Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	God called him	OMG I am so sorry to hear this sad news May God give comfort to ur heart	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2010-02-12 19:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Visa Approved!	Congratulations!!!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2010-02-11 19:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	One quick question	all our documents we submitted as a proof were returned	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2010-02-23 20:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	GOT MY K-1 VISA FINALLY	Congrats! "Welcome to the USA"	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2010-02-23 20:54:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	K1 APPROVED!	Congratulations!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2010-03-12 17:25:00
Middle East and North Africa	CR1 approved	Congratulations!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-09-15 20:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	i got my visa this morning!!	Congratulations ! Edited by bankermai, 19 September 2009 - 09:58 PM.	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-09-19 21:58:00
Middle East and North Africa	visa issued	Congratulations!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-11-09 22:25:00
Middle East and North Africa	Nancy's Interview!!	Congratulations!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-11-09 22:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	Our interview :)	Conngrats .... INSHALLAH ur AP will be short	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-12-17 16:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interview in Casa at 2am tonight!!	Congrats!!!!!!!!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-12-21 17:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interview in Casa at 2am tonight!!	Best of Luck , INSHALLAH U WILL BE APPROVED	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-12-20 21:22:00
Middle East and North Africa	yay i got visa in hand today	Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2009-12-19 10:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	More Good News in MENA-land!	Congratulations	bankermai	Male	Pakistan	2010-02-07 21:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Case temporarily refused	My fiancé had interview last week. Consular provided him a letter stating that case has been temporarily refused for further administrative processing. Any one please explain me what that means.. ? Administrative Process is very common for applicants from Pakistan. Both men and women are put through this process and your case is not 'refused' refused but the Embassy will wait to release their decision on the status of the visa until the name checks etc are completed. Check this thread: http://www.visajourn...739-ap-tracker/ Also, there is no time limit to these checks. Depending on how common your fiance's name is and whether it raises any flags, one can only hope for a swift process.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-01-28 20:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	any idea why its taking so long?	i am sorry friend but to be honest we really thinkin in a term of fact rather den thinkin emotionally...but its not only the k1 sumbitted more instead of cr1 ppl prefer cr1 rather den k1 bcoz it save u money aswell... so if you think in a fact now cr1 submitted more im just sayin approve both rather den just approving k1... thats it ... On a CR-1 visa, the beneficiary receives the green card right after the port of entry. It doesn't require any extra paper work, the kind you'd need for a K-1 once you come to the US and get married. I believe that is one of the reasons USCIS takes longer to approve an I-130 petition for CR-1. I would remind you that many many many people end up going through extra scrutiny because they are applying for Pakistan. Blame the fraudulent marriages and terrorists... names get flagged because of the law and order situation. It is not your fault that a CR-1 takes longer but it is better like pushbrk said to not get too emotional because this is going to be a long journey and you both need to hang on, be strong and wait it out.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-03-03 02:03:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	birth country information	My wife filing g-325a she is US citizen(Neutralized) her birth country is INDIA, on this form they are asking for birth country and city should she write INDIA or leave it blank ? brother your wife is a Naturalized citizen so of course she would need to write the correct information like her city and country of birth. Also do not leave any section blank. For Example: Question about Children.... but you do not have children, do not leave those sections blank but instead write N/A in each box. Type just that N/A for sections that do not apply to you. Please use common sense and read the instructions of each form you're filling carefully.