Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 APPROVED TODAY	http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/406819-nvc-filers-january-2013/ Congrats! Go to that thread and read everything in the first post about NVC, including all the links. Yes, you can email choice of agent, but it has to be in a certain format, which you'll see in that link up there.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-23 16:51:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	CR-1 covered on cover sheet of I-130?	You only have to be married two years in order to qualify for IR-1.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-24 07:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Fee payment, check	Does anybody actually read instructions and make sure they KNOW the answer before replying anymore? Nope, don't think so!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-25 13:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 Fee payment, check	Yes, it can be a personal check. I sent my package to my parents and they wrote out a check and included it. It was cashed 5 days after, no problems. You can't pay it from a bank overseas, has to be drawn on a bank in the US. You would have to either order checks and have them sent to you overseas in Spain and then enclose it, or have someone in the states enclose a check or money order for you. I know money orders are accepted and the only way I know how to do one is to go somewhere and give them the cash and have a money order printed out. Again, this is in the states, not an international money order. Unless western union has some way of doing a money order? Ok I'm rambling now, but I think the easiest option would be to have someone in the states enclose a check in the package, that's how most of us overseas do it! Good Luck!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-24 07:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Filing Back Taxes	Thanks SHUSS	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-26 09:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Filing Back Taxes	I will be sending off my taxes for 2010, 11, and 12 tomorrow and requesting that they use this procedure to process: http://www.irs.gov/u...er-US-Taxpayers Just wondering how long it took for others to process taxes using this procedure? Even if you've filed back taxes before and didn't use the streamlined procedure could you please tell me how long it took for the IRS to process? I'm hoping no more than a month so that I can have the AOS ready when I need it! I just got NOA2 today and am now praying that this tax stuff doesn't hold up my visa process!! Thanks for everyone's input!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-25 19:47:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Now married but what tax do you file when spouse is in visa provess	Katherinn it would be better for you to start your own thread about this. But no, you shouldn't file as single as you're not single. The easiest way to file your taxes is to check "married filling separately" then you don't need an ITIN or a SSN for your spouse. Just write NRA in the box where you're supposed to write their SSN. You won't get as big a refund, but a lot of people will just amend the tax return once their spouse arrives in the states and has a SSN in order to get the extra money if there is any. The only time you are considered "unmarried" when married to an alien spouse is if you're filing as Head of Household. But then you'd have to have a dependent other than your spouse and a SSN or ITIN for that dependent. HTH and Good Luck!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-26 10:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Now married but what tax do you file when spouse is in visa provess	Regarding your child, you need to have a SSN or ITIN in order to claim them as a dependent. My son is a USC but I don't have his SSN so I didn't claim him. I also filed married/separately and put NRA (non-resident alien) in place of the SSN in order to save on time so that everything will be ready when it comes time to submit our I-864. In my opinion this is the easiest and fastest way to file if you're on a time constraint. If you have to pay anything or lose money you can always file an amended return when you have SSN for both your husband and child and get that money back. Good Luck!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-21 06:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 package....is what I have good enough?	Look here for a list of documents to send: http://www.visajourn...tent/i130guide1 Best way to assemble package for ease of use by USCIS: http://www.visajourn...ontent/assembly Statement that needs to be included with translations: http://www.visajourn...nt/translations Sample Cover Letter: http://www.visajourn...130_Cover_Sheet That same link is a full guide on the whole process from start to finish. I suggest you read and memorize it! Good Luck!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-26 18:52:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Applying for I-130 for my daughter only not my husband	Also I live in uk is it easier for me to apply from usa for 1-130? Or more complicated Thanks for your advice Might be a bit easier from the states, but def a LOT faster if you file while you're still living in the UK.