ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Middle East and North AfricaMENA Baby Names
Actually, this is a subject we've been discussing a lot lately, because we found out there is another MenaWeed on the way, inshaAllah smile.gif We have been debating it a lot, because Ahmed really wants a name that goes both ways in English and Arabic without being translated. So far we've come up with:

Girls:
Layla, Maryam, Maia, Arwa, Nourai, and a few others I can't recall right now...

Boys:
Aiman, Amir, Adham (He really likes this one, me not so much), Amar (he doesn't like this, because he says it's not Arabic... Umm, hello, the Imam on Little Mosque on the Prairie! tongue.gif) I don't know how we got stuck on so many A names. smile.gif
amysaidFemaleEgypt2009-10-29 14:56:00
Middle East and North AfricaMarriage Registration and Egyptian Citizenship Questions

I was talking to my husband about this tonight, he seemed unsure as to whether your child would be able to get Egyptian citizenship or not. He says that in Egypt they used to only give citizenship to children of male Egyptians, but that recently they passed a law that allowed citizenship to children of Egyptian women, but he's not sure if it has gone into effect with everything that's been going on there. As for the birth certificate application, you'd have to submit proof of your Egyptian citizenship (like your Egyptian passport) and an original of the baby's birth certificate, if your name on the baby's birth certificate is different than your name on the passport you might have some issues... You'll need a copy of your marriage certificate (or maybe the original?) to prove your relationship with your husband. Is your husband Muslim? If so, he will need some kind of proof of converting to Islam if he has a non-Muslim name. If he's not Muslim there might be some issue with your marriage being recognized in Egypt to begin with, since the marriage is not valid in Islam, but I'm not really 100% sure on that. :) My husband has had good luck getting through to the Egyptian Consulate in Los Angeles, maybe try calling them to clarify?


oh, and if you can get a hold of Aya (of John & Aya) she might have some insight, she is an Egyptian who married a USC, she may know more about it. I'll send her a message on FB.
amysaidFemaleEgypt2012-12-24 04:50:00
Middle East and North AfricaMarriage Registration and Egyptian Citizenship Questions
I was talking to my husband about this tonight, he seemed unsure as to whether your child would be able to get Egyptian citizenship or not. He says that in Egypt they used to only give citizenship to children of male Egyptians, but that recently they passed a law that allowed citizenship to children of Egyptian women, but he's not sure if it has gone into effect with everything that's been going on there. As for the birth certificate application, you'd have to submit proof of your Egyptian citizenship (like your Egyptian passport) and an original of the baby's birth certificate, if your name on the baby's birth certificate is different than your name on the passport you might have some issues... You'll need a copy of your marriage certificate (or maybe the original?) to prove your relationship with your husband. Is your husband Muslim? If so, he will need some kind of proof of converting to Islam if he has a non-Muslim name. If he's not Muslim there might be some issue with your marriage being recognized in Egypt to begin with, since the marriage is not valid in Islam, but I'm not really 100% sure on that. :) My husband has had good luck getting through to the Egyptian Consulate in Los Angeles, maybe try calling them to clarify?

Hello,

I married my USC husband in 2010 and have been meaning to register my marriage with the Egyptian government through the Egyptian consulate in the US. I called the Egyptian embassy in DC a few times and they haven't been much help at all. I'm hoping I can get the answers I need here to my questions below.

1. What paperwork do I need to send the Egyptian Embassy to get my marriage (which took place in the US) registered with the Egyptian government?

2. Do I need to send anything to DOS?

3. I changed my last name to my husband's last name. Do I need to change my last name on my Egyptian passport and ID? If I don't, is that going to create much hassle in the future?

4. We welcomed our firstborn baby daughter in October of this year. I need to start paperwork on her Egyptian citizenship. What paperwork do I need. Can this be done through the embassy in the US or does it have to be done in Egypt?

Any input would be much appreciated.

