Interracial couples, post here!

[sachinky 465]

There are cases were I think it has been much more than a "huh" thing, especially with AA women sponsoring men from India. [Just for the record I'm white]. To me, that would be an interesting statistic to keep track of....Not wanting to speak in depth of someone else's case without their consent - but I know of one case with NO red flags, none, zilch, nada that was denied where the only thing that could be seen as "out of the ordinary" was the female petitioner being black. No prior marriages, no kids, no financial issues, plenty of pics with his family, no disparity in education/class/career objectives, no prior visa requests by him, statements that both families approved, no significant age difference, they worked together in India for 6+ months, typical, textbook workplace relationship/romance, etc, etc, etc - denied.

I can't remember her user ID right now, but I think I remember the couple you are referring to. Yeah, to me, that was baffling.

[sachinky 465]

All that being said, we're happily married, he's going thru ROC right now [had his biometrics appt today as a matter of fact]...and I completely agree with Sachinky - a whole LOT of the relationships here [on vj] seem to be somewhat sketchy. A lot of quick break ups, irreconcilable differences, other significant others, etc.

Good luck with your ROC!

[AKSinghSingh79 143]

I can't remember her user ID right now, but I think I remember the couple you are referring to. Yeah, to me, that was baffling.

Do you know if this couple was able to overcome the denial through reaffirmation or by reapplying?

[AKSinghSingh79 143]

For any interracial India K1 couples, I would recommend reading my story and those of the following users (you may have to look up their posts or contact them privately - please be sensitive to their struggles if you ask them for information as some are still going through the process) :

Sherryandyasphal (denied)

RCG (denied)

Team Erra (denied)

Lynn n Sam (denied)

Catknit (denied)

Maria and Varun (I think: approved, Maria attended interview)

Me: Bec_Dipu (approved, AP for background check, Rebecca attended interview)

Rebecca,

Wasn't RCG able to overcome their denial? I believe I remember reading that she was able to get a second interview and after that her fiance was issued the K-1.

I think she was Native American.

[sachinky 465]

Do you know if this couple was able to overcome the denial through reaffirmation or by reapplying?

It was a CR-1 the second time round, if memory serves me right.

[catknit 144]

They did go CR-1 and were approved with no issue - I can't remember their screen name here either!

Reaffirmations of K1s are as rare as hen teeth . Seems when we got ours, there was an entire box sent back to Delhi from USCIS. I believe [with no firm information other than a consultation with Marc Ellis who thought this maybe what happened] that there was a little internal squabble between USCIS and DOS/consulate over the returning of soooooooooo many K1s out of Delhi. USCIS decided to reaffirm a bunch of K-1s without even sending out NOIR/NOIDs. Then, sent the whole box back to Delhi to reinterview the lot. By dumb luck, we were in that box.

Thanks for the good wishes Sachinky! Hope yours goes smooth too!

[R.&S. 2]

Rebecca,

Wasn't RCG able to overcome their denial? I believe I remember reading that she was able to get a second interview and after that her fiance was issued the K-1.

I think she was Native American.

Yes, RCG got his visa after second interview.

There is one more name who did not get visa in first interview and petition was sent back. It is "R.&S."

Visa type: K1

Consulate: New Delhi

Visa issued (if applicable)? No

Second interview? no

221 g issued? Yes for two and half months wait between interview and denial letter.

Gender of beneficiary: Male

Religious difference? were

Religious background of beneficiary: Hindu

Age Difference? Female petitioner 4.5 years older ("A guy working at an MNC hooking up with an attractive appropriate white Native American woman" as per Catknit's language)

Method of meeting (online, in person, etc): Online on Aug 24th,2008

Engagement Ceremony? Not until first interview.

Traditional (Indian) Wedding Ceremony (N/A if going through K-1)? N/A

Has beneficiary ever been to the US? No, but applied for B1/B2 twice on Oct.07&17th,2009. purpose quoted in interview "meeting girlfriend" as It was truth.

Does beneficiary have relatives in the US? No

Family approval? Yes from both sides, notarized letters provided( This time 14 letters were sent in second petition,)

Co-Sponsor required? No

How much time has petitioner spent with beneficiary in person? Three trips total. 1st vist 60 days yes sixty days, after denial 2nd visit for 15days Petitioner came with her Aunt and celebrated a wonderful Engagement ceremony, 3rd visit 14 days.

*Phone bills were on her Uncle's name, petitioner met beneficiary's family in India but no pic were taken as we were not aware about visa process and photo requirements.Only like 20 pic were submitted, most out of it were at tourist landmark just because she wanted to have it, was not aware about immigration requirements.

