The hoping not to be denied at Casablanca thread

[sweetnsour 0]

I just found out that all we need to send is the I-864A for my sister and just a copy of my brother-in-laws passport..but the bad thing is he does not have a passport so now he has to get one..crazy huh?

[msheesha 548]

that is a good question msheesha, and i imagine it must be very difficult to distinguish such delicate nuances in a relationship in a consulate interview. it's something i could discuss for hours with friends and family who all have their own unique and different reasons for being with their SOs, and still not even begin to cover all the fine details.

another thing i hate to see, and i have seen it rear its ugly head plenty of times on vj, is the slamming of mena females. it happens time and time again, where american women will swallow these awful generalizations they'll hear mena men say about mena women, hook line and sinker, and make it part of their own mantra. "mena women just care about money" "mena women are selfish, greedy, snobs, that's why i want to marry an american" then it turns into "see, that's why he loves me, all the women back home are just awful, blah blah blah" it pretty much sucks, and i get irate when i see it.

I agree wholeheartedly. I've seen that too. I think it's a comfortable, reassuring posture for someone who is not necessarily comfortable or secure in their relationship on its own merits. It also begs the question of whether they recognize they are slamming their mothers in law, sisters in law, and possibly future daughters. It doesn't make sense to me, and reaks of insecurity.

[sweetnsour 0]

sorry I just stuck that info in there..but I felt that anyone that has a co-sponsor may need to make sure and get a copy of their passport..make sure you take the correct size of photo..double check everything that way you don't have to wait longer..

[Staashi 371]

First and foremost, I'm not here to denigrate anyone and telling it like it has always been my style on VJ. Just sayin'.

The sad part of immigration-based relationships is perception. Everyone from family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, to COs and IOs, they are judging your relationship and at the end of the day all you're doing is justifying, justifying, justifying. I don't care who you are - that's life. Everyone has their opinion and it is all based on perception. The sad fact of perception is that a CO's perception of your relationship is what is going to define your life. They can perceive your fiance or spouse as being in it for real or in it for fraud. We all have the onus to prove that this relationship is real. Sadly, when one begins to present evidence of pictures and whatnot to substantiate the relationship some inconsistencies or questionable irregularities come to light. That is the moment that your man better be able to say, hell yeah, I love her - looks, kids, ex-husbands, redflags and all!!!

Now, to know if your man "strays from the norm" - sign up for those sites and look for one that way. Then you'll definitely know that you're with someone who likes your type. Many successful relationships come out of those websites.

[KittyPollitt 284]

sorry I just stuck that info in there..but I felt that anyone that has a co-sponsor may need to make sure and get a copy of their passport..make sure you take the correct size of photo..double check everything that way you don't have to wait longer..

No, it's good to know.. After Linda posted in her profile about K1's needing a i864, now I'm having my mom express mail it to me, and she has to get a copy of her birth certificate to follow it, as proof of citizenship. I know we won't have the birth certificate here in time for the interview, but at least most of the papers will be here and it's a small delay. I'm glad I found out before the interview!

Monica, as for preparations- girl, you know what I'm dealing with over here.. The boy KNOWS he's gotta get some new shoes, he can't go in the consulate wearing some busted Nikes.. Does he go out and get them? No. He downloads rap music all day and then at 8pm says he'll do it tomorrow. I think I have all the papers in order.. I chose not to send him with any more chat logs, since I've been with him here since I filed, and I sent some in with the petition itself. I'm sending him in with my passport, boarding passes, Moneygram receipts from my mom doling out my tax return to me, and a small book of pictures of us together and our daughter with his family. Oh yeah, and Zahra's birth certificate with his name on it.. I don't know what else they could possibly need from us, but if they need a pound of my flesh, I have plenty to spare.

[msheesha 548]

Anyone have any good tips for dealing with the stress of waiting for Casa interviews, prepping for Casa interviews, and dealing with the denials, etc? What has everyone been doing to keep the stress to a minimum?

