Engaged to Sudanese

[asdffdas 0]

I just posted in the main forum before I found this one more specific to my area of concern.

This past summer I was in Amman, Jordan to practice what Arabic I've learned here at university. There I met Margret Abyei, a gorgeous Sudanese doctor. She comes from the south originally but has lived in Khartoum for quite some years now. I myself am an American, born here in Hawaii but raised in Germany of all places. Anyway, we fell in love, very quickly. We met on the 23rd of June and she went back to Sudan on the 29th! In the meantime we agreed that we wanted to marry each other.

I immediately tried to go to Sudan to meet her family and arrange things further but the Sudanese embassy in Amman wouldn't help me much at all. They told me I would have to go to the embassy in Egypt. I went to Cairo alone (not a good idea) and not knowing anyone there. Suffice to say my first impression of the city was not ecstatic. However as days passed I found my way around and made some good friends, unfortunately none of them were in the Sudanese embassy. After a week of trying to obtain a visa it was clear to me that this was not going to work out. I had bought a ticket to Sudan with the fervent hope that I would make it and ended up losing some money on that one. My time in the Middle East was almost up and I resigned myself to the fact that we weren't going to see each other until this coming summer.

So, ever since June 29, 2006, Magi and I have been staying in contact with one another through the telephone and internet. It has not been easy or cheap, but I try to make it so that we can talk at least every other day and I send her SMS's every day.

Anyway, so the task we're facing now is applying for a fiance visa for her to get over here as soon as possible so we can get married. I would be more than willing to move there and marry her but the job prospects for someone as young as me with the UN or an NGO over there are not terrific. So we've decided that the best bet for us right now is to come to America.

As I have said, she is a doctor, currently working her internship in Khartoum. In the US she would find a residency position and get an American medical license. I want us to be able to live anywhere in the world, and apparently a US medical license is accepted pretty much anywhere. I myself am a filmmaker.

So, if any of you out there have been through a similar experience to what we're about to go through (applying for a k-1 visa) I would greatly appreciate any advice and/or assisstance you could provide to us. I am so so very excited about being married to Magi, I just don't want to have to waith for years to do it. However, we are both aware of the fact that it may well take some time.

I'm just glad that my name is Isaac and not Jacob. Isaac and Rebecca came together quite quickly, his son Jacob had to wait 14 years!

Salam,

Isaac

[jordanianprincess 0]

I just posted in the main forum before I found this one more specific to my area of concern.

This past summer I was in Amman, Jordan to practice what Arabic I've learned here at university. There I met Margret Abyei, a gorgeous Sudanese doctor. She comes from the south originally but has lived in Khartoum for quite some years now. I myself am an American, born here in Hawaii but raised in Germany of all places. Anyway, we fell in love, very quickly. We met on the 23rd of June and she went back to Sudan on the 29th! In the meantime we agreed that we wanted to marry each other.

I immediately tried to go to Sudan to meet her family and arrange things further but the Sudanese embassy in Amman wouldn't help me much at all. They told me I would have to go to the embassy in Egypt. I went to Cairo alone (not a good idea) and not knowing anyone there. Suffice to say my first impression of the city was not ecstatic. However as days passed I found my way around and made some good friends, unfortunately none of them were in the Sudanese embassy. After a week of trying to obtain a visa it was clear to me that this was not going to work out. I had bought a ticket to Sudan with the fervent hope that I would make it and ended up losing some money on that one. My time in the Middle East was almost up and I resigned myself to the fact that we weren't going to see each other until this coming summer.

So, ever since June 29, 2006, Magi and I have been staying in contact with one another through the telephone and internet. It has not been easy or cheap, but I try to make it so that we can talk at least every other day and I send her SMS's every day.

Anyway, so the task we're facing now is applying for a fiance visa for her to get over here as soon as possible so we can get married. I would be more than willing to move there and marry her but the job prospects for someone as young as me with the UN or an NGO over there are not terrific. So we've decided that the best bet for us right now is to come to America.

As I have said, she is a doctor, currently working her internship in Khartoum. In the US she would find a residency position and get an American medical license. I want us to be able to live anywhere in the world, and apparently a US medical license is accepted pretty much anywhere. I myself am a filmmaker.

So, if any of you out there have been through a similar experience to what we're about to go through (applying for a k-1 visa) I would greatly appreciate any advice and/or assisstance you could provide to us. I am so so very excited about being married to Magi, I just don't want to have to waith for years to do it. However, we are both aware of the fact that it may well take some time.

I'm just glad that my name is Isaac and not Jacob. Isaac and Rebecca came together quite quickly, his son Jacob had to wait 14 years!

Salam,

Isaac

Hi Issac and Welcome! Have you tried going to the American embassy in Amman?

[Together4ever 1]

Its my understanding that visas for Sudanese go through the Cairo Embassy. There are a few of us lurking about here that have experience with that embassy. If you have questions or are interested in timelines, just holler. Cairo is slow processing but it seems they are not quick to return petitions, just painfullly thorough with security checks. Because the beneficiary in this case is female, she won't be subjected to the same scrutiny the men are.

