Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	December '08 Vermont K-1 Filers	QUOTE (Xaenyth @ Jan 14 2009, 08:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A foreign language teacher was explaining to her class that, unlike their English counterparts, French nouns are grammatically designated as masculine or feminine. Things like ‘chalk’ or ‘pencil,’ she described, would have a gender association although in English these words were neutral. Confused, one student raised his hand and asked, “What gender is a computer?” The French teacher wasn’t sure which gender it was, so she ivided the class into two groups and asked them to decide if a computer should be masculine or feminine. One group was comprised of the women in the class, and the other of men. Both groups were asked to give four reasons for their recommendation. The group of women concluded that computers should be referred to in masculine gender because: 1. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on. 2. They have a lot of data but are still clueless. 3. They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the time they ARE the problem. 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have had a better model. The men, on the other hand, decided that computers should definitely be referred to in the feminine gender because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic. 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else. 3. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval. 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your pay check on accessories. That was funny, I am going to send that one to my fiance	hapycloud	Female	Canada	2009-01-15 10:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	December '08 Vermont K-1 Filers	I agree keep the humor coming!! I know I am sure anxiously waiting to hear something!! Aren't we all?!?!? So I am here on break at work, looking at all the papers and phone callls and what not I have to do and I thought well maybe if I put them in a drawer and put my head on my desk they will all just go away?!?!? Then I thought OH GOD what if that is what VSC has done with all our applications?!?!?!?? Though I am sure that is not the case, just though I would throw it out there Hope everyone has a fantastic week.	hapycloud	Female	Canada	2009-01-12 10:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	December '08 Vermont K-1 Filers	Thanks everyone for the welcome!! So nice to have a group to come to and follow along on this process together!! I just wish the VSC would update there processing times. How come they haven't done it in 2 months!!! GRRRR!!! Oh well, at least we can see they are working on applications by watching our own listings!!	hapycloud	Female	Canada	2009-01-09 10:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	December '08 Vermont K-1 Filers	Hi all!! I sent in my I-129f papers through in December 2008 as well. Had my first touch on 12/23/2008!! Hopefully we all here something by May (thats when I estimate we should be sent to the NVC)!!	hapycloud	Female	Canada	2009-01-08 11:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	To dash or not to dash	I fretted over whether to keep the dash or not. After a long talk about what name we both want to use once he arrives in the USA, we decided to not use the Al at all. They don't say it out loud when they speak their name in Jordan...so I figured why should we worry about it here? It just confuses Americans who will always be trying to pronounce our name. We actually changed the spelling of our name also. The reason is because the Arabic and English translation is a difficult one. How it is usually translated is not really how it is supposed to be spoken in English. So, we decided on the spelling we thought was the best so that our name will be pronounced correctly here....and...I received my new social security card in the mail today with my new name on it...yipppeeee!!! Now I can change it everywhere else!!! I am so honored to be a part of his family and now to use the family name is the greatest!!!	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-04-07 21:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	To you	QUOTE (amal @ May 10 2008, 12:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've been searching all day for song lyrics that show how much I care about somebody and I think this one is about as perfect as it gets. Keep Holdin' On , by Avril Lavigne You're not alone, together we stand I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand When it gets cold, and it feels like the end There's no place to go, you know I won't give in No I won't give in Keep holding on Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you There's nothing you can say (Nothing you can say) Nothing you can do (Nothing you can do) There's no other way when it comes to the truth So - keep holding on Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through So far away, I wish you were here Before it's too late, this could all disappear Before the doors close, and it comes to an end With you by my side I will fight and defend I'll fight and defend Keep holding on Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you There's nothing you can say (Nothing you can say) Nothing you can do (Nothing you can do) There's no other way when it comes to the truth So - keep holding on Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Hear me when I say when I say I believe Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly Keep holding on Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you There's nothing you can say (Nothing you can say) Nothing you can do There's no other way when it comes to the truth So - keep holding on Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Keep holding on Keep holding on Excellent choice of songs!! My husband sent me that song about 2 months ago when we were chatting online/webcam. I cried. It is such a nice song.....he has also sent me Westlife - Queen of My Heart...which