ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThis is too much to even believe


Ok guys here is an unbelievable story but I swear every word is true. My fiance and I have been on AP since Nov 15,2005. He was called in for a second interview after 8 months. We were thrilled. We were sure that this was gonna be good news for us. He attended yesterday (last night) and what transpired has to be a nightmare.

As soon as he sat down in the chair the interviewer told him. "We have investigated you for 8 months and found this to be immigration fraud".. (mind you we have known each other 4 years, with 2 of those years being in a loving relationship). My fiance was then told.."dont sit there with a shocked look on ur face, we know its fraud, cause we have proof your fiance (me) is living with someone" (#######) I have lived by myself will be 2 years the 2nd of August. Other than my teenage son coming for summer visits.......NO ONE has lived with me. And this can be easily verified. Any way ... Bala told them, I know this is a lie, I want to see your proof. To which they replied.."its her personal affair". They told him they called to my home early one morning and an Asian man answered my phone. I swear no Asian man has EVER answered my phone so where they pulled this lie from I'll never know! I cant believ that they would blatantly lie like that. They are working for our government? How can this be allowed? (But it gets worse)

After much of the same and my Bala defending our love, they finally pulled out a picture and told him.."Either you drop this case, or we will show this to your family and neighbors, and it will get ugly for you"...I swear they blackmailed him! Isnt blackmail a federal crime???? Still Bala refused to back down. He told them he loved me and he wasnt going to back down no matter what they said or done.

Now we have always been honest with the embassy and told them that Balas family knew nothing of our relationship, because they wouldnt approve. So one last time they tried again to blackmail him. he was told... "decide today,or we will go to your home and question your family and even then I wont guarntee you will get visa".. Bala told him.. give me two weeks to get out and then go and ask all you want.

Even as we speak he is on his way home....to pack his things, to give up his family, his work, to defend our love. He knows his family will deny him so he is prepared to let the embassy do as they want just so he can be with me. Isnt there something we can do about this?? 8 months they spent trying to prove us a fraud and when they couldnt find one thing they resorted to lies and blackmail? How can this be?? If anyone knows any thing ,,, anyone we can contact to voice this injustice...please please let me know.

Oh yeah and as far as all the proof we had, they would not even look them. Bala had tons of phone records, pictures of my trip there in april, copies of emails, online conversations.. names and numbers of our friends there in india who we spent time with and could verify our relationship ... his reply to balas offering them to him was "a few photos and converstations dont prove a relationship"

It may be helpful in understanding all this to know.....Im divorced, Im older than Bala (he is 30 im 44), and im Christian hes hindi.....still these are not grounds for denial nor an excuse for them to treat us this way.
But they have made up their minds...and seems they are determined to make our life hell or else give up!

Vicki/Bala


one thing. you been on AP 8 months did they not go to his family and ask about you? this is weird..

they called his family about two weeks ago.. spoke with his bro, and his sis in law, no one else was at home. AT that time they didnt mention to his bro that it was a fiance visa. But now they are blackmailing him telling him they will go to his family and let them know. He told them go ahead that he is willing to go thru anything for our love. He is preparing to leave his home permanetly on Monday. And Shon they never called my home they lied. They told him they have proof that I am living with someone here. I can prove by landlord and neighbors that I have lived here alone for nearly two years now....So how can they say they have proof to something that is a lie?
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-07 20:25:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThis is too much to even believe

I didnt miss the point...I can see exactly what is happening. You point being that they can resort to blackmail...sure they can....they can bluff all they want...try to get him to withdraw his visa petition. You guys just didnt present a convincing case nor had the chance. You set off too many red flags. Im just a realist...sorry...buts its obvious to me as an outsider. . Go there and live there for six months...that should convince them.



Ive been there twice.. two weeks last year, and 5 weeks this year. I have three sons here , three granddaughters, a grandson due any day and another granddaughter due in four weeks. I have a job, and if I remember correctly for a visa petition you must show you have means to support them..So its much easier said than done..

but thanks for the advice.
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-07 20:18:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThis is too much to even believe
Let me try again......

Sorry that this happened...but unexpected??

Once the petition leaves Homeland Security...its in the hands of the State Dept. Its in the hands of the US Consulate...and not the Embassy...although a Consulate is under the jurisdiction of the Embassy.

Consulor officers have free reign on deciding which relationships are valid...they can be very subjective in their judgements.

Here is a petitioner that sets off several red flags....difference in age, religion, customs, met on internet....etc....and maybe language...


So they have a right to flat out lie?? NO asian man has answered my phone? And I sure dont live with anyone. And If you and I blackmail someone isnt that a federal offense??? They are above this?? I think you missed the point here.........yes we had the red flags and we were willing to let them investigate freely.. we hid nothing from them.. in eight months they couldnt find proof or else they would have denied us and not resorted to lies and blackmail.....They would not even look at our proofs, we had names of MY friends that we stayed with in India when I visited there. WE had pages and pages of phone bills. We have years worth of emails and conversations, train tickets, flight tickets, hotel bills (in both our names )..pictures...they didnt want to see them .....he said "do you think a few photos or converstations prove a relationship?? Is this doing their job?? someone please tell me if im being unreasonable here or seeing this in the wrong way..........
vicki
vicki
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-07 19:58:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThis is too much to even believe

Vicki,

Which embassy in India is Bala working with? Chennai? New Delhi? Mumbai?

