Newbie with a few Casa questions

[Crossed_fingers 128]

Hello, MENA! I'm a lurker who appreciates all the great advice and funny stories that are on VJ, especially here in MENA-land. Nice to "meet" you!

I am getting ready to file for a K-1 for my Moroccan fiance and I have a few questions. As background, I've tried to think about red flags we might face. The "worst" things about are case are that he first contacted me through a dating website and we have a 6 year age difference. We met online one year ago and in person 6 months ago during a 3 week visit. I visited again last month for 2 weeks and we got engaged. I plan on making a third trip sometime later this summer or in the early fall, which will probably be before his interview. We have a few good points, too, I think, such as that he is educated and his English is excellent. Neither of us have been married or have kids. If necessary we can produce letters from family on both sides supporting our relationship. I am Muslim, but although my reversion occurred before he and I met in person or got serious romantically it happened to be after our first online contact and I would not be surprised if the CO's assumed he encouraged it. On to my questions! I've done searches and read older threads but since Casa is so unpredictable I thought it might not hurt to see if recent filers have noticed any trends.

1. Is it true that Casa technically does not require the I-134 affidavit of sponsorship but still asks for financial information at the interview? I started a thread in the K-1 forum a sponsorship issue I foresee. I recently started doing independent contractor work and although I realistically expect to make several times the 125% poverty threshold, I wonder if the temporary nature of my work projects will cause a problem. Of course it would be ideal if Casa just did not care.

2. What is your view on front-loading in the I-129F? So far I'm planning on submitting a 3/4 or 1 page narrative in response to Question 18, how we met, including information about our common interests and family members. Besides things like passport stamps and boarding passes, I plan on including around 20-25 pictures of the two of us, including some with his family members. I will also include images of my inbox and chat history listing our conversations and emails. I might include a few pages of sample emails or chats. I was also thinking of a few webcam shots that show us talking to some of our family members. Does this sound like overkill? Do you recommend including anything else?

3. I know this topic has been discussed before, but has anyone noticed any recent trends on how Casa views large engagement parties and Moroccan men wearing engagement rings? We had an engagement party with a few fancy dresses and around 50 people, and we wear rings on our left hands to signify that we are off the market. I would like to submit those pictures because they are some of our most romantic shots and they show me hanging out with much of his family, and I feel funny advising him to take off his ring or tossing pictures where his ring is visible. But I do know Casa has given couples trouble in the past for "looking married." Just to be clear, we are NOT married. Not legally, not "religiously," not "in the eyes of our families" or anything. There is no marriage contract yet, we plan on marrying the United States, and after the party we went right back to sleeping in separate bedrooms. I've read the old threads on this topic and I know there's a bit of a risk either way, either by losing out on some of our "best" proof or by the consulate thinking we're trying to pull a fast one on them. At this time, I'm inclined to go ahead and submit the pictures of the party and the ones where he wears his ring. If I do that, I will carefully label them and document that it was just an engagement party and those are just engagement rings. Perhaps I'd send him an affidavit swearing that I am single and suggesting that he prepare one for himself. But if anyone has heard of any recent trend in Casa getting either more understanding or more suspicious of this issue, I welcome the advice.

Thanks all and once again, hello!!

[Always+Forever 7]

Hello, MENA! I'm a lurker who appreciates all the great advice and funny stories that are on VJ, especially here in MENA-land. Nice to "meet" you!

I am getting ready to file for a K-1 for my Moroccan fiance and I have a few questions. As background, I've tried to think about red flags we might face. The "worst" things about are case are that he first contacted me through a dating website and we have a 6 year age difference. We met online one year ago and in person 6 months ago during a 3 week visit. I visited again last month for 2 weeks and we got engaged. I plan on making a third trip sometime later this summer or in the early fall, which will probably be before his interview. We have a few good points, too, I think, such as that he is educated and his English is excellent. Neither of us have been married or have kids. If necessary we can produce letters from family on both sides supporting our relationship. I am Muslim, but although my reversion occurred before he and I met in person or got serious romantically it happened to be after our first online contact and I would not be surprised if the CO's assumed he encouraged it. On to my questions! I've done searches and read older threads but since Casa is so unpredictable I thought it might not hurt to see if recent filers have noticed any trends.

