!), you won't be bored.

Also do you work? If so where if you don't mind me asking..I work for a company that has over 350 locations worldwide and I'm trying to determine if I'd qualify for a transfer.

I work for an NGO. It pays okay, but more of a upper-middle-class Moroccan salary than an American one; I'm right at the poverty line by US standards. If you want to teach English and have experience, I can PM you a list of schools to look into. You can also bring some letters of reference and all that and just cold-call language schools by knocking on the door. If you can get a transfer, with a US salary, with your current company, I'd say DO IT and you will be set.

Last but not least, if you don't speak arabic or french how do you find day to day living? Thanks in advance for your responses :-)

I came to Morocco with advanced French, and now speak decent Tamazight Berber and good "taxi and hanut" Darija-- I am good at convincing people I speak it, then I can't respond. I probably understand 30-50% of conversations, depending on the speaker and topic (and how many French words they throw in!) To me, the language learning is the same as the "finding things to do:" if you expect things to just magically happen for you, you won't go anywhere. If you put in the legwork, however, especially in an immersion environment (with inlaws, for example), and you work at it on a daily basis, you should progress. And I have found many Moroccans incredibly forgiving with my Darija-- even just making an effort brings a smile and occasionally a "tbarkallah ali3k!"

Morocco has become my second home. If my fiance hates the US for some reason (lla y str!), I have come to the conclusion that as long as I can get a job that pays enough for me to send my future children to an American school... I could make Morocco a permanent home. I'm crossing my fingers for a life half in the States, and half in Morocco... but could handle spending most of it here. In general, once you make an effort to integrate to a certain degree, and once you open yourself and become flexible enough to adapt to the culture (not "become Moroccan," but learning to tolerate and accept and understand parts of the culture that are complex and different)... at least for me, I feel at home here. I feel like people accept and respect me for who I am. I feel like I have true Moroccan friends and some ex-pat American friends... I feel like life here is, in some ways, more... human? than life in the States. I feel like many people are more connected with each other, with God, and with the greater community, and I have changed some of my perspectives and frameworks because of their influence on me. I will never be Moroccan-- nor do I want to be or try to be!-- but I can tell you that with the right people and support network, and the right attitude, for me, Morocco is truly somewhere that I feel content.

I hope this novel (ha!) was helpful.

My fiance and I were denied and since then we have married. We have not filed yet for the CR1 but will be doing so soon. I too have been researching and checking with those who lives there for information. I have found many to have the same experiences and this helpful to me too.

I have also talked to people from Morocco other than my family. I am trying to be ready regardless of the outcome of interview.

I am currently exploring additional educational opportunities through my company that may assit me in Morocco if I do move. I am learning French and trying to learn some Arabic (Moroccan and traditional). Are there any other suggestions, thoughts or ideas that can be useful if you were to prepare to move to Morocco? Also, I would be interested in the schools you mentioned, if you don't mind sharing them with me. I know it will be early next year before I know if I will be living there or here.

I am happy to know it has been a pleasant experience. I am like MarocAEHabiby, anxious and a loving family who doesn't speak much if any English.

Thank you

I hope you can help.

Those of you that have filed the CR-1 or old K3 Visa, the letters from family and friends specifically from Morocco.....

1) Were they translated from Arabic or French to English?

2) Did they have to be certified?

I have heard many say they can be in English as long as they are signed and there is a statement regarding the translations value and the ability of the person to translate. USCIS states this as well.

Others have said they need to be in Arabic or English, translated and then they will be stamped but they will not be "certified" without translation.

I know the letters I have been provided here in the US have been certified when signed. I just want to be certain we don't have a problem down the line.

Basically, do they need to be certified and translated or can they be written in English?

Thanks

HELLO,

I thought this would be the right place to post this thread NORTH AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST about flying to MOROCCO which is in North AFRICA! I will be flying Delta to JFK and Royal Air Maroc from JFK to Casa. The ticket is the same booked with Delta,so I know that my bags will be checked all the way through going to Morocco. I have heard that Delta considers Morocco as "Europe" and not Africa so the 2 free checked bags for international flights does not apply but only 1!! I looked at some travel websites discussing of this issue with Delta and actually argue about it when they check their bags in saying Morocco is in Africa not Europe and that the 2 checked bags free should apply. Anyone with a recent experience is this true? I thought I would try Visa Journey for advice since so many of you have traveled between the U.S. and Morocco multiply times AND recently.

Thanks Team.

