ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Middle East and North Africahome sick before even leaving?

your signature says you got your ...never mind,it got a bit misleading.when they put you in AP it already means you are approved,they wouldnt waste their time APing the reject petitions or the ones they are sending back


:lol: I know what you mean. AP is STRANGE. You are technically approved BUT there is still that 2% chance that you can still be denied! My fiance told me of a guy that was rejected during AP. But it is VERY rare. BUT I have heard that ladies go through AP quicker than the guys because military is not something that is mandatory.
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-12 21:39:00
Middle East and North Africahome sick before even leaving?

we are moving to middle of nowhere california.the place he is stationed at is bridgeport,like 2 hours away from reno nevada,and other option is middle of nowhere nevada,so either way,we are stuck away from people.not that i mind,im a loner,i wont miss anyone or anything as much as my mother,just because we have been through so much for so long together.hopefully the distance and everything else will be worth it

PS: i just noticed your fiance didnt get AP,thats like LUCK right there


LOL, we're also loners. :) I guess us lone wolves need a companion after a while! Its totally worth it if you know for sure that he is the one. Follow your heart. :)

QUA??? :blink: We were in AP for 69 days. It will test all of your patience and sanity!! He had his interview on Dec 7 and AP was over on Feb 14.
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-12 21:17:00
Middle East and North Africahome sick before even leaving?

bekah you are amazing,i didnt how deeply caring people can be on here,even tho ive been on this website for a long long time.
i feel for your fiance,feeling like this is one aspect of it,how he feels towards feeling like this is another.
im definitely going to get into volunteering ,animal shelters are my Favorite.
i really hope by some divine miracle this government changes,so you and my marine fiance can come and see what a beautiful country iran can be.



This is an experience that is changing all of our lives. I did not choose to meet a man from Iran, I was not interested in a relationship, but we were at the right place at the right time and I cannot imagine my life now without ever knowing him. :wub: What you and my fiance is doing is one hell of a sacrifice and I tell him very often how I appreciate him coming here. :) I LOVE my man, I want no other. (L)

I do hope to see your country one day. funny thing is that i studied Middle Eastern art history. It was just an extra course for my degree that turned into my focus. Ancient Persia was on that menu. Now my fiance sends me DVDs and art books of Iran and it looks beautiful. He agrees that its not very wise to go now but he cannot wait to show me around. :lol:

We both are very big into volunteering, so luckily for him, nearby there are lots of places that accepts volunteers. Also, have him find you places that will some some of your staple foods. Luckily for you, you will be in Cali which has a massive population of Iranians. Florida....not so much. There are small groupings in certain cities but not where i live, so I did my best to search the Pakistani and Indian (YES i know its not the same!!) food stores here to try and find some semblance of foods he will love. I know the only thing he told me he could not live without was Doogh (Aryan) and I found that! :lol:

There are so many things you man can do that will help you feel at home once you come. Even though I am on the other side of the country, feel free to contact me anytime is you feel the need to have an ear. Support is one thing you will need and i am sure I am not the only one who will be willing to do so. Geez, there needs to be a support group for those of us gals bringing MENA men over and how to tolerate stupid people saying meanie things! :lol:

We are ALL in this together.
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-12 11:31:00
Middle East and North Africahome sick before even leaving?
Oh OP! My fiance is having the same feelings too. Even though he is an independent guy, he still cares deeply for his parents. Feel free to talk to your man. Please. Only keeping this worry to yourself will only one day lead you to take out some frustration on him by accident! I was happy when he started telling me about some of his homesickness fears.

How do I plan on helping him handle his homesickness? he can call his family anytime he wants. He never needs to ask me! :) We are going to be so freaking busy with the wedding stuff, he will not have much time to think. Once he get some ID, I will get him into volunteering (his idea). The more time he spends laying around the house and the internet, he is going to get sad. It was how i overcame homesickness when i lived abroad (before we met). I had to adapt to daily life quickly or I was going to be sad a lot.

I worry to going to his country even though I want to see it! But for now, we are planning a meet and greet in Turkey, a country to which all of us enjoys going to! His mother is your mother's age also. Do something like that in the future. Dubai is also really nice to go to.