I'm only wondering because I am in a similar situation. My fiance is 34 and he is going against his family's wishes. Family wishes in India (regardless of religion) are a huge deal. I can see some disgruntled government worker simply trying to cause trouble for someone. For this reason and many more, I planned on flying to India to attend my fiance's interview. I am due a trip back anyway!

Also, I noticed you had written that your fiance is hindi (which is a language) but I'm sure you meant Hindu.

Good luck!

cfosterart

(smile) for four years Bala has been telling me the same.. Hindi is language Hindu is religion..

He is going thru chennai embassy...

does anyone know who I should ask for at the consulate if I should call and try to speak to someone about this issue?
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-07 19:47:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThis is too much to even believe

First of all let me say how sorry I am about what happened. I also agree that the only way to resolve this is retain an attorney immediately and contact your congressman and senator.

I do have a couple of questions though. First I must admit my lack of knowledge concerning Hindu customs, but what doesnt make sense to me is, With him being 30 years old, and already having decided not to tell his family about your relationship (which would seem to me that he had already decided to go againest their wishes) how would the embassy feel that they were in position to blackmail him? And if they were what would they stand to gain or accomplish?

I may be wrong here but APs are normally lengthy because of issues with background checks and police records, not the validity of the relationship.

Has anyone else ever heard of USCIS attempting to call the petitioner after the first interview? Also has anyone ever heard of an embassy being concerned with how a benificiaries family felt about a relationship. Especially since he is a 30 year old man?

There is something here that doesnt make sense. If everything was on the up and up with your fiancee why was he put in an AP for 8 months in the first place? That is the real question here.

First off let me begin by saying Thank you to everyone who replied.
If you have read the list of "red flags" you will see that it is a red flag if the familiy is not aware of the relationship. When Bala went to interview in Nov. its one of the things they asked him.. He was honest in saying NO they were not aware. I was called at 5 a m and questioned for nearly an hour by this same man. He also asked me if Bala's family knew. I told him NO. He then asked me "why dont they know?" I told him honestly, they would not approve and as far as that goes I have family members that will never accept Bala, but we are both adults , we have a right to choose whom we want to love. He never questioned further. We knew it would be a mark against us but we wanted to be truthful right from the begining.

Bala is the youngest in the family. Its a joint family, the family owns their own businesses and he has been managing one of the offices since he gratuated college. But all the money is controled by the eldest bro (his father is deceased).. In their culture the eldest is ruler of the family. They would never agree to him marrying me and that is why he didnt tell. He had planned to tell them every thing as soon as he got here, but he just wanted to keep peace with them all until then.

And to someone who posted about them not denying us yet. YOu are absolutely right, they have no proof to deny us else they would have done so by now. Eight months and they couldnt find anything. And No we have NOT been on security checks. WE have called the DOS monthly since AP began and have always been told that No security checks have ever been issued for us.

We alreay have our senator involved. I contacted them a month ago and they contacted embassy on 9th of June. Two days later the embassy called balas home and spoke with his bro, then called him for this second interview. Im wondering if we p***ed them off by contacting the senator?? After all they had not made a move on our case in 8 months and suddenly this.





"There is something here that doesnt make sense. If everything was on the up and up with your fiancee why was he put in an AP for 8 months in the first place? That is the real question here"



If you have been a member any time at all you would know we are not the first case this has happened too. India is notorious for giving people problems when it doesnt agree with their culture.

Thanks every one !!
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-07 19:43:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThis is too much to even believe
Ok guys here is an unbelievable story but I swear every word is true. My fiance and I have been on AP since Nov 15,2005. He was called in for a second interview after 8 months. We were thrilled. We were sure that this was gonna be good news for us. He attended yesterday (last night) and what transpired has to be a nightmare.

As soon as he sat down in the chair the interviewer told him. "We have investigated you for 8 months and found this to be immigration fraud".. (mind you we have known each other 4 years, with 2 of those years being in a loving relationship). My fiance was then told.."dont sit there with a shocked look on ur face, we know its fraud, cause we have proof your fiance (me) is living with someone" (#######) I have lived by myself will be 2 years the 2nd of August. Other than my teenage son coming for summer visits.......NO ONE has lived with me. And this can be easily verified. Any way ... Bala told them, I know this is a lie, I want to see your proof. To which they replied.."its her personal affair". They told him they called to my home early one morning and an Asian man answered my phone. I swear no Asian man has EVER answered my phone so where they pulled this lie from I'll never know! I cant believ that they would blatantly lie like that. They are working for our government? How can this be allowed? (But it gets worse)

After much of the same and my Bala defending our love, they finally pulled out a picture and told him.."Either you drop this case, or we will show this to your family and neighbors, and it will get ugly for you"...I swear they blackmailed him! Isnt blackmail a federal crime???? Still Bala refused to back down. He told them he loved me and he wasnt going to back down no matter what they said or done.