is another one that is awesome and Outlandish - Callin You....he has a great taste in music and I love all of those. Another one is Bryan Adams - Here I Am...talks about being in a New World and a New Start - "a life with the beating of young hearts", "its a new place, in a new land and its waiting for me, here I am"...such nice songs. He is obviously really good with english....and sends the most heartfelt songs to me with meaning deep from his heart. He sent me an arabic song called "Beyhen" and it is very beautiful but I have no idea what the words are saying. Have been studying arabic....but am not that good yet. Hey, anyone out there know any great arabic learning sites? I have done some looking but haven't run across any that make me really interested. I mostly study with books...and my husband...we help each other study..however, he majored in English in college in Jordan so he is already pretty good with english..but not perfect and comes up with the funniest sayings sometimes...is so cute! Today I paid our I-864 bill online...I called NVC, got right through to an operator and he gave me the Invoice Identification Number with no problem at all. And we sent the DS-3032 email.....the time is almost here!! Yippeeeee!!!! We are both so blessed....and have a beautiful life all planned out already...we sit and talk about what we are going to do..for hours....its so exciting. I cannot wait to drive to JFK airport to claim him!! haha! That will be the happiest day of my life...after our wedding day, of course... Good luck to everyone else out there.....and thank God for this site....it has helped me immensely and everyone here has been a huge help.....THANK YOU!!	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-05-14 22:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	It's Wed. June 25th Camel Posting day!	These guys were so cute at umm qais....its so beautiful there... Attached Files  camels_at_umm_qais.jpg   100.16KB   4 downloads	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-06-25 09:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	Did You Change or Hyphenate Your Name?	I changed mine...however I have not started using it officially yet...I am waiting for him to get here. We have some issues with the way it is spelled vs. the way it should be spelled. If we spell it the way it was translated in his passport, it will be pronounced incorrectly here in the US. Eventually, we will be changing the spelling a little. Also, he has Al in front of his name....in Jordan they do not pronounce the "Al" part of the name out loud.....it is silent....but when it is translated from arabic into english, the Al comes along and you know how that gets botched up in the US. In the end, we will keep the Al, I do think....despite anti-middle eastern sentiment...which is only shown by ignorant people that do not fully understand the people, culture and religion of the middle east. I am ready for them if I get any rude reactions on my new arabic last name...which I am very proud of. Long story short...yes, I changed my name...my husband is extremely proud as I am very proud to have the honor of being a part of his family and using his name. You know, a lot of women already have the same last (family) name of their husbands...usually marrying within the same family.....so they don't have to change it. In my husband's family the women that married into the family that were not already in the family did change their last names. Eventually we have plans to move back to Jordan (in quite a few years) and I will then hold dual citizenship...for fun we already picked out my arabic last name. Yasmin. It means the same thing as Jasmine...the flower. Since I love Jasmine so much my husband picked this name for me. It was that or Farah...which means Joy. Hope this helps.... Deb	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-07-03 14:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	How is your spouse adjusting	Another thing to think about is that alot of our husbands are new to relationships altogether. My husband had never been intimate with another woman or had a relationship with another woman. He is completely new to the whole relationship thing and what it means. I know in my first marriage I had to teach my ex husband all of this stuff and he was American...they all go through training, sort of in the beginning of being in a mature relationship. So, if certain things are important for you, you need to share this with him so that he understands all of this and can be everything you want him to be as a husband....and he needs to understand you and what you go through. I noticed a lot of women in these situations taking on a lot more than they should trying to be the super-wife, only to get frustrated and mad later on when the love bug wears off that now they have come back down to earth and they are still doing everything for everyone. Make the expectations clear from the beginning.....esp where housework and responsibilities are concerned. I give my husband a lot of advice now....before we are actually together to set the stage for when we are. He comes from a family of 12 brothers and sisters and his slightly older sister is still living in the home and between her and his mom, they do all the work around the house. And yes, of course neither of them work. I informed him recently that when he comes he will be expected to do 50/50 on the inside housework and all of the outside (uard) work and the cars. He raised his eyebrows with a big smile on his face...and agreed. I told him that if things work out to the point where I no longer have to work I will be happy to do all the housework...and he will still take care of the outside and cars. He also agreed to that. I think it is important to get your expectations out in the open before he arrives....which is what I am attempting to do. As far as husbands wanting you to keep it secret if they help you, I find that to be a little strange !!! My husband is proud of