Should I live in Jordan while we wait?

[ally and moh 3]

I need some good advice. It has been 91 days since our CR1 NOA1 and waiting gets harder every day.

I am considering a move to Jordan while we wait this out, but I am not sure of the requirements for the CR1.

I will still have a home in the USA, but no job.

What do they require to grant the visa?

We want to be together now, but don't want to do anything that will hurt the visa issuance. I have another visit planned for next month, but I know it's going to be so hard to leave.

Please help... I am starting to feel desperate here!

[lo's 0]

I need some good advice. It has been 91 days since our CR1 NOA1 and waiting gets harder every day.

I am considering a move to Jordan while we wait this out, but I am not sure of the requirements for the CR1.

I will still have a home in the USA, but no job.

What do they require to grant the visa?

We want to be together now, but don't want to do anything that will hurt the visa issuance. I have another visit planned for next month, but I know it's going to be so hard to leave.

Please help... I am starting to feel desperate here!

dont feel bad about this. keep waiting and be more patience i know it will delivered for you soon.alot of pending cases right now due to cut off this year.i keep waiting to my medical letter as well.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

I packed up and left and lived in Jordan for 10 months. My dad co sponsored so I didnt have to worry about financial things. Just be aware that if u do decide to live in Jordan it is a pain in the a$$ if u plan to stay for extended periods. I think after 14 days I had to get a HIV test, then apply for a 90 day extension on my visa, then after the 3 months I was required to apply for residency which took about 2 weeks, hundreds of dinars and driving all over amman. not to mention another damn HIV test . Aside from a few bumps in the road, living in Jordan was the best decision ever and if you are able to I say go for it!

[ally and moh 3]

I packed up and left and lived in Jordan for 10 months. My dad co sponsored so I didnt have to worry about financial things. Just be aware that if u do decide to live in Jordan it is a pain in the a$$ if u plan to stay for extended periods. I think after 14 days I had to get a HIV test, then apply for a 90 day extension on my visa, then after the 3 months I was required to apply for residency which took about 2 weeks, hundreds of dinars and driving all over amman. not to mention another damn HIV test . Aside from a few bumps in the road, living in Jordan was the best decision ever and if you are able to I say go for it!

So if I have a co-sponsor, they would not care if I did not have a job?

And I went thru that HIV test my last vist (I was there 45 days). It was humiliating!

[Y's_habibitk 2]

If you can prove domicile in the states(which looks like you can since you have a home here), depending on your income without working of course... you will just need a cosponsor for the AOS

If you can do it, by all means GO FOR IT!! Good luck Ally

[ally and moh 3]

If you can prove domicile in the states(which looks like you can since you have a home here), depending on your income without working of course... you will just need a cosponsor for the AOS

If you can do it, by all means GO FOR IT!! Good luck Ally

This gets more tempting!

The house I live in belongs to my mom. She would let me keep it. And I would still have a small income from disabilty (not enough to meet the requirements). And my financial statement for 2009 is about $22,000. I have already done the I864 for NVC.... so I have the numbers already.

But if having a co-sponsor would allow us to be together now, I would find one!

[~Jackie~ 30]

I completely understand everyones perspective on this but I am the flip-slide to that coin. You couldn't PAY me to live there. I love love love the country, been there 4 times, but everytime I land in Chicago, I could KISS the ground! In fact when walking down the ramp to the terminal I am singing Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the USA'.

The view is interesting, the people are the most generous, the most caring I have ever met. The food is awesome and I loved the green lights of the mosques at night. But...and there is always a big 'but'...there were sevral things that if I had to accept for longer than 2 weeks I might have went crazy.

Showers~I like them hot and long. Depending on the tank on the roof, and the low water pressure, I missed showers as I know them.

Shopping~I didn't know the prices, could not have shopped on my own, ever, and being stared at in the smaller villages was unnerving.

Language~ Yes while there you will learn to pick up bits and pieces of conversation, but as for having any kind of meaningful conversation, that will be limited.

Slow motion~EVERYTHING in Jordan moves at a snails pace and this is worse in the summer. Like Kelly said, be prepared for alot of taxi rides around Amman.

For me, it is a great place to visit but I would not live there. I am a spoiled American that likes to work, socialize and speak my mind.

Jackie

[UmmSqueakster 54]

One of the reasons we didn't live together in Egypt while waiting for the visa was what we were going to do after we arrived here. I had a cosponsor, because I was fresh out of college and had only been working full time since August of 04, but that was just a friend who filled out some paperwork to help us get over that last little hurdle, so that we didn't have to wait another year months to file while I worked more to meet the financial requirements.