Now we have always been honest with the embassy and told them that Balas family knew nothing of our relationship, because they wouldnt approve. So one last time they tried again to blackmail him. he was told... "decide today,or we will go to your home and question your family and even then I wont guarntee you will get visa".. Bala told him.. give me two weeks to get out and then go and ask all you want.

Even as we speak he is on his way home....to pack his things, to give up his family, his work, to defend our love. He knows his family will deny him so he is prepared to let the embassy do as they want just so he can be with me. Isnt there something we can do about this?? 8 months they spent trying to prove us a fraud and when they couldnt find one thing they resorted to lies and blackmail? How can this be?? If anyone knows any thing ,,, anyone we can contact to voice this injustice...please please let me know.

Oh yeah and as far as all the proof we had, they would not even look them. Bala had tons of phone records, pictures of my trip there in april, copies of emails, online conversations.. names and numbers of our friends there in india who we spent time with and could verify our relationship ... his reply to balas offering them to him was "a few photos and converstations dont prove a relationship"

It may be helpful in understanding all this to know.....Im divorced, Im older than Bala (he is 30 im 44), and im Christian hes hindi.....still these are not grounds for denial nor an excuse for them to treat us this way.
But they have made up their minds...and seems they are determined to make our life hell or else give up!

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-07 16:50:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionVISA DENIED OUTRIGHT???????

Maybe someone will have a link to one of the older threads where the USC was able, by immediate action, to save the K-1 from denial. The one that sticks in the back of my head was a male USC, eastern European or Russian fiancee, and I believe she was issued a denial at the interview, but he persisted and they got the visa. Does anyone remember?

I can say, having read a lot here at VJ over the past 1.5 years, that there appears to be TREMENDOUS variation in the attitude and behaviour of CO's, other DOS staff, USCIS staff, elected officials, etc... involved in this process. Tremendous. And just because one approach didn't work for one person doesn't mean it won't work for another. Every case is different, every consulate is different, every CO is different, every interpretation is (seemingly) different. Why not at least try?

It makes me sad to see someone discourage another from doing everything in their power to kick up a little fuss at this crucial juncture. Sure, it may not do one lick of good. But if this was YOUR fiance, wouldn't you try anything and everything???

:(

Maya

Im simply saying what I was told by my senators office this morning.. I am assuming that the law is same for every senator .. they said WE HAVE NO POWER TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT INQUIRE AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CASE! Im just telling the OP so that they dont get their hopes up as we did thinking the senators office was gonna rush in and save us. If the OP needs an inquiry as to why the case was denied by all means call the senator.. but if you are expecting the senator to change that......then dont be fooled, they have no power whatsoever in getting anything changed as far as the visa is concerned. And it was my fiance and I did kick up a fuss, with the consolate which did no good. I called my congressman and got no where and again with my senator. I didnt mean to bring the CO down .. I wish them all the best in the world, but I also want them to be prepared and not think that someone out there is going to magically help them with this sitution...so far it hasnt happened for us. I truly hope things are different for them. Because I love success stories as much as anyone else does.
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-14 15:29:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionVISA DENIED OUTRIGHT???????
So sorry to hear this........this must be the day for bad news. I can tell you right now that representatives and senators can do nothing for you. I just spoke with my senators office this morning and they were as rude as the embassy themselves. They told me that they had no power to do anything as far as the visa was concerned, all they could do was make inquires as to where the case was.

WE havent been denied yet, but the same as, our file was sent back to the USCIS and in our case we had four years of proof but they were not interested in seeing any of it. Some like to think its our fault that we didnt give enough proof.. but the cold hard fact is, if they decide in their mind its a fraud then they could care less about how much proof you have.

I wish you much luck in your process, Im sure by now you are in same awed state that we are , and left wondering how on earth the embassys can treat us in such a way and no one in power seems interested in helping us. I guess they have the same sentiment as my senators office had , which is "there is nothing in the constititution that gives you a right to bring a foreign fiance to America."



vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-14 13:38:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionVisa in Hand!!!! Go US Embassy in Algiers!!!!!
Wonderful news!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-20 18:01:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNeed Advice Please

andy_k1,

What makes you think that most people do not use lawyers? I will agree that most VJers do not use lawyers, but most people are not VJers.

How is one to know if their case is "not very complicated" if they understand as little about immigration as most VJers? A fair number of VJers discover somewhere along the journey that their case is a bit more complicated than they first thought it was. Sometimes the discovery is a minor inconvenience, sometimes it's a major problem, and sometimes it can be fatal.

Hopefully vicki, the OP in this thread, is in the 2nd category and not the 3rd. How ironic that you chose this thread to make your comments.

Yodrak

Most of people do not use lawyers.
If your case is not very complicated, you do not need to use lawyer.



