Syria Processing Times -- any updates?

[mrsalfayad 6]

My Syrian fiance and I are going through the K1 process. We're currently waiting on the result of our I-129 petition from the Vermont Service Center. Its only been 3 months so I know there's quite a while left to wait.

I'm wondering if anyone has gone through the K1 process with the Damascus Embassy lately. Things are rough in Syria right now and I'm wondering how that's affecting interview scheduling times and AP times.

Inshallah we will have our I-129 approved in the next few months and then we can move on to the next steps! I'd appreciate any support and advice from anyone else dealing with Damascus.

[~ameriptian~ 54]

Welcome to VJ!

Well, right now you are at the USCIS stage since you have not received your NOA2 yet. Vermont Service Center seems to be taking long these days. After your petition gets approved by USCIS, it will go through NVC, and then the embassy. You are worrying too far ahead now. Hopefully they'll get rid of Bashar by the time you get your NOA2, and then you won't have to worry about the embassy stage too much.

I don't know about Syria, but when there was unrest in Egypt, the embassy was closed. They cancelled all scheduled interview dates and stopped issuing new ones. Things got back to normal shortly after Mubarak was gone.

Good luck!

[mrsalfayad 6]

Thanks @~ameriptian~ !

You say Vermont seems to be running slow? USCIS website is saying 5 months (but I'm not all that trusting of the estimate), so do you have a different estimate in mind? I know these things can't be rushed, its just going to be cutting it close because of the mandatory military service in Syria. My fiance has a limited time before he's forced into the service and I'm not sure if he'll be able to leave in the middle of his 2-year conscription, which is why I'm worried already. Aside from the fact that protests are getting closer and closer to where he lives every day...its terrifying.

The embassy in Damascus had not had an Ambassador for quite a while until about 6 months ago or so, and the fact that it hasn't closed yet is a good sign, I hope. Any idea if it gets shut down if its possible to have the NVC move the interview process from Syria to a nearby country? I think Bashar is going to dig his claws in even more than Mubarak did, and I don't forsee a quick end to the situation.

[~ameriptian~ 54]

Well, the K-1 petition approval times vary from one service center to the other and vary from year to another. The average wait for a NOA2 through VSC was 3 months around the time we filed two years ago. Of course every case is different and every service center is different.

I don't know about the military service in Syria, you might have to get some more info from someone else on that.

During the revolution in Egypt the embassy was still open for Americans (as far as I know), but the visa unit was closed. You could try to transfer the case to another embassy.

Bashar is even worse than Mubarak, IMO. My heart goes out to the Syrian people!

[sussemadel 16]

Well, the K-1 petition approval times vary from one service center to the other and vary from year to another. The average wait for a NOA2 through VSC was 3 months around the time we filed two years ago. Of course every case is different and every service center is different.

I don't know about the military service in Syria, you might have to get some more info from someone else on that.

During the revolution in Egypt the embassy was still open for Americans (as far as I know), but the visa unit was closed. You could try to transfer the case to another embassy.

Bashar is even worse than Mubarak, IMO. My heart goes out to the Syrian people!

I agree with you on Bashar being worse than Mubarak. I see the casualties on the news everyday, especially the young children, and want to scream! On the other hand, my husband is Orthodox Christian and comes from one of the Christian villages in the Western area of Syria. All the christians support this idiot to the extreme and I don't understand it! When I ask him why, he says that it's terrorists causing the unrest and those people that are killed are trying to undermine the government and turn Syria into an Islamic country. It makes for some heated discussions around our house to say the least!

[~ameriptian~ 54]

I agree with you on Bashar being worse than Mubarak. I see the casualties on the news everyday, especially the young children, and want to scream! On the other hand, my husband is Orthodox Christian and comes from one of the Christian villages in the Western area of Syria. All the christians support this idiot to the extreme and I don't understand it! When I ask him why, he says that it's terrorists causing the unrest and those people that are killed are trying to undermine the government and turn Syria into an Islamic country. It makes for some heated discussions around our house to say the least!