I flew last November, the exact flight, and was told I had to pay for the second bag. I was livid and they did all they could to help me get everything into one large bag, but they wouldn't waive the fee. The also warned me the same would happen when I returned. Well, I was able to return with less, so I didn't have that issue. However, I was detained in NY by Immigration because it stated I had filed for a K1 when they scanned my passport. I still have no idea why I was pulled and sent the "office" and the man who spoke to me said the same. I explained he was no longer my fiance, but my husband now and the application was closed.

Be prepared for anything and try to pack it in 1 bag. :-)

Hello,

I am about to prepare everything for our I-130 petition and I am tryng to make sure I put aside enough money for the fees. If I understand correctly I need to send in a check for $420 with our I-130 petition. And then once we get to the NVC how much do I need to pay? I am sorry if this question has been asked before I tried to search it and did not find anything specific.

Thanks!!!

I am preparing to do the same and had the same question. The website listing the fees seems to have been updated recently and the following statement concerns me....

[i]Important Notice - New Immigrant Application Fees: Immigrant visa application processing fees and other immigrant visa services fees changed on July 13, 2010, and immigrant visa application processing fees are now tiered. (There is no longer one single visa application fee for all immigrant categories.) Applicants will have to pay the full fees in effect on the day they apply, with the exception of applicants whose fees are collected by the National Visa Center (NVC). Applicants whose fees are collected by NVC, both prior to and after July 13, 2010, will be required to pay only the fees in effect on the day they are billed. Applicants billed by NVC at the current rate prior to July 13, 2010 will not be required to pay the difference between the current and new fees. (Review additional information, including a cost of service study on the www.Regulations.gov website.) [/i]

I know the fees changed in mid July. It see the $420 and then I see $330 (Immediate relative and family preference applications (processed on the basis of an approved I-130, I-600 or I-800 petition)

$88 for review of the I-864

If you find more detailed/current information, I would be interested.

Thanks

For some reason Youssoufia sounds familiar to me. Hopefully I will find out why later insha'Allah. Now please do not laugh at me. I know the address of what part of Sale Al-Jadida I'm going, but I can't tell you the neighborhood name. My fiancee' has a flat, but I've not been to this flat yet. So I am anxious to see it. I meant to ask you how long you were going to be in Sale? I will be leaving December 21, 2010 insha'Allah. If you are still there, I would love to connect if possible.

Thank you in advance for offering assistance.

Hope to speak with you soon.

MM

I will be leaving the 27th of November to come home. I wish I would be there at the same time. Maybe they know your fiance?

The time will depend on several factors and possibly some money.

His home is in Youssoufia, but when he works he lives in Sale Al-Jadida. He was very excited when I told him someone was moving there. He stays with his brother who lives on what sounds like a "base". He is in the Gendermarine?

They are building a new city and he will be working there. I want information so I can see if we can afford to buy something. I/we will help you however we can and thank you for you kind words.

Natasha

I guess i'm just looking for a figure of how long it will take to be approve by the government. Now in my head i'm going for 30 days give or take. Hopefully not that long. But we will see. I guess with the physician consolation in Morocco, hopefully that will be no more than 200MAD. Allahu'Alym of how much it will cost.

So what part of Sale is your family at? When i was there last time i was in Kenitra and Sale Hay Salam. However, when i go there this time, I'm moving to Sale Al-Jadida. But I really want to live in Sale Arjat. But anywhere in Sale is great I guess.

Good luck with your plans on getting married. Please keep me posted so I know how your adventures go while in and near Sale, so I can have an idea of what to expect.

MM

I know of some who married in Sale and had no problems and completed it all in less than 2 weeks. There are some physicians who will look at results from here or some will make you take the tests there. The papers are simple. I have copies of them, but they are in arabic. Let me know if you would like to see them.

My fiance is near Sale and his sister lives there with her husband. If we are unsucessful in our attempt this time, I too may be living there. I wish you the best. I leave in about 2 weeks and I pray we will be able to marry doing this visit. It is our goal.

Take care

Hello,

It's MaghrebiMama again. As you guys know I'm planning on moving to Sale with my son December 21, 2010. My next question is about marriage in Morocco. Do i have to get a police record from the FBI or can I go to my local police station and get the background check/police record?

Also about Affidavit of Nationality and Eligibility to Marry from the US counselate... Can I retrieve that online, or must I go in person to receive this paper and fee?

How much does it cost for a medical clerence from the physicians in Morocco?

Thanks for the help.

MM

Can anyone recommend affordable hotels for a one night stay in Rabat?

If possible, one close to the Ministry of Justice and Foreign Affairs or one which allows easy access to these.

Thank you