right to deny because of age

[Jenn! 918]

^^ YES

The consulate in Morocco is a whole different ball of wax. It's really misleading to say that as long as you have proof of relationship, you will be fine, because that's not necessarily true in Casablanca.

[AlHayatZween 2]

Hi Sweetmiri,

How are you?

i agree with the other Maghrebi posters above. i've heard some horror stories, but then there are couples that sseem to have no problems at all. There is a topic within the MENA forum, based solely on experiences interviewing in Casa. i have read a lot of good advice and tips from there.

Also, is your interview already scheduled? i noticed that your petition date is similar to mine, but we are still waiting for our NOA2.

Good luck. Check out MENA.

hz

[pushbrk 12,894]

^^ YES

The consulate in Morocco is a whole different ball of wax. It's really misleading to say that as long as you have proof of relationship, you will be fine, because that's not necessarily true in Casablanca.

Probably more accurate to say, "If you can convince a Consular Officer your relationship is bona fide, you'll be ok. I would strongly advise you to discuss the details of your case and and any concerns with others in the appropriate regional forum. They can help you prepare for the interview. If Casa allows the USC to be present for the interview, I'd highly advise that too. Even if they can only wait outside or nearby, I would think it would help. In that case, you would want to hand over the USC's passport with your own, to show they are in Casa with you currently.

[Jakey-Matey 0]

To the person who is 19 wanting to marry the 23 year old:

I am 18 and my fiancee (USC) is 19, and we have an interview 3 weeks tomorrow. I will of course let VJ know how the interview went, but I don't think our age will be a obstacle at the interview. We have a ton of proof of a bona-fied relationship, and even when we filed for the I-129F, I had my parents consent in the form of an affidavit sent in with the I-129F application.

Best of luck!

[rebeccajo 14]

At what point are you concerned about the denial?

If you are concerned about the stateside petition being denied due to age differences, that likely won't happen. All you have to prove to earn NOA2 is that you have met in the last two years, that you are a US citizen, that you both are legally free to marry, and that you intend to marry each other.

Any question of relationship bonafides, including cultural idiosyncracies about the age of a man and woman in a 'normal relationship' in the beneficiaries country, can come into play once the petition passes from the NVC to the consulate.

Learn about your consulate and prepare to deal with that consulates standard operating procedure.

I should like to add - what happens in London isn't good advice for Casa. Whenever reading questions of this nature, it's helpful to look for the OP's 'flag'. Reading about the patterns of other consulates is great for your personal immigration education. Advising people based upon your own situation, however, is not.

Edited February 4, 2008 by rebeccajo

[brnidokiegurl 0]

as stated Casa is in another complete ballgame than most and even there it sometimes i think depends on the way the day is going for the interviewer........

[chris4gretchen 1]

I have read before that there is more scrutiny if the USC woman is older and the beneficary man is younger in Morocco and surrounding countries. I am not sure why unless there is a high level of fraud. In the philippines it is normal for there to be age gaps and theres not much scrutiny there over that. I happen to be 23 years older than my fiancee and it wont be a concern at our interview. I have no experience with the Moroccan embassy, and i wish you good luck. I think as long as your relationship is real it will prevail.

You might want to check on the mena board for that specific consulate.

Chris

Edited February 4, 2008 by chris4gretchen

[pushbrk 12,894]

I have read before that there is more scrutiny if the USC woman is older and the beneficary man is younger in Morocco and surrounding countries. I am not sure why unless there is a high level of fraud. In the philippines it is normal for there to be age gaps and theres not much scrutiny there over that. I happen to be 23 years older than my fiancee and it wont be a concern at our interview. I have no experience with the Moroccan embassy, and i wish you good luck. I think as long as your relationship is real it will prevail.

You might want to check on the mena board for that specific consulate.

Chris

Yes, "man older" is a cultural norm in many parts of the world. Women older couples are more common now than they used to be but are still a small minority in most cultures, and an extremely small minority in some. So, in the middle east, such a "woman significantly older" relationship is going to get extra scrutiny of bona fides. The extra scrutiny would be similar in China or India and perhaps nearly all of Asia as well.

[ForeverAmen 0]

IMO age should not be an issue. Just have the proof to validate the relationship.

[kaydee457 13]

I have read before that there is more scrutiny if the USC woman is older and the beneficary man is younger in Morocco and surrounding countries. I am not sure why unless there is a high level of fraud. In the philippines it is normal for there to be age gaps and theres not much scrutiny there over that. I happen to be 23 years older than my fiancee and it wont be a concern at our interview. I have no experience with the Moroccan embassy, and i wish you good luck. I think as long as your relationship is real it will prevail.

