deab

Husband’s flight was cancelled due to travel ban for flights arriving from Europe. Approved visa will expire Aug 10th. Also his passport will hit that six month from expiration point on June 15th so we really need him to fly before that. If we can’t get him here before that we will pray that his country opens their quarantine in enough time for him to get an updated passport but my biggest concern is what we would be able to do if we hit August 10th and he still was unable to travel due to the virus and travel bans 

10 minutes ago, gemini23nj said:

That is not correct, I have added my stepchild without having her ss number yet. 

Yes, Gemini23nj, since that post I have discovered that it depends on the insurance company. Some require it and some don’t. 

22 minutes ago, Le212 said:

Hello everyone! After waiting over a year in AP, my husband has finally received his visa! Hamdullah! James Hacking at Hacking Law Practice has been incredible. If you guys have been waiting over a year in AP, I highly recommend filing a lawsuit. This has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If you guys are interested, I suggest setting up a phone/Skype meeting first and then see if you want to proceed with the lawsuit. My total for the lawsuit for my case was $3100 flat fee. They also do payment plans. I am relieved and so happy to say that this nightmare has finally come to an end. Thank you VJ and friends for all your help! ❤️❤️❤️ If you guys have any questions, I still get notifications on my email from VJ. I’m happy to help as much as I can. 

 

 

Timeline for lawsuit 

 

October 31st, 2019- filed WOM lawsuit 

November 25th, 2019- Husband scheduled to retake oath/fingerprints and was asked to redo medical, update police records 

 

December 13th, 2019- Husband’s second “interview” but all he did was turn in updated documents and took his oath. After 15 mins of being in the consulate, the officer gave him a piece of paper confirming his visa approval.

 

December 18th- Case status changed to “ISSUED”. 
 

January 8th- Visa on hand! Husband could’ve gotten it earlier but the consulate said he didn’t pick up his passport at the location selected so they sent it back to the consulate. Truth is, they never reached out through text or phone like they said they would to tell him that his passport was at the drop off location. 

 

Alhumdelilah! Congratulations to you both. I am so happy to hear of your success and another success in the books for Jim dealing with the Casa Consulate.  There is hope and we should not give up. 

7 hours ago, Visajourneyguy said:

For those who have applied for Writ of Mandamus , by law they need to reply before 60 days and in my experience they take it all the way to 59th or 60th day to reply mostly asking to resubmit medical and all.

If you received your case number from the lawyer, you can create an account and search for the court updates here https://pcl.uscourts.gov/pcl/pages/search/findCase.jsf

 

My recommendation is for everyone is if you are waiting for 8 to 10 months, just apply for WOM as that itself take its own time. I am here to answer any questions for anyone based on my experience with WOM. 

Did you wind up being charged fees to view your case status through this website?  

6 hours ago, NilsaNAnil said:

I plan to add my husband to my insurance. I have insurance through my job

I was reading up on this because I too plan to add my husband to my insurance  and found that American insurance companies won’t provide coverage for individuals without social security numbers. Our spouses won’t have those until after they arrive. I am not sure how long after arrival, but I would imagine social security is much like other government agencies and aren’t quick. If that is the case I don’t know how we would be able to add them to our plans before they arrive.

On 8/27/2019 at 12:22 AM, Le212 said:

10 months in AP, CR-1 Visa. Case at Casablanca, Morocco. Will be 12 months in October. Hoping for a miracle. 

 

Anyone else has news from Morocco? I feel like I’m the only one with a case in Morocco. 