If you have a place to live and money to support you both when you move back to the states, then by all means go live over there. But for us, I stayed in the US, worked, got us an apartment and saved some money, so that when he arrived, he didn't need to worry about finances or housing. Will you have enough money to support your both if you can't find a job right away, and if he's unemployed for a long period of time (which is a very real possiblity for an immigrant in this economy)?

We went 18 months without seeing each other. Did it suck? Yes. But it's survivable. Think about your future, your long term goals, and what you can do now to make it easier when your husband arrives. If there's nothing you can do here in the states, then sure, live overseas. But if there are things you can do here that will help to make his move here and your future together easier, I'd stay here.

Just my 2 piastres.

[ally and moh 3]

I completely understand everyones perspective on this but I am the flip-slide to that coin. You couldn't PAY me to live there. I love love love the country, been there 4 times, but everytime I land in Chicago, I could KISS the ground! In fact when walking down the ramp to the terminal I am singing Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the USA'.

The view is interesting, the people are the most generous, the most caring I have ever met. The food is awesome and I loved the green lights of the mosques at night. But...and there is always a big 'but'...there were sevral things that if I had to accept for longer than 2 weeks I might have went crazy.

Showers~I like them hot and long. Depending on the tank on the roof, and the low water pressure, I missed showers as I know them.

Shopping~I didn't know the prices, could not have shopped on my own, ever, and being stared at in the smaller villages was unnerving.

Language~ Yes while there you will learn to pick up bits and pieces of conversation, but as for having any kind of meaningful conversation, that will be limited.

Slow motion~EVERYTHING in Jordan moves at a snails pace and this is worse in the summer. Like Kelly said, be prepared for alot of taxi rides around Amman.

For me, it is a great place to visit but I would not live there. I am a spoiled American that likes to work, socialize and speak my mind.

Jackie

Jackie I love this insight!

I DON'T speak the language and that was the hardest part of my 45-day stay last year.

And I really missed my work and friends and family (well, some of my family...LOL). Found out while I was there that my daughter is pregnant... due in June, so it would be hard to miss that!

It just feels like this will never end!

Maybe my visit next month will be enough to get us thru.

But I am really considering the move.

[ally and moh 3]

One of the reasons we didn't live together in Egypt while waiting for the visa was what we were going to do after we arrived here. I had a cosponsor, because I was fresh out of college and had only been working full time since August of 04, but that was just a friend who filled out some paperwork to help us get over that last little hurdle, so that we didn't have to wait another year months to file while I worked more to meet the financial requirements.

If you have a place to live and money to support you both when you move back to the states, then by all means go live over there. But for us, I stayed in the US, worked, got us an apartment and saved some money, so that when he arrived, he didn't need to worry about finances or housing. Will you have enough money to support your both if you can't find a job right away, and if he's unemployed for a long period of time (which is a very real possiblity for an immigrant in this economy)?

We went 18 months without seeing each other. Did it suck? Yes. But it's survivable. Think about your future, your long term goals, and what you can do now to make it easier when your husband arrives. If there's nothing you can do here in the states, then sure, live overseas. But if there are things you can do here that will help to make his move here and your future together easier, I'd stay here.

Just my 2 piastres.

Thank you.

Some of this is making me think again! And that is why I decided to post.... a reality check!

Thanks again!

[~Jackie~ 30]

In no way do I mean to put a negative light on the country, it's only MY personal opinion.

I was at the Mecca Mall in Amman, large city and beautiful mall. I wandered 15 ft away from a checkout and was shoo'd back to my group of friends by a security guard. I was like..wth is this about..well women shouldn't be alone.

I miss alot of things about Jordan~but none of them as important as Jessica & Joshua and Alexis. My kids are my joy and Lexy is my smile. I learned the hard way I cannot be far from them for very long.

This visa process ends, it seems agonizing long while you are apart, but its all for a reason.

Jackie

(now I am day-dreaming of kanafa in Irbid on University Street )

[ally and moh 3]

In no way do I mean to put a negative light on the country, it's only MY personal opinion.

I was at the Mecca Mall in Amman, large city and beautiful mall. I wandered 15 ft away from a checkout and was shoo'd back to my group of friends by a security guard. I was like..wth is this about..well women shouldn't be alone.

I miss alot of things about Jordan~but none of them as important as Jessica & Joshua and Alexis. My kids are my joy and Lexy is my smile. I learned the hard way I cannot be far from them for very long.

This visa process ends, it seems agonizing long while you are apart, but its all for a reason.

Jackie

(now I am day-dreaming of kanafa in Irbid on University Street )

I understand exactly what you are saying. If my kids were young, there is no way I could leave. But I don't have a grea trelationship with any of my family right now (except my mom and grandmothers), so it is not that hard to leave them for a while.

But with a grandchild on the way.... it makes it a bit harder.

I never went anywhere without Mohsin while I was in Amman. I did a few walks alone at midnite to meet him after he left work, but that was it.

