ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresI-130 approved what's next??
Hello!

I hope everyone is in the best of health! I am a US citizen. I am married to a Tunisian and have been living here since April 2009. On Oct. 20 we went to the embassy to file the petition and were accepted on the spot. Now we are just waiting for the next packet. I was just wondering if anyone could help answer some questions i have?

1st) I will be having my brother as the cosponsor. I have read many places that we both need to provide copies of our past 3 tax returns. But on the embassy website and on the I-864 it says for just the most current year. So I am confused as to what they are actually looking for.

2nd) I know we will have to get the medical exam. We will be doing that when we travel for the appointment as all the dr's are in the capitol which is a 5 hour drive for us. Any ideas on how long the medical exam takes and what exactly it entails?

3rd) Any other words of advice for the nervous couple!!! LOL

In our petition interview the man was very nice! my husband was nervous and his english is not perfect and i think the man was empathetic to that. He laughed a few times with my husband which helped to make things a little less tense. :c) Also is it normal to have your petition approved on the spot like we did? i was told it can sometimes take quite a while.

Thanks so much for any help!!!

lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-10-26 19:48:00
Middle East and North AfricaLeaving today for final interview!!
Barak Allah Feek and thank you all for your good wishes!!!! It went so much smoother than expected!! his appointment was at 11am monday morning. we went in, they took the required documents, and that was it!!! NO INTERVIEW!!!!!! gave him his little pink receipt telling us to return the next day to collect his passport and visa!!!! I still can't believe there was no interview LOL. Alhumdulillah!!! luv.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-25 09:14:00
Middle East and North AfricaLeaving today for final interview!!
barak Allah feek! ?
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-20 11:08:00
Middle East and North AfricaLeaving today for final interview!!
Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatulaahi wa Baraakatuh happy.gif

Insha'Allah everyone is in the best of health. Just wanted to let you know that my husband and I will be leaving at midnight tonight on the train to Tunis (capital). His medical appointment is scheduled for tomorrow morning and the visa appointment is on Monday kicking.gif So insha'Allah everything will go well! Please keep us in your dua!

luv.gif


lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-20 07:22:00
Middle East and North Africaharissa??
QUOTE (Berber Mama @ Nov 29 2009, 03:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yes, you can find it in some Wal-Mart's where they have bigger selections of ethnic foods. We live in Florida and my husband buys his usually at the local Publix or even the smaller international food stores. It's very easily found.


great news!! thank you!! we have both a publix and walmart so inshallah one or the other will have it! bc lord knows he will just die if he doesn't have his harissa LOL he even puts it in ramen noodles! (which i brought from america haha)
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-29 15:30:00
Middle East and North Africaharissa??
QUOTE (Vanessa1 @ Nov 29 2009, 02:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I didn't know what harissa was so I did a Google search out of curiosity. I came up with a bunch of places you can buy online so you might try it too. I hope it helps!



thank you!! i know we can buy it in NYC but we will be in florida first. my husband puts it on almost everything loool. so maybe we will have to order it! tongue.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-29 14:58:00
Middle East and North Africaharissa??
Does anyone know where to buy harissa in America?? (for example..does walmart have it?) whistling.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-29 14:21:00
Middle East and North AfricaVisa Approved!
Thank you all so much!! It is so exciting!! May Allah make the way for all your journey's as smooth as ours alhumdulillah!!

EID Mubarak!!!
happy.gif

lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-25 18:35:00
Middle East and North AfricaVisa Approved!
Barak Allah Feek and thank you all for your good wishes!!!! It went so much smoother than expected!! his appointment was at 11am monday morning. we went in, they took the required documents, and that was it!!! NO INTERVIEW!!!!!! gave him his little pink receipt telling us to return the next day to collect his passport and visa!!!! I still can't believe there was no interview LOL. Alhumdulillah!!! luv.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-25 11:31:00
Middle East and North AfricaComing to America!
Hi everyone!! Assalaamu Alaikum!

We just booked our flight!!! Kamel will be flying for the first time in his life!! he has never traveled before and has not seen much outside of his village here in tunisia! Just woundering if any of your spouses were in a similar boat on their first time going to america and what their reactions were to the plane and america!! kicking.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-30 13:58:00
Middle East and North AfricaFacebook??
QUOTE (charles! @ Nov 29 2009, 04:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
i'm on it, but mostly to play mafia wars, castle age, and pirates blush.gif



haha!!! i cant play any of those as our internet is too slow here in tunisia unsure.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-29 19:35:00
Middle East and North AfricaFacebook??
does anyone have facebook?? would love to have some friends from the forum!! blush.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-29 15:27:00
Middle East and North AfricaComing to America!
QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Dec 2 2009, 11:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Best wishes and luck to both of you.

