Interview at Algerian Embassy today!

[momof1 205]

WTH is happening in Algeria these days. Mandy, I"m so sorry for you and for Danni too. Our case is atypical and not a good example, but they were so kind to my husband at his interview. The only time they got attitude was when they asked to see his work authorization and he told them to call his lawyer if they wanted to see it.

Sniffing out fraud is one thing but being hateful is something else. I hope you get this straightened out soon.

[Always+Forever 7]

ok...wow...i know i should be shocked by these COs but at this point i'm not anymore. They think they can do whatever they & ask whatever they want with no respect to the ppl involved. And SERIOUSLY...there is NO way you are fat!!! And to ask about if you've had sex is just uncalled for. And i would definitely be doing some reporting & complaining, but as others have said...they hold the power right now with the visa, so pissing them off without it in hand probably wouldn't be the best idea. Its just sad that we have to fear what we do so we don't piss them off & they deny our visa for it. Just hold your head up high Mandy & be strong & know we are all here for u!!! Don't give up the fight!! If it was me, I'd be calling the Consular Chief & seeing if its in the policy to be asking those types of questions...nicely though (i know....easier said then done). But from my experience with the Moroccan Chief...they seem to be more helpful then those below them. Because the Cief may have no clue that those kinds of questions are being ask (or he could...i don't know). But that would be one way of getting a feel for what they think without rocking the boat. And make sure you keep track of everything & send copies of everything to your senator or congressman (whoever will help). Best of luck & I hope everything goes through quickly & u get visa in hand!!

Monica

[Mandy P 3]

Thanks for all of your responses. I am doing ok. Just mad mostly. I almost expected to get AP. I mean, I know that most Algerians do. So I'm not so upset about that as I am about the questions asked. He was not taken into a seperate room or anything for all these personal questions to be asked. He was asked to, in a room full of people, talk about our sex life, me naked, and my physical appearance.

He did get a little rowdy with them concerning the comment about my weight. He said he took out a picture of me and told the woman to look at me and see how beautiful I am and ask herself why any man would not want to marry such a beautiful woman. He told her to look at how kind my face is.

My senator's office is going to call for me to make an inquiry. I have to get a release filled out and write a letter about the issues and then they will call. I already spoke to them.

They asked him why he didn't marry a French woman when he was living in Paris. He told them because he only loves one woman and so he can't marry another. They asked him why he didn't marry an Algerian woman and he told them the same thing. He told them that there is one reason he wants to marry me and that is because he loves me. They asked why he doesn't bring me to Algeria to live. He told them that I have a good job and my family is here.

He gave them pictures of us and of me with his 3 brothers and his 1 sister that live in France. He showed them emails between me and his mother. He had letters of support from my mother and sister. Everything is there. I'm sure they will just waste our time and our lives for a while and then approve it. I just hope it's not 6 months down the road.

If we don't hear anything in a couple weeks, and I know we won't most likely, I will start planning a trip to go see him in Algeria. We've been apart for too long.

[Mandy P 3]

This is just funny.... had to share...

My future sister-in-law just said... about the fat question... "What did they expect him to say to that? Would he say 'now that you mention it, she is a bit fat, you are right, I am just marrying her to get my papers' or maybe 'OMG, I should have noticed that before! I should have married a skinny French woman that don't love instead'." LOL What response do they expect from a question like that?

[Crossed_fingers 128]

I'm so sorry! Personally, I'd work on a transcript with your SO but hold off on raising hell until after you have the visa in hand and he is in the US, but whatever you choose to do, I wish you the best. That is so embarrassing.

[Danni and Hamza 36]

Hey Mandy,

Sorry to hear your troubles. They are really inappropriate there. They asked Hamza similar questions, regarding bedroom practices. Im glad you are getting your senator involved. I think its a good move! Hopefully they will move quickly with the AP, and all will be done soon! Oh I would wait on reporting the CO. Just until he has the visa. Take the advice to write everything down about the interview, then when all is over report!! What did the CO look like ? Hamza got a green slip too. I think it has two options on it, and one is AP and the other AR. Im not sure though. I think, thats how Hamza described it though.