1. Is it true that Casa technically does not require the I-134 affidavit of sponsorship but still asks for financial information at the interview? I started a thread in the K-1 forum a sponsorship issue I foresee. I recently started doing independent contractor work and although I realistically expect to make several times the 125% poverty threshold, I wonder if the temporary nature of my work projects will cause a problem. Of course it would be ideal if Casa just did not care.

2. What is your view on front-loading in the I-129F? So far I'm planning on submitting a 3/4 or 1 page narrative in response to Question 18, how we met, including information about our common interests and family members. Besides things like passport stamps and boarding passes, I plan on including around 20-25 pictures of the two of us, including some with his family members. I will also include images of my inbox and chat history listing our conversations and emails. I might include a few pages of sample emails or chats. I was also thinking of a few webcam shots that show us talking to some of our family members. Does this sound like overkill? Do you recommend including anything else?

3. I know this topic has been discussed before, but has anyone noticed any recent trends on how Casa views large engagement parties and Moroccan men wearing engagement rings? We had an engagement party with a few fancy dresses and around 50 people, and we wear rings on our left hands to signify that we are off the market. I would like to submit those pictures because they are some of our most romantic shots and they show me hanging out with much of his family, and I feel funny advising him to take off his ring or tossing pictures where his ring is visible. But I do know Casa has given couples trouble in the past for "looking married." Just to be clear, we are NOT married. Not legally, not "religiously," not "in the eyes of our families" or anything. There is no marriage contract yet, we plan on marrying the United States, and after the party we went right back to sleeping in separate bedrooms. I've read the old threads on this topic and I know there's a bit of a risk either way, either by losing out on some of our "best" proof or by the consulate thinking we're trying to pull a fast one on them. At this time, I'm inclined to go ahead and submit the pictures of the party and the ones where he wears his ring. If I do that, I will carefully label them and document that it was just an engagement party and those are just engagement rings. Perhaps I'd send him an affidavit swearing that I am single and suggesting that he prepare one for himself. But if anyone has heard of any recent trend in Casa getting either more understanding or more suspicious of this issue, I welcome the advice.

Thanks all and once again, hello!!

Ok...i'll try to answer the best i can from what i remember doing

1. They didn't ask my fiance for the I-134, and from I understand they usually don't, but I know they have requested it when in doubt, i think it just depends on how convinced they are that you make money, since they know it will be confirmed at with the AOS.

2. Front loading...i've heard mixed reviews...as for us, I sent 70 pics (with friends, family, engagement party, etc), and the beginning few lines of most of our conversations (probably around 20pgs...don't remember exactly), along with copies of boarding passes, train, ring reciepts, etc

3. As far as the engagement party...my fiance was never questioned about it...we both wear rings & have since we became engaged. I think as long as in your conversations & when they question him he doesn't call u his wife, spouse, etc and I didn't include pics of us exchanging rings (just in case)...also if you had a cake & want to include pics...be sure you know what ws written on it...I thought ours said Happy Marriage, so i didn't include pics of it...come to find out it said Happy Engagement

Ok...i think i answered all of the questions...if you have any other or want more details feel free to ask. We have had our interview and are currently waiting for our 2nd interview (according to the COs statement to my fiance). I think it helps to show them as much as possible before the interview that way they can be more sure about your relationship instead of having doubt since they don't have the information. And be sure that they will know EVERYTHING that you send in to them, so make sure your fiance knows the original application as well. I wrote up a review of our interview so maybe that would help to take a look at...there are some pretty good reviews..ppl listing ALL of the details...really helps. You can know forsure that they only ask questions about things that they doubt or aren't sure about...they only asked my fiance the age of my daughter, i'm assuming it because from reading the little bit that i sent, he always asked about her right away. I ended up printing our 300pgs of conversations from him to take to the interview & the CO took them to read, so we will see if that will be a good or bad thing Best of luck in your visa journey...its long and tedious & nerve racking, but I figure if we can get through this...we can get through anything!!! Oh...and i put together 70 pics of us being here...my daughter with him & his family...they never looked at them.