Your exactly right Yodrak, we came into this thinking as long as we both knew we loved each other and the visa was for no other reason then what could possibly go wrong. But in the end its been a very painful journey we are 15 months into it and now this NOID on the way. The Chennai Embassy seems to have come to the conclusion that we are a fraud because "they have proof that Im living with someone here in the US". All because they called my home very early one morning and a man answered.. Which by the way happened to be my 18 year old son. Also they seem to think that since Bala didnt inform his "neighbors " that he was planning to marry then he must be a fraud!!!

Thanks for all the advice

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-09-15 17:17:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionNeed Advice Please
Our petition is on its way back to the US, we are awaiting our NOID Letter. We know what our mistake was, and it should be easily explained. We have boxes of documents in order ready to send off as soon as we get this letter. My question is, at this stage of the petition do we need a lawyer, just to be safe? I have contacted one and have an appointment to go back on the 25th to present all my documents to her. She says as soon as she gets them she can get the letter(NOID) expidited to us from the DOS. But we were told to wait four months for the letter and already we are nearing three months. So should we invest in this lawyer or are we wasting our money on something we can do ourselves?? (send in the documents)

thanks
vicki
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-09-15 13:42:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionneed all the advice possible
Thats so true, but you have to remember different lands, different cultures. My Fiance lived in a joint family, youngest one, with the eldest bro being fully in charge. There were two consequences to them finding out. One he was in danger of being disowned by his family and two the family status (which if you know anything about India is everything to them ) was jeopordized. So its not so easy for them. Your absolutely right... we are both adults and if we want to marry without telling anyone its our business.. but tell that to some of the CO's running our embassys they seem to think its a mortal sin, and a sure sign that your a fraud..


Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-10-09 08:46:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionneed all the advice possible
My fiance is from India, and the biggest reason our petition was sent back to the states , is because my fiance kept our relationship a secret from his family.... It is a very big deal in India. Even Bala was questioned as to why he didnt tell his neighbors about it. So to say its not going to be an issue may be wrong. I know first that it can be a big deal.

The strange thing is on the day of Balas interview he told the CO that his family knew nothing. The CO called me at my home interviewed me for nearly 30 mins. He asked me if Bala's family knew of our relationship and I told him no, when he asked why I told him truthfully, "His family would not approve, but we are both adults, we can choose to love whomever we want." Still they made a big issue out of us keeping it secret. And took it one step further, they even threatened to go to his family and neighbors and tell them everything...

Good Luck!

Vicki/bala

Edited by vicki/bala, 09 October 2006 - 07:04 AM.

vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-10-09 06:59:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionVISA Interview
yep, ours was almost 8 months in "review".. it can last anywhere from a few days to 2 years.

Hope yours is over soon.

Vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-10-26 06:34:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion212 g from Lagos---Your story
:thumbs:

Naija,

I cannot understand the pain you feel except that a very good friend is in your similar pridicament and I feel her pain everyday I talk to her. I know her relationship with her husband to be geniune, but what I know doesn't matter. In consoling her, I have tried to get her to be proactive and get some help. She is still under the impression that after 4 months that she should wait for "the powers to be" to contact her. She is in a state of denial.

I tell you this because there are others that have similar experiences because their spouses are from "high fraud" countries, and instead of focusing on what was done to you, focus on what you can do to bring him home to you. Regardless of what we think of the CO's in these countries, at the end of the day, it is their (job)decision to grant a visa based on the information provided to them.

A denial is heartbreaking, but it is not the end of your visa journey. If anything positive can come out of this, by the time your husband's interview comes up again, you should be granted the IR-1 visa. I personally think the CO's deny most of these visas to see which couples will overcome the NOID or NOIR and use that as proof of a valid relationship. Yodrak offered some heartfelt advice. It's not cheap, but money should not be an object to bringing our loved ones home to us.

Christine :luv:




:thumbs:
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-11-03 22:08:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion212 g from Lagos---Your story
NO we did not have any help in filing our petition. It was a last minute decision to even apply for a visa for Bala. Our plans was for me to come there and live. Bala had already taken out a huge loan to begin his own business in Chennai. Taken out just two months before I petitoned for him a K-1. After I went there to visit with him I realized I couldnt live there without my family. Even though my boys are grown I still dont want to be that far from them. So I approched him with the ideal of living here. It was the first time it was ever brought up in our four year history. So I went online, got the forms and we began our journey all by ourselves. Neither of us EVER expected any problems.. All we knew was that we loved each other, neither of us had ever had any problems with the law, both adults, both free to marry, so what could go wrong?? (geez were we gullible ). We found vj just two or three weeks before balas first interview. Then we began to see our "red flags" so we prepared well for that. Still it was a mess. We now have an immigration attorney, and we are just hoping for the best.