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-26 18:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-864 AOS, #22-23 & #25	2) I filled out my earnings for 2009-2011, putting $0 for money earned abroad since that is not counted in your gross adjusted income. this I dont understand what you mean. You put 0 where? You should have 3 lines 2009 2010 2011. On each line you would list what your tax return states your adjusted gross income was for the year. 2010 you had no tax return so that would be zero, 2009 you stated you worked in the US, so you should have a number there on your taxes, does your 2011 taxes show anything as adjusted gross income? If so- enter it on the line.. If not enter 0. When you work overseas and meet certain requirements you can claim your income as foreign income and it is therefore not taxable. So, even if you've worked and made money (up to $92,000) then the line on your tax return that states your adjusted gross income is 0. Therein lies a bit of the confusion, b/c you did make money, but that money is not taxable so according to the IRS you made nothing. But does immigration also agree that you made nothing? Or should you put how much you made?	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-26 18:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-864 AOS, #22-23 & #25	I know these are really specific questions, but the directions for the I-864 are horrible especially for those of us living and working abroad. Tell me about it. Hope you get an answer soon as I also need this information!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-26 17:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	AOS and DS-230 Questions	Thanks guys! Any opinions on the other stuff?	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-28 11:18:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	AOS and DS-230 Questions	I have some specific questions about the I-864 and DS-230: AOS: I have an old A# for my husband that we got when we applied for a K1 visa like 8 years ago, should I list that on the AOS? I got a notification from USCIS that the A# was changed on my case right before I got approval. Does anyone know if A#'s change with each filing or if they stay the same? Thanks! DS-230: #30 asks for all the places the immigrant has lived after the age of 16 but it only provides places for city/town, province, country and the dates. Am I correct in understanding that this means they don't want the actual street address? #33 asks for educational institutions - I only listed his university and the high schools he attended (he transferred in the middle), do I also have to include middle and elementary schools? Keep in mind he is from a MENA country... #44 asks if he received assistance in preparing the form, I basically prepared the form and then sat him down and picked his brain for the information that I didn't know, should I put that yes he received assistance and then put my name? Or is this question more for those using lawyers and/or a third party? Thanks!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-27 15:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-130 filing in London as legal resident?	But if she can file from the UK her petition will most probably get processed a LOT faster. I'd email the embassy to explain and make sure. If there's any way you can file directly with the consulate you'll have your visa in about 3/4 months instead of 8-10 months.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-27 18:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Start the green card process before relocating to US?	It would be better for you to apply while you (the USC) are still living abroad. But, once the visa is issued your wife will only have 6 months before the visa expires. You could travel to the states and enter and then she'd get the green card and return to Taiwan, and then keep coming back to the US every 6 months to enter, but that's frowned upon and her green card might be taken from her since she will be considered a permanent resident and therefore needs to actually reside in the USA. I'd prepare the petition and everything and have it ready. Then, if and when you get a transfer opportunity, file the petition from abroad and then move back to the USA before her. You'll be separated for the duration of the visa process, but it'll be the fastest way to get the petition processed.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-28 00:46:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Can anyone suggest a lawyer who know Thai law, not just US law	My question is for people with experience with a certain type of issue. My wife and I love each other and have known each other for almost 5 years. We have great documentation of emails and skyping for that period of time, and we have receipts, plane tickets, and lots of pictures from the wedding, some sharing of money by transfer for small expenses, and heartfelt welcome notes from my family, etc. Now that we are married, we are looking into shared bank account, etc. We are at the stage of *starting to fill out CR1 forms. But to the issue: My wife made a simple mistatement to her *home country civil marriage official (not to a US official), saying we knew each other (and lived together, not true) for 6 years but our emails go back only 5 years. Maybe she remembered wrong or maybe she had a flash of confusion or self consciousness or psysiological anxiety due to the pressure of not seeing each other and the paperwork stress. This was stated in another language and I did not know about it when it happened. This misstatement now appears on a supplementary marriage document (of her home country) which is not the marriage certificate, but which is sometimes requested (by the US) as a supplement to the marriage certificate. a. One question is under what circumstances will the US typically request the certificate-supplentary documents like this? Do they accept the flowery marriage certificate alone in 95 percent of cases when there is good