My husband is Tunisian and a good husband by any standard. His family is not rich, but the home was clean (though basic) and 7 people in one house were never fighting or violent. They talk really loud, but it's their way and what they are saying is not mean or anything. My hubby spent time at the cafe with his friends and his father had the same behavior, but it was typically for a few hours in the evening and he always came home to converse with his wife and help out in the house.

I understand that children typically follow the lesson set by their parents, but perhaps that won't be the case and her husband is very different! I'm sure he will come to appreciate the cleanliness and modern amenities that your American home has. incha allah el kol labes.


yes everyone here often says they think my husband is adopted because he is so different from the rest of his family lol. the bugs just come with the territory i think. qll doors open to the outside. my sis in law cleans every morning so it is clean. Kamel is good by any standards but maybe i am just demanding. if he goes out at night i don't mind, but if has been working all day i do prefer he spend 3 hours with me and 1 with them instead of the opposite lol. but alhumdulillah really. his mom and sisters are sooooooo good to me. his father is wonderful to me as well. but he isnt to his actual daughters. idk its all confusing to me lol. i have heard that the people in the south are a bit different then those in the north.

anyway :c) maybe i should not have said those things about my husband. but about his father, my husband does not like him. often times he will say he never wants to see his face, strictly bc how he treats his family. it has been my husband to pay for all the surgeries his mother needs etc...and her medicine. and when i first came and got VERY sick, (we think from bad chicken) and was in the hospital, my husband never left my side and was the ultimate care taker mashallah. he wont even let me walk on the outside of him when we walk in the street. he always takes me hand and leads me away from the side the cars come on. so alhumdulillah and inshallah i don't think he will follow in his father's footsteps :c)
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-12-02 15:23:00
Middle East and North AfricaComing to America!
QUOTE (Vanessa1 @ Dec 1 2009, 11:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thank you all so much for sharing these stories. I don't know if this applies because my husband isn't here yet but I was thinking about the 8 weeks I spent in Morocco this summer and the culture shock I went through. I'm not just talking about seeing people walk on the freeways or the look of horror on my face when I first asked to use the bathroom and saw what I'd have to do for the next 8 weeks. If I didn't love him so much I think I would have gone straight back to the Casa airport right then! LOL!

I knew the adjustment was difficult on some fronts but I didn't realize how much until I was back home and back at work. I felt so bad because they were SOOO hospitable and wouldn't allow me to do much of anything. I felt so much like I was taking advantage of them, even though that's not how they saw it. One evening I wrestled a dish out of my husband's mother's hand so I could clean the dishes. They rarely even let me do that. I worried about not doing enough to help out (because they wouldn't let me) and then I worried about being rude...I don't know that arm wrestling your mother-in-law over dish soap is all that culturally acceptable there. LOL! I also got very sick, we're guessing from the water, but it stayed with me for a long time.

The hardest thing was not being able to talk to anyone. Somehow though, my mother-in-law and I especially, we figured out ways to communicate. When I came home I was surprised at how many stories started with "we were watching tv when..." and I thought geez, I watched a lot of tv over there. Then I realized it was our little translator. The tv programs would be in English, with Arabic subtitles, and so we could all find some commonality in that and could use the few words I knew and gestures to communicate. The day before Omar and I left to go to another part of the country his mom started crying and I knew what she meant because I felt it too. We were bawling and hugging for about an hour before he and I left and I miss her so much. I feel like I will be so much better prepared for the visit next time now that I know a few things and won't have so much culture shock.

But it brought us closer too. My husband took such good care of me and his family too. I remember very distinctly the day I was throwing up (thanks to the water) and was violently ill. His mom was holding me up and holding the bucket and he came in and saw what was going on. The look of worry on his face I had never seen and how he took care of me in the days that followed was so sweet and so loving and so him. We also had adjustments but we learned that we were really able to talk about things when they needed to be discussed and we could get through it.

My husband and I talked about it recently and he was concerned that he will go through the same things. I am too. He asked me if I thought he would and I told him that I definitely think so. I think the fact that he saw me go through it might help (although it is just a guess) but I am also including him on certain things now so when he gets here he can find something to hold on to so he doesn't feel as much a fish out of water. I also am having him talk to my family on cam now and we are planning activities together as a family, him included, for when he arrives. My mom was so cute the other day too and he was explaining Eid to her and she said "Well, we'll have to get you a ram when you get here." So I'm trying to help him build bonds with them too now so he doesn't feel as alone when he gets here.

