Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA 2 question	Perfectly understandable. Our interview is February 26, and the NOA2 expires about 2 weeks later! I too was initially worried, until I did some searches here on VJ. Good luck to you!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-02-15 17:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	NOA 2 question	Everyone getting a K visa receives an A-number (alien number - used to number all you aliens), and all visas have expirations. Because the processing times have gone way up, if your NOA-2 gets close to expiring, the consulate will automatically extend it, so no worries.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-02-15 16:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Very strange K1 situation	The K-1 visa is ONLY valid for the sponsoring party. If it is used to marry anyone else, they look upon that as visa fraud. I'm not an expert, by any means, I'm just restating things I have read here on VJ.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-02-08 14:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Is the K-1 an IMMIGRANT or NON-IMMIGRANT Visa?	QUOTE (mox @ Jan 17 2008, 11:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What makes it even more confusing is that even the consulates are not clear on the concept. For example if you go to the US Embassy in Moscow, then to the Visa Services section, you will find Fiance Visas under the Immigrant Visas section. Go figure. That's what originally caused my confusion Kirk!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-01-18 13:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Is the K-1 an IMMIGRANT or NON-IMMIGRANT Visa?	Thanks for all the input, everyone. It's very clear (and logical) to me now!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-01-17 12:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Is the K-1 an IMMIGRANT or NON-IMMIGRANT Visa?	This is a basic question, I'm certain, but doing searches here on VJ seems to give conflicting information. At first I thought the K-1 was clearly a non-immigrant visa (it's listed on the USCIS site in the non-immigrant section), but the embassy website for Moscow lists the K-1 visa information in the immigrant section. Hence my confusion. My question is one more of curiosity than anything, but I do realize the distinction between these two types of visas is important. There is also a question on the DS-156 form for 'Has anyone ever filed an immigrant visa petition on your behalf?' an I'm curious if prior K-1 visa petitions filed for a beneficiary should be listed here. Thanks!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-01-17 12:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can child support be counted as part of your income for the I-134?	QUOTE (pushbrk @ Dec 2 2008, 03:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KGSodie @ Dec 2 2008, 01:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> From the I-864 instructions: "If your claimed income includes alimony, child support, dividend or interest income,or income from any other source, you may also include evidence of that income." Here's a link to the form. Good luck! The I-864 is not used in the process of obtaining a K1 visa. It is used later in the Adjustment of Status (AOS) process. Court ordered child support can be counted as income. All three children are part of your household by my interpretation. Thanks pshbrk, I caught that and thought about editing my reply, but the 134 is often thought of (as I understand it) as a mini-864, and uses the same evidence rules (again, as I understand it). Thanks for keeping me honest though!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-02 16:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Can child support be counted as part of your income for the I-134?	From the I-864 instructions: "If your claimed income includes alimony, child support, dividend or interest income,or income from any other source, you may also include evidence of that income." Here's a link to the form. Good luck!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-02 16:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Applying for K1 before Divorce Certificate	The gov't isn't in the business of passing moral judgments on you when it comes to this type of thing, so the main thing is convincing them of your honest and sincere relationship. Photos! Call logs! Flower receipts! You guys all know the drill.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-22 16:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Question please	Not that YuAndDan's opinions ever need corroboration, but that's how I read it too.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-23 13:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Name Mistake on I-129F	You're better off taking a (possibly only hypothetical) short delay now and getting it corrected, than waiting and having all of the official documents issued with the incorrect name order, and trying to straighten it out later. Just my opinion.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-23 13:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-129F	For our K-1 petition, I supplied a cover sheet that was, effectively (and as YuAndDan pointed out) a table of contents. I'm sure there are examples here on VJ, but here's a link to my own document. Good luck!	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-23 13:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Bringing over K-2 Child	No idea about Peru (sorry) but for Russia, Natasha did need a letter of permission from the biological father, which he wouldn't give. So she took him to court and had his parental rights terminated (failure to support, no visitation, etc - all the stuff you say too). At the airport in Moscow, we had to show this document at passport control in order for Vika to be allowed to leave. Actually, the lady asked if we had the document, and I started to fetch it, and she waved me off. So I guess we just had to threaten to produce it.