How Many Times Did you Meet Before Your Interview?

[amrssnowangel 0]

How many times did you and your SO meet before an interview date? Curious how meeting in person can affect the AP process.

Edited October 22, 2007 by amrssnowangel

[dollface41601 0]

well there wasnt an option for, we didnt have AP....but me and my husband spent one month together...than three months later, i went to live in jordan, and was there for nine months straight until he could come home with me...we got the visa the day after his interview...flew out 2 days later

[Jenn! 918]

I didn't really know how to answer either. We had AP of about 2 weeks, and we didn't visit each other as we were living in the same place.

I don't know how well you can compare Egypt and Morocco (or other MENA countries for that matter) since it seems that AP serves different purposes at the two consulates.

[ya falaha! 0]

I don't think the number of visits really affects AP/AR wait times. This is an example of why....I went twice before the interview and our AP was 4 mos. Dee also visited twice and their AP was about 6 weeks. Same consulate, same CO.

[JODO 2]

I visited twice before his interview and our AP was just under seven weeks. I am not sure the number of visits correlates to length of AP in Cairo.

[amrssnowangel 0]

Thats what I wanted to know. Thank you. If its not the number of visits...what contributing factors do you think make it longer or shorter. Any advice?

[caybee 21]

I know AP means different things in Casa and Cairo, but isn't AP a security issue rather than an issue of validity of relationship, which the consulate has already addressed before the beneficiary enters AP? We know they do a name check, at least part of which is related to whether the pattern of consonants in the beneficiary's name is a match, and if it is, they do another level of checks. We know they look at profession, education, background, training. It would be interesting to know if the FBI even looks at the petitioner and their relationship during AP.

[Jenn! 918]

I know AP means different things in Casa and Cairo, but isn't AP a security issue rather than an issue of validity of relationship, which the consulate has already addressed before the beneficiary enters AP? We know they do a name check, at least part of which is related to whether the pattern of consonants in the beneficiary's name is a match, and if it is, they do another level of checks. We know they look at profession, education, background, training. It would be interesting to know if the FBI even looks at the petitioner and their relationship during AP.

It's been speculated that, unlike Casa, Cairo will hold onto a case after the security checks have cleared in order to do further "processing". I don't think anyone is really sure exactly what that involves.

[amrssnowangel 0]

I knew there was the security check done. And I've heard Cairo will do further investigations...Home studies, ect. to still try to prove the case fraud. But then why are some in AP soooooooooooooooooooooooo much longer than others? Is it name hits that they have to clear up? Is it something else? In Cairo are they still trying to determine the validity? Is there anything anyone can DO to try to minimize the AP time???

[caybee 21]

Cairo also tends to have a longer AP than Casa (sorry for stating the obvious), and I've wondered how much it has to do simply with the name. A large percentage of Moroccans are not Arab, and the patterns of consonants in their names are often a bit unusual (from my limited experience).

I suppose we could compile a list of names, minus the vowels, and look for a pattern. For instance, my husband's last name would be BTHR. There are also many people of European origin who get stuck in AP for awful amounts of time, so with this sort of survey, those names would be relevant also. Sounds tedious. Anybody real mathy?

Sorry, I know that's not realistic. It's human nature to look for patterns and explanations.

I know AP means different things in Casa and Cairo, but isn't AP a security issue rather than an issue of validity of relationship, which the consulate has already addressed before the beneficiary enters AP? We know they do a name check, at least part of which is related to whether the pattern of consonants in the beneficiary's name is a match, and if it is, they do another level of checks. We know they look at profession, education, background, training. It would be interesting to know if the FBI even looks at the petitioner and their relationship during AP.

It's been speculated that, unlike Casa, Cairo will hold onto a case after the security checks have cleared in order to do further "processing". I don't think anyone is really sure exactly what that involves.

Okay, I wasn't aware of that. And when someone is in AP, they aren't required to give any more information than that, so it really is the dark side of the moon until they're done.

[amrssnowangel 0]

I do know my congressmans office said that Cairo is VERY behind...they are understaffed and overloaded with AP work. I wonder if some just get put into a pile and reshuffled into the mess. I feel for those that have had long waits. I just dread it. I guess I was hoping that if we presented well in the interview, had enough evidence it would speed AP. But from is said here...its three different process...NOA2 just says we are eligible..Interview to prove we are a real couple..the AP to prove he's not a terrorist or on some sor to "list" because of his name.

Mines last name would be L Mgd. Not sure how common Abd El Magid is as a last name. Combined with his other three names....