By him knowing how you feel, the more he can do to help you the best he can. these are normal feelings. As for your mom...i hope that she bonds with friends and neighbors to help her through this. :)

I will keep you and my man in my thoughts. Good luck with everything! :star:

ps: And remember there are a menagerie of feelings going on on his end too!! LOL :D
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-12 01:21:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWelcome to the united states of america!
Congratulations and have a great time packing and moving!! Have a safe trip! :dance:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-24 11:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresi got AP
hopefully yours will go smoothly!!! B-) . I know its length is determined by consulate. For us, they informed him in his packet 3 how long the wait can be (6 weeks to 6 months...hopefully). They told us a minimum of 6 weeks. So we waited and after the 6 weeks mark, I regularly emailed and contacted them every week. Then for a total of 69 days after our interview, we got the email from the consulate that his AP was over! :dance: My advice, do not be afraid to email them and be patient. We were anxious like crazy psychos after 8 weeks!! :lol: Good luck to you!!!!
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-20 00:40:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNOA2 after 9 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CONGRATS!!!! And good luck on the rest of your journey!! :star: :star: :star:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-23 12:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresNOA2 TODAY!!!
Awwww!! Congrats and good luck on the rest of your journey!! :star:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-24 21:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCairo U.S. Embassy: April 2011 News
So happy to hear this! Good luck to everybody!! :dance:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-28 23:42:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresInterviewed today and APPROVED !!!

Today was the best day of our life! 

We just had our interview this morning at the US embassy in Naples, italy and after a few questions we were told her visa and passport will be ready to pick up at the Mail Box Etc. ( not far from the embassy) @ 5 PM.  

We had the medical exam the day before (Monday) and they said they will send the results directly to the embassy before our interview.  The exam consisted of taking her height/weight, blood pressure, blood test and a long wait for the x-ray.  The exam was done by a male doctor with a female assistant. They were considerate of personal privacy and space.  It didn't require taking your clothes off and the female assistant would help lift her shirt for the doctor to listen to her lungs and breathing.  However, taking the chest x-ray was rather done without any regard to personal privacy and the male radiologist would just ask everyone to take everything off from waste up ( including bra) and didn't give any robe to cover up.  This was the most uncomfortable part of the exam, which I hope they will change by at least giving the person a hospital gown to cover-up and not be treated like that.  Anyway the results were at the embassy on the interview day as we were kind of nervous, because everything we had read, said to bring the exam result with us to the interview.  After the medical exam we were told to go to the embassy for fingerprinting at 2:00 PM. 

Today (next day), we arrived just before 7 AM at the embassy and there were already couple others waiting in line.  Just before 7:30 one of the guards collected the passports, then after a few minutes called people by name. By this time others had arrived and were worried their passports weren't collected, but the guards said they will get them later.  The guard gave the passport and a number and told us to proceed to 2nd floor.  For those wondering, yes the companion (in this case husband) were allowed inside as long as you should your US passport. 

We went to the same room we were the day before (after our medical) for fingerprinting.  First they called by numbers and they checked to make sure all docs were in file and asked for originals.  We were lucky to have copies of everything originally sent to NVC, because continuation page to our form DS-230 was missing,   She said it was probably lost at NVC, so I gave her our extra copy.  :)
After this point we were told to sit and wait to be called for the interview.  People were called in a different order for the interview and many of them had issues with their forms.  One lady had lost her luggage and her original documents in it, so she was having a hard time explaining.   Overall, they were very helpful with people and tried anything to help.  Three others who were called ahead of us were also approved.  Each interview took less than 5 minutes with very simple questions (how did you meet?  When did you meet? What is your job? Etc).  From the 8 of us 4 didn't get their visas for various issues with their documents. 

We went to the Mail Box etc. at 5 and got what we've been waiting for almost a year (which seemed like eternity). 

Like others have noted in this forum it is VERY IMPORTANT to have copies of everything sent and all original documents.  For example I (the US citizen petitionor) was asked for my original Iranian birth certificate and it wasn't one of the documents listed as required!   So, better to be prepared than be caught surprised!!! 

We had tons of pictures, airline tickets, 300+ pages of phone records, etc, but weren't asked for any of them, but you never know. :)


That is wonderful!!! Congrats!!! :star: :star: :star: :star:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-09-16 19:09:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresWelcome to the united states of america!
Congratulations and have a great time packing and moving!! Have a safe trip! :dance:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-24 11:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureswhat is "file number' in the g325 a form??
I put "NONE" or "N/A" for just about everything that did not pertain to either of us. We had no issues at all. :)
alibekahFemaleIran2011-01-15 12:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureswhat is "file number' in the g325 a form??

im confused, it says to put 'file number" after citizenship nationality. what do i put for me, who became a citizen after my mom got naturalized?? i am not sure.

also, what do i put for my fiance, whos a honduran citizen? they have a "cedula" number over there, thats their citizen card. do i put that number?

also, in "my citzenship was acquired thru" question do i check 'parents" or 'naturalization'. i never got naturalized, my mom did and i was 13 so i becme a citizen. she never got a citizen number thing (idk what its called) for me though, just for her.


please help!!!!! thanks!