Danni

[~ameriptian~ 54]

Mandy and Danni,

How the CO's in Algeria treated your fiances is insane!! I can only imagine how they felt being asked these questions!! This is so embarrassing! I feel mad and upset for you guys.

These people seriously need to start doing their job in a better way. They don't own the world, nor they have any right to humiliate people.

I hope you get everything sorted out soon.

[Mandy P 3]

Their job is to find out if we have provided what was asked for, that we aren't hardened criminals, that there is no obvious fraud (because I can promise you that there has never been an SO that walked into an Embassy and said "You're right, I don't love him/her. I'm just using them for a visa."), and to see if the relationship is ongoing as another way to avoid fraud. If we've had sex or not is not a determining factor. You can't prove love by asking questions. You don't know how those two people are together from some papers and a few questions. You can only really look at the documentation and do your job and make sure that all that was asked for is there and legit. Our green form just says AP. Doesn't ask for anything more from us. So if they have everything.... why can't they just approve it. That's what I don't understand. Look it over, and either it's there or it isn't.

I'm not stirring the waters there until after he is here. But once that happens the letter writing begins and the calling starts and the formal complaints are filed. And then I will follow up on each complaint.

This is our lives they are dealing with. Not just some papers that can wait forever. It's ridiculous. I keep telling people that after this is over I'm going to move to DC and become a lobbyist for immigration reform. LOL

[Liz Rodriguez 1]

Im sorry this happened to you. If Algeria is such an "Islamic" based country then why would they ask such things as I do believe that talking about what goes on in the bedroom is pretty much forbidden. I maybe wrong because I am new to Islam but I do believe that your not suppose to talk about what goes on behind closed doors with your wife or fiance. Im a chunky girl myself and I would have probably flown there and b*t@h slapped the co myself. But that is just me. He did right I believe in telling them that there is no other but you and that he doesnt want any other but you. Inshaallah he will get his visa approved without too long of a wait. Keep your head up and your love strong.

[Mithra 1,185]

That may be the point of the questions (the Islamic country thing). To see how the questions are answered. I discussed this with my husband last night since I was rather shocked at the behavior of the CO. My husband said they may have wanted to see if the guy would get irate and say f that or if he would come out and say they had sex (which would be an inappropriate answer) or if he'd be like that's private and I can't answer due to religion or whatever. I can kinda see their point but it is a rather personal question. The comment about why he would marry a fat woman is just the CO being inappropriate and mean spirited.

Im sorry this happened to you. If Algeria is such an "Islamic" based country then why would they ask such things as I do believe that talking about what goes on in the bedroom is pretty much forbidden. I maybe wrong because I am new to Islam but I do believe that your not suppose to talk about what goes on behind closed doors with your wife or fiance. Im a chunky girl myself and I would have probably flown there and b*t@h slapped the co myself. But that is just me. He did right I believe in telling them that there is no other but you and that he doesnt want any other but you. Inshaallah he will get his visa approved without too long of a wait. Keep your head up and your love strong.

[Mandy P 3]

He had the blonde interviewer that I've read such bad things about here from other VJers. I think she needs to get laid. She just seems like a real b!tch to everyone who she sees.

Anyway, hopefully they approve him. If not, we are prepared for me to go live there with him, marry there, and file for a spousal visa and wait it out TOGETHER. That is all that matters to us is that we can be together. The problem is that if he's never given a visa he can't even come to meet my family... ever.

He said to me last night that "You and me is you and me and noone can change that or take it away but us."

[Mithra 1,185]

No offense but I really dislike when people assume that someone is unfriendly or moody or whatever because they need to get laid or have their period or whatever. She may act that way because she's seen and dealt with a lot in her job as far as fraud cases or shady characters. I have to admit that if I were a CO at a high fraud consulate I wouldn't be exactly pleasant all the time either esp. when I know that lots of people are lying to my face and trying to screw their wife/fiancee/husband/whatever over. Doesn't excuse the inappropriateness of her behavior, however.