[Crossed_fingers 128]

I was thinking of another question today, when we pool our knowledge and conclude that something is a red flag and needs to be "addressed," what exactly does that mean? Write about it in the cover letter or I-129F? Try to get all your ducks in a row when it comes to other proof and prepare your loved one for intense questioning on that topic at the interview? Probably all of the above... I know this is a basic question, but I'm serious. If you have a red flag that cannot be changed, what can you say to convince a suspicious stranger (the CO) who sees fraud all day long that your relationship is real despite what they might think? Is there anything that the USC can say, or is it all on the shoulders of the beneficiary to come off as genuine in the interview?

In that vein, has anyone had success with letters from either the USC's family or the beneficiary's family supporting the relationship? I've heard that letters from the beneficiary's family are meaningless because they might be in on it, but I find it hard to believe that a CO would be convinced by a letter from a supportive USC family member who has never actually met the beneficiary in person. Similarly, how much do photographs with the beneficiary's friends and family matter, as again they might also be in on the fraud? Has anyone had any luck selecting specific emails or IM conversations where the couple discussed their red flag? Just trying to think of evidence that might bolster the beneficiary's answers in the interview if and when he's questioned about the red flag, as it doesn't appear the CO's are always receptive to "But I love her anyway!"

[zaytoona 8]

Anyone have any good tips for dealing with the stress of waiting for Casa interviews, prepping for Casa interviews, and dealing with the denials, etc? What has everyone been doing to keep the stress to a minimum?

I am one big ball of stress so I wish I could help you here. My SO had to calm me down and he kept on assuring me he would do well but that didn't help. All I can suggest is prepare everything well in advance and then take a break. Go out with friends and family to keep yourself occupied. I literally lost 5 lbs the week of my SO's interview from lack of eating and sleeping. and it didn't help that I stayed home all day and worry constantly. I hope you do better than I did!

Zaytoona

[Always+Forever 7]

CONGRATS Alicia & Driss!!! Another Casa APPROVED!!! Keep them coming!!!

Monica

[msheesha 548]

wonderful news about the approval! Where did you see that Monica? I missed it.

[Crossed_fingers 128]

Great news on the approval!!! Do we have any information that might be helpful to the group, such as a review of the interview or factors that made their case stronger or weaker? Of course, I understand if right now they are just basking in the glow of an approval!

[msheesha 548]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/262322-tran-v-napolitano-class-action-lawsuit-against-dhs-ho-chi-minh-city/

This may be an interesting thread for Casa peeps to read. It sounds like the same complaints as Casa are made by peeps going through HCMC.

[Crossed_fingers 128]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/262322-tran-v-napolitano-class-action-lawsuit-against-dhs-ho-chi-minh-city/

This may be an interesting thread for Casa peeps to read. It sounds like the same complaints as Casa are made by peeps going through HCMC.

I noticed that, and it's very interesting since the outcome of that lawsuit would impact consulates worldwide, not just HCMC. One thing that I noticed in the complaint that seems very different from Casa, though, is that the petitioner was given a detailed list of reasons for the denial, including specific concerns about the amount of time they met in person and information the beneficiary appeared not to know about the petitioner. According to the complaint, HCMC made the wrong determinations by miscalculating the dates they were together, overlooking all of the information the beneficiary DID know, and overlooking that the couple communicated in Vietnamese so it was understandable that the beneficiary had trouble recalling some English names. Has anyone out of Casa ever been that successful getting much beyond the vague "failed to prove bonafide relationship"? Still, the complaint gives good insight on what at least MIGHT be going through the CO's head.

Marc posted this in that thread, but just for convenience, here is the link he provided where you can find the complaint itself: http://www.entrylaw.com/tranclassaction.html

[msheesha 548]

Sarah,

How are you doing? How are you feeling with the interview coming up? It's Monday, right? Did your fiance finally prepare everything he needed to prepare?

[KittyPollitt 284]

Sarah,

How are you doing? How are you feeling with the interview coming up? It's Monday, right? Did your fiance finally prepare everything he needed to prepare?

His interview is on Wednesday.. We've just been trying not to stress too much about it. He likes to do things last minute, the man hasn't even gone out and bought dress shoes yet. I feel like it's a really good thing I'm here to push him, or nothing would get done. As for me, I'm chillin here, eating some snails and drinking some tea, oh yes, and reciting my prayer- the serenity prayer.. It helps..