For the g325 form, if you are a US citizen, you do not put anything next to the "A", just write the word "NONE". That is for legal resident aliens, they would have an A-number.

my fiance also had a national ID, he does not need to put that number, instead a translated copy of it should be sent when the embassy asks for it (they did for my fiance in Packet 3).

for your last question, were you born here? those questions pertain to you if your were NOT born on US soil. If you were not, you're going to need a copy of your certificate. Its going to be worth having because they will ask for copies of that. If i remember, there is another option where you will have to type a statement where you explain how you got your citizenship. But it would be very wise to have that certificate.

Good luck on filling that form. You know what really helped us filing out all that governmental jargon? Go to your local library and find the book "Fiance & Marriage Visas - A couples guide to US Immigrations" by Nolo. Nolo Book this book explains everything very clearly step by step in simple to understand English.

Best of luck to you. :)
alibekahFemaleIran2011-01-15 01:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAnyone else stuck in the Administartive Process??

Ladies, I am inclined to join this conversation despite I am not necessarily in the same position. I am here in the states but I am in the military and I'm deploying in July. I checked out the average times on here and it puts us at June for my finacee to get her visa - need I say more. But I will cause that's just half the issue..she's originally from Brazil but lives in London (that's where our case will be going, but we just received our approved NOA2 on 08 Feb 2011). To me she has mentally checked out of London and this has only added to stress of waiting. Then you have me over here stressed out preparing and anticipating my deploying while missing her and frustrated with these long wait times. It's just bringing out the worst in us and we irritable now and argue over little things. What advice can you give to me and how can I encourage her and be more supportive?


No problem, you can write here, technically AP is a test in patience! I'd like to think those of us who are "waiting" are feeling the same way! :lol:

One, congrats on your NOA2!! I am reading about so many others who have been waiting MONTHS for theirs!

I am to assume that luckily for you, your wait will be significantly less in the long run than those of us who have partners from the middle east (I'd like to think that its not only Iran!). We did not know a head of time what AP was.We learned all of this checking other member's timeliness and him asking on their Persian version of VJ (that is what its like to me anyways :yes: )

I remember that it was me who mentally checked him out of Iran when we got the NOA2 also. We also had some arguments over the dumbest things, thankfully the language barrier is very thin and that helped a lot. There were not many misunderstandings. But it was over something more serious when he broke down because he felt useless that as my partner he could not be here to comfort me. That was my moment where I had to pull my own head out of my rear and realize that this is not only stressing me out, but him as well. We learned that we cannot control forces that are not in our hands. I am not saying that we do not get anxious, we do but we have learned to change the subject. Our bond is much stronger than going loco over what the embassy is doing. I feel like the wait tests the relationship. He even said at one point, "Imagine what else we can suffer through if we can deal with this separation!"

For you though, it will come to a point, it has to, where its too much to handle the "what if?!" stress. Change the subject to something more positive if necessary. I handle this anxious energy by taking long walks, I take TaiChi and an open studio (for painting) in the evenings. I am artistic so getting back into painting has helped me a lot. I am writing another script for a new puppet short film...you both have to find something to occupy the time. Taking that anxiety to your chat times will only lead to more arguments. We've been there, done that. B-)

Always remind each other why you love each other. Remember why this journey is absolutely worth it. I just happened to be at the right place and at the right time when I met him. Imagine if just 1 minor thing changed how your life will be totally different now. Its amazing to think about it that way.

Good luck to you both. Its Valentine's Day Monday! Send her flowers if you can afford it! I got poetry books from my man :luv: (yay!!!) On Monday, make the chat time about reminiscing how you met. That get us ladies happy!

Everything will be fine. You got the NOA2, the hard part is over! Just wait for your Packet 3 (start gathering the paperwork), interview date and the interview. Yes more waiting but that is just part of the process.

Take care. :)
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-12 10:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAnyone else stuck in the Administartive Process??