anything and everything he does for me because it shows that he is doing all he can to take care of me and that is what he wants everyone to know, his family and mine. Now when we were in Jordan and some of his little nieces and nephews were around and I took a little of his "power" from him in front of them he took me to the side and explained that he is so strong and powerful in front of them and yes, he is melting for me but for them he wants to keep feeling he is so powerful and strong. I understood this but also told him that it is nice to be different than other men and they may actually appreciate if you are more sweet and loving than strong and powerful. He never thought of it like that before and has been enjoying their smiles and being sweet since then. Many men...not just MENA...come from a family of macho men who dominate and teach dominance....they come from all over the world. If we want our men to be more understanding, etc., etc. we may have to teach them this...as they have not been taught yet. I know that a lot of misunderstandings can come from the language difference...that is so true. Last week I was talking online to my husband with video and there was too much noise on the line so we both muted our mics and were typing. We were discussing something...I don't even remember what it was but my response was a sarcastic "whatever" to him. Well, a few days ago, we were discussing something online again with typing and I had made a comment and he responded "whatever". At first, I took it wrong and was sort of shocked he was getting sort of an attitude and saying "whatever" to me!!! So I asked him, why did you say "whatever"? And he told me "it means yes, right"? So, not only did he not sense my attitude to him when I used it on him the first time...he thought it was an agreeing statement, the equivalent to saying yes. Hahahahaha! This is just one tiny example of how we could possibly be teaching them the very things that will later tick us off if we take it out of the context in which it was truly meant to be. And with hormones flying all over...this is so easy to happen to any of us, pregnant or not! I have noticed a lot of people here struggling with what their husbands will do when they come here or now that they are here, how in the world are they going to find a job that is going to suit them. My husband and I decided a long time ago that he will not work for anyone but himself. Not only is it easier because of the language barrier...it helps with the self confidence issues that can come from working for someone else, vs. being your own boss. He owned an internet cafe in Jordan and when he comes here he (we) will also own our own business, eventually. Even if we have to start small at first until we build up enough cash to do something great....we will do that together. I have a great business mind and so does he...so together I am sure we will do something amazing. Perhaps if your husband is having difficulty finding work, instead of just sitting around being frustrated he can work with you to discover something he can do to start bringing in some cash and who knows, it may lead to something fantastic. For example, when my husband first gets here we will order a shipment of clothing...some abayas and hijabs as well as some more (US style) modern clothing and he will go to a local flea market and sell them as new items twice a week. We already have our suppliers and prices worked out and are just waiting for him to come to get started. He has something to look forward to for work already. Another thing we will do as soon as he gets here is we will sell the house I currently have and we will buy one with a retail business downstairs and some apartments upstairs. This will allow us to have our business where we live and once we make enough money where we can move out of the apartment, we can then rent it out and have even more cash coming in every month. I know not everyone can do this...I am fortunate enough to have a decent job...don't make gobs of money but do ok...and good enough credit to qualify for a mortgage. I am so grateful for that. It will help me to help us get started in our future endeavors. I hope some of these ideas and thoughts are helpful. I don't want anyone to take anything I said wrong...I noticed that a lot on these boards lately there have been a lot of misunderstandings and stepping on people's toes, taking sides, etc....I love this subject as it is the next step in the immigration process for us...the culture shock issues. Please keep the experiences and ideas coming to help us all when we need it and also help us to feel some comraderie as we are all basically going through the same process albeit with very different people and personalities. Deb Edited by esmatsgirl, 10 July 2008 - 12:58 PM.	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-07-10 12:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	oh no:(	My husband doesn't have internet access in his home...as most don't in Jordan. He has always and still does use internet cafe's. It took me a while, but I finally found a phone card that is so perfect. Jordan is a hard country...they are not usually on the lists of countries on most calling cards...not sure why. And when they are, its bad quality. Now I am using www.Pingo.com They offer local numbers, clear calls...all the other phone cards I tried sounded like we were in a tunnel, sometimes I couldn't make the connection or if we were talking (usually in a tunnel), I would be dropped!! It was very frustrating. I have not had any of those problems at all with Pingo. Also, they do not have any high maintenance fees...to give you an example, for 25.00 I got almost 9 hours of talk time. Clear, uninterrupted talk time where we can actually hear each other very well. If you want a referral to qualify for free minutes when you sign up send me a note in my mail box and I will send you a referral. Hope this helps. Deb	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-07-21 09:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	VISA IN HAND!!!!	