Monica

Edited June 6, 2010 by HichaMonica

[KittyPollitt 284]

Hello, MENA! I'm a lurker who appreciates all the great advice and funny stories that are on VJ, especially here in MENA-land. Nice to "meet" you!

I am getting ready to file for a K-1 for my Moroccan fiance and I have a few questions. As background, I've tried to think about red flags we might face. The "worst" things about are case are that he first contacted me through a dating website and we have a 6 year age difference. We met online one year ago and in person 6 months ago during a 3 week visit. I visited again last month for 2 weeks and we got engaged. I plan on making a third trip sometime later this summer or in the early fall, which will probably be before his interview. We have a few good points, too, I think, such as that he is educated and his English is excellent. Neither of us have been married or have kids. If necessary we can produce letters from family on both sides supporting our relationship. I am Muslim, but although my reversion occurred before he and I met in person or got serious romantically it happened to be after our first online contact and I would not be surprised if the CO's assumed he encouraged it. On to my questions! I've done searches and read older threads but since Casa is so unpredictable I thought it might not hurt to see if recent filers have noticed any trends.

1. Is it true that Casa technically does not require the I-134 affidavit of sponsorship but still asks for financial information at the interview? I started a thread in the K-1 forum a sponsorship issue I foresee. I recently started doing independent contractor work and although I realistically expect to make several times the 125% poverty threshold, I wonder if the temporary nature of my work projects will cause a problem. Of course it would be ideal if Casa just did not care.

2. What is your view on front-loading in the I-129F? So far I'm planning on submitting a 3/4 or 1 page narrative in response to Question 18, how we met, including information about our common interests and family members. Besides things like passport stamps and boarding passes, I plan on including around 20-25 pictures of the two of us, including some with his family members. I will also include images of my inbox and chat history listing our conversations and emails. I might include a few pages of sample emails or chats. I was also thinking of a few webcam shots that show us talking to some of our family members. Does this sound like overkill? Do you recommend including anything else?

3. I know this topic has been discussed before, but has anyone noticed any recent trends on how Casa views large engagement parties and Moroccan men wearing engagement rings? We had an engagement party with a few fancy dresses and around 50 people, and we wear rings on our left hands to signify that we are off the market. I would like to submit those pictures because they are some of our most romantic shots and they show me hanging out with much of his family, and I feel funny advising him to take off his ring or tossing pictures where his ring is visible. But I do know Casa has given couples trouble in the past for "looking married." Just to be clear, we are NOT married. Not legally, not "religiously," not "in the eyes of our families" or anything. There is no marriage contract yet, we plan on marrying the United States, and after the party we went right back to sleeping in separate bedrooms. I've read the old threads on this topic and I know there's a bit of a risk either way, either by losing out on some of our "best" proof or by the consulate thinking we're trying to pull a fast one on them. At this time, I'm inclined to go ahead and submit the pictures of the party and the ones where he wears his ring. If I do that, I will carefully label them and document that it was just an engagement party and those are just engagement rings. Perhaps I'd send him an affidavit swearing that I am single and suggesting that he prepare one for himself. But if anyone has heard of any recent trend in Casa getting either more understanding or more suspicious of this issue, I welcome the advice.

Thanks all and once again, hello!!

I've been studying the goings on at the Casa Consulate on here for a while now, and from what I can gather,

1.) They don't list the I-134 as a required document in the list of papers your fiance must bring to the consulate, but if there are doubts about your work history or ability to support him, they can and will bring it up and ask for further evidence.. If you're just starting as an independent contractor (where it's difficult to determine your gross income until the end of the year), you may want to prepare to have co-sponsor documents ready during the interview, just to have that red flag covered.