I don't know what the answer is but you obviously have something that has carried you this far. Use those bonds to help with this trying time. Remember it was difficult for you in his country and be understanding as he goes through the same thing. He may not even realize he's going through it but talk about it when you can and keep him busy. No matter what, enjoy the time because it is what you've done all of this for and what you have worked so hard and been waiting for. It is a joyous time so celebrate what you have and be happy! smile.gif


yeah the culture shock is pretty extreme!!! 8 months here is definitly enough for me!! i am always lonely...and after the so-called "honey-moon" phase wore off he reverted back to his old lifestyle of always going to the cafe with his friends, no matter what time of night...etc. don't get me wrong, he is an amazing husband according to TUNISIAN standards loool. but i think he will be amazed when he sees how my father treats my mother etc. his father is never home and doesn't exactly talk to his mother unless it is in a violent outburst.

just as much as the loud talking, always fighting, name calling, hitting, choking, etc within his family were shocking to me, i am sure the love, quietness, respectfulness will be as shocking to him. but i hope he will appreciate it. his sister already told him he can just turn on the webcam so he can feel at home with the fighting looool.

the cleanliness is another thing. just as it was shocking to me that everytime i use the bathroom to have flies swarming around my head and a nice big cockroach staring back at me, or when i went into the kitchen to get a dish and reached in the cupboard and all the cockroaches would scatter loool. it has actually become normal for me, but he has never seen a clean, bug free house before. so it will be interesting as to his reaction.

thank goodness my best friends husband is also tunisian. he has been in the states for 10 years now. so i think he will be very good for kamel and help him through things also. he will also be a good role model as he is also an amazing husband to my friend. smile.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-12-02 08:44:00
Middle East and North AfricaComing to America!
Hi everyone!! Assalaamu Alaikum!

We just booked our flight!!! Kamel will be flying for the first time in his life!! he has never traveled before and has not seen much outside of his village here in tunisia! Just woundering if any of your spouses were in a similar boat on their first time going to america and what their reactions were to the plane and america!! kicking.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-30 13:58:00
Middle East and North Africaour nightmare is over
congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-12-02 08:55:00
Middle East and North AfricaMENA Baby Names
Definitely a fun post!!!

Insha'Allah when my husband and I have children we like the names:

boy: Ibrahim Aziz
girl: Sophia Rania
luv.gif

lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-16 21:49:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresvisa on hold because of my religion
I am sorry, I just realized I overlooked your longest post regarding your Nikah and Hajj pilgrimage. Inshallah everything will work out for you brother. It is unimaginable to me why they would ask such questions! Especially coming from an American Embassy. May Allah guide them Ameen. And remember brother that Allah(SWT) tests those whom He loves....so mashallah He must love you and your wife so so much. Alhumdulillah for all! ?
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-12 22:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Proceduresvisa on hold because of my religion
QUOTE (simps @ Nov 6 2009, 10:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
we went to the interview in mumbai india and they basically harrassed my wife until noon about her religion and then they said that they need proof that i am no longer christian and that i converted to islam. they said without it that they cannot issue a visa to my wife. we are having our imam from my city write a letter stating that he knows me to be a muslim. the way my wife described it to me is that they wanted some kind of document from the government that i changed my religion and noone i know seems to think there even is such a thing in america. has anyone heard of this kind of document existing in america? thank you all for your advice.


I am also Muslim. I would think, since you said in another response, that you were married in India, you should have your marriage certificate. On ours here in Tunisia it was both a government and religious ceremony. Also do you have any photos from the wedding of the dua that normally takes place? You could show that. Or just recite Al-Fatiha for them LOL... tongue_ss.gif
lauramajriFemaleTunisia2009-11-12 22:31:00
United Kingdomwhat is consulate recieved
is it a letter? if so what does it contain?

thx innocent.gif
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-02-07 07:52:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionwhat is in packet 3????????????????????
hi helpsmilie.gif

can someone plz tell me what are the documents that r listed in packet 3 so i can prepare them and send them as soon as i get my packet 3 . plzzzzzzzzzzz


tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-02-07 16:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportswhat after the NVC left
QUOTE (johndecka @ Jan 31 2009, 02:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (tamani @ Jan 31 2009, 01:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
im soooooooo huppy kicking.gif , hamdulillah, our visa was approved and my fiance recieved a letter on january 27 while we were talking online. it is saying that the NVC sent it to the embassy in tunis, i want to know what will happen after that. innocent.gif


The embassy will send PAcket 3 to ur fiance .
Have ur fiance gather documents for packet 3.
Packet 3 can be download online. it will show what will needed.

