Where do I even start

[SaadBell 0]

Hi,

I am brand new to this site, and to this whole process. I am marrying a man from Egypt, in August, I am flying over there. What do we need to do. I am completely overwhelmed with all the rules and regulations. I am an American. Mohamed was a captain in the police force for 13 years, and quit his job in order to marry me, since he could not leave Egypt as a police officer. No pressure there , I am flying over there to meet his mother, since he is the only son, his father has been passed away for years. He has no other brothers or sisters, and really was not interested in living in America. The only reason he will live here is for me. He loved his job, and his life so he wasn't looking for a job or a green card. I have heard this so often from so many people. My first question is, what should we do in order for him to come home with me. He has a uncle who works in Cairo for the FBI, and we are working with him in order to get through the red tape. But I am really feeling helpless. If you all have any suggestions, especially for him, something that is in at least arabic, since his english is not the best. He is in english class at the moment to learn to speak and write better. Any help or advice or even share your experiences with me would be wonderful.

Thanks

Freaking out here in Florida

[hockeygal 0]

Hi, and welcome.

In terms of getting Mohamed to the USA , you will have to file for a K visa. (He won't be able to just return with you after your trip.) The one you file for will depend on whether you plan to marry before or after Mohamed arrives in the USA.

There are regional topics on this forum as well, where you might find more people sharing details and experiences of bringing their loved one over from a specific part of the world.

Good Luck!

Edited July 10, 2006 by hockeygal

[raymaga 25]

If you are already planning on getting married in Egypt in August, the only K Visa you could apply for would be the K-3 Visa.

If you were planning on marrying in the U.S., then you would apply for the K-1 Visa (Fiance Visa).

Once you are married, you will have to send in the paperwork for the K-3 Visa. You should read the "Guides" and "Visa FAQ" sections (at the top of the VJ page). You will find all the answers you need there and it is much easier than trying to describe the process here in a post. Check out the "Forums" section for "K3 Spouse Visa" topics.

Good luck with whichever route you decide to go and best wishes for a speedy approval.

[CanadaGirl 0]

Hello,

I am not sure where to find info in Arabic but maybe someone else will.

I would also suggest getting married and then filing a petition for your spouse to live in America which is an I-130. Once you receive a notice NOA1 that they received your application which normally takes a month or so then you can apply for a K3 visa. Once your husband is in the states on a K3 visa he can apply to adjust his status to a permanent resident using the I-485 form and a few others. The good thing about a K3 visa is it usually is the quickest way to get to the states legally and you can enter and leave the country as long as the visa is valid (2 years) so he could still visit home.

I think it's a good idea to look at the walk throughs and helpful hints at the top of the forums. I personally used the K3 and the Adjustment of status one to help me out.

Also have a look at the timelines section. You can filter out the embassy section to get an idea of how long K visas take in your husbands area.

Hope that helps out a bit and congratulations on getting married!

[dwar49 0]

Welcome aboard. Check out the regional forums and read the FAQs and guides there are pros and cons to doing a fiancee visa and marrying first and then using the spouse procedure. You will have to decide which is better for you and your fiancee.

Not sure where you live but depending on your location, it makes a big difference as to how long it will take. Falls back onto whether you can file in vermont or California. Vermont is alot faster for fiancee visas. Spend a few days researching thru the FAQs and at the USCIS site.

Good luck on your journey!!!!!

[Karen_L 1]

Don't be overwhelmed! It'll be okay and you'll figure it all out. Once you actually start, everything seems much clearer than when you just read the process on uscis.gov. Anyway, it comes down to you deciding where and when you want to get married. If you decide to marry in Egypt, then you will have to do the K-3, which usually takes longer than the K-1 to actually get the visa, but once your fiance' gets it and is in the US, things are simpler and easier for you. If you decide to marry in the US, you will need to do the K-1, which usually takes much less time than the K-3, BUT you have to do more once he gets here to assure he can stay.

Also, you might want to check out the Middle East/North Africa section since the process for people from those regions can sometimes have a longer wait due to security checks, which is something you may also run into.

Anyway, good luck! Choose wisely!

[meauxna 15]

Shouldn't someone give this gal an idea how just how long this is going to take?

I have an idea, but it's better from someone using Cairo right now...

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Cairo seems to be slowing down considerably since we went through there last year.

If you do a K visa (K-1 for fiance or K-3 for spouse), for your initial process here in the United States, it will probably take 2 to 5 months. After that, it gets sent to Cairo. Cairo will take about a month to send your fiance/husband a letter with all of the paperwork he needs to fill out. After that is sent back, it can take 1-3 months to get an interview scheduled, and then the interview may be 1-3 months away. After the interview, all arab muslim men are put on administrative processing and/or administrative review, where their paperwork will be further checked and rechecked. This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Then, the visa is issued.

All in all, the process could take 6 months, if you're really really really lucky, but more likely, it will take 8+ months with the increased AR/AP periods we've been seeing as of late.

As others have mentioned, please visit us in the ME/NA subforum for more info.

[Chuckles 0]

Good luck and I highly recommend you take Rahma's advice and check out the ME/NA forum as that region has a unique set of issues and problems to deal with.

Don't worry though, others have done it before you and will do it again !!! I wish you the best.

[desert_fox 32]

No reason to quit a job...he still has many many months ahead of him to get a visa.....tell him to go back to work.

[fjohnette 0]

I'm not sure on the rules in Egypt but could you guys get married in Egypt and do a DCF?? Where you get married in Egypt and file directly with the US Embassy there and bypass the lagging service centers. Here's a link that they gave me: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

[Aymerlu 3]

Tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary. The process is not a fast one K-1 or K-3

[UmmSqueakster 54]

No reason to quit a job...he still has many many months ahead of him to get a visa.....tell him to go back to work.

Actually, there is a reason for him to quit the job. In Egypt, police officers and those in the armed services are not allowed to marry foreigners and cannot leave the country without a ton of difficulty. I'm not sure if that's the official policy, or just the culture, but it's nearly impossible for police or military to marry foreigners.

He doesn't have to quit until you guys start the visa process, or until you get married though. After that, sign him up for a lot of english classes so that he'll have an easier time adjusting once he gets here. Does he have a college degree? If so, have him get his degree stamped by the school and get all the syllabi, so that it can be evaluated once he gets here.

Tomorrow is our 1 year anniversary. The process is not a fast one K-1 or K-3

*huggles* it will be coming soon inshaAllah

Edited July 11, 2006 by rahma

[gag54611 1]

I'm not sure on the rules in Egypt but could you guys get married in Egypt and do a DCF?? Where you get married in Egypt and file directly with the US Embassy there and bypass the lagging service centers. Here's a link that they gave me: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

According to the embassy info page for Cairo, here on VJ, DCF is possible, but only for US citizens who are legal residents of Egypt. So, it seems that it cannot be used by the OP.

G