Just Turkish

[Jenn and Fuat 2]

I have been visiting this site for awhile. Today I found the Just Turkish area Jenn when I read your timeline I teared up! I met my Askim the beginning of March. He has been denied a visitor visa too. I have gone to Turkey twice and each time it is so hard to leave! I can't submit my I-129F until my divorce is final Feburary 8th. But I am hoping for a super fast NOA2! It is nice to see the support you all give each other in this group. I hope to be able to post often and get to know all of you

Hi ! Glad you found this group. The people here have been so great in giving me help and I am sure you will find them to be the same! The Visitor Visa denial is heartbreaking isn't it?? We've had two and Fuat never wants to set foot in a consulate again, but I told him we'll have too I keep trying to convince him this time will be different.. and that the B2 denials will have nothing to do with this visa.. but he's still so worried.

I see your local office is in Detroit! My home state!! I grew up in the Northwest Suburbs of Detroit and my family is still there! Sometimes I miss Michigan, but I do NOT miss the snow

I’m from south central Michigan, one of the bottom tier counties. I agree the snow isn’t as fun as it was when I was a kid, but the other three seasons make up for it. I hope you still visit your family. I would love to tell Necmi he may have an opportunity to speak with someone who understands what he will be going through. I worry about the transition. He has never been out of Turkey. He is the only son and is the baby of the family. The June visit he was on the phone with him mom every day. I anticipate the phone bill will be rather high for the first year.

I originally planned to use a lawyer for this process, due to the denials I didn’t want to risk it. I am glad to say that after reading all the information from the wonderful people on this site, I have almost completed all the required documents needed for the I-129F application! Again, thanks to you and all the wonderful people here!!

I was going to use a lawyer too, until I found this site. Faut's situation sounds very much like Necmi's.. with the exception that he's the oldest child. He has 4 younger sisters. I go to Michigan a few times a year, so I am sure there would be an opportunity for them meet up.

[tanyakaraman 0]

Oh.. just thought of another question. I am filling out all the forms for him, as I know many other people have done, but someone told me that I should NOT list myself on the DS forms as having assisted in completing them.. and just have him sign them. Well, I could understand this if we were filing for a visitor visa.. but why not this time? He is obviously intending to come here to stay with me, so why wouldn't I want to list myself on the forms as having assisted in preparing them? Yes, it was a red flag on our first visitor visa application, but I don't see the problem with it now.

It would be obvious he didn't do it anyway, as I don't have Turkish characters on my keyboard and the "i" in his family name would be wrong.. as well as a few letters in the addresses.

If that is going to cause an issue I will download a Turkish Key board and use the Turkish Charachters instead of the English ones.

I downloaded and filled my (now) husband's packet 3 forms for him and listed myself as the person who did it (he was my fiance at the time, he was living in Istanbul and I was living here in the US). There was no problem whatsoever.

I would also love to know some of the questions people were asked for the K1 visa. Fuat is so nervous about remembering dates and such things. I'm nervous about him remembering them too, since I usually need to remind him of family members birthdays. etc.

Click on my timeline and scroll down a bit....there's a pretty detailed account of our interview on there. Definitely practice beforehand. The questions might be different, but he'll get a good idea of what to expect. Try to put yourself in the interviewer's shoes and look at your relationship from that perspective...its a good way to anticipate what things they might ask about.

Best of luck!

Tanya

[Melinda&Necmi 0]

I have spent the better part of the day reading all these posts You guys crack me up. I love the posts about the snoring, eating only fresh food, smoking like there's no tomorrow, and the whole deodorant issue (honey if you are reading this..i'm just kidding) OMG and the 'no tp in the restrooms'!! I am so very glad I took diaper wipes with me. I had no idea the faucet and container was for washing afterward...I thought it was for "flushing"! Necmi smokes ALOT. He thinks he will cut down after he comes here, but I'm thinking the stress of it all will not allow that I want him to do it now so he is used to smoking only 4 or 5 a day before the big move. My last trip to Turkey, I bought food with me so he could sample "American" food (chili, tacos, chicken and noodles, and goulash). I asked him for a can opener and he had no idea what I was talking about! We went to the store to buy one...the whole time I'm thinking...he has no idea what he is getting into...we eat from cans everyday

Jenn thanks so much, I told him you will be talking to Fuat later and he is looking forward to a message. He has been kinda depressed lately d/t the long wait, but this morning is was rather excited again. Thanks!

Tayan, I just finished nursing school with 5 kids (the last being born my first semester)...I feel your pain! Good luck, the semester will fly by one assignment at a time In the beginning my motto was "The force behind me is greater than the obstacle in front of me" It soon changed to "I have too many student loans to quit now!" What year are you in and is it a 2 or 4 year program?

Erika, your wedding dress is beautiful!!

Good luck to everyone. I hope you have a great day!!

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Click on my timeline and scroll down a bit....there's a pretty detailed account of our interview on there. Definitely practice beforehand. The questions might be different, but he'll get a good idea of what to expect. Try to put yourself in the interviewer's shoes and look at your relationship from that perspective...its a good way to anticipate what things they might ask about.