But I know living there for an extended time would be different than just the 45 days. It would be harder I am sure.

I have a lot of thinking to do!

[LRA 0]

I think someone else mentioned keeping your eye on the long term goals you and your husband have. That should guide you toward the right decision. I have spent 1 month there each year for the the past 11 years. Me, long term I will want to live there...but again my parents are building a house there and 99% of my family still lives there as does 100% of my wife's. So I am preparing for that eventual move now...15+ years from now we are planning that move...but things change and maybe it's not in our future. My parents came to the US to live here 3-4 years and head back, but their moving back hasn't happend yet. Personally, I wouldn't give up everything I have accomplished here to move there and wait...but everyone's situation is different. I have 10+ years at my job, which I wouldn't give up for the world. I can't read and write Arabic. I can speak semi-fluently. I have lived here for 32+ years...my immediate family lives in the US. The job situation there is bleak....with the official unemployment at 15%, while unofficially it's at 30%. Median income is another factor and as you know it is very low there. No way I could live there as comfortably as I do here there without being a relative of the royal family or owning land in Abdoun.

When he arrives here it will be a period of adjustment....don't underestimate that. $ you will most likely need to support him for some time when he arrives. That could prove difficult, not just on having the money but for him coming from a culture where the male is regarded as the main (only?) provider. I caution and say "could".

The waiting is he!!...whether 1 day, 1 month or 1 year. But trust me, this apart time will not be something you'll remember when he's here and your're enjoying life together. I read that you are on some sort of disability...not sure the extent of that...but Jordan is not well suited to accommodate those with additional needs....so that could be another factor to consider.

Another thing to keep in mind, a visit is just that a visit...a vacation. Everything is nice and you are doing fun things and going out and visiting this and that place, friends are visiting, large gatherings and dinner invitations left and right...but living there is totally different. That could be said for any country. I would caution you to think in that regard...if your husband works there, he will probably be working quite a bit....and you'll be with his family for the rest of the day...probably at home.

Next, living as you would here is quite expensive in Amman. A trip to the grocery store....you will probably want to buy things you are accustomed to here, it is going to be expensive.

Lastly, no sour cream there! ;-) And no diet Mt Dew. And no Wendy's...three things I CRAVE when I am there.

[Y's_habibitk 2]

I think someone else mentioned keeping your eye on the long term goals you and your husband have. That should guide you toward the right decision. I have spent 1 month there each year for the the past 11 years. Me, long term I will want to live there...but again my parents are building a house there and 99% of my family still lives there as does 100% of my wife's. So I am preparing for that eventual move now...15+ years from now we are planning that move...but things change and maybe it's not in our future. My parents came to the US to live here 3-4 years and head back, but their moving back hasn't happend yet. Personally, I wouldn't give up everything I have accomplished here to move there and wait...but everyone's situation is different. I have 10+ years at my job, which I wouldn't give up for the world. I can't read and write Arabic. I can speak semi-fluently. I have lived here for 32+ years...my immediate family lives in the US. The job situation there is bleak....with the official unemployment at 15%, while unofficially it's at 30%. Median income is another factor and as you know it is very low there. No way I could live there as comfortably as I do here there without being a relative of the royal family or owning land in Abdoun.

When he arrives here it will be a period of adjustment....don't underestimate that. $ you will most likely need to support him for some time when he arrives. That could prove difficult, not just on having the money but for him coming from a culture where the male is regarded as the main (only?) provider. I caution and say "could".

The waiting is he!!...whether 1 day, 1 month or 1 year. But trust me, this apart time will not be something you'll remember when he's here and your're enjoying life together. I read that you are on some sort of disability...not sure the extent of that...but Jordan is not well suited to accommodate those with additional needs....so that could be another factor to consider.

Another thing to keep in mind, a visit is just that a visit...a vacation. Everything is nice and you are doing fun things and going out and visiting this and that place, friends are visiting, large gatherings and dinner invitations left and right...but living there is totally different. That could be said for any country. I would caution you to think in that regard...if your husband works there, he will probably be working quite a bit....and you'll be with his family for the rest of the day...probably at home.

Next, living as you would here is quite expensive in Amman. A trip to the grocery store....you will probably want to buy things you are accustomed to here, it is going to be expensive.

Lastly, no sour cream there! ;-) And no diet Mt Dew. And no Wendy's...three things I CRAVE when I am there.

All very well said and awesome points.

When this subject comes up from time to time, I always think "hey, if they can..why not?"

but that "can" includes so much; along with returning home to start over from scratch. It can be done but the willingness to do so must be pretty strong. And it must have an affect on the adjustment of the newly arrived SO.

I would like to add that there is no No Carb Rockstar there either and that bison energy drink is just not the same