2.) Casablanca is a notoriously difficult consulate. If you ask a question in the general K1 forums regarding "front loading" your petition, they'll tell you it's not necessary. With Casa, it's probably a good idea to give them as much reason not to deny you ahead of time as possible. Anything in that petition will be looked at by the consular officer. Things your fiance takes with you at interview may or may not be seen, so send everything you want them to know in that petition. Your list sounds good.

3.) My fiance and I had this same debate over the engagement party pictures. The main issue is that these parties often times look identical to wedding parties, and rings are exchanged. The bottom line is, nearly everyone who does a K1 petition has these parties. It's the closest thing to a traditional Moroccan wedding that the fiance's family is going to get. I'm saying this to say, the consular officers see these type of photos every day. You send a letter of intent in the petition, as does your fiance, and part of the papers he needs from his government is an official certification of singlehood. The value of those photos as evidence of your time spent with his family and commitment to each other far outweighs the risks of them suspecting you already married. This is my opinion.

The best advice I can give you in dealing with Casablanca is to have all your ducks firmly in a row, make sure he is prepared to be grilled, and don't carry any expectations. I've seen people denied at Casablanca that have left me dumbfounded. I have a child with my fiance and we have lived in Morocco with him for 4 months and I'm still terrified. People get visas at Casa who are well prepared and take it very seriously, from what I've seen..

Keep reading people's stories on VJ, read back as far as you can.. there's a huge wealth of knowledge here to help you. I wish you luck and welcome to VJ!

Sarah

[Crossed_fingers 128]

Thank you, Monica and Sarah! I appreciate the advice. I have gone waaaaay back in the archives to read up on Casa. The information on this site is incredible! I may end up including even more pictures and emails, chats, and phone bills in our initial I-129F package. Unless and until we get a visa in hand, I will probably remain concerned that the CO will get our packet and think, "He contacted a woman who was 6 years older on a dating website? Fishing!" I know there's a lot of fraud in Casa and the CO's need to be suspicious of every file. But hopefully they will look at the rest of our proof and see that our relationship is real.

Good luck to both of you!

[Always+Forever 7]

Thank you, Monica and Sarah! I appreciate the advice. I have gone waaaaay back in the archives to read up on Casa. The information on this site is incredible! I may end up including even more pictures and emails, chats, and phone bills in our initial I-129F package. Unless and until we get a visa in hand, I will probably remain concerned that the CO will get our packet and think, "He contacted a woman who was 6 years older on a dating website? Fishing!" I know there's a lot of fraud in Casa and the CO's need to be suspicious of every file. But hopefully they will look at the rest of our proof and see that our relationship is real.

Good luck to both of you!

Good luck to u too...As u've noticed every case is a little different...Sarah & I have both been here in Morocco for a few months, others only have one meeting in person...so u never know...pictures show a thousand words (i think that's how it goes) so if you look like u really love & care about eachother then they will probably lean that way...u can usually tell if a person is faking through things when u look at the pics...along with the ones that truely love eachother...others are harder to tell...but I know the COs are very well trained in what they do...i think most of what they do seems to be for a reason. And if they have doubt at all they are not afraid to day so, but at the same time if they are 100% sure they have no problem approving u that day...there have been cases where some have recieved their visas a few days later...this r the ones with no red flags, etc...atleast in my opinion from what i see. But sometimes u just don't know...that's why be sure to have your fiance know as much as possible about u; present, past & future...the COs know if they truely know the information or if they just memorized it for the interview...that's why they will randomly repeat questions...because (like for a test) when u answer the question once (if u don't really know the answer) u will forget it...i hope that makes sense...lol Best of luck & the main thing i can tell u is have PATIENCE...this is a crazy difficult process, but well worth it in the end. And as for the dating sites....i think most of the ppl met that way...and as for age i don't think 6 yrs is major...and as Hicham always tells me...u can't help who u fall in love with...it just happens

[Azura 0]

Hello, MENA! I'm a lurker who appreciates all the great advice and funny stories that are on VJ, especially here in MENA-land. Nice to "meet" you!