Best of luck!

Tanya

Some tips for other people going through the interview at Ankara:

1. Dress nicely (we did and we honestly felt that it helped in how we were treated/perceived)

2. Be prepared with your answers. I printed a list of sample questions from the US embassy website and we went over them prior to the interview. I feel this helped us in knowing what to expect.

3. Be affectionate...not overly of course, but hold hands, etc. You are engaged after all!

4. Be positive and confident. Unless there is a honest to God problem, I think most people get their visa, if for no other reason, just because the American citizen is asking for it.

5. Go together if at all possible. I watched several people whose interviews appeared to go well get turned down for lack of evidence of a relationship. Alternatively, I saw interviews go incredibly badly but the couple was there together and the visa was granted. If you can't go together, send lots and lots of evidence!

Good tips in your timeline.

By "dress nicely," do you mean a suit and tie? I will definitely wear a skirt and blouse but should Hubster wear a suit or would khaki pants, button up shirt and a sweater be ok?

Edited October 31, 2009 by Der Bücherwurm

[JULIAFERNO 0]

Oh.. just thought of another question. I am filling out all the forms for him, as I know many other people have done, but someone told me that I should NOT list myself on the DS forms as having assisted in completing them.. and just have him sign them. Well, I could understand this if we were filing for a visitor visa.. but why not this time? He is obviously intending to come here to stay with me, so why wouldn't I want to list myself on the forms as having assisted in preparing them? Yes, it was a red flag on our first visitor visa application, but I don't see the problem with it now.

It would be obvious he didn't do it anyway, as I don't have Turkish characters on my keyboard and the "i" in his family name would be wrong.. as well as a few letters in the addresses.

If that is going to cause an issue I will download a Turkish Key board and use the Turkish Charachters instead of the English ones.

I'm living in Istanbul with my husband and we have our interview scheduled for Dec. 15th. I filled out all the forms except where his signature was required. I put my name and status as his wife where it asks who filled out the DS forms. We are living together so it isn't like I didn't verify everything with him. I don't know if we will be penalized for that or not. I would think they would have contacted us about it before scheduling the interview if it were a problem. I will post here after the interview to say how it went and what they asked in case it might help somebody else out. Good luck.

Oh, I have a question too. For those that have already had the interview could you post some of the questions they asked so the rest of us can be prepared. I've heard the embassy staff can be rude and are cracking down on requirements so I'm a bit nervous.

The consular officer in Ankara asked Onur a lot of questions for his K1 interview. There were the basics - "How did you meet your fiance?" "When did you get engaged?" "How many times has she been to Turkey?" "What is your fiance's job?" "Who are her parents?" "What do her parents do?" "Where do they live?" "Does she have any siblings?" and then some more personal questions like, "Why does your fiance love you?" "Does her family like you / does your family like her?", "Why did she leave Turkey and move back to the States?" "Why did you cut your hair and shave your face?" (He usually has a beard/facial hair), "Why are you so nervous?" "What are you going to do in America?" etc. All of these questions were asked before they told him that his name had been red-flagged in their database and that they had to submit his name for security clearance - they told us 2 weeks, but it took 6 months. Not saying this to scare you, but I didn't realize the real possibility of this until it happened, so it was pretty devastating. I don't think there was anything that we could have done differently to avoid the situation. He has a pretty common first and last Turkish name, so his name may have been red-flagged due to someone else with the same name having some sort of criminal record, etc.

Basically, be ready for them to ask anything and everything. Onur was so nervous and they didn't understand why - silly!

[JULIAFERNO 0]

WE JUST GOT OUR NOA2. It only took 25 days!!!

I didn't think I would be THIS excited, but maybe I am more shocked than I thought because it came so late at night. I just checked our status 45 minutes ago and it showed no change. Then my phone beeped, about 20 minutes after I checked the status and I had a text from USCIS that we were approved. I couldn't believe it when I went back and checked our case and saw that it actually had been approved.

The text came at 9:19pm.. Is VSC really working that late to get caught up or maybe the updates and texts are just delayed? I don't know.. I don't care :)

I told Fuat I would let him know the minute it happened.. but it's 4:30am there and I have to wake him for work in 2 hours.. my heart tells me to call him.. my brain tells me to let him sleep and tell him in two hours.

I just can't believe it.

And I am going to apologize now.. because I know I am going to start driving everyone crazy about the forms and getting ready for Ankara :)

OK.. I think I need a drink

Cok tebrikler Jenn and Fuat! I am sorry I am so late with this - it's hard to find time to read the forums these days! A speedy I-129F approval - that's great! Hopefully Fuat will be with you in the states in the next few months - depending on how long it takes you to get packet 3 together and when the interview is scheduled for. It sounds like he'll be getting here this winter!

[awaterlily 0]

Welcome Melinda & Necmi! and GL with the immigration process.

We've a great group of ppl here on the 'Just Turkish' thread who've a range of immigration experiences to share. Hope we can be of help or, at the very least, a 'hand to hold'.