I feel its necessary to explain something here though so that the CO's dont look totaly bad. I now understand why they had doubts (It was bala they doubted and not me) .... but It was a simple mistake that was easily proved otherwise if only they would have listened to our explanation. So I have to be honest in saying i know why they thought as they did .... but I will never understand or agree with their tatics. If they had just taken the time to listen to us and look at all our proofs they would have seen the truth and we wouldnt have to be waiting and going thru this exta scrutiny. The important thing here is to make sure you have everything prepared ,, mind your p's and q's because once that doubt is planted in their brains its not so easily removed.

Thanks for the well wishes Yodrak, its been four months on the 6th since our petition was sent back. Hopefully we will get our NOID soon so that we can continue on with this struggle.




Vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-11-03 16:01:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion212 g from Lagos---Your story
Yodrak, I enjoy reading your responses to posters here because I always find them very knowledgable tempered with wisdom. And for the most part I agree with you. But to say that our government trains these workers to lie and blackmail these canidates is just not right. Maybe they do... but that doesnt make it easier to accept as "right practices". And surely you dont expect those of us that have seen this firsthand to accept that these CO's do not judge on their own cultural beliefs and backgrounds. I know differently and Im sure there are many that agree with me. Yes there were more than one that decided our fate... Two Indians and then they took what was their "truth" to the american CO. Not once in all the many times that my fiance challenged them to show their "proof" that we were frauds were they able to do it. Instead they kept insisting that he admit to it. He looked them straight in the eye and told them he would not admit to something he was not guilty of no matter what they threatened or said to him. I can prove every single word that we said to them to be a fact. But as the oringal poster noted they too didnt want to look at it. They threw it back at him saying "a few conversations dont prove a relationship".

I always appreciate the calm way in which you reply to all of us that sometimes lose our cool. But understand our side too. We are human beings who only want to be with the one we love. Everyday of my life I am reminded that Bala is not here. And for the life of me I cant understand what crime we did that keeps us apart.... Im surviving and im living my life each day, because I have too. I dont desire any pity, or special favors. All I want is to go on with my life with the man I love.

Keep giving the good advice Yodrak its always appreciated. When I see that you have posted a reply I always go and read the thread even if it doesnt pertain to me, because I know I wll get some information that may be helful in the future.
Many thanks to you...

vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-11-03 14:29:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion212 g from Lagos---Your story

ursy,

Agreed, emotions tend to cloud reality at times, I have been there. With that said, the inference that the Foreign Service Officers Lagos are involved in fraud is completely irresponsible.

Having worked in Embassies and Consulates worldwide, my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity. Like any human, they make occasional mistakes, far from fraud.

In this particular case, it appears that the evidence was inadequate to close the deal. An attorney is the only realistic option at this stage. As others have stated, particularly Yodrak, an attorney with experience in Nigeria should have been engaged from day 1.




William, I visited Nigeria twice for a period of about 2 months totally and I understand your comment. The world knows how Nigeria is known for its "excellency" in cons and bribes. The best of the best #1 in fact. Nevertheless, I think you are being a bit harsh though. A person in love will consider desperate measures and I see nothing wrong with her attempt---though I agree that it should be done while seeking an attorney regarding her particular case.



William, please dont see me as someone who didnt get what she wanted and is now screaming foul, but you saying that "my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity" is the same as others saying "all nigerians are frauds".... and its completely wrong. I assure you not all foreign service workers are as upstanding and honest as you say. Trust me I know. The CO's at Chennai used every dirty tatic in the book from outright lying to my fiance by saying they had proof "I was living with a man here in the U S" to blackmailing him by saying they would take pictures to his family and neighbors and "make it very ugly for him" if he didnt admit fraud.

Nothing about immigrations is fair. I know that fruad is a huge problem, but there must be some way of weeding out the good from the bad other than making innocent people pay and suffer for all of those that are bad. Ive been here on VJ for over a year now and in that time I've seen numerous couples get approved, marry, and divorce due to fraud. So how are they getting thru while the honest ones sit and wait??? And are treated like the worst of criminals?? Im not putting blame on everyone , Im sure there are very good and honest consular workers who are trying their best to do a good job. I for one would not want to EVER have to make decisions they do. I would just like to see a better system.

My fiance and I have been together four years, we were well prepared to show an ongoing relationship, we can prove in that four years not one day has gone by that we havent commincated either by phone, email, or chat. The first thing out of the CO's mouth when he sat down in front of her was "if you think you are getting a free ride to America then you can just forget it" This was without asking one question or looking at one peice of evidence ... And we have been fighting ever since (16 months).... now today i saw someone post that they had approved visa after going to interview and only one question was asked "how many times has your fiance been to visit you".... now im thrilled for the poster... but it was like a slap in the face. Why do some breeze thru and others are treated like criminals?? Is it how they look when they sit before them??

Even though I understand what the original OP is feeling, I would never say that the Chennai consulate is corrupt or fraudulent, but I can say that the CO"s we dealt with were not upstanding and honest. And not everyone who is working in our embassys should be.