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2008-12-22 17:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Preparing to File K1 Visa	K-3 or a CR-1 you're already married, yep.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2009-01-12 15:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Looking for some advice	I'm gonna channel pshbrk here and say it all comes down to intent. Since her intent it to go to school, and the two of you see how things go, I don't think there would be an issue. It's not like she arriving with her wedding dress in the suitcase. That said, with the student visa showing she's living with you it may raise an eyebrow or two down the road, but I don't think it would be a serious challenge.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2009-01-14 15:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Have K-1	I'll add that my experience was the same - the 'do not open' envelope should have arrived in the packet along with the passport/visa. Time for you to try and part some red tape.	KGSodie	Male	Russia	2009-04-09 12:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sharing some wedding pictures	Ntia zwiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiina bzaf! and the takshita is glorious! Best wishes for a happy life together!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-02-19 13:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	Morocco Phone Number Changes	The article is confusing. Why is it that if I dial a mobile number in morocco, say 067074917, I have to add a 5 so i dial 0567074917, but if I dial it internationally, I have to add a 6? I think it's a typo. I guess I'll just have to try them both and see. I can vouch for the increase in cell numbers. When I moved there in 2005, there were only like four prefixes, since then they've added about 20 more. I guess they'll have to start charging more than 30 dirham for a sim card. I have a friend who has 3 different numbers, for different boyfriends....	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-01 02:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	just got the interview date via email	Congratulations! And please please please remember to write up a very comprehensive review of the interview on the Embassy page. I want to learn from your experience! Good luck!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-10 10:29:00
Middle East and North Africa	SMOKING CIGARETTES	I don't smoke and neither does Ahmed. We both hate it. His dad smokes a lot and their house always smells like smoke and I swear Ahmed is sent out once a day in Morocco to get cigarettes for his dad, or run them to the cafe for his dad. Thank GOD this had led him to dislike smoking. I don't think I could marry someone who smoked. YUCK. No offense to those of you who smoke, but I'm sure you stink and don't even realize it!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-12 23:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	certified translator in morocco	I don't think you have to use a "certified" translator. My fiance speaks English very well and was able to translate it himself, and certify it was a good translation (using the certification language found on this website). Ge used a dictionary, both arabic and french, to find the translations of the words he didn't know, and I reviewed his translation to make sure he was using the word we would use in English. Like maybe he'd say "child birth" for birth in birth certificate, so I just made sure it made sense. I speak French and Moroccan arabic, though, so that helped. So if he speaks pretty good English, or knows someone who does, they should be able to do a good translation, for free! Good luck!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-14 22:54:00
Middle East and North Africa	Extrait de la Fiche Anthropometrique	Hi, we haven't done ours yet, but I speak french. I think Extract is fine. That's a US legal term. They always talk about Deed extracts, so it works. As for "void" I guess it depends on what the context is. Because void and nothing both have independent meanings in English. I think you're probably right though. He probably translated "vide" into "void", which means empty. I'd put "nothing", depending on the context. And kudos to you for proofing his work!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-15 23:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	help please	You said she was getting her bachelor's degree. I think that will help also. The consulate will like to see that she's educated and can be productive over here in the US. Her being in school will go a long way to explaining why you've not seen each other a lot. Good luck! I'm happy for you guys!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-24 23:10:00
Middle East and North Africa	casa interview	Shukran bzafffff!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-29 00:01:00
Middle East and North Africa	visa in hand	Awesome!! I'll bet you're thrilled!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-19 00:33:00
Middle East and North Africa	April Casa consulate appointments	Congrats Nawal!! and Marhabebik to the US! Trek Salaama!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-08 00:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	April Casa consulate appointments	We got NOA2 March 3, letter from NVC dated March 17, and interview is scheduled for April 29 (the day after my birthday!!, and two days after I start my new job!!)	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-04 22:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	some Qs	If you must fly into Agadir, you'd probably be better off flying into the UK, and then flying a discount airline like RyanAir or Easy Jet. They have super cheap flights to the more tourist destinations in Morocco. I know for sure they fly into Marrakech (which would be a 4 hour bus ride to Agadir), and maybe even Agadir. You could also check with discount French and Spanish airlines, and see if you can get cheap tix through them, and then fly to France of Spain. If you go the UK route, you might have to take a bus betwween UK airports, cuz Ryan Air only leaves from Luton. Anyway, if you're willing to spend a little time on the trip, you might be able to save some money! Oh, and I forgot, the discount airlines have smaller luggage allowances. Good luck!