Thanks!


amysaidFemaleEgypt2012-12-24 04:19:00
Middle East and North AfricaCraziest interview questions
The visa interviewer didn't ask any off the wall questions during my husband's interviewer, but the AOS interviewer sure had a bunch! She was very interested in my conversion to Islam (which happened prior to even meeting my husband), had no idea how you could meet someone on the Internet and wanted us to explain Myspace, Yahoo messenger, Skype, etc. She asked a lot of questions about how his family accepted me, why he chose to marry a convert, things like that. (It's all in my timeline if you're super curious) All in all it reminded me of a conversation I would've had with a super-nosy relative or something.
amysaidFemaleEgypt2013-02-09 05:12:00
Middle East and North AfricaLittle question about the interview

It will not harm it if he shows proof during the interview. But make it appropriate. Do not just shove a binder of evidence at the CO cause they will not look at it

If The CO asks a questions like what do your parents think of your wife...then he can say they adore her let me showyou this pic and pull out a pic of you and the parents smiling

If the CO says what do yo love most about her....then h can say she has the most beautiful smile-let me show you my favorite picture of her.

And make sure he knows where everything is. The CO will not like witing 30 seconds for him fumbling through an album trying to find something

Good luck


I agree with this. My husband took two small photo binders with about 20 photos in them, with photos from my visits there, and with photos I sent him of my life here, and the CO flipped through them and asked him questions about the pictures. He took some other documentation, like phone call logs, a couple brief chats, an affidavit from my mom and one of my sisters, and affidavits from his brother and from the mutual friend who had introduced us, and who we spent time with together in Egypt. He also took a picture my daughter drew him, and talked about the relationship he'd developed with her to the CO. He had everything well organized and flagged in a file folder so that it was easy to access and did not require a lot of work to find/look at things.
amysaidFemaleEgypt2013-03-02 00:58:00
Middle East and North AfricaCousin marriage (Egypt)
Agreed... Egyptian engagement parties are the cultural norm, the CO should be aware of that. In most cases the actual marriage is so much more low-key than the engagement! I don't think any kind of proof is necessary to prove that they aren't married. As for the cousin marriages, as long as it is recognized in Egypt (which it is) and in the state that you will be residing in (which it is) then you shouldn't have any problems, other than the potential for the CO to be squeamish about it from his/her own personal opinion. It is somewhat taboo to marry your first cousin according to popular US norms so you may need to address that at the interview. I believe another VJer that went through Morocco had to deal with this during her fiancé's immigration, I can't remember what her user name is anymore, but her name is Kenza.
amysaidFemaleEgypt2013-03-02 00:43:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

:o It hadn't left Morocco yet???????????????
I thought it left before he even went for his 2nd interview, or right after you left to come back.
That's awful. You could have been doing things to convince them to change their decision. Did they lie to your senator?
Is your senator challenging that they lied?
Am I understanding this right? Did I get the timeframes wrong?


Thats what we thought to & they told us that it left June 14. But come to find out, it was put in the "denied" pile waiting for enough to add up to all get returned together. Atleast that's what my Senator figures according to what NVC said. The Senator's email mentioned that we were told that it was returned June 14th, and that email is what they replied. In other words, they are avoiding the situation & just telling us to wait longer. :bonk:

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-31 20:18:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
Thanks msheesha, I'm pretty sure he has, but I will check & see. As for our case...last week we found out it hadn't left Morocco yet, so my senator tried to find out what was going on & got this reply:

Thank you for your follow-up inquiry. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services should be contacting your constituent to discuss the return of the petition to their office when they receive it from the National Visa Center. She is advised to please wait a few more weeks before contacting USCIS to allow them to receive and review the file.



I hope the above information will be of use to constituent. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Still haven't been able to prove that it has left Morocco yet....so we will see. Problem is that it expires in 2.5 mths....so we will see. Not holding my breath :whistle: Hope everybody is doing good. Glad to hear some ppl are finally together (or soon to be) in the US.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-30 16:41:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Monica,
That sounds really difficult, especially to nurture a long distance relationship. What's he so busy doing? What's your time difference?


