problems with muslim spouse?

[taj'samericanwife 0]

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

[Zayd 0]

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

A vast majority of Pakistani male spouses will be placed on administrative processing (AP) following their interview in Islamabad. While it is not guaranteed, you should expect it when planning out your life. AP can last anywhere from 2 months to 2 years (with it typically taking about six months). Ap involves in depth security checks. Moreover since it appears you are not Pakistani, you should know that most likely there will be additional scrutiny of the bona fides of your marriage at the US embassy in Islamabad given that a Pakistani is marrying a non-Pakistani. As part of your I130 and DS230, you should provide extensive evidence of the bonafides of your situation. You should also prepare for the possibility of field inspections at your husbands home, city, and place of employment to confirm the marriage is legitimate. Family visas are not a rubber stamp process in Pakistan as it is in some countries. You should brace yourself for a long separation even after the interview.

[♥ Zain ♥ Fariha ♥ 0]

A vast majority of Pakistani male spouses will be placed on administrative processing (AP) following their interview in Islamabad. -True! We are all put on AP! Please plan accordingly.

Best Wishes,

Zain

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

A vast majority of Pakistani male spouses will be placed on administrative processing (AP) following their interview in Islamabad. While it is not guaranteed, you should expect it when planning out your life. AP can last anywhere from 2 months to 2 years (with it typically taking about six months). Ap involves in depth security checks. Moreover since it appears you are not Pakistani, you should know that most likely there will be additional scrutiny of the bona fides of your marriage at the US embassy in Islamabad given that a Pakistani is marrying a non-Pakistani. As part of your I130 and DS230, you should provide extensive evidence of the bonafides of your situation. You should also prepare for the possibility of field inspections at your husbands home, city, and place of employment to confirm the marriage is legitimate. Family visas are not a rubber stamp process in Pakistan as it is in some countries. You should brace yourself for a long separation even after the interview.

Edited December 25, 2008 by ♥ Zain ♥ Fariha ♥

[taj'samericanwife 0]

hi...thanks for replying...im not filing through the consulate in pakistan... you see my husband and I met in the philippines...i am a US citizen and I was studying in the philippines and he was a pakistani also studying in the philippines...we have a son together, he is about 14 months now.

I had to leave them behind and come to america alone. i wanted to petition them when I was still in the Philippines but I just graduated from nursing school and I didn't have a job...and no family member wanted to help us. Also our son could not automatically get his US citizenship through me because I lived my life mostly in the Philippines...I grew up there and went to school in the Philippines. The consular at the US embassy in the Philippines said I would have to petition my son since he could not acquire citizenship by birth to an american parent because I lacked that one requirement of not living in the US for at least 5 years...

So we decided after graduation I'll come to america alone...I had to do it all for my family...come to america alone and work for them...save up...you know the deal. so I have been living away from them for 6 months now. I have a job, a very stable job now and I waited after 5 months of working so that i can file for my husband and child.

I also emailed the different US embassies in pakistan to explain my situation...telling them my husband is still in the Philippines on a student visa...and I am planning on filing his immigrant visa soon...what should i do? they emailed back saying that all he needs from pakistan are his original birth certificates and police clearance so i am assuming I can file through the us embassy in the philippines. besides...my husband is legal in the philippines, he is still on his student visa which will expire in about year...has his alien registration certificate in the philippines...he is all good there. and also my son is in the philippines. my mom takes care of him and I am getting a filipino passport for my son so i can file his IR-2 too. we decided not to get the pakistani passport for him.

I emailed the US embassy in the philippines to double check but they havent emailed back...besides we were married in the philippines...but i will call the us embassy in the philippines...

im wondering if anyone knows if my husbands visa might be Expedited if i file them together with my son's? my son's will take faster im sure of that and i am worried my husband will get left behind...

also in the US embassy in the philippines, they allow foreigners to file tourist visas there even if they are not filipino...his pakistani friends did that....

and i have no problem showing proof of our on going marriage...we have a son together...which i think is the best proof of any 'REAL' marriage to anyone...

please comment.

[MARM 7]

I just wanted to add that the American Embassy in Islamabad is not the only embassy putting Muslim males/ Muslim Pakistani males on AP. My fiance is a Pakistani citizen in London on UK student visa and he will be interviewing at the USEM in London for his K-1 visa, and so far, we have come to know that anyone that fits this description get put on AP, but the AP process is shorter in London from what I hear. We are expecting AP processing also...a lot of times it also has to do with the name check, for example if your name contains: Muhammad, Malik, Khan, among various others, you are bound to go through further AP security checks and every point in your visa journey. It is unfortunate that we lay people have to deal with this AP processing, but I agree with everyone else here, please plan accordingly so it won't be an unwanted surprise if your husband does get put on AP.

I would also like to state that it seems like a smart move on your part for not getting a Pakistani passport for your son. There is no surety that your husband's visa will be expedited if you file with your son's. But your husband's will not get left behind because you can take care of this when you file for the visa by filing two cases together and following up on them accordingly.