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-19 00:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	Moroccans out there or Moroccan SO	I lived in Morocco for three years while serving in the Peace Corps, and I loved it. I liked it so much that I extended my two year commitment by a year. I agree that Moroccan children are raised to respect their parents and to value family. I think those are wonderful things. But I also value how American children are taught to question things, challenge authority, and to become independent. People in authority, whether it be your parents or the government, are not always correct, and I think it's a good thing that they have to explain their decisions. I would love to live in Morocco, but based on my experiences with the schools there, the public schools in a very small town, I wouldn't want my kids to go to school there. If I could afford private school, it would be ok, but not public, and definitely not for middle and high school. It's really difficult to pass the baccalaureate, only about 40% of those who take it each year pass it. There's got to be something wrong with the system if either only 40% of kids learned enough in high school to pass the bac. and cheating is pretty rampant. anyhoot, those are my 2cents. I love Morocco, but there just are not the opportunities there as there are here. and I love riads too!! and heat would be delightful even in the south. It was so cold in the winter near Marrakech. i used to sleep with fleeces on my whole body, 4 blankets, gloves, hat, scarves, hot water bottle, and still be shivering. yikes!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-19 01:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Casablanca - No financials needed?	Hey Jay, I emailed and got the same reply from the consulate. But I sent Ahmed the forms anyway. Better safe than sorry! Ahmed is having trouble getting his forms, because of the transport strike in Morocco. I wrote the consulate to ask what the procedure is to reschedule, but they havne't written back yet. It sucks! I'll email you soon, I'm in San Antonio visiting friends but will email you!!!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-16 20:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Morocco questions re Interview in Casa	QUOTE (Berber Mama @ Apr 19 2009, 08:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That's odd because I have sent numerous packages to Morocco and they all arrived unopened. Are you sure? they put Moroccan Customs tape on the box. I always found they did it on the bottom side of the box. It wasn't a big deal, they didn't take anything, it's just that it will take a little bit longer...	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-20 21:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Morocco questions re Interview in Casa	I just mailed a package last Friday via USPostal Service, express mail. it cost $38. It's basically a sort of pre-paid envelope. It got there in ONE WEEK! he had it by this Friday. They promise 8 business days. I recommend you send big envelopes, and not packages, because if customs sees a pacakage, they want to open it and it'll take more time. But an envelope won't be opened. In my three years of living there, every pacakge was opened, and NO envelopes were ever opened. Good luck!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-19 00:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	Approved today!! K1 Visa at Casablanca consulate - detail of interview	Thanks to all of you for your congratulations and good luck to everyone who is still waiting! I'll keep you all posted on when he finally does get his visa!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-30 22:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	Approved today!! K1 Visa at Casablanca consulate - detail of interview	Good news everybody! Ahmed went for his interview today, and was approved! I've only spoken to him for a little bit, so this will be an incomplete (and probably partially inaccurate) review: He got there for his 8 am appointment, and met with a Moroccan guard who looked over his papers. The guard noticed that he had translated the documents himself and told Ahmed he'd have to get them retranslated. He also asked for Ahmed's age and my age. (I only note this because there's a 16 year age difference between us and this was the only time in the whole interview that anyone mentioned the age difference!) He then met with an American lady, who asked him how we met (I was in the PC), and a couple of other questions (I go through all the questions below, I just dont know the order), and then said she'd call him back again. QUESTIONS ASKED, in order of what I remember him telling me: -He was asked when we met (I moved to his town in 2005, we began dating in 2007, I was a Peace Corps volunteer and we met while I was teaching -English at the youth center) -How did we communicate since I went home? (skype, he provided the skype logs, and offered a log of texts he's sent me on a free site, but she didn't want it) -She asked if any of my friends had come to visit (he mentioned several who came, I had 15 visitors while living there, and mentioned my mom) -She asked about my mom (he said she was nice, and that she sends him emails, and then he remembered the photo album we'd made, so he said, oh, I have a photo of her mom and me, so she took the photo album and went through the photos. he pointed out photos of us together, with friends of mine who'd visited at various times, vacations we'd taken together - there was one of us in Zagora on camels and she asked if I liked camels - and finally the photo of us and our moms) -She asked what I did for a living (I work for the military, and she was surprised, asked if I was civilian or active duty. Ahmed didn't know, just explained what I did at my job and that I'd just started on Monday) - She asked if I lived in Lincoln, NE (I live in Bellevue, which he knew, he thinks she was sort of testing