documentation, etc? b. How much will an official care about this size of a discrepancy when overall the marriage is genuine and has other very good documentation? Although the 5 years versus 6 years issue might be called small, maybe the it says "lived together" and that's just not so. Are US officials scrutinizing things aggressively looking for discrepancies like this in documents from the other country? Or are they "normal people" who recognize a person can make a mistatement due to nerves, self-consciousness, and culture differences? b2. In the CR1 process, will we *both be asked on US forms when we met? Will we *both be asked in some other way (eg in person)? c. What are the typical implications of this type of error? Would it typically merely cause a 4 month delay and cause lawyer intercession (which we can live with) or would it actually typically bring about visa failure (like more than a 5%). In other words, can it be expected to cause a final decision of "no". Would it cause a US official adding a year onto the process? Do US officials care about small to medium discrepancies like this when the marriage is otherwise clearly very genuine? We can't presume at this time that an option is to have the (her-country) document corrected. We are still gathering information on whether that is easy or hard to do, and whether it might just insert new messiness/questions/hardships into the process. We are both under stress due to her statement because we love each other and we are both conscientious people. I can ask all these questions to a lawyer, obvious, but different lawyers (just like different doctors) often give different advice, and each country is different. And if the lawyer has not dealt with this specific issue, then they can only shoot from the hip. That is why I am asking this question also on this forum.	flybird	Not Telling	0	2013-01-12 10:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	BEING CALLED BACK TO THE EMBASSY	Would they have any reason to have something come back after doing your finger prints? Perhaps your finger prints didn't process properly? I'm not sure...the girl that called me just said that the consulate failed to verify my finger print scan...she said its part of the procedure to do so when you are interviewed by the consulate.. did everyone had their finger print scanned during the interview with the consulate?? coz during my interview i saw some people being ask for the finger scan during interview but i thought it was just random...and wasn't too concerned when i was not being asked to do so...and now they make me feel that its urgent that i had my finger scan verified...	missyliz	Not Telling	Philippines	2013-01-11 22:45:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	BEING CALLED BACK TO THE EMBASSY	sorry but never heard of it before... but i reckon you gotto do what got to...so carry on must be just a routine check or a mistake by the embassy people to cover on.. thanks...yeah i guess it must just be an honest mistake by the consulate...i just wonder why its very much important for me to come back to manila and do this...since i had gone through the finger scanning before i was interviewed...but yup gotta fly back to manila on monday and just hope and pray that everything is as clear as what they say it is...	missyliz	Not Telling	Philippines	2013-01-11 09:34:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	BEING CALLED BACK TO THE EMBASSY	I'm a newbie here and i really just want to try and ease my mind about this visa processing. I had a call early this morning by someone in the manila embassy telling me that i had skip some procedures during my interview, she said that the consulate failed to verify my finger print during my interview and they wanted me to come back to the embassy, she also asked me if i am back in Cebu and i said yes and told me to hold on as she asked the consul for something then said they are very sorry but that i really have to come back to manila and do the finger verification scan. Its been a week since my interview which was last January 4 and the consulate didn't tell me outright that i was approved but just told me to wait for my name to be called after the interview for some instruction from someone in window 72. The guy their just told me to wait for my visa and to leave my mailing instructions on the 2GO window, so i assumed i was done and approved. And now that i am being called back for the consulates mistake as they say it was, my mind is boggled that i had to sign-up here and ask anyone if they had gone through the same thing or if they ever called back to the embassy coz they are being in administrative processing or some security checks...thanks for anyone who care to share a penny of their thoughts to this...	missyliz	Not Telling	Philippines	2013-01-11 08:35:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January 2013 I-130 Filers	I haven't seen anyone who filed from abroad be sent to a field office, they've all stayed at NBC to be processed.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-31 18:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	January 2013 I-130 Filers	As for your daughter's birth certificate, you said you have not married yet? They may ask for a paternity test. But, I don't really know. Better to use the search tool on here and look for threads that discuss that issue. Paternity test not needed if the father and mother's names are listed on the Birth Certificate of the daughter.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-01-30 12:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Interview	You need to post in the right forum. This is the IR1/CR1 forum. You're applying for a fiance visa.