[maggieNomar 0]

I do know my congressmans office said that Cairo is VERY behind...they are understaffed and overloaded with AP work. I wonder if some just get put into a pile and reshuffled into the mess. I feel for those that have had long waits. I just dread it. I guess I was hoping that if we presented well in the interview, had enough evidence it would speed AP. But from is said here...its three different process...NOA2 just says we are eligible..Interview to prove we are a real couple..the AP to prove he's not a terrorist or on some sor to "list" because of his name.

Mines last name would be L Mgd. Not sure how common Abd El Magid is as a last name. Combined with his other three names....

I was one who visited 3 times in the same year, taking family with me on the last two trips. Ended up in AP longer than most who were interviewing around me. As many times as this question is asked I really do not think we can get a clear answer as to why some are longer than others. We've tried the name thing and that didn't produce any hard evidence. It's just one of the many mysteries of immigration.

I was quite surprised to see someone like dipsticks from the UK being under AP for soooooo long.

Edited October 22, 2007 by Maggie724

[♥JP♥ 5]

It seems like whatever logic we come up with to explain AP/AR, something happens to defy that logic. I just don't know if it will ever make sense to me. The fact that Cairo's wait is much longer makes sense to me since they have a consular warning regarding marriage. I'm not saying I agree with it, but given the fact that they have a warning in place, I don't think they would make it an easy process.

[monnik 0]

This survey was tough for me to answer, amrssnowangel...

I voted that we met only once before his interview (one LOooooooooOONG visit from November to June ) because I was guessing you were talking about how many times you had met in person. We only met once....so my vote was 1.

I also voted that we are in AP 3-4 months. (Really it has been a little over 2 months, but no option for 2-3) Which, since we are still IN AP, still isn't very definitive.

I don't know if anyone has seen this site before, but I just ran across it yesterday or the day before and I learned a lot from it. link

It is a compilation of the questions and answers from a previous thread started by a former NSC worker. He explains that some of the cases get picked at random. You don't necessarily get worked in the order you filed. And, he explained that some cases get left & just sit around for a while. He also said that the Service Center workers who approve petitions (and such) have a quota to meet. It doesn't really apply to my situation of DCF, but it is a sneak peek at the system from the inside. I am not sure how much of his information applies to people waiting in AP either, but he does give us some insight as to how backlogged the WHOLE system is. I enjoyed reading it.

If you guys have seen it before, sorry for the repeat.

[yassmine2878 1]

I had only been to Morocco once by the time Ahmed was interviewed. However I went again while we were in AP/AR. Perhaps they heard I was coming and got scared. 3 days after I bought my (non-refundable) ticket, his visa was issued.

I know AP means different things in Casa and Cairo, but isn't AP a security issue rather than an issue of validity of relationship, which the consulate has already addressed before the beneficiary enters AP? We know they do a name check, at least part of which is related to whether the pattern of consonants in the beneficiary's name is a match, and if it is, they do another level of checks. We know they look at profession, education, background, training. It would be interesting to know if the FBI even looks at the petitioner and their relationship during AP.

It's been speculated that, unlike Casa, Cairo will hold onto a case after the security checks have cleared in order to do further "processing". I don't think anyone is really sure exactly what that involves.

I have also heard this. The most recent explanation I heard was for the NSEERS.

Cairo also tends to have a longer AP than Casa (sorry for stating the obvious), and I've wondered how much it has to do simply with the name. A large percentage of Moroccans are not Arab, and the patterns of consonants in their names are often a bit unusual (from my limited experience).

I suppose we could compile a list of names, minus the vowels, and look for a pattern. For instance, my husband's last name would be BTHR. There are also many people of European origin who get stuck in AP for awful amounts of time, so with this sort of survey, those names would be relevant also. Sounds tedious. Anybody real mathy?

I am so mathy, it might make some folks ill. I went through 4th level calc in college. I reveled in differential equations. I can find the area under a curve, but I cant find my keys in the couch. That being said, I dont think any of us will ever find a rhyme or reason to how quickly these things get processed. Its like all the tracking threads. We had one for the IMBRA supplements way back when, we have them for people filing before the fee hike, filing in certain months, etc. Its comforting to know there are others just like you stuck in the black hole. But we never seem to be able to pin down the whole grand scheme and get some tiny clue as to what's going to happen next. Cases that seem almost identical will go in totally opposite directions, and vice versa. For awhile there, Maggie and I were within a week or 2 of each other on everything right after NOA2, even though she and Omar filed 5 months after Ahmed and I.