[Staashi 371]

No offense but I really dislike when people assume that someone is unfriendly or moody or whatever because they need to get laid or have their period or whatever. She may act that way because she's seen and dealt with a lot in her job as far as fraud cases or shady characters. I have to admit that if I were a CO at a high fraud consulate I wouldn't be exactly pleasant all the time either esp. when I know that lots of people are lying to my face and trying to screw their wife/fiancee/husband/whatever over. Doesn't excuse the inappropriateness of her behavior, however.

This is too, too true. They have seen it all and their are some terrible fraudsters out there. For those of us on VJ for quite sometime we have seen it all and heard it all.

Mandy, if I was you, I would be very, very careful with the information you are posting here on VJ - you have your names, pics, tickers, etc. Just a bit of caution: It is a known fact that the COs do read VJ and do keep up with various couples, interview dates, etc from different threads. I realize you are very upset and all of this is quite raw right now, but your statements are also quite derogatory and that could be used against you. Just sayin'.

[mahboula 11]

This is too, too true. They have seen it all and their are some terrible fraudsters out there. For those of us on VJ for quite sometime we have seen it all and heard it all.

Mandy, if I was you, I would be very, very careful with the information you are posting here on VJ - you have your names, pics, tickers, etc. Just a bit of caution: It is a known fact that the COs do read VJ and do keep up with various couples, interview dates, etc from different threads. I realize you are very upset and all of this is quite raw right now, but your statements are also quite derogatory and that could be used against you. Just sayin'.

I agree. Take the personal info down. It's not only VJ by the way, there's also facebook, and other social sites. Make sure yours are private.

Try to understand that if they ask offensive questions, most of the time it's to see the reaction. In other words, it's not that they think a man can't love a larger woman, but they want to see how he reacts to the question/statement. They like to call this an interview...you should view it as an interrogation. They are trained to identify certain body language, speech patterns, biological responses, nervous tics etc...They aren't just listening to his answers, they are looking for signs of deception. Chances are they deliberately insulted you and asked about sex to see how upset he became. I'm not saying what they do is right or wrong, but it was easier for me to get past some of the questions they asked my husband when I had a better understanding of why they asked them.

I sincerely wish you luck, and hope your fiance gets his visa soon.

[mspain 1]

Their job is to find out if we have provided what was asked for, that we aren't hardened criminals, that there is no obvious fraud (because I can promise you that there has never been an SO that walked into an Embassy and said "You're right, I don't love him/her. I'm just using them for a visa."), and to see if the relationship is ongoing as another way to avoid fraud. If we've had sex or not is not a determining factor. You can't prove love by asking questions. You don't know how those two people are together from some papers and a few questions. You can only really look at the documentation and do your job and make sure that all that was asked for is there and legit. Our green form just says AP. Doesn't ask for anything more from us. So if they have everything.... why can't they just approve it. That's what I don't understand. Look it over, and either it's there or it isn't.I'm not stirring the waters there until after he is here. But once that happens the letter writing begins and the calling starts and the formal complaints are filed. And then I will follow up on each complaint.

This is our lives they are dealing with. Not just some papers that can wait forever. It's ridiculous. I keep telling people that after this is over I'm going to move to DC and become a lobbyist for immigration reform. LOL

I know exactly what you mean. We are experiencing something similar. We were loaded to the gills with evidence which they did not want to even look at and then two days later put us in AP. Another VJer on here had her interview the same day and got her visa three days ago, no AP. I even called the emb. to see why we were on AP and if I could give them any information (so they could hurry up and issue the visa). I got the whole "Don't call us, we'll call you" bit. It's like they have everything, but for some reason WON'T issue the visa, because they could- we did everything right. And I know y'all did too. It's so frustrating. Today I brokedown and started crying in the ATT store when I was having troubles with my phone, the guy there was like, "ma'am I'm gonna do all I can to fix it!"

But it's little things that set me off when everything is so tense and you don't know if you're going to see your fiance this month or in 10 months. I'll be so glad when there's a solution and a visa in hand. Stay strong!