As far as proving your relationship, having a child together is certainly strong evidence proving a bona-fide marriage. Also, I am sure you are aware of other materials that you can provide for evidence, such as affidavits, and obviously the marriage certificate.

Good luck!

-MARM

Edited December 25, 2008 by MARM

[taj'samericanwife 0]

yeah i guess i should expect for the AP (why do they do that for the pakistanis?)...that totally sucks though but i'm glad to know that a pakistani citizen can file in london too for a K1 visa...same as my hubby who will file in the philippines. i was also wondering, i wanted to post a new thread...which is faster? to do the I 130 at the DCF or thru USCIS. i know i'm already here in the u.s. but i will be going to the philippines to see my son and husband in march or april...should i just wait and file there or should i just go on and file in january at the USCIS chicago address? i saw that by DCF in the philippines...its pretty fast too....

and on yeah, not only do we have a son together who looks 50% me and 50% his father...so cute...our entire relationship went through the typical love @ first site thing...we dated for 3 years...now almost 2 years married so a total of almost 5 years being together...i knew he was the love of my life that day he came up to me and ask to borrow my notes! oh gush....im missing him so...

...ooopppss i mis spelled something...love @ first sight! not love @ first site! correction, we did not meet on the internet...silly me

[Zayd 0]

yeah i guess i should expect for the AP (why do they do that for the pakistanis?)...that totally sucks though but i'm glad to know that a pakistani citizen can file in london too for a K1 visa...same as my hubby who will file in the philippines. i was also wondering, i wanted to post a new thread...which is faster? to do the I 130 at the DCF or thru USCIS. i know i'm already here in the u.s. but i will be going to the philippines to see my son and husband in march or april...should i just wait and file there or should i just go on and file in january at the USCIS chicago address? i saw that by DCF in the philippines...etty fast too....

and on yeah, not only do we have a son together who looks 50% me and 50% his father...so cute...our entire relationship went through the typical love @ first site thing...we dated for 3 years...now almost 2 years married so a total of almost 5 years being together...i knew he was the love of my life that day he came up to me and ask to borrow my notes! oh gush....im missing him so...

...ooopppss i mis spelled something...love @ first sight! not love @ first site! correction, we did not meet on the internet...silly me

If you are now living in the US as your post seems to indicate, you are not eligible for DCF. You must be resident (not just living) in the country you are applying in for at six months. It is advised that you apply now in the US. Moreover, the fact that your husband would be interviewing in Manila instead of ISL does not have much impact on whether you get AP. AP is based on whether his name gets a hit or not. Also since Pakistan is a high visa fraud country, even having a baby or a long relationship is proof of bona fides. The bar is set very high as it is not too uncommon for Pakistanis to be found to have secret spouses during AP. AP is designed to protect you and all Americans from people who are trying to defraud you or harm the people. Given the amount of terrorism originating from there, it is understandable.

[pushbrk 12,882]

yeah i guess i should expect for the AP (why do they do that for the pakistanis?)...that totally sucks though but i'm glad to know that a pakistani citizen can file in london too for a K1 visa...same as my hubby who will file in the philippines. i was also wondering, i wanted to post a new thread...which is faster? to do the I 130 at the DCF or thru USCIS. i know i'm already here in the u.s. but i will be going to the philippines to see my son and husband in march or april...should i just wait and file there or should i just go on and file in january at the USCIS chicago address? i saw that by DCF in the philippines...etty fast too....

and on yeah, not only do we have a son together who looks 50% me and 50% his father...so cute...our entire relationship went through the typical love @ first site thing...we dated for 3 years...now almost 2 years married so a total of almost 5 years being together...i knew he was the love of my life that day he came up to me and ask to borrow my notes! oh gush....im missing him so...

...ooopppss i mis spelled something...love @ first sight! not love @ first site! correction, we did not meet on the internet...silly me

If you are now living in the US as your post seems to indicate, you are not eligible for DCF. You must be resident (not just living) in the country you are applying in for at six months. It is advised that you apply now in the US. Moreover, the fact that your husband would be interviewing in Manila instead of ISL does not have much impact on whether you get AP. AP is based on whether his name gets a hit or not. Also since Pakistan is a high visa fraud country, even having a baby or a long relationship is proof of bona fides. The bar is set very high as it is not too uncommon for Pakistanis to be found to have secret spouses during AP. AP is designed to protect you and all Americans from people who are trying to defraud you or harm the people. Given the amount of terrorism originating from there, it is understandable.

Yes, DCF is out of the question if she's only visiting the PI.

AP is based on more than a name hit, which nearly all Muslim men are going to have anyway. Almost all Muslim men or even those with Muslim sounding names from many countries will go through AP, so the OP needs to be prepared for how to deal with a visa issued to her son potentially more than six months before her husband. I expect the son's visa can be delayed if he's not going to go ahead and join his mother anyway.

[Laveau 67]

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

Besides the visa process, what exactly are you worried about regarding life in the U.S. for a Paki?

