Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	Interview today in casa...	Have you thought about possibly moving there for some time? That would help to build your case if it's a possibility for you.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-05 15:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interview today in casa...	Tany, did you mean that your husband googled, found this website with your photo and started emailing you? Or the CO googled and found this website with your photo??? I think she means that the CO didn't like that they met that way... by her fiance googling the website and then e-mailing her	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-05 15:21:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interview today in casa...	I'm very sorry about your fiance's denial Call the consulate and try to get answers, and contact your congressman and see how he can help... Last week one of June '09 K1 filers was denied at the interview, the petitioner called the embassy and I believe contacted her congressman (not sure though), and her fiance got a second interview! I really hope things take a better turn. You are in my thoughts Exactly! Also, your fiance may not have been denied. In fact, my husband thought he was denied when he called me after the interview... after he actually *read* the 221g we received we realized we were just in AP and he had the visa like 2 weeks later. Don't stress until you know exactly what is going on. But it may not be a bad idea just to contact your congressman just to have them on hand.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-05 14:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interview today in casa...	Call the consulate and ask the outcome. They should be taking phone calls right now	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-05 11:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Marrying in Morocco	When I went there back in March-June we were thinking about getting a visa for me and our daughter to stay longer... All we would have had to do was go to the police station and fill out some paperwork and pay a small fee.. I think you should do the K-1.. And just go stay until he gets it, I cant think of any reason why you would have to stay in the US for anything Exactly, just have someone watch your mailbox for you, sounds like your mom would do that	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-04 22:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	Marrying in Morocco	Getting married for us in Morocco was a complete disaster, but my mister is from a small village and i had residency at the time, which only seemed to complicate things. It seems to me, if you go and get married while you are still "a tourist" in Morocco, it is easier. My residency screwed the whole thing up and it was weeks of interviews with the police... This, however, was only my experience. Others have had it way easier... and it only took a week or two to get all the documents together, do the runaround, and finally sign on the line... Also, i didn't see on the list above: Bring with you a notarized letter from your local police department saying you have no criminal record... i needed one of those as well... Good luck! Yes! I knew I was forgetting something! The police record! Thank you! It was driving me crazy!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-04 15:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	Marrying in Morocco	The consulate's website is really up to date. You'll need everything on it. But I would also have your husband go to the local family court and ask what else you would need to bring. Some have requirements that aren't listed. I brought: Birth Certificate Confirmation Certificate from church Recent pay stubs Recent account statement Copies of passport Copies of driver's license You'll need to get a statement of nationality and eligibility to marry from the consulate and you'll need to head to Rabat for a stamp on some of the paperwork. Make sure you get everything translated into arabic. It's really not so bad	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-04 13:05:00
Middle East and North Africa	Marrying in Morocco	There is a lot of back and forth but it's not horrible. Especially if you're living there. It took us about 2 weeks to get married and it wasn't that bad.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-04 12:46:00
Middle East and North Africa	Friday!	Morning, Mena! I have a birthday party for a 4 year old tomorrow and then just relaxing before we start school on Monday.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 09:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday, January 7, 2010	Anyone have any good tips for learning Arabic??? Good Morning Mena! If you want to learn classical I would recommend Rosetta Stone. I loved it when I purchased it to learn French. It basically tricks you into learning the language. If you want to learn a dialect I am a visual learner so I start with letters and pronunciation and then put words together even if I don't know what they're saying. Then I just like to learn a few words a day.. starting with verbs and how to conjugate them!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-07 09:48:00
Middle East and North Africa	taking people seriously	I am not perfect either, never claimed to be. Forgiveness can be so difficult, but isn't it mandatory for us to do if we want God to forgive our sins? I'm not trying to preach!! And don't ask me if I can easily forgive, because in most cases it is more than difficult! I'm with you on that one. However, in my religion we're not forgiven of our sins until we truly from our hearts repent of them. I think Sandinista is referring to people who haven't done that. If someone offends me and sincerely asks for forgiveness and realizes in their heart why it was wrong there is no choice but to offer forgiveness. If you don't truly repent of your sins you won't be allowed into heaven. If someone continues to offend me and cannot see why they're in the wrong, I'm not going to forgive them. I will ignore them and not concern myself with them, but I won't be there like a dog that's been kicked too many times.