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-12-20 00:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	Some MENA specific questions	I am wondering if a notified letter from your parents whom you will be living with will provide enough evidence of establishing domicile in the States. I say this only because I've seen many couples prior to this who did DCF and didn't have to move back to the States to establish domicile prior to the issue of the visa in hand, and some of them were also moving in with family Stateside after being abroad. It can be something as simple as they know of your relationship and they intend to welcome you and your family to live with them for however long to start building your lives in the States. If they are also co-sponsoring, or joint sponsoring in your case if you live with them in the same household, that would also provide further evidence of this. I think that would help my case but the thing is I don't have anything else Every person I've talked to who has successfully proved intent to re-establish domicile in the states have had concrete evidence. Things like employment offer, rental agreement, resigning from work overseas, closing accounts overseas etc etc. Letter from my family would certainly help, esp since my father will be joint sponsor, but I don't think those plus intending to register my son in school will be enough I don't even have credit cards or a bank account! blekh Then again, if we get transferred to the NBC and get approved in the 2-3 months that it seems to be taking people who have been transferred there then I'd be able to go in April and have the baby with my mom next to me, which would be infinitely better than having the baby here! Otherwise we'll just wait until August, which is the latest I can go back to the states so I can be there in time for my son to start first grade. Point is, either way, I think I'll have to move back to the states first, I really doubt that I'll be able to establish domicile any other way.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-11-26 10:46:00
Middle East and North Africa	Some MENA specific questions	... As far as the fraud aspect, I have seen some couples married for more than 5 years with kids hit some snags in their cases, sometimes taking years to resolve. It all depends on the individual case. Hopefully yours will go very smoothly. The consulate will likely have the whole file from your earlier K-1 petition as the process your new case. You might want to front-load your petition with a letter addressing your previous petition, giving compelling reasons why you never followed through with providing the extra evidence after the interview. They might be suspicious about that, so better to just address it at the beginning. From what I understand, K-1 petitions will expire after a year, but it wouldn't hurt to give official notice that you are abandoning that petition as you are now married. Also you can send in a change of address form - just update it with your parents' address listed for mailing address. Could you give me more details about these "snags"? It might give me an idea of how to avoid them! Please see my cover letter that I've pasted below, I mention the old visa and why we decided not to take advantage of it. I just don't see why they would be suspicious, there's absolutely no reason to be. We applied for the visa, it was approved, we got to the interview stage, then he got a really good job offer and so we decided to live in Qatar, simple as that. At the interview he can prove when he got the offer and also has copies of his first contract that shows his start date at around the date of the interview. I didn't think I could use a change of address form until later! At the NVC stage I'll put my parents address as the agent, my only worry is the NOAs and if I get any RFEs, basically any correspondence from USCIS. In the guides here and elsewhere there are lists of evidence that they'll accept to prove ongoing relationships such as living together and showing both people on the lease or mortgage. Financial ties like owning a car together, having a joint bank account, ect. Evidence such as pictures together through the years with family members and friends. Wedding pictures from a ceremony with friends and family celebrating. Certified letters from friends and family with knowledge of your ongoing relationship, how they know about it, describing it and what they've seen, ect. Please see my cover letter below, it lists everything that I could come up with since our apt is from his company as well as elec/water bills. His car also. When I lived in Egypt I had to get the residency stamp in my passport and the stamp that said in Arabic "Wife of an Egyptian". That allows me to stay for longer periods of time in the country with my husband. Yes, I have a residency permit that is renewed every year and he is my sponsor. Unfortunately, it doesn't say specifically that he's my husband, but the laws here do not allow a women to be sponsored by anyone except her husband, father or, very rarely, her employer. So the embassy would def see that as proof of the relationship, but I don't think they'd know anything about that in the US. He, in turn, is sponsored by his employer. As for the postal service question the most reliable that most all of us use in the MENA region is DHL. I can always send my husband over to the Qatar student's place with a batch of cookies and have him ask about how it goes there for some of the general questions you have. Let me know if you have a list of questions I can send with him to ask them for you. They had to do student visas so they're not entirely unfamiliar with how it