QUOTE (Badrs Love @ Aug 14 2008, 11:53 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I got the call this morning that Badr has his visa in hand. He got the call yesterday to come to the consulate and bring his passport. So he went yesterday and they kept his passport, gave him a receipt and told him to come back Thursday at 3. So he showed up today and they gave it to him right away. I just booked his ticket and he will be with us next Friday. I am beyond excited. Thank you to all of the members that have supported us through this whole process. You support means a lot to the both of us. Now it's time to really scrub down the house and carpets. Fun, fun, fun. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!! Good luck with getting the house ready! If I lived nearby I would come over and help you! Deb	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-08-14 10:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	I-130 or I-129F (K3)? Which is better?	Yes, I was thinking it would probably be best to go the CR1 route because everything is already finished and the case is complete. I just think its so freaky and backwards how the I-130's get approved before the I-129F K3's....I mean...shouldn't someone update the policies and procedures manual at USCIS and the NVC?!! Also, the processing times on the uscis.gov is all wrong and inaccurate. I don't think they (USCIS) really know what they are doing. I hope everyone is having a nice afternoon...and thank you all for your input. Deb QUOTE (morocco4ever @ Aug 4 2008, 12:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (polarbear @ Aug 4 2008, 12:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Staashi @ Aug 4 2008, 11:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> One thing I have seen with the CR1 is that when it comes time to remove conditions on the Green Card, you will typically have an interview. This is done because you didn't have the AOS interview, so CIS will want to see how things are going and grill you based on the validity of the relationship after the 2 year point. Shouldn't be a problem if everything is going well. That's the only thing I can really think of. Actually, alot of people don't have an interview for AOS, especially if there were no red flags or AP for the K-1 visa. My case, we had the GC in 3 months at the same time as the temp EAD and AP without an interview. Does that mean we will definantly have an interview for the removal of conditions? I kinda hope not, those sound scarry After our denial I really freaked at the idea of having to prove our relationship again. I have heard they ask all sorts of intimate questions. I have heard that they ask things like the color of his/her toothbrush. I couldn't even tell you what mine is, let alone his. I just know mine is in the front of the toothbrush holder and his is in the back.	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-08-04 12:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	I-130 or I-129F (K3)? Which is better?	I know I have seen this topic before....and I will be doing research to find it....but any new news is also good. I have a full NVC case complete I-130...waiting to be scheduled for the interview...and hopefully will be scheduled for September, sometime in the 2nd week of August. I was a little surprised when I got an approval notice for the K3 in my email box this weekend....saying the I-129F for K3 was approved. Especially since I have not even thought of that petition and thought it was somehow stopped by the USCIS when I got the I-130 approval back in April. I called the NVC this morning and they confirmed that they received the I-129F for K3 case Friday. The operator indicated to me that the two cases are now open concurrently and the I-129F for K3 it would be directly forwarded to the Amman embassy and the embassy will do the scheduling for the K3 (non-immigrant) visa interview. Now I am waiting for 2 different things....an inteview to be scheduled by the Amman embassy for the I-129F K3 and also for the NVC to schedule for the I-130 interview sometime in the 2nd week of August...for hopefully the month of September. I am curious to know if anyone out there ended up going the route of the K3 and were disappointed or happy??? or vice versa? Also, if I keep it on the I-130 route I was under the impression thats better because he comes over as a conditional resident and does not have to "adjust status" once he gets here. I am wondering if we went the K3 route how this would affect his ability to work. Also, if we went the I-130 route when does he get his green card? Does it arrive in our mailbox in the US after he arrives here and until he gets it he uses his passport visa stamp? Anyone have good/bad advice on this subject? I must say it feels good to be at this point...and at the same time I want to blast a letter out to every Immigration Official involved in creating the K3 visa because it is really like a false hope kind of lie. It does not go faster while you wait for the I-130 like they say. In this case and most from what I have seen on here, I-130s get processed much faster than the I-129F for K3, especially where the USCIS is concerned. I wonder why its so screwed up. I wonder why no one has changed it or done anything about it...I can imagine that by the time everyone gets their spouse over here...even though they are frustrated by the backwardness of the process and claims, they are just so sick of it they don't bother to take the time to act on their frustration by writing a letter or letters to the agency itself as well as politicians to try to change the process. Having the I-129F for K3 visa applications in there seems to only be clogging up the system unnecessarily. ...so whats new? Hope everyone is having a nice Monday so far. Any advice, as always, is greatly appreciated. Deb	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-08-04 09:35:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interviews in Amman Anyone??	