We are 8 hrs difference. And he's been busy job searching in Casa...he's a teacher in a smaller town, so trying to find a better job since we don't know when he'll be coming.

Monica
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-28 12:12:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Awe, Monica, we are all waiting for the day you get good news. You are in my prayers and I hope your Senator can get you the right answers soon. I am hoping your family will be together before you know it!

Hang in there.... :star:


Thank u so much for the support...i'm trying my hardest to hang in there, but some days are better then others...uess today is on of those not so good days :cry: :cry: Guess it doesn't help that we had to go from living together 24/7, to talking online hours a day, to maybe twice a week for a couple hrs, since he is so busy....my thread is dwindling these days...i just want something to happen so we can decide what to do :clock: :cry: ok...i better get off of here. This song helps.

Monica :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Geg-2OLudvc
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-28 03:49:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Thanks for the VIP suggestion. If it's lower than 28 cents a minute, we'll check it out. No one there has a land line though so it's all cell phones. Thanks for the suggestion and Happy Birthday!!


Magicjack works too if they have internet access...and they can use it at the cyber :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-27 13:34:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

VIP was really helpful and professional, when I signed up. And, it's worked great so far. On the other calling system I've used in the past sometimes there were connection problems. I've only used VIP a few times, but so far, so good.

Monica - any restaurants, etc you would recommend in Asilah? We're never very good at picking restaurants. So, when we find a good one, we tend to go there repeatedly. There's a place in Tangier that we've gone to for days straight - both lunch and dinner! :wacko:



Nice. :star:


We actually rented an apartment with some friends of ours...so we ate in most of the time. And truthfully...I don't remember the names of the places we ate at when we ate out...I usually let him tell me what places are good.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-27 13:32:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Everything's going well with us. Planning on going over, spending my bday at a nice place in Asilah, and then coming back together. Really looking forward to it.

Have you tried the VIP calling system? I used another one, until someone posted about VIP on here. It's about .03 a minute if you call a home phone in Morocco! I couldn't get over it. Cell phone calls are about .28 on VIP as well. But, home phone calls are great!


Sounds like a nice bday...Asilah is beautiful...my fiance proposed to me in Asilah :) And as for VIP...that's what I use also...has worked really good...and I think they just lowered Morocco rates.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-27 13:17:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Yes my fiance got approved sorry im late to give the 411 but I had to wait for samir to get back home he lives far from casa and I wanted to get as much details as possible so I can be able to share it with you all, and thanks to everyone wishing me good luck and praying for us and for the kind words thanks thanks thanks oh and monica special thanks to you we took ur advise and seems like it worked THANKS :D


Glad my mistakes could help others :) As for us...we are still waiting...glad my Senator's office is staying on top of it...they contact them atleast once a week to check on it...that atleast makes me feel a little better about it...have someone on our side :) Glad to hear about all of the approvals...seems like there have been only approvals posted on here since our denial. Guess they are in a better mood now. Hope the approvals keep coming for everyone.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-27 13:14:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

If so, this is good and really about time. They should keep AP completely separate from Returned cases. Combining them together as 1 will not be very helpful to members.

(F)~kiyah~(F)


I agree...i haven't found anywhere where us "returned case" ppl can get together and compare notes...ppl just suggest in different forums...but that is the problem...everyone is spreadout in different forums...hard to compare notes that way.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-21 15:40:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
hello visajourney world. thought i'd welcome u all to my new blog: http://path2self.wordpress.com/ I'm starting a weight loss, better my health, and de-stress program...anyone is welcome to join. Figure it would help me get healthier & help keep my mind off this whole process :thumbs:

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-20 22:55:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Congratulations, Jackie!!!