We have been in AP, IR1 for 25 months through Morocco. No one in Casa will come to the phone when we call. The operator hangs up on us, throws us in some random person’s voice mail, or transfers to a phone that rings for at least 4 minutes until finally the ringing just stops. Even when we call back and tell the operator we want a human she does the same thing.  When I emailed for a request to status they came back with some nonsense about it being at USCIS still but my husband had his interview in Casa already in July of 2017 and CEAC says still in AP through Casa.  Also, our file didn’t even show it was accessed after getting this strange response so either they are just handing out canned responses now or they looked in the wrong persons file. Our Senator has not responded to the last four inquiries for follow up so I’m at my wits end.   I feel ya. I am so angry that this is allowed to happen.  Casa is hard.  I just do my best to stay positive that he will be home very soon. Inshallah. I hope the same for you and everyone here. 

5 hours ago, here_7 said:

 

Hello, I read almost every single page of this forum from part one. I am naturalized US Citizen and got married to a Moroccan girl but I am not from Morocco.  She went to her CR-1 Visa interview on February 1, 2018 to US Embassy in Casablanca.  Right after her interview she was given DS-5535 and requested her to send it back to the embassy.  We filled out the form and sent it back to the Embassy on the same day. We had few updates.  I used to send emails to the Embassy every other month. 

 

Early first week of July 2019 I received an email from Casablanca US Embassy saying that her review is complete and will notify you next steps.  Two days later we received another email asking her to come to the Embassy on July 31, 2019 again to retake the oath and bring new medical, police report, court report, and 2018 tax returns.   She submitted all the requested documents and she was given a letter saying that your visa is approved.  They kept her passport and ask her to pick up the passport within two weeks from Aramex.  I checked the status of her case on CEAC and shows as Issued.  18 months it was Administrative Processing.

 

I know it is very difficult for everyone keeping family apart.  For us too, it was very difficult since we have a two year old child.  Please try to be patient and have faith in Allah and InshaAllah everyone will get visa at the end and this nightmare will over InshaAllah.

Many many congratulations to you both. I am happy to hear that Casa is giving families the chance to be together. We have been waiting 24 months for that email/call. My husband is certain we need to hound them, but I don’t see that that has any positive affect at all. Inshallah we will be together very soon.  

On 7/16/2019 at 5:13 AM, SoCalGirl said:

Has anyone had the absolute negative, dismissive and disrespectful experience dealing with the Casablanca Consular’s Gatekeeper who answers the phone?

 

This woman is disrespectful at best, cuts you off, transfers you to voicemails mid sentence, tells you to call back during certain hours and when you do she expects that you call once in that window and give up. 

When I’ve called back she screens the calls and doesn’t even answer. Or will pick up, not say any greeting but automatically transfer you.

 

its shameful that US citizens are treated this way in such disregard that we aren’t even allowed to reach a human being after 300 days in processing.

 

at some point she will answer and say ‘send an email’ and when you respond that it has received no response in 309 days she transfers you to voicemail?!

 

just an unfair and unprofessional representation of our government agencies that are in place to HELP their people.

why is she allowed to be this rude!!!!!!!!

My husband and I also encountered a very rude Moroccan man who answered and hung up on us. We called back several times after that and he kept picking up the phone and immediately hanging it up on us so we gave up until a day or two later. We called again and this time we got a very kind Moroccan man who answered our questions. 

On 7/16/2019 at 8:40 AM, Ahmed&Freda said:

You can file a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) with USCIS here is a link that is helpful https://www.foia.gov/how-to.html  sometimes just the details of the interview alone would tell you the reason for the denial but if you are uncertain you can try for the FOIA and request the notes from the consular officer sent from the embassy.

FYI, we filed the FOIA when we did the K1 and what we received basically whited out every thing the Consulate and USCIS added to our file. The only items visible were the application and additional documentation we submitted ourselves. It was a total waste of our time. Nothing was revealed to us as to why they let our file expire, returning it to the U.S instead of approving it.  

23 minutes ago, Rosepetal3333 said:

I think around 6k

Are you currently working with her?  If so, can you share your experience so far? Do you feel that $6,000 is an  exorbitant amount to ask for this service when there is no guarantee of approval?

4 hours ago, Rosepetal3333 said:

Lawyer Jennifer Nimer has a 98% approval rate with these lawsuits. 