AP is inevitable for male beneficiaries from all over middle east,not just iran.if you read the instructions that they have on their website carefully,they state that all Iranian beneficiaries HAVE TO go through AP,its just that for females it wont take that long.it can take up to 6 months but it doesnt necessarily mean there is something wrong,its normal.


LOL. Oh i know. ^_^ They send the petitioner (me!!) the Packet 3 in the email. I fwd it to my man and while waiting for him to come home from work for our daily chat time, i was reading through it. I nearly fainted when i read about the the up to 6 months part at the bottom of Packet 3. My heart stopped!! :o

Its just hard to wait, that's all. I am ready to start my new life with my partner. Especially since it took me this long to find him! So of course its harder to wait!!!

Good luck on your journey and Happy valentine's Day! B-)
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-12 02:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAnyone else stuck in the Administartive Process??

Hi Rebekah,
We are in the same boat and deeply understand how you feel. it is 72 days since our interview. we provided whatever they asked for, he came with me and attended the interview. The officer returned the papers and pictures and said check the website for your number to appear after 7 or 10 days. I started to check the site from the night of interview :blush:
After one month we sent them a follow up e-mail and they replied that the AP of our case will take approximately 1 or 2 months. Well we entered the 3rd month now and nothing happened. We have put our lives on hold and can do nothing except just waiting :(


Hey!

Yeah, i know. :( They always reply with that "the administrative process can take from 6 weeks to 6 months. We have no control over the cases and post them as we receive them". So silly. So you had the interview! It usually takes much less time for ladies to get their Visa than the men. My goodness.

I wish the best for both of you. It sucks being apart but I know I have to try and keep positive even though its super hard sometimes. I love him dearly and I would wait forever if it meant that...but it would be nice if we were kept abreast as to what was happening every once and a while.

It is exactly like putting your whole life on hold. ...sighs...

Well girly, have a Happy Valentine's Day. :wub::) We should thank our lucky stars that we met our beloved. Mine is in Iran, yours is here in the US...it doesn't matter, we found them!

Best wishes. :)
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-12 02:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresAnyone else stuck in the Administartive Process??
Good evening everyone! I feel the need to seek love from others who are also in the dreaded administrative process. :luv: 66 Days for us. I am sure others are in it too. I am hoping the other USA/Iran couples will share some love too. I cannot read Persian so I cannot gripe with everyone else on Mohejesara!! but if others are also waiting, how long have you been waiting?

He did his interview at the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. We had a good interview, the personnel were nice but what bothers me the most is that the interviewer said, "Everything looks excellent!" they just wanted to hear how good his English was, they only asked about his job and just more details for how we met, that was it. He asked her if they needed anything from us since we both were present!! they said, "no" and they handed him the blue paper and told him to wait for our case number to show up on their website and just come back to get the Visa.

If everything looked excellent, then why are we still anxiously waiting for our number to appear? :huh: yes, I have emailed them (every week). I always tell them to please contact us for any reason because we have been open and transparent from the start.

Its just annoying more than anything. We want to plan the wedding, we want to plan our lives. All we can do is talk in hypothetical scenarios about our future and that's annoying. <_<

I am suddenly reminded of the annoying children song we used to sing on the bus "this is the song that doesn't end. it goes for on a on on my friends!..." :lol:

Rebekah
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-11 01:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresPost Decision Activity
Congrats!!!! Revel in the NOA2 happiness :D :dance:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-23 20:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Proceduresi129f approved in less than 1 month???
Awww congrats on your NOA2!! :dance: Good luck at the interview when you get the date!!!
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-17 23:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresNOA 2 Hard Copy recieved within 25days from NOA1
Congrats and good luck during the rest of the process!!! :dancing:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-27 01:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresGovernment Shutdown?

USCIS is funded by the application fees.


:lol: That I agree with 100% This is not a cheap process!! :lol:


...but incredibly worth it!! :luv:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-02-27 01:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedurespaying for employment forms???
I understood it as this: AFTER he arrives and you two get married. If you file the I-765 ALONG or AFTER I-485 then you do not have to pay the $380. I got my conclusion from here (which i placed in BOLD) We will be doing our stuff to in a couple of months so I have been researching this also:

"Filing Fee :
$380
Special Instructions :

If you filed a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, on July 30, 2007, or after, and you paid the I-485 application fee required, then no fee is required to file a request for employment authorization on Form I-765. You may file the I-765 together with your I-485, or you may submit the I-765 at a later date. If you file Form I-765 separately, you must also submit a copy of your Form I-797C, Notice of Action, receipt as evidence of the filing of a Form I-485."
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-04 00:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresHELP! Questions on K1 Visa Application Forms

My petition is under initial review as of this moment. But as i was reading up on K1 tips and guides online, I'm wondering if the items below will affect the processing of my approval --

1. On my G325A form, I failed to write NONE or N/A on the portion that says File Number and Alien Registration Number.
2. The fiance letter of intent that I submitted didn't have the USCIS address on its heading (but it was duly signed by me and dated properly)

Will USCIS be so strict about these things?
Please clarify.