Complete timeline is here:

CSC I-129F

May 04,2010 --- NOA1

July 12,2010 --- NOA2(Approved)

July 21,2010 --- Embassy Received

July 27,2010 --- Embassy Sent packet 3 by normal post(Never Received)

July 29,2010 --- Packet-3 E-mailed to Embassy

Aug 02,2010 --- Embassy Acknowledged receiving of P3

Aug 26,2010 --- Packet 4

Oct 12,2010 --- Interview (221g for more proofs)

Oct 25,2010 --- Submitted additional Proof of Relationship

Jan 11,2011 --- Petition expired and being sent back to NVC ,No Visa(As per US Embassy email)

Feb 1, 2011 --- Petition returned to NVC

March 8,2011 --- NVC returned to USCIS

March 22,2011 --- USCIS sent a notice to petitioner saying petition expired/ Can apply fresh one

April 12-26,2011-- Her Second Visit (Had a nice Engagement Ceremony)

Nov 14-22,2011 --Her Third Visit( It was wonderful time together but very sad when we said goodbye)

Second K1 Journey:

Jan 12,2012 -- NOA 1

Waiting to be together.. forever..

Edited March 3, 2012 by R.&S.

[AKSinghSingh79 143]

IMO, this has nothing to with race and more to do with the fact that most non-Indian USC petitioners are completely unaware of local customs and traditions and are susceptible to being duped by dishonorable beneficiaries. Most of the K-1 denials are out of the norm cases (tons of red flags) -- like I reiterated, we are an inter-racial couple and we faced absolutely no issues. Neither did Tatyana (I can't remember her screen name) whose husband's interview was a day after mine. Anwesha and John were a K-1 couple and neither did they have any obstacles to overcome.

Again, it has far less to do with race and other factors like age, socio-economic status, whether you met in person or online. The last one, IMO, is a HUGE one. People really underestimate that one. A relatively significant age gap (you clearly look like his mother) and you met on Facebook and were proclaiming love for one another in a span of three months. Oh, and he lives in some rural area and goes to some random college? Yeah, not going to fly.

I'd like to add to this that family support and approval is also HUGE.

[ChristinaandVarun 0]

Visa type: I-130

Consulate: Sydney, Australia

Visa issued (if applicable)? no

Second interview? n/a

AP? n/a

221 g issued? n/a

Gender of beneficiary: Male

Religious difference? Yes

Religious background of beneficiary: Hindu

Age Difference? 20 years

Method of meeting (online, in person, etc): online

Engagement Ceremony? None.

Traditional (Indian) Wedding Ceremony (N/A if going through K-1)? Eloped in Sydney, Australia

Has beneficiary ever been to the US? No. His tourist visa to US was denied last summer, hasn't made any other attempts to visit

Does beneficiary have relatives in the US? No

Family approval? Yes

Co-Sponsor required? No

How much time has petitioner spent with beneficiary in person? 3 weeks

[sachinky 465]

I'd like to add to this that family support and approval is also HUGE.

Meh, I will offer a different perspective. Family support and approval matters, of course, but it only goes so far.

A regular text book case (without any of the aforementioned red flags) having family approval is just another + 1 in the box. Of course, it's helpful but it's not going to swing the CO's decision one way or the other.

A couple that has tons of red flags AND has family approval? Yeah, that's just ANOTHER red flag. No matter how liberal or progressive one might be in their outlook, you are not going to convince me that some elderly Indian couple is super-thrilled and totally behind their 25 year old son's betrothal to some fat, black, old, divorced woman with two kids. Ha. More like they are in on the scam and also mapping out their own immigration in the future.

In such a case, parental disapproval could, frankly, go a long way. Again, I do not feel comfortable discussing some one else's case without their consent but suffice to say that I know of one case where this was true. A lot of this was through PMs so I will keep it brief. They didn't have a TON of red flags (two, I think - online meeting, and I think the lady was slightly older or had a previous marriage) but the beneficiary's parent's refusal to even meet the USC petitioner actually bolstered their bona-fides during the interview. They were totally against the marriage and didn't even attend the wedding. In Indian society, it would take a lot of "guts" for a guy to go against his parents to that extent. One would usually imagine it would be for a noble or higher cause (not a green-card). The visa was granted -- however, unfortunately, at the last minute, the man refused to come to the US and it seemed, buckled under pressure from his parents.

Edited March 10, 2012 by sachinky

[AKSinghSingh79 143]

Meh, I will offer a different perspective. Family support and approval matters, of course, but it only goes so far.

A regular text book case (without any of the aforementioned red flags) having family approval is just another + 1 in the box. Of course, it's helpful but it's not going to swing the CO's decision one way or the other.

A couple that has tons of red flags AND has family approval? Yeah, that's just ANOTHER red flag. No matter how liberal or progressive one might be in their outlook, you are not going to convince me that some elderly Indian couple is super-thrilled and totally behind their 25 year old son's betrothal to some fat, black, old, divorced woman with two kids. Ha. More like they are in on the scam and also mapping out their own immigration in the future.