goes. Thanks, I'll def keep that in mind! My postal question wasn't really how to get the paperwork there, as we have DHL and fedex and everything, it was more a worry about receiving any correspondence from USCIS. One thing I should probably bring up is that there used to be a process called Direct Consular Filing (DCF) for petitioner's living in the same country for six months as the beneficiary. Yes, I know, it's not available here anymore but that's why I'm putting my international address here and making sure they know that I'm filing from abroad, in the hopes of getting it expedited, even a little. From what I gathered in your first post you're uncertain about when you would move back and are on the fence but inclined to go back to the States to further evidence by putting your son in school. The reason I'd go back to the states first would be to prove domicile, not anything to do with proving the relationship. In order for me to be able to sponsor him I have to have kept up a domicile in the states and/or be able to prove that I am going to re-establish domicile at the time he moves. This is all asked for when you submit the affidavit of support, not now with the I-130. So that's why I was thinking after getting approval for the I-130 I would actually move back to the states, therefore proving domicile. I won't be able to provide any other proof such as employment or renting an apt since I won't be doing any of that. However, like others have mentioned on here AP/AR is very typical for the MENA region so all the checks will take an average of 6 months. Less is better and quicker of course and sometimes happens, and more than that is going outside the standard AP/AR but not unheard of with the instability currently happening in the region with protests, riots, breaching of Embassies, fluid security situations. Though I don't think this is the case for Qatar. It seems fairly calm and in fact I believe the 2022 FIFA (football) world cup is being hosted there from what the Qatar students tell us. Yes, as you said, Qatar is very stable, there have been no riots or anything. So at what stage do they usually conduct AP/AR? From what I've been able to understand it's after the interview in the embassy, right? Right at the end of the process, right before they hand back the passport with the visa? Another thing I should mention is that if you're comfortable doing this you can fill out, sign, and scan all your documents and email them to your family to print out and file for you from inside the States. Yes, I'm going to send the whole I-130 package to my mom through fedex/dhl and she's going to add the check and send it on to USCIS since I don't have a way to provide check or money order drawn on a US bank. This is the cover letter so far, let me know if you think I should add anything else! I, RS, a US Citizen who resides abroad in Doha, Qatar, am submitting the documents contained in this package for the I-130 for my spouse, RA, a Palestinian holding refugee documents from Lebanon, who also resides in Doha, Qatar. I wish to return permanently to the United States by August 2013 for our sons’ education, and would like my husband to come with me. My husband and I have been married for seven years and have been living in Doha, Qatar the entire time. In 2003 when we were still engaged we thought that it would be better for him to immigrate to the states and so I applied for a K-1 visa and it was approved. At the time he received a very good job offer and we decided that it would be better for us to live in Qatar. Now, seven years later, we have seen that there really is no future here for us and our child and we are looking forward to a brighter future in the United States. Last but not least I would like to please request that you send any correspondence to [PARENTS ADDRESS IN THE USA] since the post here in Qatar is very unreliable and I would rather not deal with any delays that were a result of lost paperwork. Enclosed you will find the documents listed below: 1. Check for $420 2. Form G-1145 (E-Notification of Application) 3. Form I-130 4. Copy of Certificate of Naturalization for RS 5. Copy of U.S. Passport Biological Information Page for RS 6. Copy of the Qatari marriage certificate and its English translation. Date of marriage is August 2, 2005. 7. Form G-325A completed by RS, including photograph. 8. Form G-325A completed by RA (non-US Citizen Spouse), including photograph. 9. Copy of Birth Certificate of RA (non-US Citizen Spouse) and its English translation 10. Evidence of a bona fide marriage: a. Bank Statement detailing our joint savings account in Qatar International Bank b. Letter from RA’s employer stating that since he is married he is entitled to round trip airline tickets for his wife (RS) and son (KA) c. Copy of our son’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad stating RS as his mother and RA as his father. d. 19 pictures from our wedding reception that took place one day after our marriage vows on August 3, 2005 and 26 pictures from various trips and outings during our marriage of seven years. You will find captions on the back of each picture detailing places, dates and the names of family and friends. e. Copies of hotel receipts from our first two nights as a married couple in Doha and our honeymoon trip to Dubai. f. Copies of visas from our passports showing the three trips taken together during our marriage. i. Honeymoon in Dubai, Entry stamp August 7, 2005, Exit stamp 14 August 2005 ii. Short weekend in Dubai, Entry stamp June 25, 2008, Exit stamp June 28, 2008 iii. Vacation in Lebanon, Entry stamp July 8, 2011, Exit stamp for RA 15 July 2011, Exit stamp for RS July 21, 2011 as well as copies of air ticket confirmations for all three family members. 