And good job, Monica! That is useful information to compile.


Now trying to find out if there is a forum for use with "Returned to USCIS for Recommened Revoke of Approval"....the only thing I've found is AP...but we aren't AP...we are "fighting off denial"....hmm I know there is a lot of us...even the ones that have refiled for K1s or went & gotten married & done CR1s...it would be nice to have a place we could all go & put our infor together. See the trends for each Service Center. Everyone is just spread out across different forums right now :wacko:

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-20 14:47:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
They are considering adding AP/Returned Cases tracking to the timelines now :thumbs:

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-20 12:37:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Just wanted to post an update....We got our visa today!!!! I am overjoyed and so excited. Thank you to everyone for all the good vibes and well wishes!

:dance: :star: :dance: :star: :dance: :star: :dance:

Jackie


CONGRATS!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance:

Keep those visas coming!!!

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-20 12:32:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Yikes! Thanks for explaining it. :)


No prob...shoulda thought that there could be many wayis to view "fraud report" lol

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-19 16:10:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

What do you mean a fraud report? Who made the report, etc?


Someone cancelled their fiance's interview & reported them for fraud....he was talking to & seeing multiple women at once...looking for a visa. She's a friend of mine, so that's how I know.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-19 15:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

I'd still like to hear whether anyone has info about how many I-864's to file, although perhaps since that's a relatively new policy change no one has gotten that far yet. :)

How exactly does Casablanca schedule the interviews? Is there any input from the beneficiary? Specifically, can we reschedule or delay the interview by a few months? Monica, I believe you switched your interview date, did you feel like there was any negative impact of that? As I mentioned in my last post, my financial and employment situation is going to change in a few months. Going by the historical 6-8 months from filing to interview, we'll be in good shape by interview time, but I've read some posts where VSC is flying through petitions and sending them to the consulate in 1-2 months.


Yeah...we had to switch ours because of a delay of getting the passport. I think there was somewhat of a negative impact just because of bad timing. I know there was a fraud case reported to the Casa 2 weeks before our new interview, so I think they were more causious after that, because they seemed to be denying just about everybody right after that report. I could be wrong though...i don't know....cuz they did wait a month for the 2nd interview...i have no clue if it made a difference...lol :bonk:

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-19 13:12:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

I have a Casa question for y'all. Now that Casa is requiring I-864's instead of the usual I-134 (or nothing at all) for K-1 applicants, is that first I-864 legally binding? In other words, if you sign the I-864 before the fiance's interview and he gets the visa, when you apply to adjust his status a few months later after you get married in the US, do you have to file a 2nd I-864, or is the first one "the" one?

There's a possibility that my financial and employment status is going to be changing over the next several months, so whether I need a cosponsor or not might change in between the interview and the adjustment of status process.

I'm glad to hear about all these visas in hand, too!


Very good question....and something i've been wondering about also. Haven't been able to find any definite answers to it either.

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-16 22:06:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

We got the call TODAY!! "You can come pick up your visa tomorrow, sir" w00tw00t!! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dancing: :dancing: :energy: :jest: :goofy: :goofy:



AWESOME!!!!! I'm SO excited for you guys!!!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance: If u want some help with the search let me know :D I'm freaking out right now, I'm so happy to hear he gets to go home with you both. :dancing: :joy:

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-15 14:45:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
DEFINITELY....if any one knows what to do it would be Sarah....she's been to how many interviews sitting with other women while their SOs are interviewed....she's got first hand looks on what to do & what NOT to do....lol

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-14 14:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Hey! My impatient butt called the consulate today, to get an estimation on when we should hear from them, after SO dropped off the papers yesterday.. Dude on the phone told me they should call him next week! I asked if it was safe for us to start shopping air fare, and he said, "yes ma'am" :dance:


:dance: :dance: :dance: AWESOME!!!! :dance: :dance: :dance:

I'm sooo excited for you guys!!!