How much are her fees?

According to the following article the Writ of Mandamus is a little more extensive than just filing and getting your visa.  It is also rather expensive.  https://www.hmalegal.com/how-an-immigration-writ-of-mandamus-works.html

3 hours ago, kab34 said:

My DS-260 was Re-Opened and there was a statement at the top (after I logged-into CEAC) that "One or more of the DS-260 form(s) have been re-opened as some update is required. And that I need to resubmit the form. 

 

When I resubmitted the form, now, when I re-loggedin to check ceac, it says "COMPLETE" But if I hover over complete, it says something like that "Before this form can be reviewed, I need to submit the documents" 

 

- What does this mean? Do I also need to re-submit the forms to NVC or no? 

 

NOTES:

- It has been more than 1 year that I'm in AP and I received 5535. 

- I did't receive any email/call from embassy to update the DS-260 form but I did it when I saw a statement at the top to do so. 

Where are you able to see your DS 260 ?

3 hours ago, Waiting forever said:

It's been 21 months since my husband has been in AP. Things seem to fall apart and the excitement doesn't last about being together but you tend to hold on and talk on the phone/video call just to keep each other calm. The key is to stop thinking about it and make it an every day thing. what keeps me and my husband sane is that we both know I get to visit him for three weeks every year  .

We have also been waiting 21 months since we turned in the DS5535 Form. We have highs and lows. Usually when I’m down he brings me up and vice versa. We try to just live our lives for today and remain hopeful. 

On 5/17/2019 at 4:43 PM, Sagittarius said:

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/benefits-for-skilled-workers-in-donald-trumps-new-merit-based-immigration-plan-2038860

I have come across two more NDTV articles the cut down may effect the extended family categories as in one of the articles he states spouses and children are prioritized they go right to the front of the line where they should be. This may cause issues for many families seeking to reunite though may Allah bless us all n help us amen.

The question that comes to my mind is, will the spouse and children who are moved to the front of the line also be required to meet the qualifications he is taking about here?  Exactly what are those qualifications? The last time I saw him state what they would be, I myself, an American born citizen, wouldn’t even qualify for a visa (not that I need one) but my point is that he made it nearly impossible in that older article.

Paki Guy - Is there any reason why we can’t get assistance from a Senator who works in another state?  Initially you suggested to reach out to her because she has a great motivation to respond (wanting our votes) and as you pointed out, the consulates may also recognize that she could be their boss someday. These seem like great motivation to get some movement on our cases. 

3 hours ago, Hamza86 said:

Is there anyone in this thread who was put into AP without asking any additional docs during the interview and was given ds5535?

Yes, the Consulate only requested the DS 5535 after the interview and no other documents.

I am the principal applicant and I am a U.S. born citizen. Our Consulate is Casablanca, Morocco.

On 4/23/2019 at 9:03 AM, Umar - NVC ISB said:

@Visa20177

Hi, I remember you have been in AP since Jan 2018. Any updates on your case?

How many others in this group waiting for over 1 year in AP? 

Next week will be 21 months we have been waiting since we turned in the DS5535. 

5 hours ago, Sarac9 said:

Has anyone who is 6months plus in ap since interview has heard back from embassy? Requested to do a medical again etc?? 

We have been waiting 20 months since DS 5535 was submitted and no word from the Consulate yet.  They refuse to answer my inquiries anymore. They have begun sending curt responses to our Senator so she has stopped offering to follow up on our behalf. 

No. It’s in the back of my mind. I’m nervous to spend thousands more on a new fee ( this isn’t included in our attorney’s original fee) to file this order only to have them be pissed off that I cornered them with this legal action and just deny it out of spite. Which they certainly could do since ultimately it is still their decision even if the judge says to them you are commanded to render your decision.  I have waited this long without filing this order in hopes that our patience would pay off.  The Senator told me 18 months isn’t really that long to wait, as she is following up on cases where people have been waiting for years!! 