Thanks a lot!


1. it should be fine without it. I do not think they would reject you. Just remember to put N/A or NONE in the future.

2. It should also be fine also. For your packet 3 (in the future), you should include an updated intent to marry and you will be putting the embassy's address. Something to remember for the future :) I do not think it will aid in a rejection, just something that may be frown upon since we are talking about basic formal letter writing, you know?

Good luck to you! I do not think there is nothing to worry about. But others are free to chime in. :thumbs:

Edited by alibekah, 09 March 2011 - 11:29 PM.

alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-09 23:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresQuick G-325 Question!!

So, my fiance and I have been putting together the package for our I-129F, and while filling out the G-325 forms, we have come to a bit of a snag on the employment history section. For the addresses, I've just been putting the city and the province/state, whereas my fiance feels it needs to be the full street/mailing address.

Which one is correct and/or preferable?

Thanks!! :D


We put just the name, city and state and we had no issues. There didn't seem to be room for the full address! :lol: Plus everywhere we have worked was nothing super complicated. Example, there's only ONE Joann Fabric's in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. If there was more than one, I would have added a sheet with the full address.

Hope that helps. Others may have had different experiences, but we had no trouble at all. Good luck on your journey! :star:
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-19 00:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI'm the USC, going to travel early april again

Hello all. Sorry to possibly beat a dead horse here. I mailed out my I-129F petition last thursday, the NOA1 should come soon within this week. Me and my fiancee have been apart, coming on to 3 months. I'm going to go see her again, spend another 25 days with her hopefully. I am planning on buying a round trip ticket. Last time I went, it was to first meet her. I was so focused on traveling alone for the first time and all the different nervous feelings of meeting her/possibly not getting picked up by her and her family like she said, that I never thought to give an address to immigration in Brazil, didn't have her address memorized, yet it was in the notebook I carried with me... just didn't think of it somehow.

I saw on the immigration form that you fill out on the plane that they wanted contact information of the place where I was staying... it read something like: (address, phone number, OR email). I thought I knew her email address... we didn't contact through email hardly at all, basically added each other on skype/msn/facebook, and so you know, you don't email each other when you have all that. her email... hmm I'll make one up for the sake of sparing her possible who-knows-what lol. let's say if her name was, angela spear miller... her email address was like this: angela.spearm@hotmail.com. When I filled out the form, I used her short name instead. For example, I'm Matthew, I go by Matt all the time... so if she was angela, I wrote it as follows: angel.spearm@hotmail.com. I didn't realize I was wrong until I was in person with her staying at her home lol. So I accidently gave them the wrong one!

Now I know it, know her address... I plan on taking my entire I-129F petition copy, which is in a binder. Is there any speed bumps I should prepare for when going through immigration again? Honestly last time, the officer just looked at my form, didn't look at me... he stamped it, did whatever else and I was free to go. Do I just go ahead and explain the mistake so that maybe they can take note of it? I don't want it to look like it was intentional or something. I know they'll see the difference, if they log it. Any other advice? the whole process of getting through immigration there, was no questions asked at all. None whatsoever. Just friendly smiles and a gesture by the final guy as if saying "you may proceed". Anyone with any suggestions/tips or an answer to my "wrong" email contact, please let me know ASAP! Take care everyone, hope all is well!

Sincerely,
Matthew


i think you will be fine. I travel A LOT and I don't always remember my sister billion-digit Swiss number, but her home addy, I know by heart. They are not going to beat you up and detain you if you do not write her email/ph down. I have never been to Brazil, so I do not know if they do things different down there but from going to Many countries in the EU and to Turkey; no issues. I usually carry all my travel destinations contact info on a smaller sheet of paper inside my passport cover/sleeve (something you buy separately). I suggest doing that. :)

have fun!! and safe travels!!
:D
alibekahFemaleIran2011-03-21 22:37:00