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-14 12:22:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
Senator is staying on top of it & has a liason at NVC they get their information from. Or case still hasn't arrived, but she said it can take up to 30 days....so by the 14th (tomorrow) it should be there. She also said that the case was transfered June 13...which is a Sunday...and the day before his appointment....which is weird. I think if anything it shows they already had it ready to go & gone before he even came in for his appointment at 3pm on June 14th. Pretty frustrating...just glad my Senator is helpful...have heard many aren't. Glad to hear they are approving more ppl. And I'll let you all know when we FINALLY hear anything helpful :rofl: :bonk: Hoping is about all we can do right now....hoping that stick to the 120 days to review...not holding my breath, but hoping never hurt anyone...that's why Sarah started this thread anyway :yes: Anything new with anyone else??

Monica :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-13 11:15:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

:) Big baby is going to drop off the documents at the consulate in the morning. The test results were back on Friday, but we had to wait for the I864A from my stepfather to come in the express mail.. I'll let you all know if they keep his passport or not.. hope they do ^_^

Hope ya'll have a good week!

Sarah


They better!!! LOL How r u?? Can't believe its been a month already. And it sounds like there was another possible approval through Casa today. The joys of their "we will contact you soon" :wacko: Hope everybody has a good week.
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-12 18:30:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
lol...i love how this thread is all over the place....never know what ure gonna get
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-11 21:29:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
not our fault our Moroccan men love us that way :rofl: :rofl:
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 15:41:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
yes...i know...lol....i'm just sayin a whole relationship shouldn't be determined as fraud just because of physical differences....like i said, everyone has their own tastes in their choice of SO...even in the US u see ppl together & wonder...what happened there....and they r madly in love....i'm not sayin tat is always the case, but its something that should just be assumed...they don't "fit" together so its fraud.

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 15:18:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread
hey....everyone has their own turn ons....lol And seriously....some of these moroccan men love them some "cuddly" women :rofl: Even though ppl in the US would pay big money for the metabolism of some of these Moroccans who "can't gain weight no matter what they do"....I know many Moroccans that WISH they could gain weight....so maybe that's why many of them are attracted to more "well rounded" or "healthy" women (as i've heard them called in morocco).....just sayin :whistle: But weight is definitely something I noticed that moroccan women (that i had experience with) don't really worry about as much...the ones I know are very comfortable with how they look no matter what shape that may be. Just another thought.

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 15:11:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

:rofl: Sorry I'm buttin' in but I'm still rolling laughing at: "he looks like Brad Pitt and she looks like Nick Nolte." :rofl:


The more the merrier :thumbs:
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 15:01:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Your difficulty and your daughter's difficulty staying in Morocco has no bearing on whether or not your fiance is or is not committing fraud (in the eyes of the CO). Sure it's hard on you, that's not your home. As far as dealing with a child, let's look at it this way, how much would you put up with to ultimately make your whole life and future better? Personally, I'd put up with a kid or two or three for a few months in order to have a better life and better opportunities. This could very well be what the CO is thinking. If I were you, I'd stop analyzing this to death and do what the CO suggested, get married and file a CR-1.


:rofl: Wow...u have me pegged...NOT really...I'm not analyzing it at all....I'm just stating different situations that ppl can hopefully learn from....And tolerating a child & actually having a relationship with one are very different things :) I'm not concerned at all about what will happen with us & our visa process...I know what we have to do...i'm just throwing different ideas and points of views out there so others may learn from previous mistakes....as it looks like many did from our mistake of taking too much evidence....glad i could help everyone....lol

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 14:44:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

I guess my kid will be the only one out of the three of us not going straight to hell :devil: Thank goodness my fiancé isn't an ultra pious Muslim, because, despite my sincerest efforts to TRY TRY TRY to believe, I'm still a Buddhist heathen, and he accepts that for what it is.. For those who'd say OOOMG, he MUST be using you!! Nah.. While this may be a Muslim country, that CERTAINLY doesn't mean that people follow the book here.. Stay for a while, you'll see what I mean.. And I'd hope the "immersed" COs realize that too.. :hehe:

P.S. Ramadan is coming soon, I've actually seen some effort around here to dust off the prayer rugs, for the first time in nearly 5 months.. Kinda like they way my Grandma used to start putting out the nativity scene before X-Mas..


