Meredith_Brahim

Hey bro How are you ? Yeah i have been busy bro .Im in the US now i just arrived yesterday .Everything went good and smooth but it was very long trip .

Did you get your SSN ?

Hope that everything is going ok with you bro

Congratulations! That's so exciting. Deep exhale! We're doing great, been very busy since we arrived home a month ago. But enjoying every minute! Wishing you all well!

Just thought I'd give you all an update - we're safe and sound back in the USA! Brahim loves it here so far - we've been invited to all our friends and families' houses and they're fighting over where we go next. Still haven't had just a day to ourselves.

The voyage was fine - had a little problem getting out of France with a very racist immigration officer who just sneered at Brahim for being Magrehban and overstaying his visa in France. He wanted us to pay 580 EUR there on the spot = when I handed him my credit card I didn't think he was expecting it and wound up stamping Brahim's passport with no 'fee' and then marking the stamp with pen marks to 'alert' the immigration officers in the US. Haha. Once we got to the US, they were nice as they could be to us, escorted Brahim to the immigration room to process his paperwork. There was a line in there and he waited about an hour, but they didn't ask him any questions at all. He found an Egyptian immigration officer and they chatted. Stressful voyage, but no big issues.

Now we're packing up my house (I'm told I have far too many things!) and will be moving on Friday to our new house. Only negative so far is I have a terrible cold from the flight and am not much company.

Thanks again for all your support and best wishes for those who still don't have the visa!

It's so hard, this process! I think we need to make a stand and lobby Obama for new immigration processes. If you look at his website (he's a marketing-saavy guy!) It's one of the top things he plans to change. Now's the time!

I have to say 'looking back' (I was in the same boat til yesterday), that somehow getting contact with a higher up at the embassy will help you through the process. But I also have to say, get ready to wait a few months before they'll really look into it for you.

Hot Guy - quit talking to the guy who answers the phone, he's got no authority - you need to use your charm and get him to put you on with the immigration visa chief (his boss) - and charm them with your proof, that's what will get you out. I realize this may be a very American approach to insist on going over someone's head, but you're dealing with Americans in the end. My two cents.

Best wishes to you all - it does get resolved in the end. Though I'm not with everyone else who says that the anger melts away once you have the visa. I'm still angry on missing out on my family's life and going through all the emotions of being stuck, and spending lots of money to maintain two households. But the anticipation of everyone we're going to is thrilling!

Sorry if this is obnoxious to write in the same post, but you can update the list: Visa in Hand 5/12/10.

It's so hard, this process! I think we need to make a stand and lobby Obama for new immigration processes. If you look at his website (he's a marketing-saavy guy!) It's one of the top things he plans to change. Now's the time!

I have to say 'looking back' (I was in the same boat til yesterday), that somehow getting contact with a higher up at the embassy will help you through the process. But I also have to say, get ready to wait a few months before they'll really look into it for you.

Hot Guy - quit talking to the guy who answers the phone, he's got no authority - you need to use your charm and get him to put you on with the immigration visa chief (his boss) - and charm them with your proof, that's what will get you out. I realize this may be a very American approach to insist on going over someone's head, but you're dealing with Americans in the end. My two cents.

Best wishes to you all - it does get resolved in the end. Though I'm not with everyone else who says that the anger melts away once you have the visa. I'm still angry on missing out on my family's life and going through all the emotions of being stuck, and spending lots of money to maintain two households. But the anticipation of everyone we're going to is thrilling!

Sorry if this is obnoxious to write in the same post, but you can update the list: Visa in Hand 5/12/10.

Oh my god! How frustrating! Can you get access to the CO directly? That really seemed to help me.

Another thing you could try is the office of Consular Affairs in Washington - they actually answer the phone and you speak to a real person who is responsible for all embassies around the world. The office of Janice Jacobs: +1 202 647 9576. If the embassy is sitting on it this long, there's clearly a problem with the embassy and you'd have good cause to escalate it.

I feel for you!

Hi All - I know many of you are also on the AP thread, but for those of you who are not, Brahim got his visa today after just over 5 months of administrative processing. We are moving to New Jersey on Friday morning and can't wait to start our real life together. Thanks very much for all of your support over the past months!

VISA IN HAND! Of course they sent it to our old address and after the second day of waiting, I called them for the tracking number...and Brahim went to pick it up at the post office. Can't wait to actually see it in person, I might sleep with it under my pillow tonight. Here's to happy dreams!

Good luck to you all! One more competitor off the list, now they can focus on clearing yours!

Thanks again for your support. It really has helped!

Yep, it's true! Email from immigration visa unit chief at the embassy first thing this morning:

"I'm not sure if we told you on Friday, but your husband's visa is being issued. And he might actually have it today or tomorrow. Good Luck."