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-03-04 22:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	AP time for the wives CR1 visa	Bushra AP stands for Administrative Process. FBI checks, Travel History checks etc. All these checks made by the State Department and USCIS and are in some cases mandatory before they issue a visa. That 6 months period you spent after the interview was because of AP. myunus1 - I'm a female and I had my interview back in October 2008. I was placed on AP and they had returned my passport with me. I received my visa in late December 2008. At the time of the interview, the Consular Officer told me it wouldn't take longer than 2 months given my case but cases vary. It depends on several factors. I'd suggest if you don't hear any news in the next 2 months or so, you as the US citizen can call the state department and inquire about your case. You can also call USCIS for more information. This is normal so don't panic.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-03-21 21:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	W7 - Supporting Documents Not Accepted	I am a US Citizen with a wife in Pakistan. I applied for my taxes as "Married Jointly" and I provided her passport copy notarized from Pakistan and her birth certificated notarized in Pakistan. I got a letter from IRS that they need copies of those documents to be notarized in the US or a country that is part of the Hague Convention (Apostille needed). Could anyone give me a suggestion on what I should do. My I-130 was approved on Jan 24th and not sure at what time my wife will be here in the US. Any suggestions will be highly appreciated. Thanks I had gone to the consulate in Karachi and had the copy of my passport notarized by the consular officer there. They charge a fee. At the consulate, they had checked our marriage certificate and that my passport had my husband's name (as my husband), she asked me when we got married etc. and then stamped and signed the copy of my passport and the W-7 form I had filled and she made me sign it too in front of them. I sent in that notarized copy of my passport to my husband along with the signed w-7 form and he applied for the ITIN here. Don't worry about the copy of the birth certificate. Just send in the copy of her passport notarized by the US government office (either the embassy or a consulate near her). Edited by S_AL_, 23 March 2011 - 05:38 PM.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-03-23 17:37:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	NOA2 TODAY!!!	MASHALLAH n THANKS TO ALLAH That our NOA2 Is finally here!!!! IM SOOO RELIEVED!!!! now onto the hard work Maybe we will celebrate our first anniversary together after all!!!! INSHALLAH Congratulations Really happy for you	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-03-25 20:38:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Changing Last Name to Spouses First Name?	My spouse does not have a lastname. He is asking if in USA we are allowed to take the husband's first name? He has only his first name and his father's name at the end. Would I have to take his dad's name? Also, is it necessary to change my lastname before I file or can I do that later on into the process? No you do not need to change your nor you should. Keep your name as it will only complicate things in your case. I was the beneficiary but I did not change my name because I'm happy and proud of it. Keep you name please.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-04-15 15:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	how long after you go to your interview that you get your passport back?	so my wife's case was completed with NVC and interview has been scheduled with islamabad embassy on march 15th. im trying to book her plane tickets ahead of time, i have heard from a few people that they take you passport on the day of the interview and send it back to your house with the visa? is this true? and if it is when will she get her passport and visa documents from embassy? thanks in advance. Bad idea to book tickets ahead. I (a female) went in for my interview in October and I was put on AP and they had returned my passport to me. I heard from the embassy after 2 (two) months and at that point they asked me to send in my passport which I did through courier and then once it was stamped they sent it back through courier. If you have tons of money and can risk losing an airline ticket then feel free to book a flight now but if you want to make sure you don't lose your money, wait till she gets her interview done. It can go many ways so wait and then once she is done with her interview and depending on the outcome of it, you can go ahead and make travel plans.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-02-16 04:00:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	K-3 spouse visa at first	Your wife will file an I-130 for a CR-1. Since you work and reside in Dubai, you can interview at the embassy in Abu Dhabi. To avoid getting an RFE to show your legal status in the UAE, have your wife include copies of your documentation that you would have received from the UAE with the petition when she files it. The K3 visa for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist even though it's still on the books. Lately, USCIS has been sending both I-130 (for CR-1) and I-129F (for K3) petitions together to the NVC together and the NVC administratively closes the I-129F, which only leaves the I-130 active. Good luck on your journey. Yes I agree with what Ryan H says. In your case, your spouse should file for CR-1 which actually saves you from a lot of hassle. As for the embassies, don't worry about them for now as USCIS first has to approve your petition. Prepare documents for the I-130 and go ahead and file the petition there in the U.S. Once the petition is approved and your case moves to NVC, that would be the time for you to worry about the embassies.	