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-11-03 05:34:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDifference between Administrative Review and Administrative Process
They are not the same. AR is security checks. My fiance and I were on AP for nearly eight months and we NEVER had any security checks in all that time. (im sure we had them at one point but not during AP). Another reason we know there is a difference is because twice we were corrected by the embassy and DOS when we referred to it as AR. They were quick to remind us that our case was in ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSING AND NOT ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW. We called the DOS several times in those months and was always told the same "No security checks have been ordered, whatever is being done is within the embassy itself".

Basically what Processing consist of is they investigate the validity of the information they receive. They interviewed his family and friends and made one call to my home. (amazing it took eight months to do that ).

So there is a difference, but they both equal the same thing, delays and misery!!

Best of luck to all

vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-11-30 18:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI am so pissed
Ryan after its returned you can use your original USCIS number and it will show in the system.. Thats how I know mine is sitting there and that its still open... It says the date it was returned. And before I canceled it I called to get some info on it and was told not to call back for at least 120 days..


Vicki

Edited by vicki/bala, 12 March 2007 - 11:06 AM.

vicki/balaFemaleIndia2007-03-12 11:06:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI am so pissed
Funny thing rebbecajo... I sent a request to have my petition withdrawn.. in dec... guess what.. havent heard a word and its still sitting there untouched!!!


Vicki
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2007-03-09 20:20:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI am so pissed
I too believe in God's will, and I believe that sometimes his will is not ours. Just loving someone does not always guarantee a happy life together. As I said maybe I just wasnt strong enough to outlast them. But I had become so hopeless just waiting months and months between each step in this crazy process. Our petition was sent back in July.. took it three months to make it back to the states and then as I said has just sat there since October. All together eight months since it was sent back! And besides that we were on AR for eight months before that.


I had heard many "horror" stories about how they will hold it and then send a letter saying its expired and that we have to refile and start all over! I just couldnt deal with it all over again. I have children and grandchildren here in the U S so my going there to live was out of the question. So I saw no other option than to just give in. Even though I will always be sad for losing a great love in my life, I think I did what was right for the two of us.

I wish you much luck in ur endeavor, and pray that you are not in limbo as we were.

Vicki

Edited by vicki/bala, 09 March 2007 - 06:27 PM.

vicki/balaFemaleIndia2007-03-09 18:24:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionI am so pissed
Hi Ryan,

I dont want to add more stress to your situation, but the very same thing happened to me and my fiance. He went thru Chennai embassy, and we started this journey nearly two years ago. Our case was sent back to the U S in October of 2006 and it has sat without any touches, or anything since then. Yes! Five months just sitting there after being returned. I know very well the bia's and prejudices that the indian embassies are filled with. We gave them four years of proof of our relationship. Stacks and Stacks, and Im convinced that it doesnt matter how much you give them, once they decide something in their head they dont care.

Sadly, My fiance and I split up in December, after over four years. It was a heartbreaking decision, but I couldnt see putting our lives on hold any longer. It seemed no one wanted to help us. My lawyer wouldnt answer my emails. My senator wouldnt answer my letters. It felt so hopeless ! So I let them win. Maybe I was weak, but I did it with the intention of giving my fiance freedom to move on with his life.

It has been really hard for me to deal with and every time I think of the Chennai embassy Im filled with such anger . I hope and pray that some day this immigration process is made much easier for those who are sincere while being able to still weed out the fraud...

Much luck to all.

Vicki
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2007-03-08 15:57:00
Middle East and North AfricaADMIN PROCESSING!!! (((( good news )))
wow ! I just stumbled onto this thread, sorry im behind in my congrats!!

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-09 17:50:00
Middle East and North Africa~ Admin. Processing the Saga Continues~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
here goes.. I wont EVER get to be with my Bingo ... never ever never never ever!.
Friday July 7th. the ISL embassy tried to issue the visa. and it Triggered not just ONE security check
but 4 of them byches. we already knows it takes 4 months + to clear a security check.
I guess we wont be togeather for the christmas holidays coz, 4 months from now is < nov>.
I did not tell Javed yet. this is gonna crush him. I know its crushing me.
but I am not gonna cry. not gonna cry noooo I cant cry..

:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:

I have contacted my congressman to get update from the embassy. they like alwats are failing
to respond. so she is resending an e mail to them..


Geezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz shonnie!!! what is it with bad news today??? I thought you were out of the AP hell!! I dont know if you saw my new thread or not, but we found out today that they sent our petition to fraud department.... I have cried all day. My eyeballs actually ache from so much crying. But Im afraid im losing all my hope and faith.. How do you guys find the strength and courage to keep fighting so much. I admire your gumption!!! I love my Bala so much, but it is torture every day to be away from him, sometimes I think it may be easier to just get on with our lives....they are determined to keep us apart, no one will help us, what else to do.

But this thread is about you! And I will be holding good thoughts for you that this is over for you soon! I cant wait until i see that thread that says you have your visa..

