Crossed_fingers

You are "dating" a man you have yet to meet, Dont have money to visit his country in 3 months from now ( which is a low fare season being Feb) and he cant afford his own plane ticket/visa, Are different religions, already posting doubts about his real intentions towards you and his mother accepts you by just seeing your pic.
Only thing that made any great sense in your original post were your first 6 words.

I'm not sure I understood, did you mean you and your boyfriend have not yet Skyped, or did you mean you and his mother have only talked on the phone and through messenger so far?
Either way, one observation or piece of advice.....the start of a new romance isn't supposed to feel the way you're describing. This is supposed to be the giddy, butterfly phase, not the doubt and second-guessing phase. That should perhaps tell you something.

I'm not sure I understood, did you mean you and your boyfriend have not yet Skyped, or did you mean you and his mother have only talked on the phone and through messenger so far?
Either way, one observation or piece of advice.....the start of a new romance isn't supposed to feel the way you're describing. This is supposed to be the giddy, butterfly phase, not the doubt and second-guessing phase. That should perhaps tell you something.

Exactly. There's no "bad mood" or "didn't like beneficiary" box to check. There has to be a solid reason. These files, as with all government work, is reviewed and audited and real people have to answer for the decisions they make.
The inability to communicate in a common language would be a relationship issue, so I can see how it would be an issue at an interview.

Something tells me you don't think like a CO.

Something tells me you don't think like a CO.

I've read the original post. You asked if this mess in Syria qualifies you for a waiver of extreme hardship for having never met face to face. You asked for people with experience in similar situations to respond, and they have done. You asked for real, serious answers, yet when you got them, because they did not agree with your idea of the way USCIS and the world ought to work, you react with scorn. People who have taken the time to reply to your post are attempting to help you, even if you do not understand that.
You asked if this is a valid reason to get a waiver. People have told you it is not. You asked what your chances are of getting a waiver, people have told you they are slim to none. You have said he cannot leave Syria, upon pain of most dreadful death, when people with experience have told you that many others from Syria go to Jordan for visas, and that others manage to meet in Lebanon or Turkey to fulfill the having met in person in the last two years requirement. There is no embassy in Syria, he will not be interviewed or get a visa from them, it is closed, and in all likelihood will remain shut for the foreseeable future. All interviews for visa for Syrian residents are at the US embassy in Amman.
To be interviewed in Amman he will have to go there, and return to Syria to wait. For I guarantee you, giving the current political situation, he is going to be in AP for a very long time indeed, once he is interviewed, if he even gets to that stage.
If it remains your intention to marry, you are going to have to travel. Somewhere.
Here follows a link to ten years worth of USCIS denial decisions, those that were made on appeal. Many are for not having met in the last two years, and some of those involve countries in quite desperate situations. Pay attention to the reasoning, and the wording of those denials.
http://www.uscis.gov/laws/admin-decisions?topic_id=1&newdir=D6+-+Fiancees+and+Fiances+of+U.S.+Citizen+%28K-1%29

I couldn't agree with this more. You can see the phenomenon so often when a couple with red flags is denied, and somewhere in the recap is their surprise that they would get denied when others with red flags were approved. The consulates are difficult in the sense that the fraud is high and so there are a ton of denials, but I don't at all think they're difficult because the CO's are mean or petty or capricious.
I think one issue is that people tend to focus on the quantity of their evidence rather than the quality. Like, "We submitted 300 pictures, 200 pages of chats, hundreds of emails...but they denied us anyway, the CO must have been having a bad day or just not have liked my husband." But what does the evidence show? Were the 300 photos taken in the course of 1 week's visit? Is there something suspicious in the demeanor or absence of the beneficiary's family members? Is there awkward body language or facial expressions on the couple? Do the 200 pages of chat show meaningful chemistry, or do they reinforce the CO's suspicion that there's a language barrier, that the couple's communications are superficial, that the beneficiary is just feeding the petitioner canned compliments, or whatever? I'm not saying these examples are the situation here, but it's rarely helpful when a couple lists the pounds or inches or pages of evidence they submitted when no one else can see what is revealed on those pages. In addition, even if the evidence is high quality, it may not speak to the specific red flags the CO wants to see addressed. Sometimes minor red flags can be overcome just by showing happy photos and lots of face time, other times it might be more useful to address certain red flags directly with a statement from the couple.
Those are just some general thoughts from what I've seen in MENAland over and over through the years. I suspect here the CO's were caught up with the introduction through friends, age of the petitioner, quick courtship, and language barrier. I do hope you get concrete information about the denial. That seems hard to come by and I think that's terrible....couples have a right to know specifics, IMHO, to have a fair chance to dispute them. But at least as an outsider who has read a few of the OP's prior posts here, that's the direction I would focus on unless told otherwise.