Now that calls for three happy dances ( ). Next post will be the one we all wait for...stay tuned!

COngratulations Disconnection! And great news for Hot Guy, yours is coming this week, I can tell. Who will be left to post after we're all in the USA?!

If it were me ... I would call and ask if there was a visa number assigned yet (thats just cuz thats the way I am) .... remember the Algerian consulate isnt the fastest moving so if you are planning on coming home next week you're really going to have to push them!!

My fiance's visa was issued on April 17th but he did not have it in his hands until the 27th (the embassy did not call him until the end of the week before)... AND that was with me pushing.

Keeping my fingers crossed ... keep on them until he receives the call to come and pick it up!!!

Malarie

Yeah, I think I'll call back on Monday to get the number. We're actually at the Paris embassy, and they've been waiting for our case to get approved so they tell me. I'll give them til Monday too, then follow-up.

Thanks again, all for your kind wishes. I'm walking around our apartment to figure out what we can pack now (with six days to go). So happy! But will be ecstatic when we have the visa in hand!

Thanks everyone! We're so excited! I have a flight home on Friday morning and reserved the seat next to mine for Brahim. I'm 90% sure we get to use it

She didn't say a visa number had been assigned actually (should I call back and get the number???) After my conversation yesterday with the immigration chief at the embassy, who said she'd follow-up, I'm assuming she's going to have her team issue it 'toute de suite' when they go back to work on Monday.

God, the relief as we have so much happening - flying home on Friday, closing on our new house next Friday, visiting family for a reunion the following week! Not having to find other living arrangements when our lease expires on the 19th. I've been dropping things since we heard the news - it's like the strength and coordination have gone out of my limbs, but we're not jumping up and down, just quasi-excited and waiting.

It's been a great few weeks and I know that they're working on those of you who are still waiting. Have faith.

Wonderful news!!

It's coming for you guys, just hold on a bit longer. They can't keep it indefinitely and it seems they are moving these along (ahem, see the other post!!).

I've been thinking for the past five months how I would write this post. I just got back from a trip to London and to cheer up my honey who was feeling kinda low, we called the DOS. I got the nice Asian-sounding woman this time. She told me that as of today, May 7th, the case was given its final approval and early next week the embassy will be issuing the visa!!

I couldn't believe it. We hugged and cried - the sense of relief is enormous. But I'm skeptical. About two minutes later, my mother called me from the States to tell me she'd had a dream last night that Brahim got his visa. Weird! So I called back 5 minutes later and confirmed with the same woman who giggled a little and said, yes, that's right, your case has been approved as of today. Congratulations!!!

So, I'm going to save the dance for the visa in hand. But we are going to have a little champagne tonight!

Best wishes for the rest of you, will keep you updated on what happens in the next few days.

Star, that is so exciting! Congratulations to you!

Today, we crossed the threshold - we've been waiting for 5 months. Yesterday I called the embassy immigration chief (bet she's sorry she gave me her number once) as it's been three weeks since she inquired about our case with the USA. She said that there's been no change but that she'd call again to 'see what's up' and she actually apologized to me for the long wait! I have no response from her today, but hope that she made a connection to someone. Once DOS comes on line I'll make my usual Friday morning phone call.

It's been a slow visa week so far...here's hoping there's some movement today!

This site is becoming way to addictive! Since the onslaught of good news last week, I check every hour for an update from one of us and am disappointed when I don't see anything. Yikes. Going to have to calm myself down now and realize that it's not every week we get six visas approved!

Best of luck fellow AP-ers!

This all sounds so familiar. My fiance entered Spain on a visitors visa and after being there for five years applied for his work visa and residency and got it about a year ago. Lhamdullilah.

I´m hoping this will make it easier. Otherwise he may have to join your husbands ex-Europa.

You'll be fine and the residency will make it much easier. Wishing you a speedy journey!

(My husband is till in Europe, going back to Algeria was the last resort and a possibility if we don't get the visa before September (when his passport expires), but I can't imagine that AP will take that long!)

I'm glad we didn't get married. We'll get to do it the way we want this way. And it seems that the married couples have a lot longer wait and a lot more ####### to go thru. Of course we have all the AOS an dall that to go thru too. It's ####### all around! LOL

But just being with the person you love is the most important thing.

I really do hope it all comes together for you soon. I will go to Algeria but it won't be until after we are married and he's free to travel and return to the US. Oh what a wonderful day that will be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It sure is #######. You're taking the right route, wish we'd done the same. Too late now! It's hard after all this time, to just be zen and remember that you're actually with the person you love. I physically try to do that every day, but I forget - and along the visa journey I was so impatient for the next step to happen, AP is the worst! But the visa will come soon, we know.