Meanwhile I am still waiting...I called NVC last night again (couldn't help myself) and they had no new news for me. The Amman embassy did email me back last Thursday and said they received by CR1 electronically but don't have the paper file yet and when they get the paper file they will be scheduling the interview and will inform my husband of the date (but that makes no sense) - because the embassy does not schedule interviews for CR1s, NVC does....they only schedule interviews for K3's. I thought maybe they saw the K3 file and they received that already and that is what she was basing her answer on in the email but thats not the case number I used with my inquiry...I used the CR1 case number. Here's the email: Dear Debra, We still did not receive the file from the National Visa Center (NVC) However, since we received the electronic file, the paper file will soon be here. When we schedule your husband, we will inform him. Regards Immigrant Visa Unit Consular Section Amman, Jordan Anyway...still going a little insane here in Delaware..... Hope you are all having a wonderful day! Deb Edited by esmatsgirl, 14 August 2008 - 08:04 AM.	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-08-14 08:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interviews in Amman Anyone??	Seriously? Wow!!! I had no idea. I mean..I know its illegal to dig up graves that are on land owned by the country..but if you own the land yourself I assume you can do as you please with it... There was a worker that found about 3 million jd on some land next to my father-in-laws land...and he kept it and now he doesn't work...just lives in Irbid.... How can an x-ray machine be illegal? And if it was, how would they even know I brought it in? (playing devils advocate here). As it would easily fit in my luggage which is "somewhat" searched in the US but not in Amman. How do archeaologists bring in their equipment if it is illegal? Maybe they get some kind of permit...?? Deb QUOTE (LuLu @ Jul 28 2008, 01:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (esmatsgirl @ Jul 28 2008, 12:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I do know that around my husband's village (just north of Irbid near Syrian border) there are many graves..supposedly a lot of them with money or gold buried with them. My father-in-law owns a lot of land in that area and wants an xray machine to look underground to try to find a treasure....has anyone else heard of this being done around Jordan and if so, was it successful? Very illegal in Jordan...don't even think about it. :-) You will get into so much trouble. The machine is illegal to even import....everyone "new" I meet in Jordan wants me to bring one of these machines with me. If you want to spend you life in Qafqafa or Swaqa then give it a shot. These stories are the things of legends...and have been passed from generation to generation. People will talk of the baab (the door) leading into a room full of loot. There are stores about the time during construction of a road and someone finding a huge treasure chests. The army sent helicopters to pick them up and cart away.	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-07-28 12:17:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interviews in Amman Anyone??	Wow...You are good!!! How do you know all this stuff? Did you major in archaeology? I had no idea that was a tomb....of course my husband tries to explain things to me and he uses word he thinks is the same of what is in his head but is actually a different thing altogether. I am sure many of you know what I am talking about! Its really cute..but can be misleading at times. I do know that around my husband's village (just north of Irbid near Syrian border) there are many graves..supposedly a lot of them with money or gold buried with them. My father-in-law owns a lot of land in that area and wants an xray machine to look underground to try to find a treasure....has anyone else heard of this being done around Jordan and if so, was it successful? Still no word on an interview date...Today marks one month and 2 days we have been approved by NVC...and still waiting for that precious little date... The Dept of State website has all of the info that tells who schedules what for the interviews. I saw it a few times and would link it here but am short on time at the moment. You got me thinking though...I applied for K3 just after I got my NOA1 for the CR1 and never heard another peep about it besides the NOA2 for it. I wonder if they stopped it....or not. Very good question. I think the K3 is a waste of time...seeing so many CR1's approved before the K3 and its supposed to be the other way around. I just want this whole thing with the government to be over....I realized this weekend how lonely I actually am. And even though we webcam, call all the time...its just not the same and it is some sort of legal torture to do this to married couples (keep them apart for long periods of time). Anyway...keeping it on the bright side...I did find my true love...and he will be here soon...thats the light at the end of the tunnel.... Deb p.s. this is seriously off topic...but I have a very handsome, sweet and fun brother in law...looking for a girlfriend...any of you have a friend or relative that might be interested? Email me for a photo if so.... [/quote] Hi Deb! Your cave photo is actually a tomb, can't really tell without seeing all the way inside but it looks like a single chambered tomb that still has some of the facing on it and is likely Byzantine or Early Roman (they reused anyway). Those large stone pieces, which are fractured, were part of the door. You can see a feature in the lower right which is either a bone pit, stone lined pit, or stone-cut grave (although could be an arcasoleum), or else it's a looter hole if the rock is soft enough... really can't tell without being there and excavating out the feature. Looks like they have been looting that thing pretty heavily! [/quote] Edited by esmatsgirl, 28 July 2008 - 11:43 AM.	esmatsgirl	Female	Jordan	2008-07-28 11:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA1 just got the text!!!!!!	