11. For your reference, I have also included copies of both Notice of Action letters that I received from the Vermont Service Center regarding our previous application for a K-1 visa in 2003. Copies of documents submitted are exact photocopies of unaltered documents and I understand that I may be required to submit original documents to an Immigration or Consular officer at a later date.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-11-26 06:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	Some MENA specific questions	... He did have 12 weeks in AP, but that is totally normal for MENA applicants. Some people wait over a year, so 12 weeks is not bad at all. The AP is time they need to do the background checks for your husband's home country and in Qatar, so he has 2 countries, like my husband, that they need to verify him through. I went to his interview with him, we both stood at the window and the CO was a nice American guy, he looked at all our stuff, asked us normal questions for our situation, and was a good interview overall. ... What area do you live in? We lived in the Al Najma area across from Dasman market....I liked living there and miss it a little. If you have any other questions about the Qatar embassy or the interview there, let me know, or maybe both our husbands can speak to each other online (skype or something). Good luck! Zahra About the AP, you're saying they need to check two countries, but my husband has never lived outside of Qatar, unless you count his first four years where he was in Lebanon. I don't think they'd need to do a background check on a four year old! lol So I'm thinking they'll only do for Qatar, right? Also, when do they do AP? Before or after the interview? I doubt very much I'll be able to be at the interview since I'm planning on moving back to the states before him so that I can satisfy the domicile requirement. I won't have any other proof of intending to move back except registering our son for school since we'll be living with my parents at first and I won't be working in the beginning b/c I'm due May 2013 So as far as I can tell there really isn't any other way for me to satisfy the domicile requirement except to actually move there. I also don't think they'll have much doubt for the fraud aspect b/c we've already been married for 7 years and have one child and one on the way! lol You used to live almost exactly where my in laws live! Dasman isn't there anymore, they demolished it and are building a new super market but anyways you shouldn't miss anything here habebti, I won't go into details but trust me, life here is getting more and more unbearable! I seriously can't wait to leave. Right now we're right behind the cinema traffic lights on C ring road if you remember the area... Thanks so much for your response! I'm def keeping you in mind for when we reach the interview stage, and praying that it's going to be ASAP! Will you need to have the letter of explanation certified in order to officially cancel the prior K1 petition so you may formally start the IR-1/CR-1 petition? I've read that others have had to do this to clear up the prior petition first before applying for a second petition. I doubt very much I'll have to officially cancel the K1 visa since we didn't take it all the way to the end. He didn't actually get the visa stamped on his passport or anything. We reached the interview stage and he interviewed once and they requested more evidence of our relationship and so we were compiling that when a week later he got his job offer so we just kind of let the whole thing die. We never replied to the embassy or anything and I just assumed that the process was canceled. I really hope this doesn't affect his case now! One last question for those living in countries with bad postal service, how did you deal with that regarding all the correspondence you're supposed to get from USCIS and NVC? I know at the NVC stage you're mostly getting emails but I'm just worried b/c I probably won't receive NOA1, NOA2 or (god forbid) and RFEs in the mail since I listed my address as our apt here in Qatar which means I most definitely will not get any mail. On my cover letter I stated that they should send any correspondence to my parents address in the states but will they actually do that? Is anyone else in this situation and what did you do?	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-11-25 10:06:00
Middle East and North Africa	Some MENA specific questions	I didn't even realize there were regional specific forums! YAY! Anyway, I'm a USC, but I've been living here in Qatar with my husband for seven years. He is a Palestinian holding refugee documents from Lebanon. We are looking to move back to the states as soon as possible and I have a couple of concerns I was hoping you all could help me with! I am trying to get an idea of how long this whole process will take but I'm having trouble getting the information. I'll be sending in the I-130 within the next week, filed from Qatar, but I will have to move back to the states by August at the latest for my son to start first grade there (US) since we won't be able to register him for school here (Qatar). To further complicate matters I am pregnant and am due at the end of May meaning that the only times I would be able to go back to the states is in April or to wait until after the birth in July/August. However, I need to move back for the AOS stage since the only evidence I will be able to provide of intent to move back will be registering my son in school. We will be living with my parents and I won't be working for a while until the little one is older. So I think