I couldn't agree with this more. You can see the phenomenon so often when a couple with red flags is denied, and somewhere in the recap is their surprise that they would get denied when others with red flags were approved. The consulates are difficult in the sense that the fraud is high and so there are a ton of denials, but I don't at all think they're difficult because the CO's are mean or petty or capricious.
I think one issue is that people tend to focus on the quantity of their evidence rather than the quality. Like, "We submitted 300 pictures, 200 pages of chats, hundreds of emails...but they denied us anyway, the CO must have been having a bad day or just not have liked my husband." But what does the evidence show? Were the 300 photos taken in the course of 1 week's visit? Is there something suspicious in the demeanor or absence of the beneficiary's family members? Is there awkward body language or facial expressions on the couple? Do the 200 pages of chat show meaningful chemistry, or do they reinforce the CO's suspicion that there's a language barrier, that the couple's communications are superficial, that the beneficiary is just feeding the petitioner canned compliments, or whatever? I'm not saying these examples are the situation here, but it's rarely helpful when a couple lists the pounds or inches or pages of evidence they submitted when no one else can see what is revealed on those pages. In addition, even if the evidence is high quality, it may not speak to the specific red flags the CO wants to see addressed. Sometimes minor red flags can be overcome just by showing happy photos and lots of face time, other times it might be more useful to address certain red flags directly with a statement from the couple.
Those are just some general thoughts from what I've seen in MENAland over and over through the years. I suspect here the CO's were caught up with the introduction through friends, age of the petitioner, quick courtship, and language barrier. I do hope you get concrete information about the denial. That seems hard to come by and I think that's terrible....couples have a right to know specifics, IMHO, to have a fair chance to dispute them. But at least as an outsider who has read a few of the OP's prior posts here, that's the direction I would focus on unless told otherwise.

People are not denied based on personal opinions or whims of consulars or any such nonsense. Not understanding the process, or having very little actual knowledge of the process seems to often fuel that absurd conclusion, but that doesn't make it true. People's real red flags are often embarrassing though, and personal, and it's a whole lot easier to pin blame on consulars than aspects of one's own personal life, or the lives of friends and family. If anything, throughout MENA, even though a couple consulates are some of the most difficult in the world, overall they seem to err on the side of giving a visa in the most absurd of circumstances, rather than denying them. They're far more generous, forgiving, and understanding than they're given credit for here.

Any one, or even two, of these issues might not raise an eyebrow in terms of approval of the fiance visa. But when you consider the stack (and there are more than you have listed, which leads me to believe you aren't aware of what you are confronting) as a whole, well, you have challenges. All you can do is apply and see what happens. But, as I said, preparing for the interview with canned answers, as if it is an exam, is pointless.

We are trying to ascertain that YOU know what your 'red flags' are, and that YOU know what is coming ahead, and that YOU are successful at your attempt to gain a visa. Never mind, I'm sure the 'experts' are now satisfied that YOU know everything there is to know, and they won't trouble themselves to respond to more of your 'how do I make this look less bad than it is, without giving you all the facts, and only tell me what I want to hear' questions.
So, off you go sunshine. Start with telling your parents you are in a relationship with a much older American lady.

I'm not sure why you would assume people are being hard on the OP when they are obviously trying to help him and give advice about what areas of his case require addressing. Just reassuring him there are no problems where there may be problems in the eyes of the Cairo consulate isn't doing him any favors.

I'm not sure why you would assume people are being hard on the OP when they are obviously trying to help him and give advice about what areas of his case require addressing. Just reassuring him there are no problems where there may be problems in the eyes of the Cairo consulate isn't doing him any favors.

I'm not sure why you would assume people are being hard on the OP when they are obviously trying to help him and give advice about what areas of his case require addressing. Just reassuring him there are no problems where there may be problems in the eyes of the Cairo consulate isn't doing him any favors.

As I said in my earlier comment, the first question that comes to mind is whether you would have pursued a relationship with a married, 16 year older Egyptian woman with children, and if not, what made your fiancée different from the outset when you first got to know each other online.

Wow Romet,
Your recent posts suggest you are awfully worried about the questions you're going to get, and how to avoid them...
And I'm not gonna lie, you being so worried seems like a little bit of red flag in an of itself. If you try to "get away" from questions, or try to have pre-planned "good" answers, you're going to look a whole lot more fake than your relationship may actually be.
All relationships are different, no one is going to have your same story exactly because they are not you and your fiance. A good starting place for ALL your concerns might be to make sure you are in this for the right reasons. If you are, then relax. As others have expressed, you'll get through the toughest interviews because your relationship is real. You should be more worried about compiling all the evidence of your relationship....and trust that the interview will go well because you know and love your fiance. Take it from those of us who know.
Explaining how your relationship developed is a very personal and important part of your story. That includes all the circumstances both of you were in. It should be unique and genuine and the truth, not some answer someone else told you was a good way to "get away" from questions like that. How it "looks," and whether its "normal" or "a red flag" means nothing if your story is honest and sincere. Seriously. It may or may not come up, but either way, just explain and you'll be fine.
Its seems like maybe you don't think "love" is enough...and it's not...you've got tons of paperwork and evidence to compile. But if your relationship is real, the interview questions should be the least of your worries. Good luck!