Thanks everyone !!!!!	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-05-24 20:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA1 just got the text!!!!!!	Happy day, but now the long wait truly begins!!!!!	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-05-24 14:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	How do people do this??	The name Analie sends chills up my spine. That is the name of my ex who betrayed and used me or gc. Maybe you will have better luck. My ex is still in Redwood City. Hope your Anale isn't from Zamboanga City area and has the last name Wines. Good luck. Thanks but I'm. It worried about mine, she is not the same Analie,......	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-05-26 22:32:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	How do people do this??	We are in the same boat my friend, I was with Analie the first 2 weeks of April, I miss her so much I just booked another trip for July 1 st. Keep your self busy, it will make the time go by super fast.	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-05-26 07:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	The Mystery of the elusive sealed box	Just so everyone is aware, while your stuff ends up in a box, the processors are working off an electronic image, which is why you file with a paperwork reduction notice. That is why everything gets sent to a lockbox in Texas, it's all about automation. I managed a lockbox at one point, and when I got my package back due to the wrong check amount I noticed the scanner tracking numbers on each page. That is also probably why they want you to send things back with the green sheet so it gets back in the proper que.	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-06-02 05:36:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 baby!!	Sweet	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-06-20 21:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	THANK YOU LORD I-129F APPROVED TODAY	Congrats. I cant wait any longer, headed to RPI on Thursday to see my Fiance.........	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-06-26 13:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	RFE I got was simple and silly	I mentioned on Monday that I saw on the USCIS website an RFE. I thought it would be for the blue background on me and my fiancee passport pictures. It wasn't that. It was for page 3 of I-129 application part C. I didn't answer the questions about if I was involved in domestic violence and other types of crimes. There were 3 questions. I answered no to all 3 of them and sent it off today. I recieved the hard copy in the mail yesterday evening. One page was instruction and the other was the page to respond. Both pages were blue in color. I made copies for myself. I used tracking from postal service to see when they recieve it. It says it will take a minimum of 2 weeks for them to respond to the RFE when they receive it. So all in all it was a really simple RFE. congrats, i hope the rest of your process goes smooth.....	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-08-03 09:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Anyone getting NOA2 from VSC????	My thoughts are, we will all go crazy if we look at processing times. When it comes down to it, I believe it really comes down to what country the person is from, how many like names there are during a back ground check. If you think about it, they do background checks on every application, if you have someone from America with the name Tom Smith, think how many Tom Smiths there are, now take a 3rd world country like Mexico and search for someone with the last name Martinez and with the lack of technology in this country, it is going to take time to narrow the search down. Just my 2 cents. I am happy that there are one 3 people in the US with my name, I hope I am just as lucky with my Fiance.	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-07-23 12:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Still dnt have NOA1... :(	mine took 5 days before I got mine.	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-08-20 14:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	After 204 days finally we got our NOA2	Congrats	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-08-22 15:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Starting to loose my control now!	keep your head up, it is very hard I know....	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-08-14 10:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Visa Interview Manila Consulate	congrats,	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-08-28 19:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	MAY FILERS AT VSC	Hi again! just wanted to know if anybody here is a May filer... i have known some June filers who have already recieved their NOA2 frm CSC... What is happening at VSC nowadays? Any news.. May VSC here as well, only approvals have been military related. I have seen an a few Aprils hit, so I am crossing my fingers soon...	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-09-07 10:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	filing I-129f	This is a very tough we all do things differently. I know that if you are on the wrong site and you can make many mistakes. If he is playing with your heart, that is just plain wrong....	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-09-05 15:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	is he lying or is the USCIS messed up?	