Yep...the "holiday" muslims immerge for Ramadan....just like the "holiday" christians immerge at Christmas & Easter :rofl: And for those that say staying for 3mths or for however long period of time....there is no way that it is easy, as I am sure we have heard from nearly every person (including myself & sarah) about the major difficulties of it as u would think the COs would understand since they had to go through the same culture shocks & issues when they came to Morocco. Maybe they have been there too long to remember now. But I think if they consider you being there for a long period of time as being easy & that's why its fruad, then they should bring the USC in and interview them....if their whole visit in Morocco has been easy & stress free...then I would think fraud also....because its never easy in either country at first....you fight & argue about big & little things, which will be even worse when they get to the US, because if you think WE go through culture shock...LOL We are taking men who have never been out of their country & throwing them in to a world that is against most of their religious beliefs...lol Now THAT is a test of a relationship...LOL I still say bring on the lie detector test....would make everyones lives so much easier...lol That way there doesn't have to be any doubt :) :rofl:

And msheesha, I was just giving a point of view....i'm completely open to hearing what the CO thinks...and I have no problem giving them whatever evidence that want...And as for thinking a certain way....I don't think any way anymore about this whole situation...i will just wait till they tell me what they want & i'll give it to them....LOL

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 14:28:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

With all due respect, I think if you continue to think like this, you'll continue to run into problems with the consulate. If the consulate is thinking fraud on your fiance's part, they are thinking that having someone visit for three months is easy, especially if they think they have their pass to the golden land of opportunity at the end of the 3 months.

If they're thinking you were looking for someone to pay you for a visa, being prepared and front-loading financial information seems like it'd be the way to go in the future.


I'm just playing devil's advocate, and looking at things from the most cynical of CO eyes.

Wasn't affadavit of support a document that needed to be sent in at some point? Either for the interview or prior to that? I know I included an affadavit of support for the K1, somewhere, and sent my taxes in at some point also, either at time of interview or before.


They never requested the affidavit of support & I know from previous posts that they usually don't for the K1s unless there is doubt about it. And as for easy....nothing is easy when a child is involved...lol

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 14:08:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

With regards to a devout Muslim man marrying a non-Muslim woman who is not interested in converting, it's permitted in Islam for a Muslim man to marry a woman "of the books", i.e., a believing Christian or Jewish woman, etc. Ergo, it would not be against Islam for a devout Muslim man to marry a devout believing woman of other faiths that are permissible in Islam. Whether that's a cultural norm in Morocco or not would be another story. I know that when my husband told his parents about me their initials questions related to whether I was Muslim or not, and my age. I don't think they would have been terribly excited if I wasn't Muslim.


Exactly....I know its permitted to marry a woman "of the books" but like u said....not usually highly viewed by the family. You figure some families even have issues if a muslim man asking for their daughters hand does not do it "correctly". And that is a muslim/muslim relationship....all I'm saying is that I'm sure it is taken in to consideration when they interview, because I think even in the way they talk you can tell how serious they are about their religion...just my experience though.

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 14:04:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

I tend to agree. It's very difficult to tell who is actually very pious and who is just impressing a Westerner by claiming piety. Even if he has genuine faith, people can rationalize anything. Heck, I've heard of some scammers who say if they convert the girl to Islam in the process all of their sins are wiped away and they are back at zero because they contributed to the creation of a new Muslim, even if they promptly broke her heart! I'd like to think, PERSONALLY, that a TRULY pious man of any faith wouldn't hurt another person that way, but for immigration purposes I'd say that means just about nothing and should mean just about nothing. And of course a non-religious person can have a heart of gold and true intentions and shouldn't be discriminated against just because they find their moral center another way.