thank u for answering my question, but the consular didnt recieve it yet. in the letter , they said in one week the consular will recieve it, inshalah i will download the packet 3 and prepare what is needed. thank god i live 30 min away from the embassy of tunis
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-01-31 13:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportswhat after the NVC left
im soooooooo huppy kicking.gif , hamdulillah, our visa was approved and my fiance recieved a letter on january 27 while we were talking online. it is saying that the NVC sent it to the embassy in tunis, i want to know what will happen after that. innocent.gif
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-01-31 13:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportscan i call the us embassy in tunis and ask if they recieved our k1
QUOTE (cdneh @ Feb 7 2009, 09:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (tamani @ Feb 8 2009, 01:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
on january 27 , my us fiance recieved a letter saying nvc sent the k1 to the us embassy in tunis, we r waiting now for the consulate to recieve it, can we call the embassy to ask them or if we can send packet 3 in order to speed the process. thx in advance



smile.gif


Did they say it was sent, or that it would be sent within a week.


i think they said it would be sent within a week, yeah, ur right. star_smile.gif
thx and congratulation for u

Edited by tamani, 07 February 2009 - 02:12 PM.

tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-02-07 14:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportscan i call the us embassy in tunis and ask if they recieved our k1
on january 27 , my us fiance recieved a letter saying nvc sent the k1 to the us embassy in tunis, we r waiting now for the consulate to recieve it, can we call the embassy to ask them or if we can send packet 3 in order to speed the process. thx in advance



smile.gif
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-02-07 07:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsk1 visa approval!
QUOTE (jinxlovesjeeves @ Feb 6 2009, 08:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
approved!





CONGRATS
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-02-07 15:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportspolice report and packet 3
we recieved our packet 3 a week ago and im waiting for police report to be done, it takes 2 weeks or more


so can i send the packet 3 without it then bring it with me in the interview, just to speed up the process

thx in advance
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-03-06 02:02:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedurespacket 3 checlist
can someone tell me what is the packet 3 list of documents plzzzzzzzzzzzz smile.gif
tamaniFemaleTunisia2009-02-09 15:39:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE For I130!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi, we sent the copies , cos we wanted to reply as fast as we can , so i scanned the handwritten certificate from the municipality stamped by the State office and foreign affairs in french and it's translation and e-mailed them to my wife ..
also they didn't say they ask for original copies.but sometimes i get confused about that.now what is done is done..we just wait for God's help and their decision ...
mouniozMaleTunisia2010-07-31 05:58:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE For I130!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Bobby :), we already sent back the RFE with what they request..im asking when they will respond and update the status??.thanks
mouniozMaleTunisia2010-07-30 07:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE For I130!!!!!!!!!!!!
Komang I appreciate so much your help ,your informations are very useful, Thank you so much my friend:)
i hope they will respond soon ,, do you have any idea about the timeline of responses for I130's RFEs??
mouniozMaleTunisia2010-07-30 05:16:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresRFE For I130!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Everybody , we just got a RFE for our i130 after 4 months since we got the NOA1, it's about getting a Marriage certificate signed by the Tunisian authority and foreign affairs , and we just sent it , but i got a hand written certificate , im worry if it will be a problem because maybe they are used to the regular Marriage certificate from the municipalities in Tunisia which is similar to the birth certificate , i want to know if anyone had a HAND WRITTEN Marriage certificate from Tunisia??? and if anybody thinks that this can affect the RFE..Thank you
mouniozMaleTunisia2010-07-29 09:08:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresCalling USCIS?!
unfortunately nothing is perfect , Sachinky i don't think indians have your sense of humor but the good sense of humor is when people appreciate it , but nobody wants those answers ,is like ur making fun of people and it's not funny, this forum is made to respect and help each other because the majority of us are living far from their loved ones.we are not teenagers Sachinky if its the case for you , you have to be more mature.
About the question ,through our experience i do think that calling uscis to make the process faster is really useless unfortunately , calling Uscis is made for people that they don't have internet access so that they can check the status by phone ,, no more than that. Good luck for everybody
mouniozMaleTunisia2010-07-31 05:41:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & ProceduresChoice of Agent!!!
Hi everybody, we got our Noa2 recently,so we are getting prepared for the next steps,we haven't get an NVC case number yet,
my question is about the DS3032,,im confused about it cos if the papers will be recieved and sent to and from Tunis it will take forever,i want to know through your experiences if better that my wife will be my agent to save time and to secure that the papers will be sent properly??? Thank you
mouniozMaleTunisia2010-08-09 11:32:00