Welcome and good luck.

[sarah and hicham 3]

Welcome and good luck to you!

[~*Dorothy*~ 2]

Welcome to VJ and the ME/NA forum...there are a lot of great people here and few of them have experience with Cairo so I hope that you will be able to find some help with your case.

Dorothy

[mybackpages 0]

Welcome to VJ! You will find good information here for your plans. Wishing you a speedy journey!

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

122 C Street, NW, Suite 125

Washington DC 20001

dc@lirs.org

202/783-7509

Fax: 202/783-7502

Try contacting them for information. I understand they do a lot of work with Sudanese immigrants. Best wishes to you both!

Edited October 11, 2006 by szsz

[asdffdas 0]

I just posted in the main forum before I found this one more specific to my area of concern.

This past summer I was in Amman, Jordan to practice what Arabic I've learned here at university. There I met Margret Abyei, a gorgeous Sudanese doctor. She comes from the south originally but has lived in Khartoum for quite some years now. I myself am an American, born here in Hawaii but raised in Germany of all places. Anyway, we fell in love, very quickly. We met on the 23rd of June and she went back to Sudan on the 29th! In the meantime we agreed that we wanted to marry each other.

I immediately tried to go to Sudan to meet her family and arrange things further but the Sudanese embassy in Amman wouldn't help me much at all. They told me I would have to go to the embassy in Egypt. I went to Cairo alone (not a good idea) and not knowing anyone there. Suffice to say my first impression of the city was not ecstatic. However as days passed I found my way around and made some good friends, unfortunately none of them were in the Sudanese embassy. After a week of trying to obtain a visa it was clear to me that this was not going to work out. I had bought a ticket to Sudan with the fervent hope that I would make it and ended up losing some money on that one. My time in the Middle East was almost up and I resigned myself to the fact that we weren't going to see each other until this coming summer.

So, ever since June 29, 2006, Magi and I have been staying in contact with one another through the telephone and internet. It has not been easy or cheap, but I try to make it so that we can talk at least every other day and I send her SMS's every day.

Anyway, so the task we're facing now is applying for a fiance visa for her to get over here as soon as possible so we can get married. I would be more than willing to move there and marry her but the job prospects for someone as young as me with the UN or an NGO over there are not terrific. So we've decided that the best bet for us right now is to come to America.

As I have said, she is a doctor, currently working her internship in Khartoum. In the US she would find a residency position and get an American medical license. I want us to be able to live anywhere in the world, and apparently a US medical license is accepted pretty much anywhere. I myself am a filmmaker.

So, if any of you out there have been through a similar experience to what we're about to go through (applying for a k-1 visa) I would greatly appreciate any advice and/or assisstance you could provide to us. I am so so very excited about being married to Magi, I just don't want to have to waith for years to do it. However, we are both aware of the fact that it may well take some time.

I'm just glad that my name is Isaac and not Jacob. Isaac and Rebecca came together quite quickly, his son Jacob had to wait 14 years!

Salam,

Isaac

Hi Issac and Welcome! Have you tried going to the American embassy in Amman?

Yes. They were sympathetic but couldn't help me. I'm back in the States now.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

122 C Street, NW, Suite 125

Washington DC 20001

dc@lirs.org

202/783-7509

Fax: 202/783-7502

Try contacting them for information. I understand they do a lot of work with Sudanese immigrants. Best wishes to you both!

Thanks! I will contact them as soon as possible.

[MrsAmera 41]

I see that you are from HI - I was just going to mention that in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area there are a TON (30-40,000) of Somali refugees (roughly the same area of Africa, similar issues) and numerous agencies that might be able to help you. I will try to do a search later and see if I can find some more specifics.

My cousin's husband is from Sudan and I know he came to the US when he was younger (16 maybe?) but I think it was on an asylum visa. I'll ask her and find out.

[meauxna 15]

I just posted in the main forum before I found this one more specific to my area of concern.

Oh, I just posted al ink for you in that other thread.

http://khartoum.usembassy.gov/filing_petitions.html

You may have a very unique method available; it will involve you going back overseas which might not be practical at this point. Here is a brief version of the spousal petitioning process called DCF: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

[Henia 11]

Welcome Isaac and thanks so very much for brave enough to share your story with us. Unforunately I cannot help you with any suggestions on how to apply for your SO get the k-1...but I will keep you both in my prayers.

I wish you the best luck, again Welcome to Vj--- the MENA forum...we are a MEAN (lol) bunch... actually are all very nice bunch, inchallah you will learn alot, hopefully useful things to guide you through this visa journey.

Peace and Blessings Henia in Algerie

[asdffdas 0]

I see that you are from HI - I was just going to mention that in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area there are a TON (30-40,000) of Somali refugees (roughly the same area of Africa, similar issues) and numerous agencies that might be able to help you. I will try to do a search later and see if I can find some more specifics.

My cousin's husband is from Sudan and I know he came to the US when he was younger (16 maybe?) but I think it was on an asylum visa. I'll ask her and find out.

Thanks. Any help and advice would be nice.