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2010-10-04 01:05:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	interview result: AP	The CO had told me I should be ready to go in about 2 months. It was right on time. All the information they had taken from me at the time of the interview (like old passports information) must have aided in speeding up the checks. Your husband should hear from the embassy around the two months mark. All the best. My husband's interview was today at the Islamabad Embassy. Everything went great, the CO was very nice and friendly. She asked basic questions like 1) what does your wife do? 2) what do you want to do in the US? 3) How did we meet? 4) How long I stayed with him in Pakistan? 6) Which other countries has he been to? 7) if he was shia? (my husband had went to Iraq and Iran for ziarat, thats why they asked him) 8) How he feels about our marriage? 9) Who is the co-sponsor? 10) what does he do? 11) Where does he work? then she asked to see photographs, asked who were our parents and said we make a cute couple. BUT THEN! She pulls out the green 221G paper...My husband knew then its administrative processing The CO didn't ask for any additional documents, she said he qualifies for the visa, the case is fine, but it needs to be sent for further investigation. She also said she'll make sure he gets his passport "within two months" and if not he should contact the embassy. What Im confused about is that, usually when people are put into AP the CO gives no time limit. But here she told my husband 2 months. I don't know if thats a good thing or bad? Im just glad all our paper work was fine and no information was missing, but the AP really broke me...I hope its not too long	S_AL_	Female	Pakistan	2011-12-19 17:50:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	cr-1 visa denied for the 2d time	Simply ask your husband to send you a copy of Notice Of Action I-797. It is given by USCIS when you file a petition with them. That notice should have your husband's name and address, your first and last name and your date of birth. It will also have a receipt number starting with WAC. If your husband does not give you that, there is something fishy and you need to set things straight. Do Not send out any money for any lawyer this "could" be a scam. I understand matters of heart are sensitive and complicated but you need to make sure you are not being led on a blind trail. Good luck.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-21 07:23:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	cr-1 visa denied for the 2d time	Hello everyone... I hope to find some enlightenment to clear my doubts why it happened. Hubby & I got married on 18 April 2010 in Philippines. Hubby applied our 1st CR-1 on Aug. 2010. By December, we got the result. Denied.... They said his birth certificate was fake. Though he was born and raised in NJ, USA. So we applied again after a few months. We decided to apply CR-1 visa again by Feb. 2011. End of Sep. 2011, my husband received a phone call saying that my interview will take place in a month or two. Just got upset coz 2011 ends without receiving any phone call. My husband received a phone call 1st week of March 2012 (gosh, it took a year to find out the result) saying that our CR-1 visa was denied again coz we are married less than 2 years. And now we are planning to hire an immigration lawyer to process my papers. Just to make sure that everything will be handled accordingly. Seeking for an advice for any VJ'ers who had experienced the same OR any opinion with our case why it was denied is highly appreciated. And any idea how much it will cost to take a lawyer? Thank you so much and have great day everyone J CR-1 (Conditional Residence) is an immigrant visa for a couple who has been married for less than 2 years. If your husband told you that USCIS denied the petition just because you are married for less than 2 years, he is telling lies. Petitioner who must be a U.S citizen or a legal permanent resident (Your husband in this case) files a I-130 petition with USCIS for which filing fee is $420. Once USCIS receives the petition, they send an e-mail notification to petitioner followed by a hard copy of Notice of Action most commonly referred to as NOA1 (I-797C). That notice is a receipt stating that USCIS has received your petition. It also has a WAC-XXXXX number on it. If your husband really filed any such petition, ask him to scan to you or mail to you a copy of that NOA1. Once you receive and see that NOA1, only then we can be sure that he really did send in a petition on your behalf and only then we can think of any other possibilities for rejection.