God Bless

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-14 15:40:00
Middle East and North Africa~~~~ Good news anyone? ~~~~~

$0 for car insurance? I couldln't get that even when i didn't have a car for 3 months! I had to pay around $60 comprehensive. Now that i got another car they told me it'll be around $1220 and when i got the bill - it's almost $1400. So, what's my good news? My good news - you are not me! And my car costs me now around $500 a month and it's not even new and not including gasoline. I'm glad you're not me :D :lol:
I don't even want to be me!!!!
And it's only insurance for 6 months!



Oh geez,, I just got new car and I was complaining that my insurance is around 700.00 (for six months) so I guess this is good news for me then that its only that much and not 1400.00 Sorry though that you have to pay that much!!! :unsure: shop around and see if you can get it cheaper! Good luck !

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-15 16:30:00
Middle East and North Africa~~~~ Good news anyone? ~~~~~
I have my first grandson born on the 12th. Named Wesley Dawson. Mother, child (and dad ) are all fine!!! Seriously my son called me at work (im 5 hours away mind you) at the very begining of labor and said, "Mom, I cant take this im going to lose my mind". I spent 15 mins just calming him down! Cant wait to see them all in a few weeks!!!

keep it coming guys, we can all use lots of good news and smiles for a change!!!


vicki/ bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-15 14:40:00
Middle East and North AfricaIf I'm Dreaming I Don't Want To Wake Up!!!
What wonderful News!!!!! CONGRATS AND BEST WISHES !!

vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-25 14:06:00
Middle East and North Africaage different


I am always wondering why for the most part it seems like the women here who marry men from the ME/NA are much older than the men. Did anyone else notice this?

This is just a question, I guess some people prefer younger men which is just a question of preference. I hope no one takes this the wrong way.


I am 16 years older than my fiance. This is the first time I have ever been involved with anyone younger than myself. If anything, his age made me cautious, and it was the same for him, although he has uncles with older wives in strong marriages. If we had met first in person, we may not have hooked up. But the friendship was established first with almost no visuals; he wouldn't even let me turn on my cam until he had one of his own, so we talked for weeks without eye contact. Now we are best friends. The communication and trust between us are very strong. If it were not, we wouldn't make it. Of course, I find him very attractive on the outside also, but that's not where it started. He reminds me of my dad in some ways, actually. Have fun with that one :)

There is no question that a lack of self-confidence, especially in the older partner, can cause big problems. I have seen that first-hand. A clingy, insecure older partner seems so much older, and the younger partner will eventually feel trapped; at least that is my experience. I'm not going try to dress or act his age; I do whatever is natural for me. We share so many common interests and values that I truly don't feel an age difference, and he tells me it is the same for him. I believe him.

It may be a matter of preference in some cases. In our case, we didn't look for it or want it, but this is just where we happened to find our other half. We know it will raise eyebrows, but it's right for us.

By the way, greetings, ME/NA folks. I'm an old guest, new member. We just filed the I-129F through TSC. My fiance is in Morocco. I think the timeline is linked but I'll make sure. Best wishes to all.




Wow!!! This is our story exactly!!.. I dont know why everyone assumes that we "older" women are looking for younger men and theres some deep physchological reason behind it. I wasnt looking for ANYONE much less a younger man when I met Bala. Our relationship grew out of a deep friendship. Im not trying to recapture my youth, I enjoy my age. Im not looking for a son, I raised three of them of whom im very proud. So the only explanation I have is we love each other very much.


good luck to all

Vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-09-27 06:03:00
Middle East and North Africacan somebody help me
Same thing happened to me and my fiance. And for the same reason. We have since contacted a lawyer and awaiting our NOID (Notice of Intent to Deny ) letter. The DOS said it could take at least four months to receive it, then we will have 30 days to reply with reason why it should not be denied.

Good Luck
Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-10-05 05:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresAge Difference? 15-20 years??
well one thing to consider is no matter how much proof you have it wont do you any good if they have decided your case up front. AT Balas first interview as soon as he sat down they said. "dont think your getting a free ride to america!" They were not interested in any proofs he had.....and he had tons!! you name he took it with him. If you have read my recent thread about his second interview then you will see it was same there....I visited him in march/april of this year and again he had a stack of all the proofs...He tried to make them look at them, they refused.. To this date no one has gone over our proofs, yet they still say we are a fraud. Let me give you an example of our proof that Bala had no intentions of coming to america.. His dream was to own his own business. He's an avid reader and loves books, so he had wanted for a long timt to own his own "book stall". He asked me to come there, marry him and help him with this shop. I considered it. He even borrowed a lot of money (which he is still paying back) and went to a town nearby to look at shops to rent. He and his friend approached publishers, and other shops. He had huge list of books he wanted to buy written up and was well prepared for this to be our new life. Then I went for my first visit, and I knew that we could never be happy there, people are not accepting of mixed marriages. After returning home my heart was broke, how to approach him?? I didnt want to ruin his dream, but I told him I cant come there, would you consider coming here? I told him I could apply for a fiance visa. He asked is it possible.. to which I replied...we can try (this was before i found vj).. And thats how we decided to marry and live here. Now all this can easily be proved, heck even his family knew about his plan and that he borrowed the money.. To me this is proof that he is not trying to immigrate to U S. But they want even hear it, they are not interested in hearing it. Everything Bala says to them, they reply "Sir, we do not believe you".