the best choice would be for me to go back first and establish domicile once our case is forwarded to NVC. So basically if the I-130 approval takes four months it would be fine as I would be able to move in April, but if it takes five or six months we'll be forced to delay until I give birth and am able to travel. Do you think I have any other options regarding domicile? Can you give me an idea about timelines? Another concern is the fact that he is Palestinian, what is the probability that he will be subject to additional processing? Does anyone have experience here in Qatar with the embassy and their turnaround times? Last but not least we applied for a fiance visa in 2003, for which he was approved, but we decided to live here in Qatar instead. I have included the NOAs from that visa and stated the situation in my cover letter thinking that it will help prove that this is a bona fide marriage since we were engaged before, and INS had approved our case. Or do you think this will be detrimental to our case and delay it? Sorry for such a long post I have so many concerns and I'm just trying to get an idea of how the next year is going to look for us!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-11-23 10:29:00
Middle East and North Africa	Question for overseas Filipinos regarding CFO requirement	You might have some more luck posting on the Philippine board since this is a requirement specific to the Philippines...	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-12-03 19:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Leave in MENA pls	I might be coming late to the party but trust me, you do not want to move to the Middle East. I was born and raised in the states, got married in Qatar and have been living here for the last 7 years. I've hated every minute of it. I'm not saying to take my experience as law, not saying you're going to have the same experience, but I don't know of one person who made the move from the USA to the Middle East and liked it. They all pine for the day that they'll move back. And a lot of them are in different stages in their lives. Everyone from the married woman to the single party boy all want to move back after one year, most times less. And these are people who live in the Gulf, where there is no unrest, you're safe, and you have all the amenities and most of the technology of home. But you're still not home and there are HUGE differences that most simply can not adapt to. Human rights issues and etc. I am SO glad that we're moving back, and you know the deal breaker? My son's schooling. He's 5 years old, will be starting first grade next year, and there is no way we'll be able to afford good schooling for him. So we're moving. Even if my husband (the non-US citizen) does not find the best job in the beginning it will still be better than living here. Not to mention I do NOT want to raise my child in this society, it's not Muslim no matter what anyone tries to tell you. You have a better chance of raising a well rounded and stable child in the USA. This is all my opinion and I do apologize if I offended anyone, but this is my experience and what I've seen and learned during my expat years, and what I've seen and learned of others' expat experiences.	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-12-12 19:29:00
Middle East and North Africa	My instructor's rant	My hubs totally gets made fun of if he tries to BS me. #jaded. Oh hun, mine works in sales. I'm constantly telling him to stop treating me like one of his clients, I'm not falling for his BS!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-12-12 19:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	My instructor's rant	I don't have anything to add to the discussion except an appreciation for this comment: But then I'm no longer newly in love and I'm more aware of my husband being full of sh!t most of the time lol. I was on the floor! Mostly b/c I feel the same, mine is the same way and the blinders were taken off a loooooong time ago!!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-12-10 19:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	I just have to let out some excited energy	My fiance believes that things "Made in China" but sold in the USA are better quality than things "Made in China" but sold in Egypt, so I totally understand the need for Costco shampoo!!! Maybe I'll do a scientific experiment this trip to see if the same products really are different. ? It's true! Products have to meet certain standards in the states that are non existent in the middle east! Have fun on your trips ladies! And regarding luggage/weight, always take out your clothes, you'll be buying a lot there so you won't wear half of what you're packing. Never toiletries though, you won't find anything that is as good there! Trust me!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2012-12-18 01:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	Warrant issued for "Egypt's Jon Stewart	John Stewart defending Bassem Yousef:	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-04-07 18:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	We have an Interview Date!	