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-20 21:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	cr-1 visa denied for the 2d time	Hello everyone... I hope to find some enlightenment to clear my doubts why it happened. Hubby & I got married on 18 April 2010 in Philippines. Hubby applied our 1st CR-1 on Aug. 2010. By December, we got the result. Denied.... They said his birth certificate was fake. Though he was born and raised in NJ, USA. So we applied again after a few months. We decided to apply CR-1 visa again by Feb. 2011. End of Sep. 2011, my husband received a phone call saying that my interview will take place in a month or two. Just got upset coz 2011 ends without receiving any phone call. My husband received a phone call 1st week of March 2012 (gosh, it took a year to find out the result) saying that our CR-1 visa was denied again coz we are married less than 2 years. And now we are planning to hire an immigration lawyer to process my papers. Just to make sure that everything will be handled accordingly. Seeking for an advice for any VJ'ers who had experienced the same OR any opinion with our case why it was denied is highly appreciated. And any idea how much it will cost to take a lawyer? Thank you so much and have great day everyone J CR-1 (Conditional Residence) is an immigrant visa for a couple who has been married for less than 2 years. If your husband told you that USCIS denied the petition just because you are married for less than 2 years, he is telling lies. Petitioner who must be a U.S citizen or a legal permanent resident (Your husband in this case) files a I-130 petition with USCIS for which filing fee is $420. Once USCIS receives the petition, they send an e-mail notification to petitioner followed by a hard copy of Notice of Action most commonly referred to as NOA1 (I-797C). That notice is a receipt stating that USCIS has received your petition. It also has a WAC-XXXXX number on it. If your husband really filed any such petition, ask him to scan to you or mail to you a copy of that NOA1. Once you receive and see that NOA1, only then we can be sure that he really did send in a petition on your behalf and only then we can think of any other possibilities for rejection.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-20 21:56:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Affidavit of Support Question	I am asking this question just in preparation for the upcoming events. Supposedly, my wife's income is below the poverty guidelines and we need a co-sponsor. In that case my mother in law is willing to be the co-sponsor. However, she files her taxes as "married filing jointly" with her husband. I understand my mother in law will have to complete and sign an I-864, provide her tax returns / transcripts, birth certificate and other income related documents but since she she files as "married filing jointly", will we also need approval or I-864 filled and signed by her husband as well? Note: She receives her own benefits and is not dependent on her husband's income. There are only two people living in that household (my mother in law and her husband). My wife lives separately. So the co-sponsor will be from a different household. As always, your advice will be much appreciated.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-22 06:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	wedding pictures in submitting I-I30	Sent in 9 photographs in a clear ziplock bag (Wedding, signing marriage documents, with family). May not really be required at USCIS stage but does not hurt to be prepared or front load a bit does it?	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-20 22:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	income tax advice	First you don't register a marriage in the US. You're married, that's that, no matter where or how you were married. second If one is married they have to file Married separately or married jointly OR head of household if there are other qualifying dependents (children) -To file separately you put FOREIGN SPOUSE where the SSN blank is. -To file jointly you need to get your spouse an individual tax id number (ITIN) and the spouse has to sign the returns and a statement saying they want to be considered as a resident alien for tax purposes. It's very easy to amend tax returns, and people filing single and not married or head of household better do it quick! The IRS is going to figure it out eventually and not be happy. And I'm sure when the returns are submitted for the I-864 and NVC looks at them, their not going to be happy either. I don't know how it works but that is what a tax preparing / filing company called H&R Block told my wife and believing them she filed her taxes as "Single". Thank you for your kind advice.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-11 01:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	income tax advice	We were married in December 2011 but my wife filed her taxes in January 2012 as single. She was told that since I (her husband) am not in the states just yet and do not have a ssn, and to register our marriage in the states I have to be there with her to sign the papers so she cannot file as married filing separately. I don't really know what is true and what is not. Even the customer service representatives at financial institutes can mislead you and get you in trouble	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-10 14:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	After we get the NOA2	another question.. about the IV package Original/certified copy of beneficiary’s birth certificate- does it need to be legalized after translation? Original/certified copy of beneficiary’s and petitioner’s marriage certificate- does it need to be legalized after translation? Original police certificate(s) of the beneficiary-same question here,is a legalization required after translation? If you are sending the Originals make sure you have few copies with you. If you plan on sending certified copies it means you still need to get the copies from same issuing authority with their stamp and sign stating it is certified true copy. As for translations, the translator must declare that he / she is eligible to translate and that the translation is accurate and correct. Better to get it notarized. This is just my opinion. You may wait for other more experienced members advice.