Effect of # of meetings in the interview.

[Victor&Cory 1]

Ok....this time I'm posting this in the right place.

Does the # of times that a couple met in person have any effect at the interview stage in proving our relationship? We are worried that my SO get denied just because of we meet only once so far regardless of how much evidence we have to prove our relationship. By the way, by the time she even gets the interview it will be more than one year since we know each other and the amount of emails, messenger logs, calls, etc that we already have is way too much already.

What do you think? Can this happen? It is pretty hard to meet often when at the beginning she had her B-2 denied. Thanks in advance for your answers.

PEACE............

[Hell0W0rld 10]

the number of visits does have affect during the interview stage, the longer time apart, the more doubts you will get from the VO. if you can, try to take another trip to meet up again, then if you can again, be there when she has her interview....

[Victor&Cory 1]

We just met less than a month ago. I can't take any more vacation time this year and since she had her B-2 denied early this year really put a block in meeting once more. I really hope our evidence is more than enough.

Thanks for your answer my friend.

PEACE..............

Edited May 2, 2009 by Victor&Cory

[favorme4u 0]

the number of visits does have affect during the interview stage, the longer time apart, the more doubts you will get from the VO. if you can, try to take another trip to meet up again, then if you can again, be there when she has her interview....

oh my... w/ this post made me worry now my fiance too visited me just once last year, he's always busy at work and doesn't have enough time for holiday. gosh....

[Bobby+Umit 161]

If you don't have alot of visits (or just one) make sure you fill it in with emails/letters/phone calls.

That will show you have a loving relationship and not just going through the motions...

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Ok....this time I'm posting this in the right place.

Does the # of times that a couple met in person have any effect at the interview stage in proving our relationship? We are worried that my SO get denied just because of we meet only once so far regardless of how much evidence we have to prove our relationship. By the way, by the time she even gets the interview it will be more than one year since we know each other and the amount of emails, messenger logs, calls, etc that we already have is way too much already.

What do you think? Can this happen? It is pretty hard to meet often when at the beginning she had her B-2 denied. Thanks in advance for your answers.

PEACE............

Yes it can. Some consulates are very particular about the evidence of relationship and NONE is better than visits in person.

Remember, the CO does not know you. He/She is handed a file by the document clerk and asked to judge if your realtionship is valid and meets the requirements of being genuine and NOT for the purpose of immigration fraud. So the more evidence you have, the better. Your ability to meet in person is not affected by her denial of a B-2. This is typical of eastern European countries, where it is pretty much a waste of time for young, single women (young = under age 65) to apply for one. You are welcome to visit her at any time.

That said, there is no specific requirement of visits other than meeting in person one time before you file the petition. In addition to the other evidence we brought, I had visited 5 times after filing the petition (probably borderline excessive) and went to the interview. The visa was issued no questions asked. I am not saying that is why, many people get the same response from Kiev with no visits.

The thing to remember is this part of the process is entirely subjective and up to the officer making the call and YES many visas are denied for exactly this reason. "Not clearly eligible" is the normal euphanism. Not sure how difficult Bucharest is in this regard, check the consulate reviews and regional forum.

It would almost be easier if they said "this is what you need..." as it is they make a judgement on what you will present. This needs to be established as a bona fide relationship of the type that would logically lead to marriage. High fraud countries (I am not aware of Romania being considered one) are particularly difficult.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

We just met less than a month ago. I can't take any more vacation time this year and since she had her B-2 denied early this year really put a block in meeting once more. I really hope our evidence is more than enough.

Thanks for your answer my friend.

PEACE..............

Lest anyone think I am independently wealthy or belssed with unlimited vacation time, such is not the case. I visited many times during the process, sometimes for as few as three days (plus a day each way for travel) and did so with unpaid time off. Speak with your employer and see if they will grant you a little latitude during the process for some time off.

[Anh map 2,098]

I was just going to ask Gary to buy me some plane tix with all those miles... Edited May 2, 2009 by Anh map

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I had just one visit with my fiancee, met her family, and did all the tourist stuff for 8 days in country. I filed my petition as soon as I returned. I think the questions asked in the interview, and the answers the fiance(e)/spouse gives, do more to establish bonafides better that anything else. My fiancee brought every piece of coorespondence, but they only collected a few pieces, and a few pictures. Of course, the flight to the Philippines is 16 hours or longer, and expensive. The CO in Manila must have understood that.