Ok so being from a MENA country I was hoping you guys would have some advice. We've got our interview but I'm not sure if I should bring any more evidence than what we've already sent. Keep in mind we will have been married for 8 years this August and we've lived together here in Qatar all that time. We have a child (birth certificate and CRBA both name us as the parents) and I'm also 8 months pregnant with our second. I will be attending the interview with him. With the I-130 I sent about 40 pics, receipts from hotels, travel itineraries, copies of visa stamps from our passports, a statement of our joint savings account, and of course the paperwork for our son like I mentioned. I'm going to be taking all of this with us when we go for the interview but do you think I should add anything else? I have a couple of new pics I could add, as well as receipts from paying for our son's school and soccer lessons. If I really wrack my brain I could come up with other things, but do I need to? I mean we're there at the interview together. I'm carrying his child. We have one already. My passport shows that I have had a residence permit renewed every year that I've been here and he is my sponsor. My son's passport will be with me as well. So am I going overboard? What do you think?	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-04-07 18:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just a quick question - AP	Thanks everyone!    Actually RFQ it'll be four of us insha'allah!!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-05-01 14:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just a quick question - AP	thank you thank you thank you!! Dunno what i would have done w/out VJ!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-05-01 11:16:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just a quick question - AP	UHHHHHH GUUUUYYYYYSSSSS   Status changed to:   "ISSUED     Your visa has been printed. Depending on local procedures at the location where you were interviewed, your visa will be mailed or available for pickup soon. If there are further questions, or if we need updated contact information, you will be contacted."     Embassy called husband today to go pick up his passport tomorrow! SSSQQQUUUEEEEE it's really happening! We're getting OUT of here! TOGETHER!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-05-01 10:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just a quick question - AP	Ugh. Status on ceac website changed to Admin Processing. This is the explanation:   "Your visa case is currently undergoing necessary administrative processing. This processing can take several weeks. Please follow any instructions provided by the Consular Officer at the time of your interview. If further information is needed, you will be contacted. If your visa application is approved, it will be processed and mailed/available within two business days. Under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act, Immigrant Visas for "Diversity Visas" cannot be issued after September 30th of the year in which you were selected to apply for a Diversity Visa. For example, entrants into the Diversity Visa Program in Fall of 2011 were selected for Diversity Visa 2012 Program, and selectees MUST apply and receive their visa prior to September 30, 2012 otherwise they lose eligibility to receive a Diversity Immigrant Visa, regardless of additional administrative processing. In addition, please note that some immigrant visas may not be able to be issued if the annual numerical limit for that category has been reached."   Anyone heard of AP taking 2 weeks or so?	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-04-30 08:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just a quick question - AP	Hey Roosha, I got my appointment date today ( 04/29) and It's scheduled for June 17th!! I am due on June 3rd... I will go ahead and email, call, fax my embassy with a request for an earlier interview, like you did I really have some serious medical issues and my husband is really needed to be with me. I hope my interview gets pushed back as yours I was wondering if you can share the email you sent to your embassy asking for a faster interview date.. You have no idea how much that would help me so much     By the way, I am SO sure you are not going thru AP, because ALL the people from Arab countries that I have seen on VJ who got any kind of "expedite" at the NVC/embassy stage, are getting their visa within a week or so! I am estimating you will get your husband's visa the beginning of next week inshallah...      Again, congratulations and thank you for inspiring me to ask for a faster interview I am waiting your reply concerning the email you sent please!       YAY Sarsoor congrats on your date! I really hope you'll be able to request an earlier one, I know how busy Egypt's consulate is! Check your messages, I'll send you the email in a bit!       Did they give a sheet of paper checking off any box (AP = 212(g) for example) ?    We had Ahmed's interview in Qatar (see our timeline), the CO said he believed we have a valid marriage and there were no problems with our case, but that AP was a "standard" process that we had to wait out.  They didn't keep his passport, but they called him to bring in his passport as soon as AP was over (12 weeks).   I agree keeping the passport is a good sign they'll give the visa right away...best wishes!!        Nope, they didn't give us any papers at all, just took the passport and told us they'd call us when the visa is ready, no mention of AP or any other processing. Thanks Zahra!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-04-30 05:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just a quick question - AP	You are petitioning for a male Palestinian?   AP is a given.   Well aren't you just a little ray of sunshine?      Do you have any stats on how male Palestinians fare with AP compared to other males, even other MENA males ?  Because you might be somewhat surprised.   Roosha you are almost done   Thanks WOM, I really hope you're right. If we go two weeks with no call I'm going to start knocking on doors trying to see what's up, esp since they didn't say anything about AP!!	Roosha	Female	Qatar	2013-04-29 11:04:00