I truly think he is a war criminal. What did all these poor people and CHILDREN do to die that way! I can't even watch news from Syria anymore.. The violent graphic images and videos related to the news are just heartbreaking and insane...

It only takes a person with a heart and feelings to know what's happening over there is just plain wrong and inhuman. Bashar is a bloody version of another Arab dictator who thinks he's God and is able to run people's lives any way he wants... The people will win in the end, of course, but I wonder how long that will take

[sussemadel 16]

I truly think he is a war criminal. What did all these poor people and CHILDREN do to die that way! I can't even watch news from Syria anymore.. The violent graphic images and videos related to the news are just heartbreaking and insane...

It only takes a person with a heart and feelings to know what's happening over there is just plain wrong and inhuman. Bashar is a bloody version of another Arab dictator who thinks he's God and is able to run people's lives any way he wants... The people will win in the end, of course, but I wonder how long that will take

I think most of the Christians there live in fear of the unknown...what will happen if someone else comes to power and doesn't protect them? They've lived so long under the father and son who they believe has protected them from being run out of the country that they can't believe there's anyone better. A very smart, intelligent people who see what is happening on the news and say they're all terrorists??!! Even the children and women fleeing to Turkey are terrorists I ask...he says their husbands are forcing them over the border!

[mrsalfayad 6]

Of course most of the minorities live in fear that if Assad is gone and there is a non-minority in power, they will suffer, or Syria will turn into an Islamic Republic. But the thing is, from my experience in country, 95% of the people regardless of religious affiliation, are extremely proud that Syria is so diverse and they would fight bitterly if anyone tried to change that. Of course there's always a small, crazy percentage of people that would support kicking out everyone who is different from them, that's an unfortunate theme in the history of humanity.

What Assad and his regime (I'm not going to put it all on him, because he's not calling 100% of the shots, its all controlled by his cronies and the men who have secretly held the reins to power since his father's time) are doing is not sustainable. But my greatest fear is that what is happening in Libya will happen in Syria. The last thing that Syrians want is foreign intervention. It would only exacerbate the situation.

I can't imagine how awful it must be to be facing the fear of violence from your government, or violence from a foreign government. It really is a tragedy.

@sussemadel -- Ask your husband how his ancestors managed to live in the land of ash-Sham before the modern day borders and politicians. It has always been an area of great diversity and tolerance amongst the people. The Muslims could have easily taken over the Basilica of St. John the Baptist through force, but instead, the paid the church for the site and the land and converted it into the Ummayyad Mosque. Christians have always been highly respected in the area that is now Syria, and by the people that are now called Syrians. It truly is a very special, unique country in that respect.

[sussemadel 16]

Of course most of the minorities live in fear that if Assad is gone and there is a non-minority in power, they will suffer, or Syria will turn into an Islamic Republic. But the thing is, from my experience in country, 95% of the people regardless of religious affiliation, are extremely proud that Syria is so diverse and they would fight bitterly if anyone tried to change that. Of course there's always a small, crazy percentage of people that would support kicking out everyone who is different from them, that's an unfortunate theme in the history of humanity.

What Assad and his regime (I'm not going to put it all on him, because he's not calling 100% of the shots, its all controlled by his cronies and the men who have secretly held the reins to power since his father's time) are doing is not sustainable. But my greatest fear is that what is happening in Libya will happen in Syria. The last thing that Syrians want is foreign intervention. It would only exacerbate the situation.

I can't imagine how awful it must be to be facing the fear of violence from your government, or violence from a foreign government. It really is a tragedy.

@sussemadel -- Ask your husband how his ancestors managed to live in the land of ash-Sham before the modern day borders and politicians. It has always been an area of great diversity and tolerance amongst the people. The Muslims could have easily taken over the Basilica of St. John the Baptist through force, but instead, the paid the church for the site and the land and converted it into the Ummayyad Mosque. Christians have always been highly respected in the area that is now Syria, and by the people that are now called Syrians. It truly is a very special, unique country in that respect.

[/quote

My husband has always told me Syrians are unique in the area because of the religious tolerance. I wish I had visited Syria before all this happened. I've been to Bahrain and Dubai, unfortunately not Syria. One day soon hopefully