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 13:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	taking people seriously	Yes, religion is about forgiveness. But as the confession of sins for the Lutheran church I attend states: O almighty God, merciful Father, I a poor, miserable sinner, confess to You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your punishment now and forever. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being. Grant me by your Grace, your great Salvation both now and forever. Amen. I know I'm not perfect and never will be. So unfortunately, I still hold on to some of that stuff. Edited by New Beginnings, 08 January 2010 - 01:14 PM.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 13:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	taking people seriously	I think the most helpful thing to me was just realizing that people are idiots. If someone has said something racist to me or about my husband's nationality you can bet I will never help them with anything. I know that's vindictive but I don't care.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 13:05:00
Middle East and North Africa	Express mail to Morocco	I've always just sent things with priority shipping with USPS. Never had any problems but if it's something important I would probably use UPS or Fedex	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 22:13:00
Middle East and North Africa	moroccan consulate question	Can't promise anything but sounds good to me too!!!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 22:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Mention wedding date??	I would mention that it depends on when the visa is received but you're hoping for a _____ wedding (insert spring, or summer or whatever the closest season is)	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-06 19:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday!	Doing great, I guess you saw by our siggie that our ROC was approved. We are so relieved. It's one less thing to worry about! I didn't know that Ali's full name was Mohamed Ali. That will be quite a conversation starter for him here in the US. I daydream alot....I don't think that laundry has ever been in my daydreams though! LOL and that's why everyone just calls him Ali!! I like to throw it out there once in a while... just to keep him on his toes	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-13 15:17:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday!	Good morning everyone! Have you started your classes yet Laura? Have a great morning Jackie, Kelly, and Andrea! Yes! We started on Monday! It's been going great so far. I think Mohamed Ali is really enjoying it too. How are things with you?	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-13 09:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday!	Good Morning! I hope everyone has a great day! Today I'm stuck in meetings all day... better bring my coffee!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-13 08:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday!	Happy Thursday Mena! I cannot believe I'm starting another thread! This is like the best week ever!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-14 08:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Approved but didnt keep passport	Any word?	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-05 11:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just wondering....	2 years and 1 month being married... been together 3 years.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2009-12-29 10:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	10 yr GC!!!	Congrats! Such good news for you guys!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-09 22:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	Marrying in Morocco or K1 Visa?	Thank you all...At this point, I am still unsure of what to do. My fiancee is checking on things in Morocco with a lawyer and also the family court judge. The papers that need to be translated, can we do them before I head to Morocco? Or do I need to have them translated there? As far as my record, it was a stupid night out with friends, and I was caught driving. But, I know how some look down at drinking, let alone drinking and driving, especially in Morocco. Like I said...STUPID mistake! Since 3 years ago, I have not even had a speeding ticket or anything. I just want to do what is best. It will be much cheaper to have the documents translated in Morocco. I would marry with only 2 weeks you'll be much too stressed about the time and probably have to bribe everyone to hurry it up	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-08 09:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Marrying in Morocco or K1 Visa?	I agree with the above posts. It took us about 15 days to get married in a fairly big city so you might want to keep that in mind. Your record may or may not increase it. We applied for the CR1 and were approved right away.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-07 22:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Casablanca Consulate webpage	I've never seen that there before but I think it's good advice for everyone. I hope it's on other consulate's websites because Morocco is certainly not the only country to see scam marriages.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-15 10:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	Anyone going to Casablanca/Rabat Sale in the next few months that has time to hang out?	does anyone know if Morocco has molasses?	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-12 14:27:00