Update:  There is no darn update. 🤬😠. We have been waiting 18 months since my husband’s last interview. We have seen so many “file touches” over that time that I have lost count. We have emailed for a status once every four months. The Consulate stopped responding to my emails after we have been waiting in AP for a year. We got our Senator involved who has been willing to make two inquiries since that time. Both times they keep telling the Senator we need to wait, but no explanation why we are waiting.  The last email from the Moroccan Consulate said it can take anywhere from 6-12 months to get through DS5535 and Additional Proccessing, never mind the fact that we have been waiting 18 months already. The Senator said she will address the expected wait time frame that they mentioned in their email response to her when she follows up again in February.  Originally she said she would follow up in 90 days, but I pushed for sooner. Our attorney tells us there is nothing we can do but wait, so now I’m wondering why I bothered to pay her for her services. She has been useless to us. We have been together since 2010, and we married in 2014. I have flown to be with him 14 times. We have traveled to another country together once on vacation. We have insurance, rental agreements, joint bills, and bank accounts together.  We have multiple affidavits from people supporting us, attesting to our relationship, including my daughter. This AP makes no sense!!  My husband passes every darn background check that they have put him through, but we are still playing their waiting game with absolutley no explanation why. This has got to change!  There must be a way to get past this point, I just haven’t figured out how or who the magic person is that I need to speak with to get my husband home with me finally. So if someone knows I would be grateful if you could share your wisdom. 

On 12/12/2018 at 2:49 PM, SabrinaJerome said:

 

Yes there are quite a few of us who have finished the AP and gotten visas. I know this thread is soooooo long but all that convo has happened here in previous pages. I agree that this endeavor is most likely (purposely) understaffed and things probably get more complicated when more countries and less efficient ones are involved.

Look back a bit in the thread for the link for the spreadsheet of people's data. 

(Which needs to be updated)

Best of luck to those waiting. I'm not going to lie and say that it will happen soon. It will probably not happen for several months, though it might be shorter for some countries,  and yes, though your government representatives definitely need to know, they can't seem to speed things up for most cases.

Here is the spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1agwbg4go7ID6wnoNg-mN2qOI_ErRQN1lO1BUzOUKkTs

1 hour ago, Rosepetal3333 said:

Anyone on here considering to file a writ of mandamus? 

When would it be appropriate to do that? What kind of legal fee is associated with this? What is the turn around time?  What have been the common outcomes with Visa applicants filing this?  We have been waiting 16 months since last interview and longer since original filing so I am getting pretty close to considering additional action. 

Does anyone else know of alternative options available to us to get the outcome we are seeking - approval and arrival home 🏡.

Thank you for the suggestion.  

I’m curious if anyone else working with the Casablanca Consulate is emailing for statuses and not getting any responses?  I emailed them in August and again in November, both times I can only assume they read the email because our file was touched. Yet both times they did not respond to me. It also took them a couple of weeks to even read my emails each time.  I didn’t exactly ask for a status, but instead asked that they please take into consideration that we have been patiently waiting for 16 months and only followed up 4 times.  We would appreciate if they could please wrap things up so we can finally be together.  Our Senator checked in for a status at the end of August and finally received a response at the end of September assuring her that they would contact my husband as soon as their Additional Processing was complete.  

Also, I am curious what do others say in their emails to the Consulate exactly?  If we continuously ask the same question, “ what is the status of our visa application?”, then wouldn’t it be expected that we would get the same response? “Still in AP, please wait.”  Is the tone of your follow up angry, sad, patient, understanding?  I’m just curious what the Consulates are seeing on their end and which types of follow ups seem to get a response. 

Last, I attempted to call the Consulate when I was in Morocco recently, but it seems each time I called, their phone prompt doesn’t offer an option to actually speak to a human. Has anyone else had success with reaching someone by phone at the Casablanca Consulate?

Deab