[Anh map 2,098]

Bucharest has never been easy for tourist visas. How did you meet? How long after you first met did you meet face 2 face? How long did you visit in Romania?

You want to be sure that your love story passes the "smell test." If your friends tell you that the story sounds like fiction then the CO may very well think the same. If others point out holes in your story, make sure you have evidence to back it up. Be sure to have all your correspondence. Make sure your chats are logged.

Do some checking in the Europe and Eurasia regional forum to get input from those going through Bucharest now.

[Victor&Cory 1]

I had just one visit with my fiancee, met her family, and did all the tourist stuff for 8 days in country. I filed my petition as soon as I returned. I think the questions asked in the interview, and the answers the fiance(e)/spouse gives, do more to establish bonafides better that anything else. My fiancee brought every piece of coorespondence, but they only collected a few pieces, and a few pictures. Of course, the flight to the Philippines is 16 hours or longer, and expensive. The CO in Manila must have understood that.

My flight to Romania took 23 hours. Puerto Rico - Newark - Amsterdam - Romania. Imagine how beat I was after all that. hehe

I spent 3 weeks there with her.

Bucharest has never been easy for tourist visas. How did you meet? How long after you first met did you meet face 2 face? How long did you visit in Romania?

You want to be sure that your love story passes the "smell test." If your friends tell you that the story sounds like fiction then the CO may very well think the same. If others point out holes in your story, make sure you have evidence to back it up. Be sure to have all your correspondence. Make sure your chats are logged.

Do some checking in the Europe and Eurasia regional forum to get input from those going through Bucharest now.

I did that already as a matter of fact. The only thing they found crazy is that I, who has not got into a plane for more than 20 years, had the guts to travel so far. hehehe. Besides that all seem ok to them. It took us 8 months before meeting in person and spent 3 weeks together.

PEACE..................

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I was just going to ask Gary to buy me some plane tix with all those miles...

Yeah, I wish! Unfortunately (or maybe not) I always bought the cheapest tickets which means I flew on different airlines every time (or a combination thereof) and really didn't score any points for future discounts. However I ca give a review of nearly all the carriers between JFK and Ukraine. CSA, Lufthansa and KLM are tops in my book! Delta is OK. They will have to carry my dead body onto an Air France flight if I am ever going on that airline again! Ukraine International and Aerosvit are much better than you would expect, but really the "Southwest Airlines" of Europe.

Really, have a sit down with your boss and see if they will let you have some extra time off. Also, presently, there are some really good prices on tickets to Europe. I bought tickets a couple months ago for our travels this summer and was really shocked at the low prices after being skinned alive for tickets last year!

[Anh map 2,098]

Your timeline sounds ok. Plenty of time to learn about each other. Not sure what Bucharest likes to see with regard to visits.

If you want to try another visit have her get to Amsterdam/London/somewhere that you can get to in one stop over. Multiple visits face to face can only be a good thing. Not just thinking of the visa, but for the couple to have more face time to be sure of their commitment.

What time of year did you go to Romania? Where did you go in the country? (Just curious, I've been there a couple of times)

I did JFK - OTP(Bucharest) on Tarom one time. Awful flight. Terrible service. Nonstop was not worth it.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Anh map

[TruLuv 0]

I have only been to visit once. I am hoping to visit 1 more time before he comes here, but am trying to figure that out. Kenya is a pretty far trip and an entire days travel 1 way so I can only do it one more time this year. Do you think it would be better to go for a visit at some point before the interview or to try and make it to the interview? Interviews are assigned pretty quickly in Kenya so this would have to be last minute travel.

[ellmvl 1]

Of course, the flight to the Philippines is 16 hours or longer, and expensive. The CO in Manila must have understood that.

I agree!

This got me worried a lil bit too since my husband just visited me once and it's been a year already. We have a valid reason though in case the CO will ask me. Let's just have faith that God will guide us and the CO in all these process.