BTW, JVTA, I enjoy your posts and I hope you keep contributing on the Moroccan topics! Personally, I think we agree about 80% of the way and even if we differed completely I think you have good opinions. I love debating and discussing this stuff. Even though I know talking about what "should" be and pinpointing the exact red flags that "really" demonstrate fraud, etc., etc., won't actually do anything for us on interview day, it helps pass the time. ;)


From what i understood...its the person that converts that has all of their sins "wiped away" not the person that converts them. I'm sure they would get lots of "points" on the good angel side, but I dont think it clears away all of the bad though. And converting is a choice...if they force someone to convert its not good either....atleast that's how it has been explained to me and i understand it. And as for it being difficult to tell the difference....i don't think it really is if u spend the time with the person....ive seen those that "just try to impress" and there is a HUGE difference. And I'm not saying a non-religious person can not be just as pure at heart either. I was just wondering about the cases that have been approved from MOROCCO....because it is a muslim drivin country & we keep talking about cultural norms with the consulate, so wouldn't that make a difference? If a devote muslim is willing to marry someone that will never convert to islam I would think that would be a bigger red flag then a "holiday" muslim marrying a non-muslim. Just a few more thoughts to throw out there.

Malika :)

Thank you, Crossed Fingers. :)

The beauty of this forum as a whole is the differing points of view and opinions. If we all agreed all the time this place would be boring. That's why I stick around even though I'm doing nothing in regards to immigration right now. I love the debate and I love picking everyone's brain about certain subjects. It seems right now there are mostly Morocco people around so that's where the action is. :)



This is the Casablanca thread....lol
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 13:49:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

Perhaps then, the government should change their own guidelines and make "I don't like the looks of this guy" a reason to deny... Pfft.. seriously.. The rules for approving/denying applications are in black and white... consulates shouldn't get to pick and choose what rules they follow and deny people on the basis of a hunch, or to "test" their relationships..


SERIOUSLY....spend 3+ mths together with a child & go through all of that & then tell me that our relationship has not been tested!! If we can get through the attitude of a 4 yr old testing new boundries...we should be able to get through the visa process :bonk: And truthfully...a man looking to just get a visa would NOT put up with the ####### my daughter put my fiance through...they wouldn't waste their time...there are waaaay too many easier "fish in the sea" to catch that would be more than willing to fall "head over hills" with them over night....definitely not happening here though...lol

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 13:24:00
Middle East and North AfricaThe hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

I think most people in all religions have the temptation rationalize their negative behavior nd pick and choose things from their religion that work for them. So, while it'd be nice to be able to assume that religiousity = honesty, I don't think that's always the case.
Monica, as far as what they want from you, I think they gave you some clues in your interview. How do you sucessfully explain why you were on an Islamic website to meet people, and prove that you are financially self-sufficient to the point that you would not accept $ in return for visa assistance. I don't know how to go about proving that. If you're up for it, a consultation with an immigration atty specializes in denials at the consulate level might be worth it. Or, perhaps trying to get your question answered during the free chat that Laurel Scott does might be helpful. Just some food for thought.


I'm not saying i disagree with them having doubt, but if they were truely concerned about my financial situation then they should ask for the affidavit of support (they didn't) and any answer my fiance would give wouldn't convince them for why I was on a muslim dating site, because that would be a question for me. I know that I will one day convert to islam, and so want a husband that will be able to help me learn as much as possible....but I still have a lot to learn...i'm not in to jumping in to something, especially a relgion, even if i know i will be there eventually. But as I said...if these were truely concerns...why not ask for the evidence concerning it?

Malika :)
Always+ForeverFemaleMorocco2010-07-09 13:10:00