So take all your proof and be sure to insist they take all of it.....go thru it one by one .... and pray that you dont get someone as closed minded as we have working our case........Good luck

vicki/bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-07-09 14:19:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures221g- TEMPORARY REFUSAL
So sorry to hear this! I know how hard this is for you. Our petition was sent back to the U S after 8 months on AP and we are now waiting for our Notice of Intent to Deny letter. Like you I cried for a whole day. Then I got my second wind and found new strength to carry on this fight. I refuse to give in. Nothing about this process is easy, but dont lose hope. I pray that everything moves swiftly for you and that the road is much smoother from this point on.


Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-08-08 06:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhat is Home field investigation?
Yes I had interview on Nov'15 last yr.
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-06 10:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresWhat is Home field investigation?
Hello guys, im Bala, from India. Im in AP now...for 2 months :crying: .. They asked tax transcript to be send directly from IRS to consulate, we did that. now when we called them on 31st Jan. they said they havent received yet!!! After one month!

It seems crazy, and so exasperating. What to do? btw somebody told me that AP means home field investigation. what kinda investigation it is? Any idea? and any idea about how to move faster their red tapism? Just to forward tax paper it takes more than a month...yet we dont know how long we have to wait..

Thank you guys,
Vicki/Bala.
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-06 10:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresanyone ever denied after AR/AP is processed?
Thanks guys but we have already tried that route. I called that number to DOS a week ago today and was told that they had no news for us at all because the chennai consulate had not been updating our case with them. They did say that there had been no security checks ordered so whatever was going on was within the embassy itself.

And get this..... the chennai consulate had me to get my tax transcripts ordered to be sent to the DOS directly. They mailed it out to them at the end of DEC. They (DOS) could not even tell me if they had received them and whats more they said "when we do get them it can take MONTHS to forward on to the consulate!" This is the last document that the chennai consulate asked for and it irritates me to think that this may be what is holding up our AP. Why on earth would it take months to forward the transcripts????

Oh and one more question ! What is a home field investigation?? And who is subject to those??

Thanks!

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-01 18:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresanyone ever denied after AR/AP is processed?
Hey to Everyone!!!

Has anyone ever been denied or know anyone denied after AR/AP was completed?? If so what were the reasons?? We have been in AP since 11/30/05, and we can not get any info from the consulate, and DOS says consulate is not updating anything with them so they have no news.

Some days Im so closed to "losing it" from all the stress of not knowing. And sometimes I forget others are in the same boat as we are, some who's wait has been longer than ours. So I appreciate everyone here and pray that all have successful endings.

Thanks !

Vicki/Bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-01 17:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureson todays day a year ago
Sometimes when we are going thru stressful or hard times, we think we are the only one in the world doing so. Its so easy to feel sorry for ourselves(I speak of my own experience) , thinking, "but I love my fiance more", Or "I miss my fiance more than anyone else" or "I've been away from my fiance longer than others". When in truth we really are all in the same boat.

I have not seen my Bala in almost 9 months. On Feb 14 we will celebrate our 2nd anniversary of declaring our love for each other. Being away from the one person who I love most is the hardest thing Ive ever done. Its like being on a rollercoaster. Some days Im ok, some Im angry at the delay, some Im depressed beyond feeling, etc. And Like some of you, I too rarely go out. If I do, whatever Im doing just reminds me that Bala is not there with me.

I dont post a lot here at vj. But I come here and read most everyday. It really helps to know Im not alone in this, and seeing the strength of others lifts my spirits alot. For everyone here enduring this I pray that your journey ends soon and with the results you are seeking.
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-09 03:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshow to post timelines
Can someone tell me how to get my timelines to appear on my post.

thanks
vicki/ bala
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-13 08:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresIf K1 Denied, Try K3?
I too was married to a non citizen previously. I appled for and helped him receive his resident card. We were married nearly seven years, but he still lives in U S. Now I am engaged to gent from India. My ex was from Sri Lanka but was citizen of Norway. My fiance has already had his interview with chennai embassy, and there were some questions about my previous husband. In fact I had to send a letter at their request to explain how we (ex and myself ) came to be married. Other than that they havent (so far) made a big deal out of it.

Oh yeah, im 15 years older than my fiance also. And me being the female in the relationship that also raised some questions. But I think it all depends on the individual embassy, and the individual enterviewer. Because only one out of the three enterviewers Bala had even brought up the age difference. (and not so suprisingly it was the female interviewer).

Anyway best of luck to ya !!!
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-13 20:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAnybody on AP?
Hello guys, this is bala. vicki's fiance. I have a question. What is the difference between AR and AP (administrative processing). Our case is on AP for 3 months now. Any idea about the usual time line?

Anybody under "administrative processing..." like me? send me replies, that would be helpful :help:
vicki/balaFemaleIndia2006-02-15 08:29:00