First of all, I want to say that age difference is not a Red Flag issue (My Moroccan husband and I (US Citizen) are 18 years apart and I being the older one) but for you asking for standard answers on how to answer questions for the interview will be a Red Flag.
I remembered when I started the process and I called the Customer Service number to ask for clarification on what to submit with the petition. The person didn't tell me exactly what I can submit. She told me to submit what "I FELT THAT WILL BEST SHOW PROOF OF OUR ONGOING RELATIONSHIP".
And for you to ask for "boiler plate answers" (other people's answers) here on VJ already shows me personally that you may not know your fiance well enough to know why you want to marry her instead of marrying an Egyptian girl your age. ONLY YOU WILL KNOW THE ANSWER WHY YOU WANT TO MARRY YOUR FIANCE.
So my sincere answer for you is that you communicate with your fiance and you both should come up with the answers that fit both of your relationship. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what other couples' answers are but your relationship answers.
I hope this comment makes sense. There is NO ONE CORRECT ANSWER. The Consulate are pretty good to figure out if one's relationship is forthcoming. I think the best thing is to read the consulate interview reviews and start from there. But good luck and best wishes. Keep us posted.

Most people I know who got married in Morocco, including me, just used a state police record and did not bother with the FBI record. It's an "either/or" requirement, not both. An online printout or something that looks similarly unofficial won't cut it, though.
That link for translators didn't work fit me, but I've never heard of any requirement to use a specific consulate-approved translator for the immigration documents. We didn't.

Read page 7.The I-864 sponsors' assets are deemed available to the green card holder immigrant.
If the sponsors fails to provide this support, the immigrant can sue for it.
Then read this: http://www.ksvisalaw.com/can-immigrants-sue-864-support/
Then read this:http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2192275
Then read this: http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/demanding-support-payments-under-the-i-864-affidavit-of-support
Then read this: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/fiance-marriage-visa-book/chapter3-5.html
Your statement that "there is no obligation for the sponsor to provide for the beneficiary" is wrong. The courts disagree with you and have awarded support based on the I-864.

FYI, the sponsorship requirement is 125% of the federal poverty guidelines, and while I believe there is some discretion between 100-125% for K-1 cases, for CR-1's I've never seen personal discretion permitting an income lower than 125%. I have heard of a few instances where the CO required a higher percentage, though.
I suggest if anyone reading this has a personal recommendation for a lawyer, that they respond or PM you with a referral so you may find one that way. Joining groups on Facebook and asking there is another option. If you decide to hire a lawyer, I would make sure that he or she has experience fighting visa denials from MENA countries. It's a very niche area of experience. I know some couples here on VJ have recommended Mark Ellis, though I haven't worked with him personally. The vast majority of lawyers and even immigration lawyers won't know what they're getting into...

Please, please, please consider waiting a year and visiting a few more times before you file. I wish you the best, I haven't seen less common religious beliefs be an issue and it's helpful that your SO is older and employed. With that said, I cringe when I read a 13 yr older and post-child-bearing aged woman who has chatted with a Moroccan man for 6 months, never been there, contemplating filing a petition before meeting in person and planning on doing it after 1 quick in-person meet-up, who may not be able to get the loads of happy family photos the Casablanca consulate loves to see, say, "I can't really see any reason for a denial." I'm definitely not saying an approval is impossible but surely you can see a few potential sticky spots, no??

actually, yes. Look back through the archives, many many many couples have successfully been approved k-1 visas

That all being said, it looks like generally speaking (not Morocco-specific) a CR1 visa looks easier to have approved... you can see 4th quarter numbers from your local office here:
http://www.uscis.gov/sites/ default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Family-Based/I130_performancedata_fy2014qtr1.pdf
(take out the space between sites/ and default/)

So I looked it up. Looks like the biggest jump down was from 2004-2005, and then from 2010 (when we got our k1 approved) onward. That being said, USCIS doesn't have numbers of applicants, as far as I can tell, so we can't see percentage approval rating... 2008 does not seem to be significant in terms of "more denials since then..."
Morocco K-1s issued (per USCIS stats)
1997- 40
1998- 49
1999- 63
2000- 71
2001- 109
2002- 149
2003- 131
2004- 239
2005- 186
2006- 221
2007- 276
2008- 273
2009- 232
2010- 246
2011- 162
2012- 160
2013- 167