[Y's_habibitk 2]

hi all...i know this may sound stupid...but did anyone have problems if their spouse was muslim or pakistani or from a muslim country? im just really worried about it...i know its supppose to be land of the free and the sept. 11 thing has died down a bit but im just really worried...my husband is from pakistan and i love him very much. it was not a problem for me that we had different religions...in fact, its one of the things that drew me to him, when we first met, how muslim he was but he was still so normal and was such a nice guy...(when we met in 2004)...because of all those terrorist things people show in the media that sometimes stereotypes people! most aren't true! im just so worried...

please share anyone

Im sorry but this cracks me up

my husband isnt here yet so i cant tell you of our experience as far as ppl's reaction. i can tell you the stupid things you might hear from friends/co workers and possibly family though...

go scope out the MENA forum..there is a threa going..whats the stupidest thing you have heard for having a spouse in MENA.i.e- muslim that might give you an indication

good luck on your journey

[morocco4ever 63]

You might get a laugh at this thread:

Stupid comments

I wasn't sure if your question related more to the experience at the consulate or when he gets here. At the consulate I have a feeling that proving your relationship is bona fide will be easy, but don't ever be too confident, gather lots of proof. It doesn't matter which consulate he goes through, just the fact that he is pakistani is going to bring about more suspicions, so AP is probable.

His experience when he gets here kind of depends on the area. Where I live I suspect there is some prejudices, but they keep it to themselves. Some people are very warm and welcoming. I suspect that the ones that are more educated are less likely to be prejudice. Not sure how others feel on that however. I have heard from others in the MENA forum that have had a harder adjustment because of prejudices.

[Old Dominion 26]

You don't give a timeline nor any indication of where you live in the U.S. In any event, just know that the Department of State oversees all of the consulates, and all of them will treat your husband the same way--that he is guilty of being a potential terrorist until he is proven innocent. Though it happens all the time, for a Muslim to marry a Christian is against the Muslim teachings and traditions. That's another source of suspicion. In this country, it seems that Pakistanis tend not to integrate into American culture very readily, and for this and other reasons are not readily trusted. It will be a difficult process because the bottom line is that he is a Pakistani national, simply studying in the Phils, and a Muslim living in a country that is worried about the growth of Islam. For all the wrong reasons, it will be tough.

[morocco4ever 63]

Though it happens all the time, for a Muslim to marry a Christian is against the Muslim teachings and traditions.

A Muslim man is allowed to marry a woman outside of Islam as long as she is either Christian or Jewish. Although they do prefer that he marries a Muslim. If they are from a Muslim country it of course is less common, but It happens in a non muslim country more than one might think.

[Old Dominion 26]

Though it happens all the time, for a Muslim to marry a Christian is against the Muslim teachings and traditions.

A Muslim man is allowed to marry a woman outside of Islam as long as she is either Christian or Jewish. Although they do prefer that he marries a Muslim. If they are from a Muslim country it of course is less common, but It happens in a non muslim country more than one might think.

What about a Muslim woman marrying a Christian man? My "first love" was a young Muslim woman in Sarajevo. Upon noticing that a romance was blossoming, her parents politely and as nicely as possible informed me that because I was an infidel, they would not permit her to continue seeing me.

[morocco4ever 63]

Though it happens all the time, for a Muslim to marry a Christian is against the Muslim teachings and traditions.

A Muslim man is allowed to marry a woman outside of Islam as long as she is either Christian or Jewish. Although they do prefer that he marries a Muslim. If they are from a Muslim country it of course is less common, but It happens in a non muslim country more than one might think.

What about a Muslim woman marrying a Christian man? My "first love" was a young Muslim woman in Sarajevo. Upon noticing that a romance was blossoming, her parents politely and as nicely as possible informed me that because I was an infidel, they would not permit her to continue seeing me.

That question in the MENA forum could open a huge can of worms, so don't take it there, I don't want it rehashed. I have been told that you are correct, a Muslim woman is only allowed to marry a Muslim man. It has been debated over there that it is not in the Quran. But in the majority of the Muslim population belief you are correct. I am sorry to hear what happened. That must have been a pretty hard blow as a first love experience. I hope that since you are here you have found someone that won't have the same kind of stress as it surely would have if you had pursued it further with your first love.

Though it happens all the time, for a Muslim to marry a Christian is against the Muslim teachings and traditions.

A Muslim man is allowed to marry a woman outside of Islam as long as she is either Christian or Jewish. Although they do prefer that he marries a Muslim. If they are from a Muslim country it of course is less common, but It happens in a non muslim country more than one might think.

What about a Muslim woman marrying a Christian man? My "first love" was a young Muslim woman in Sarajevo. Upon noticing that a romance was blossoming, her parents politely and as nicely as possible informed me that because I was an infidel, they would not permit her to continue seeing me.

That question in the MENA forum could open a huge can of worms, so don't take it there, I don't want it rehashed. I have been told that you are correct, a Muslim woman is only allowed to marry a Muslim man. It has been debated over there that it is not in the Quran. But in the majority of the Muslim population belief you are correct. I am sorry to hear what happened. That must have been a pretty hard blow as a first love experience. I hope that since you are here you have found someone that won't have the same kind of stress as it surely would have if you had pursued it further with your first love.

Favor to the Mods, please don't move this thread to the MENA forum.