him) -SHe asked whether we have any wedding plans (He said we don't have any yet, because it depends on the visa, and she asked when he was coming over, and he said again, it depends on when we get the visa) Finally, she said, congratulations, you'll get a visa, but first you have to bring us the translated documents between 2 and 330 Monday through Thursday (or something like that). Again, she said Congratulations, and gave him a slip of paper which said he had to bring in the documents, and also that he was in 221 Administrative processing. She said they would call him in a few weeks. So he went across the street and had the documents translated for about 500dirhams (which I think is bs, I don't understand why they have to be certified, particularly if they're simple documents, I can see if you have a lot of police issues, but if al that's filled in is your name, date of birth and "nothing" to describe whether there are any issues, why do we have to spend all that money? but I digress) He was out of the interview by noon, and was able to get the documents translated and back to the consulate on the same day. So now, we wait for the call! but all's well! I'll post more when I know more! whew! hooray!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-04-29 21:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	casa consulate interview completed	If you're already married, you can't use a K-1, can you? So you probably better pay for the CR1. And based on your other posting, maybe you should make another trip over there? I can't really speak as to CR1s, but maybe someone else can. Good luck!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-05-02 10:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	just passed the medical appointement in casa	Shukran jazilan, Nawal! That was an excellent description of the medical exam. I'm sorry it was so expensive for you! But I hope those shots will help prevent illnesses, right? Best of luck at the interview and please give us a detailed review of your interview! Good luck and thellay f rasek!	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-03-12 23:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	Anyone have problems with age gaps in Casa interview	I think it would be weird for him to take your passport with him. What would it prove? He can say you're there. If they want to see you, they'll call you and you'll come in. If he were lying about your being there, you wouldn't be able to come. So I say it looks a little desperate for him to take it with him. and my fiance just had his interview last week, the day after my birthday so we went from being 16 years different to 17 (EEK) and they didn't even ask him about the age difference. I did live in Morocco for 3 years so that probably went a long way to alleviate some concerns. I agree with everyone else, just put together the evidence to show it's a bonafide relationship. That's all they're trying to discover. IT's helpful to search on this site to come up with potential questions he'll be asked. If anything makes you nervous, work on those issues. Basically, though, from what Ahmed told me of his interview, it really is just a conversation between the beneficiary and the consular officer. the CO will ask a question, and then follow up on the response. So your fiance should feel comfortable elaborating on different topics. Like, if he shows a photo of you guys by a tree, the Co might say, does she like trees? and he should jsut be honest with his response. good luck! Edited by dimanuni, 08 May 2009 - 10:17 PM.	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-05-08 22:13:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA women question for you.	This is my favorite thread ever!! GREAT question! Lots of great information. I can't wait to get one of these sprayer things. There's nothing cleaner than washing with water. And great advice on the 'hand' towels in the bathroom. I never thought.....	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-06-05 22:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	Where is everyone located??	Omaha, NEbraska	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-06-09 19:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	What kinds of gifts should I take?	Despite what your husband says, you should bring something. Or at least, take a lot of stuff you can use that you can leave. So if someone admires something you're using, you can give it to them. and i mean EVERYTHING. they may like your socks, or your toothpaste, or your dental floss, your lotion, your makeup, your earrings, your comb, your bra, ANYTHING goes. IN morocco, people will give you the shirt of their backs if you even compliment them on it. so if you bring things to use and leave, you can be like them, and it will also alleviate the awkwardness of giving people things you're not sure they will like (e.g., I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing makeup for someone as a gift straight -out, cuz who knows if they'd want it. but if you're using it and they're interested, well, then voila!) And I love kids, so I like to have things I can do with kids. SO crayons and coloring books are great, if for nothing else than to pass the time, entertain the kids, and to go a little way to getting to know people. And that brings to mind, that anything you can bring to pass the time while you're sitting in the salon with the family watching Egyptian soap operas and not understanding a darn thing, will be a good thing. it will help you not be bored, and could be a conversation starter. like knitting, needlepoint, maybe even a manicure set. coloring books, paints, who knows. i french braided the entire family's hair one night. Oh, that's another good things, hair bands and pony tail holders, etc. bring tons! that's my extra 2cents! and if you want something simple to give initially, just bring some chocolates. and present them to the mom or the dad. of course, i just thought of something. it is sort of dangerous to start giving away all your stuff. it might be a dangerous precedent. anyhoot.....	dimanuni	Female	Morocco	2009-06-11 20:08:00