Your fiance is lying to you. There is no way someone can submit an application in March and receive no1 that has August date on it. He also could have mailed it, wrote the worng check amount or another error, getting a flat out rejection. Do not judge, while it sounds suspect, anybody who follows this board knows that even the employees of the USCIS cant give you a straight answer, so nothing surprises me during this process. Back in the 90's a lockbox that process IRS tax returns was caught hidding work in a ceiling as there were to many being sent in. It was 8 months after the filing date before someone realized they were hid. Again dont judge.	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-09-13 13:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	We are together now!	Ying arrived at O'Hare yesterday! Interesting POE experience. Customs officer makes us wait 2 hours. He was much tougher on her than the Guangzhou interview. She had to wait a long time, and then the interview was over 10 minutes, maybe enen 15 (consulate interview was all of 5 minutes!). He asked her questions about my ex wife, and why we broke up, and during the interview asked her 3 different times about how we met, like he was trying to see if he could trip her up. She did get through, and we are together now, but I am very angry about the experience she was put through. My comments - the time for the tough interview is at the consulate, before the foreign national has quit their job, sold off their house and possessions, said goodbye to everyone, and bought a plane ticket of over a thousand dollars, not at the POE. That is what the Consulate interview is for, to determine that the immigrant is on solid ground and truely qualifies, and the immigrant is warned not to quit job or make other arrangements until they get the visa, rightfully so. But after they have gone through the long visa process and all the checks they have gone through already, and they are approved and get the visa, for the Customs person to try to deny them entry at the POE is an extreme disservice to any immigrant. I think this part of the process is broken! Just my thoughts. Anyway, thanks again to this wonderful site and all the wonderful, helpful people during the Visa Journey. I will still be using this great site for AOS advice, etc., so I'm not done yet..... sorry for what she went through. Did you go get her and bring her back with you? my only comment is everyone needs to realize that yes they need to do random questioning. We have all seen stories of people come and then leave there fiance with in days of arrival. Homeland security has different levels of inspections. Granted we all do not think this is needed, however it truly is. Now that she is her enjoy the rest of your journey	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-09-30 08:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Where are all the K1, Vermont service center, Philippine petitioners	I am about a week after you... Any day now....	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-10-15 12:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	any vsc may filers..	is april 21 2012 in the immigration timelines of vj is reliable? i dont have doubts but hope it is cause im sick and tired of this waiting thing... May 21st here, you should get good news soon	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-10-30 11:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 today!!!!!	congrats guys what center??? Vermont Thank you everyone!!!!	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-11-10 15:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 today!!!!!	Thank you!!	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-11-09 18:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 today!!!!!	Happened to be coming home from a trip today and as we were taxing to the jet way, I get a text and email at the sametime APPROVED!! Happy that I have all of the next stage paperwork ready to go, and the misses has hers done too. Happened to be coming home from a trip today and as we were taxing to the jet way, I get a text and email at the sametime APPROVED!! Happy that I have all of the next stage paperwork ready to go, and the misses has hers done too. Also, they denied the expidite request and the senator was no help.	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-11-09 18:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	USEM Post Interview Updates	Congrats,....	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-11-20 16:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Suspicious x-rays	Hi VJ friends, Our trials continue as we navigate the K1 waters. Michelle went in for her physical at St Lukes. Day 1 was fine, but then on day 2 she went in for the vaccinations and the lady there told her that her x-rays were "suspicious" and she would need to do sputum testing. We thought this was a bit strange since she never had pnuemonia, TB or even bad cough growing up. In fact, she even had the TB vaccination (BCG) when she was a baby and had the records to prove it. Anyway, last week she went 3 days in a row to spit into a cup and on the 3rd day she met with a doctor who explained the process to her (8 weeks for the culture). Of course the initial result is that she is negative for TB. Then they looked at her x-ray together. He admitted that he saw no scarring on her lungs in the x-ray, but since the initial review noted "suspicious" on the record, Michelle needed to stay on the 8-week culture track. I will be in Manila next week and was planning to be there for her interview at the embassy on the 28th, but we had to reschedule that for the end of January thanks to the suspicions of the x-ray technician. The bad news is that I need to go to Manila again in January...the good news is I get to go to Manila again in January ;-) Can't wait to see Michelle. Soon the petitions, RFEs, waiting in lines, saving reciepts, documenting chat sesssions, x-rays, spitting, interviewing, convincing people (that we don't even know) that we love eachother, etc. will be a distant memory...and we will smile as we cuddle up to a movie in our own living room in California. M&J You have a good outlook, stay positive, it will be worth the wait....	Dirk	Male	Philippines	2012-11-20 16:36:00