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Welcome Melinda&Necmi

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Assalamu Alaikum internetkafe,

Sorry it has taken me forever to reply. It was a very Hard / Long week at work. Been working on a Certified Payroll issue in Washington State... A Nightmare...!!......I need a serious vacation! {{{help}}} lol.!

No it is not too difficult to close on a short sale. The difficult part is finding a short sale that the bank has approved and gave a final sale price. All this info is contained within a letter that states all the conditions.

Other wise if you are dealing with sellers who have not received a final approval to sell the property as a short sale it can takes months and most times the bank wont work with the seller...they simply are going into foreclosure.

The reason our short sale went thru so quickly is that the people who were going to buy the home lost their financing and we came in ready and it took about 2 weeks to close.

At that time the housing market was crashing left and right and interest rates where going crazy, so I waited till the last min to lock in my rate....I got a nice 30 year fixed with a low rate.

Now is the time to buy. This year you can claim $ 8000.00 first time home buyer credit and not have to pay it back if you stay in the home for a certain time...Nice! Last year it was 7500.00 but you have to re-pay it in a 15 year interest free loan from uncle sam..

Please say hello to Justine.

Best wishes,

Debbie

Debra N Candemir, thank you for sharing your homebuying story We just looked at a short-sale house last night. Is it difficult to close these? Do the banks/mortgages (if more than one) make it difficult and lengthy?

[Melinda&Necmi 0]

Thank you so much

Welcome Melinda & Necmi! and GL with the immigration process.

We've a great group of ppl here on the 'Just Turkish' thread who've a range of immigration experiences to share. Hope we can be of help or, at the very least, a 'hand to hold'.

[Jenn and Fuat 2]

Cok tebrikler Jenn and Fuat! I am sorry I am so late with this - it's hard to find time to read the forums these days! A speedy I-129F approval - that's great! Hopefully Fuat will be with you in the states in the next few months - depending on how long it takes you to get packet 3 together and when the interview is scheduled for. It sounds like he'll be getting here this winter!

Thank you Tanya and Julia for the information on interview questions asked!! I want us to be prepared as possible, but I know he will still be nervous about remembering things and if he forgets dates or name, etc. I am sure I will be nervous about him doing this too.

We already have everything ready for packet # 3... just waiting to actually get it. Our file got to Ankara few days ago, but this was right before Oct. 29th.. so I am sure nothing happened with it then, now it's the weekend, so hoping to get it some time this next week.

The "red flagging" on the name concerns me a little. Only because this has come up before. I know someone who works for the Turkish National Police, and also does some work with our government, and he checked into some things for me last year.. looking to see why we may have been denied for the visitor visa the first time. It turns out there was a similiar problem with Fuat's name, though that was not the only reason for the denial on the B2 visa. He told me, at that time, that he was working with his contacts at the FBI and would get it cleared up. We were denied a second time for the B2 visa, but I was told the problem with his name had nothing to do with it.. simple reason for the denial was they didn't think he would come back.

I'm thinking I should contact my friend and make sure any problems with Fuat's name has definitely been cleared up. I don't want to take any chances on a delay:)

We would love to have an interview soon and have him here ASAP.. looking at other, recent time lines I am guessing if we get packet # 3 next week, and send everything in, that we will have an interview in early January.

The last week of December would be perfect, as I am already on vacation at that time, but I don't think we could get that lucky. We've already been very lucky in having everything happen as fast as it has!!!!

Edited November 1, 2009 by Jenn and Fuat

[Jenn and Fuat 2]

Just wondering.. will Fuat get packet # 3 in an email, postal mail or both?

It's only been 7 days since our file left NVC, but we are getting anxious!

I called DOS, yesterday, but they said it has not reached the consulate yet. Someone I know in Ankara checked and said it IS actually there. I would hope so.. It was sent out on 10/27.. then there was the 10/29 holiday, and the weekend, but if it was sent out DHL Next Day, it should have been there by last Friday. The DHL website shows all Ankara packages, sent between 10/27 and 10/30 have already been signed for.. yet DOS still says it's not there yet and "Wait a week".

We want that packet now I think this is harder than waiting for NOA2

[internetkafe 0]

I do not think you have to have that 'packet' to send your stuff.I remember writing about it on this thread.Others advised likewise if I am not mistaken...

[internetkafe 0]

Thanks for sharing your home-buying experience Debra.

I think the house we were told for 'short sale' is the kind where the bank-s have not approved of anything yet.

Our last offer on another house (maybe 4th so far) was rejected today.The broker had told us that the sellers were really really motivated.All they did was to lower their asking price by $2K and demand that the property stay in market even after possible acceptance of the offer. Weird. We are getting s little frustrated. We also missed on that 8k already. Anyway LOL If we are meant to get a house we are going to...If not, we are not...

Thanks again, and please say hi to Can. Have a warm winter

[Jenn and Fuat 2]

I do not think you have to have that 'packet' to send your stuff.I remember writing about it on this thread.Others advised likewise if I am not mistaken...

Really? I knew we didn't need to wait to get the packet to do the paperwork, but that we had to wait to get it before we could send it in!!!

It's all ready to go.. we're just waiting to officially get word to send it in.