You might want to check on the mena board for that specific consulate.

Chris

This hits the proverbial nail on the head....If the woman is much older than the man then there's more scrutiny....

Age differences whereby the man is much older than the woman is much more acceptable......

[KimS 0]

Age is basically just a number, if it will be denied, it will be denied when you send in the petition (first papers) But so far I haven't heard anybody getting denied because of age. Regardless if you are young or old.

There is a 12 year gap between me and my fiancee and I just got my package back from the embassy, all nice and approved

[CBR 0]

This hits the proverbial nail on the head....If the woman is much older than the man then there's more scrutiny....

Age differences whereby the man is much older than the woman is much more acceptable......

You must be a man .

While these relationships may be more highly scrutinized in immigration (understandable since it's a fairly new concept for some countries) does not mean it's more acceptable. Always the double standards. Unacceptable.

[pushbrk 12,894]

This hits the proverbial nail on the head....If the woman is much older than the man then there's more scrutiny....

Age differences whereby the man is much older than the woman is much more acceptable......

You must be a man .

While these relationships may be more highly scrutinized in immigration (understandable since it's a fairly new concept for some countries) does not mean it's more acceptable. Always the double standards. Unacceptable.

I agree with you that the emphasis should be on the extra scrutiny but the reason for the extra scrutiny is that in most cultures, a marriage between a woman and a significantly younger man is an uncommon and less "accepted" (by the general public) relationship. Shame on the unaccepting folks but there is a cause and effect relationship between the acceptance and the scrutiny. As such relationships become more commonplace, the reason for scrutiny will may abate in kind.

It wasn't that long ago that a marriage between a caucasian and a Chinese woman would have been hard to swallow where many of us live. Things change often because many don't like the status quo, but there's no reason to deny facts we don't like to be reminded of.

Perhaps the acceptance of international relationships that start on the internet will soon escape the "mail order bride" sneers.

[rebeccajo 14]

This hits the proverbial nail on the head....If the woman is much older than the man then there's more scrutiny....

Age differences whereby the man is much older than the woman is much more acceptable......

You must be a man .

While these relationships may be more highly scrutinized in immigration (understandable since it's a fairly new concept for some countries) does not mean it's more acceptable. Always the double standards. Unacceptable.

I agree with you that the emphasis should be on the extra scrutiny but the reason for the extra scrutiny is that in most cultures, a marriage between a woman and a significantly younger man is an uncommon and less "accepted" (by the general public) relationship. Shame on the unaccepting folks but there is a cause and effect relationship between the acceptance and the scrutiny. As such relationships become more commonplace, the reason for scrutiny will may abate in kind.

It wasn't that long ago that a marriage between a caucasian and a Chinese woman would have been hard to swallow where many of us live. Things change often because many don't like the status quo, but there's no reason to deny facts we don't like to be reminded of.

Perhaps the acceptance of international relationships that start on the internet will soon escape the "mail order bride" sneers.

Age difference usually only matters based upon cultural norms in the beneficiaries country. If it's not 'normal' in a country for a man to marry a much older woman, the relationship will generally be examined for fraud mostly on the part of the intending immigrant - ie 'using' a US citizen to get to America.

Age gap relationships are questioned sometimes due to plain old marriage fraud schemes - dollars in exchange for a USC spouse. In countries where this type of scheme is prevalent (Vietnam comes to mind) the age gap would be looked at, no matter which party in the relationship were older. All consulates spot-check for these situations.

So even though age-gap relationships are not looked at very closely in a modernized country like Canada, they might elsewhere.

[DerekJ 0]

I have read before that there is more scrutiny if the USC woman is older and the beneficary man is younger in Morocco and surrounding countries. I am not sure why unless there is a high level of fraud. In the philippines it is normal for there to be age gaps and theres not much scrutiny there over that. I happen to be 23 years older than my fiancee and it wont be a concern at our interview. I have no experience with the Moroccan embassy, and i wish you good luck. I think as long as your relationship is real it will prevail.

You might want to check on the mena board for that specific consulate.

Chris

Yes, "man older" is a cultural norm in many parts of the world. Women older couples are more common now than they used to be but are still a small minority in most cultures, and an extremely small minority in some. So, in the middle east, such a "woman significantly older" relationship is going to get extra scrutiny of bona fides. The extra scrutiny would be similar in China or India and perhaps nearly all of Asia as well.

Hmmm....I wonder if we're in trouble, my lady has me by 21 months in age. ;-)