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-01 02:32:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IV bill payment	Thank you Saylin	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-05 14:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IV bill payment	I paid the AOS fee of 88 dollars last week. now I got the bill for IV which is 404 dollars. So to understand correctly there are no more fees after that ? how long does it usually take for the counslate to get the file from NVC and how long does it usually take for the counslate to schdule somoene for an interview? when do they ask for Affidavite of support forms etc? No more fee at your end after IV fee. Your spouse may have to pay for sending any paperwork to consulate through courier. If everything goes well at NVC then probably 1-2 weeks till they forward the case to embassy or consulate abroad. Interview date could be 4-8 weeks later after the consulate receives documents. Not sure though it depends on their schedule and varies for different consulates. You may refer to embassy reviews or information section for this. The beneficiary may be asked to show affidavit of support at time of interview. Edited by Musashii, 05 April 2012 - 01:31 PM.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-05 13:29:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	IV bill payment	The IV fee IS for the DS-230. IV stands for Immigrant Visa. The DS-230 form is called the Immigrant Visa Application. It currently costs $330 plus $74, a total of $404. After you pay the AOS and IV fees, there are no more fees to pay. Is not the AOS fee $88 now instead of $74 because it includes biomatrics fee as well.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-05 12:36:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Received Request for Evidence	Hi, Thanks a lot for the info. How do I check online? I do have my case no on the RFE sent to me. I did send in a G-1145 with my email and mobile no. I never really thought about calling by Skype or Google Voice. I will check into that! I am living in Egypt with my husband and we don't have DFC - I filed with Chicago lockbox. I checked the guide you gave me but it just mentions DFC. Is there another guide for my situation? Thanks! Jenny Your petition reached an adjudicator's desk so fast only means that it was categorized as DCF. Maybe you had put your Egypt address on your I-130. You may check your case status at www.uscis.gov There is a column on left side of page with link to check your status online. You can either sign up there to receive updates and add your case to your account portfolio or simply key in your receipt number which starts with WAC.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-07 05:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Received Request for Evidence	Did you receive any I-797C also known as NOA1 after filing your petition? If you did and this request for evidence came in after that then yes it is a good thing. Are you the petitioner and are you living abroad with your spouse? If yes than that might be the reason your petition is receiving prompt attention.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-05 05:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Received Request for Evidence	I am speechless ..... They are still doing petitions from September 2011 but you filed last month and already being processed? Wow I am speechless ..... They are still doing petitions from September 2011 but you filed last month and already being processed? Wow	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-05 05:13:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Evidence of bona fide marriage--opinions	Marriage certificate Pictures of you two together Affidavits from family / friends who were present at time of wedding Any air tickets / passport stamps showing you were present at time of wedding to prove it was not a proxy marriage. Birth certificates That should do. However it is always a good idea to frontload your petition with as much evidence as possible.	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-04-17 07:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Update on W-7 rejection	My wife is planning to file as married filing jointly and for this purpose I sent her a completed and signed W-7 but did not write her name in the delegate part. She said she was told by IRS that she does not need to send W-7 for ITIN to Austin, Texas but just send the whole thing (W-7 and tax return forms) to IRS. Do I need to send her W-7 form again with her name in delegate? It already took 2 weeks for her to receive mail from my country. Also, should she send the W-7 first to get ITIN for me and once she receives then she submits her tax returns?	Musashii	Male	Pakistan	2012-03-28 02:53:00