I am getting ready to file for a K-1 for my Moroccan fiance and I have a few questions. As background, I've tried to think about red flags we might face. The "worst" things about are case are that he first contacted me through a dating website and we have a 6 year age difference. We met online one year ago and in person 6 months ago during a 3 week visit. I visited again last month for 2 weeks and we got engaged. I plan on making a third trip sometime later this summer or in the early fall, which will probably be before his interview. We have a few good points, too, I think, such as that he is educated and his English is excellent. Neither of us have been married or have kids. If necessary we can produce letters from family on both sides supporting our relationship. I am Muslim, but although my reversion occurred before he and I met in person or got serious romantically it happened to be after our first online contact and I would not be surprised if the CO's assumed he encouraged it. On to my questions! I've done searches and read older threads but since Casa is so unpredictable I thought it might not hurt to see if recent filers have noticed any trends.

1. Is it true that Casa technically does not require the I-134 affidavit of sponsorship but still asks for financial information at the interview? I started a thread in the K-1 forum a sponsorship issue I foresee. I recently started doing independent contractor work and although I realistically expect to make several times the 125% poverty threshold, I wonder if the temporary nature of my work projects will cause a problem. Of course it would be ideal if Casa just did not care.

2. What is your view on front-loading in the I-129F? So far I'm planning on submitting a 3/4 or 1 page narrative in response to Question 18, how we met, including information about our common interests and family members. Besides things like passport stamps and boarding passes, I plan on including around 20-25 pictures of the two of us, including some with his family members. I will also include images of my inbox and chat history listing our conversations and emails. I might include a few pages of sample emails or chats. I was also thinking of a few webcam shots that show us talking to some of our family members. Does this sound like overkill? Do you recommend including anything else?

3. I know this topic has been discussed before, but has anyone noticed any recent trends on how Casa views large engagement parties and Moroccan men wearing engagement rings? We had an engagement party with a few fancy dresses and around 50 people, and we wear rings on our left hands to signify that we are off the market. I would like to submit those pictures because they are some of our most romantic shots and they show me hanging out with much of his family, and I feel funny advising him to take off his ring or tossing pictures where his ring is visible. But I do know Casa has given couples trouble in the past for "looking married." Just to be clear, we are NOT married. Not legally, not "religiously," not "in the eyes of our families" or anything. There is no marriage contract yet, we plan on marrying the United States, and after the party we went right back to sleeping in separate bedrooms. I've read the old threads on this topic and I know there's a bit of a risk either way, either by losing out on some of our "best" proof or by the consulate thinking we're trying to pull a fast one on them. At this time, I'm inclined to go ahead and submit the pictures of the party and the ones where he wears his ring. If I do that, I will carefully label them and document that it was just an engagement party and those are just engagement rings. Perhaps I'd send him an affidavit swearing that I am single and suggesting that he prepare one for himself. But if anyone has heard of any recent trend in Casa getting either more understanding or more suspicious of this issue, I welcome the advice.

Thanks all and once again, hello!!

Hi,

1. We didnt need an I-134. They dont ask for it with a K1

2. Your evidence sounds fine. Anything you write about your history together will come up in conversation with him during the interview.

3. We didnt have an engagement party, and we both wear rings, and he wore his to the interview with no problems. He also told them that I had stayed alone with him at his home when I came to visit, minus separate beds. I dont think the american consulate is too concerned with chastity as the moroccans would be. I visited him only once for 2 weeks. His visa was approved the day of the interview with no problems.

[Crossed_fingers 128]

Thanks, Azura! Wow, getting approved the same day is great! Was there anything in particular about your evidence or the way he answered questions that you feel helped? Am I remembering right, is your SO older than you? I get the sense that although it will never be the final factor, Casa cares a lot about age differences where the woman is older. Also, what other evidence of financial support did they request?

I'm glad to hear that so far it sounds like submitting evidence of the engagement party is ok. I love those pictures.

Thanks again!