Wishing you both a very happy life together, it will be wonderful once we're all settled and rejoined with our respective Algerians in the US!!

Sounds very promising! How exciting! I saw a couple of threads that sometimes after submitting the passport, it goes back for just a few weeks of AP, but it's progress. Hope you get the outcome you are hoping for!

Dear US Government: We are expecting you to finish processing the cases you've been holding for the past several months. You did a great job last week !

Now that it's a new week and a new month for that matter, keep up the good work and stop screwing with our lives!!

I involved my congressman as soon as I heard AP. And you're right, all they can do is call DOS like the rest of us and get the same answer as the rest of us. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and involve them, but neither they nor the embassy have any authority to move it forward.

You know, others say that when the visa comes after this extended AP wait, the frustration melts away because you're so happy you have received the visa. I don't know about that - I'm pretty pissed off right now, I think I'm going to feel the sting of this for a long time and am planning to raise a campaign for reform once we're settled in the States.

thanks, i'm glad too, but it's coming to an end in less than two weeks.

hate to tell you this, but the us embassy misinformed you - you could have gotten married here in paris - we did. the (ridiculous) documents you need to bring with you to get married are: two forms that prove domicile (a lease or quittance de loyer and an electric bill or insurance bill), and your personal ID (brahim's passport was expired, but we got an official 'request for passport' doc w/his photo from the algerian consulate), then stupid things like an affidavit that says you're single, etc. we amassed all of these and got married after about 4 months of back and forth with the mayor's office.

but i think ghani made a better choice than brahim to be honest. and we're still contemplating that choice, but fear we're so close to the end, what would be the point of going back to algeria now just in case it screws up the delivery of the visa. mind you if it doesn't come by september (god, can't believe i just typed that!), he'll have to go back cause the algerian consulate sure isn't going to renew his passport a second time. we'll cross that chasm when we come to it.

best of luck to you and hope you get to visit algeria during the visa journey! i can't wait to go and meet the very large family that calls me 'sara' because they don't get meredith

Ahh, thanks for the humor (humour to our brit friends!). Needed very much today. Brahim and I just had a long and emotional conversation. Though I know in my heart our visa will come this month, I'm scared to death to leave him. Less than two weeks from now, I'll have all the comforts of home and my good support network, but my poor honey will be left here with just a few friends and the endless struggle to find a job (hasn't been able to in months!). It's not an easy situation and I feel very selfish for leaving, but our new home and my job is beckoning me back. Tough tough tough stuff.

Here's hoping they continue working on those of us long-termers next week!

Whoa!!! I'm so excited for you! I just did a physical happy dance! After such a long wait, you have found your happiness! Wonderful wonderful news and best wishes for your reunion!

I just called the DOS too!!! However, unlike you, I got the most unhelpful specialist. I gave her my details, she kept me waiting a while, which I thought was a good sign, then all she could say was 'You're still pending'. When I asked her what the latest date-stamp was, she said 'well, you had your interview 22nd February'...I said 'No, I mean when was the last time it was looked at?' She answered that they're not obliged to date-stamp the case every time it's looked at, and whoever told me that was mistaken...I replied, 'That's strange every Friday when I call and ask they tell me that it was looked at last week etc'...'It's still pending'. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

It's so unfair - I honestly believe that we have a right to some basic information about OUR application and OUR data. I've a good mind to call again and see if I get someone a little friendlier and more helpful within the confines of what they can say.

Oops, nearly forgot to say I hope you get a response to that email soon, as well of course as the all-important email telling you that the visa is ready!!!

Call back - nothing brightens your day like one who'll give you a little hint. I can't remember her name, had an N in it somewhere. Best of luck to ya! How's the weather in the UK? I'm headed over for a few days next week for business... It's been sunny in Paris for like two weeks straight (unheard of in early Spring!)

Weekly DOS Update Time!

Just now I got a very nice woman on the phone. I expressed my frustration at the 4 months, 3 weeks. SHe said she understood the hardship and frustration. SHe said that it's normal to see a case take several months for administrative processing, but she also said that she could see that it's being worked on. I confirmed that the 'being worked on' was not just the embassy's request two weeks ago and she said, 'Correct, it's being worked on.' So I said, I know you can't share details, but if you were me, would you be hopeful? And she exclaimed 'Yes!'. Doesn't give me anything concrete, but was sure nice to hear!!

My email to the kind embassy immigration chief yesterday reminded her that it's been two weeks since her request from the US agencies on our case and stated that I'd be much obliged for her continued follow-up. It has not yielded a response.

Here's hoping!!