In such a case, parental disapproval could, frankly, go a long way. Again, I do not feel comfortable discussing some one else's case without their consent but suffice to say that I know of one case where this was true. A lot of this was through PMs so I will keep it brief. They didn't have a TON of red flags (two, I think - online meeting, and I think the lady was slightly older or had a previous marriage) but the beneficiary's parent's refusal to even meet the USC petitioner actually bolstered their bona-fides during the interview. They were totally against the marriage and didn't even attend the wedding. In Indian society, it would take a lot of "guts" for a guy to go against his parents to that extent. One would usually imagine it would be for a noble or higher cause (not a green-card). The visa was granted -- however, unfortunately, at the last minute, the man refused to come to the US and it seemed, buckled under pressure from his parents.

Fair enough. I see your point and you've made a convincing argument.

I was more or less alluding to the fact that most Indians would not be able to "go against the grain" and marry someone their family is opposed to. The consequences of this could result in a severing of family ties. I see your point of view though. An average text book case showing family involvement would only be another plus point for the couple.

For cases with red flags, true family involvement/approval is not always easy to demonstrate with submitted evidence. Anyone can pose for a staged photo and pretend to look happy or submit sworn affidavits that are actually fabricated lies. In this situation, the couple will have to build up a more convincing argument with other evidence that would prove to a CO without a doubt that there relationship is bonafide.

[Kim n Jai 1]

Visa type: K-1

Consulate: New Delhi

Visa issued (if applicable)? N/A

Second interview? N/A

AP? N/A

221 g issued? N/A

Gender of beneficiary: Male

Religious difference? I'd say no - see below

Religious background of beneficiary: Hindu (Petitioner is open to all religions)

Age Difference? 19 years (petitioner (she) is older than beneficiary (he))

Method of meeting (online, in person, etc): In person while I was traveling in India.

Engagement Ceremony? No

Traditional (Indian) Wedding Ceremony (N/A if going through K-1)? Possibly - following wedding w/ just the two of us in US

Has beneficiary ever been to the US? No

Does beneficiary have relatives in the US? No

Family approval? Yes from his side, my side mine unaware (we have a distant relationship)

Co-Sponsor required? No

How much time has petitioner spent with beneficiary in person? 2 trips to India: First one nearly 3 months and the second 5 months

Has the petitioner been previosly married: No

[Peter_Pan 661]

you are not going to convince me that some elderly Indian couple is super-thrilled and totally behind their 25 year old son's betrothal to some fat, black, old, divorced woman with two kids.

Oh, no, you didn't! It is love, love I say, even if she is a grandmother and he barely out of his nappies.

[dwheels76 5,468]

So that's three successes out of the three inter-racial cases that went through India the same time I did. Two CR-1s, and one K-1. All other factors: normal, no red flags. They would come across as an average, every day couple, save the difference in skin color.

Frankly, at the end of the day, success rates matter very little. I am convinced half the cases on VJ are fraudulent (that is the beneficiary is just looking for a GC, the petitioner is in it for "love") and so to me, the success rates do not mean anything. Given that I am now filing for ROC and a bunch of people who used to post in the NVC threads with me have now fallen by the wayside (in a mere two years), I would rather the success rate be low if that means that fraudsters are unsuccessful in their attempts to get a GC.

As some one who has been through the process, my only advice is this: judge your OWN case by it's merit rather than comparing notes or trying to come up with some mathematical formula to success. I spent a lot of time worrying about my case and trying to gather piles and piles evidence because I was measuring it against SOMEONE ELSE's yardstick. Whose case probably bore no similarity to mine. In a way, sure, I am glad that I was super-prepared but could I have spent that time more productively? Heck, yes.

Okay, that's enough posts in a day on one topic.

Thank you for this. We will be going through a tough embassy-Lagos, Nigeria. We have one Red Flag age difference (I the woman USC much older). No I don't look like mum. But we also addressed the age difference with me staying in Nigeria for 6 months. I went there we meet face to face, we courted dated for 6 weeks married and I stayed another 5 months. This after 21 months "dating" online. We are same race and religion.

I thank you because I too trying to use that measuring stick and driving myself insane. I just filed March 15th so I have a long way to go. But I gain strength and well why do I have doubts we are for real. So I appreciate your honesty and candor. (Guess I better find a hobby that doesn't involve logging on to VJ and USCIS.)

[sachinky 465]

Thank you for this. We will be going through a tough embassy-Lagos, Nigeria. We have one Red Flag age difference (I the woman USC much older). No I don't look like mum. But we also addressed the age difference with me staying in Nigeria for 6 months. I went there we meet face to face, we courted dated for 6 weeks married and I stayed another 5 months. This after 21 months "dating" online. We are same race and religion.

I thank you because I too trying to use that measuring stick and driving myself insane. I just filed March 15th so I have a long way to go. But I gain strength and well why do I have doubts we are for real. So I appreciate your honesty and candor. (Guess I better find a hobby that doesn't involve logging on to VJ and USCIS.)

Good luck! Glad I could help. I was a VJ addict during those looooooong months. Sure helped knowing there were others in the same boat.