Middle East and North Africa	Anyone going to Casablanca/Rabat Sale in the next few months that has time to hang out?	We're heading there in May if you'll still be there!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-12 14:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday in Mena-land	Good morning everyone! I hope the rest of this week goes very very quickly!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-20 10:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wonderful Tuesday!	Good morning! Lets pray for the people who had their interviews today and send positive thoughts to those who have theirs right around the corner!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-19 09:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	Its An Approval! Visa Received!!	That's a great phone call to get! Congrats!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-21 09:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	My fiance will be here on Tuesday!!	If you haven't already done this find local mosques (if he's muslim) and try and find a community of people that he'll be able to relate to. Before my husband arrived I scouted the local mosques and went in and talked to a few people and realized that there is a HUGE Moroccan population here. I was able to attend an Eid celebration and met lots of people that my husband was able to befriend right away. Be prepared for his comfort zone to be very centered around your home and you. Slowly that zone will increase but let him do it in his own time, you don't want to rush him. Have a few things lined up that he's never done before and start doing them right away, that way he can be excited about being here. If he plays any sports, look to your Community Center and see if they have any programs he can join.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-22 09:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Thursday!	Happy Thursday! I think we need to reduce our work weeks!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-21 09:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Friday!	Morning Mena! This week was a complete drag so I'm thrilled it's over!	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-22 09:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	CR1 question, special case.	I would venture out and say that consulates understand the cultures and respect the social norms of these countries. Maybe I am old school, maybe we got the benefit of the doubt b/c 99% of both our family still lives in the same town and there is no way in he!! I would have stood mum (and not in a good way) if any such questions were raised. Yes you would hope that they would, but unfortunately they don't. One of the qualifiers is that they be legally married (which they are) and have consummated the marriage. This also plays out when people get married by proxy, when they're not even in the same country when they get married. Some states allow this.. I think TX is one of them. But they are not able to file the petition until the marriage is consummated. If I remember correctly from the petitions the only ones that speak anything of cultural norms is the I 129 or I 129f if you're filing for K3. But the question which asks this is skipped by married people.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-26 09:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	CR1 question, special case.	As an aside, there is no separation of "mosque" and state in most (all?) islamic countries. The Sharia court presides over Islamic marriages...which involve legally binding marriage countracts. The judge is a religous elder who is versed in Sharia law (islamic law). Once this contract is signed by both parties, a male relative of the female who is supposed to act in her best interests, and witnesses, the couple is married. They can then spend time alone together and go out in public together. That is the social part so that neighbors won't whisper about the girl and her family. The consummation part in these contracts help to dictate the dowry part and what the spouse receives in cases of divorce. I think the female receives less then what is stipulated in teh contract if there is no consummation.There are other items as well...if the marriage was consummated then the female cannot marry for I believe 3 visits from "aunt flo". This is used to help ensure that the previous husband is no the father of child in the new pregnancy. Additionally, many deals are done behind the scenes at divorce time (pre-consummation and post-consummation)....the dealings include what is returned, if any, of the dowry what amount is given when the divorce is granted. I think also who initiates the divorce is a factor. Up until a few years ago, I don't think women could initiate a divorce. Again these could be Jordanian cultural norms or laws particular to Jordan. These are based on what I have witnessed and experienced. In Morocco that is not true. Woman can initiate the divorce but they would need to wait 3 menstrual cycles before re-marrying.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-26 09:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	CR1 question, special case.	Interesting. So if it is filed with the courts, but has not gone in front of the adoul, do they have an actual marriage certificate to submit with the I-130? Nope, the marriage certificates come from the Adoul's offices. At least in Morocco Edited by New Beginnings, 25 January 2010 - 04:16 PM.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-25 16:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	CR1 question, special case.	You get married legally but don't consummate the marriage for months until the wedding party? I have never heard of this custom before. How can you have an engagement period after the legal part? Weird. I would assume that if this is the custom there the consulate would know, but I have read where the marriage has to be consummated for the immigration process. It's actually quite common, even in Morocco This happened with my sister in law in Morocco, she got engaged to someone, the papers were filed with the court but they don't consider themselves married until the ceremony and the adoul and such. When she and her fiance broke up she actually had to go to court and divorce him, well technically it was an annulement since it was never consummated.	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-25 15:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	CR1 question, special case.	I think the problem with that is that the marriage needs to be consumated to be considered a marriage for the sake of the petition... Someone correct me if I'm wrong	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-25 10:24:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday - GRR!!	Monday.... Gross	New Beginnings	Female	Morocco	2010-01-25 10:19:00