We screwed up and got denied the visa

[SoCalMark 49]

No woman usually forgets when her fiance actually proposed to her

I have never read a truer statement in Visa Journey than this one !!

[Loveherforever49 4]

For a bunch of people married/engaged to foreigners there seems to be a huge ignorance of cultural differences here.

Anyone the least bit familiar with Cambodian customs would know a picture such as the one being ridiculed would be EXPECTED of any engaged couple.

If anything not having pictures like that in Cambodia would make me question if it was a genuine couple.

I highly doubt it was any factor in his denial.

Also, since when does the word rehearse indicate any sort of misrepresentation/lying?

I'm willing to bet pretty much everyone of you all went over some questions that may be asked of you before the interview.

As to why he doesn't want to get married in Cambodia, getting married in the US would literally save him thousands of dollars and as previously mentioned is not an easy task in Cambodia.

"Since we are all just speculating/judging here and don't have enough info to know what happened, my theory is they were denied because of spending too little time together in person before filing-then when she stumbled at the interview the CO made up his mind for denial."

"It is possible they made the mistake of cooking up a version of events which sounded more convincing than the truth, for example, if he proposed on the first day, they may have thought this sounded bad. This was foolish, but this doesn't mean the relationship isn't genuine."

We only had a month before filing to spend with each other before filing. Yes, this sounds suspicious, but you must understand Cambodian culture to completely comprehend the situation. We talked on the phone everyday while we were apart. We were trying to adjust the story to make it more convincing. That we talked on the phone before we met and that she send pictures to me before meeting in person. We talked about the day we first talked and the the day I proposed to her. I really don't have the time and money to go the CR-1 route. I would have to have the ceremony all over again. I would lose my job. I know that there's a chance we might get denied again going the same route but I don't have much other options. Of course, I love her and I want her be with her but what good is it if I don't have an income?

[GandD 5,966]

We only had a month before filing to spend with each other before filing. Yes, this sounds suspicious, but you must understand Cambodian culture to completely comprehend the situation. We talked on the phone everyday while we were apart. We were trying to adjust the story to make it more convincing. That we talked on the phone before we met and that she send pictures to me before meeting in person. We talked about the day we first talked and the the day I proposed to her. I really don't have the time and money to go the CR-1 route. I would have to have the ceremony all over again. I would lose my job. I know that there's a chance we might get denied again going the same route but I don't have much other options. Of course, I love her and I want her be with her but what good is it if I don't have an income?

The C1 is cheaper overall than the K-1 and only estimated to take 1.5 months longer than the K1. Plus you don't have to do AOS when she gets here so she can start working upon entry. EAD can take three or so more months after applying for AOS assuming you do it right. Go there, do a quick ceremony and get your papers. Read read read.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

[SparklePony 238]

For a bunch of people married/engaged to foreigners there seems to be a huge ignorance of cultural differences here.

Anyone the least bit familiar with Cambodian customs would know a picture such as the one being ridiculed would be EXPECTED of any engaged couple.

If anything not having pictures like that in Cambodia would make me question if it was a genuine couple.

I highly doubt it was any factor in his denial.

There have seen other cases here on VJ where an engagement/religious wedding ceremony was cause for denial for a K1. Even though officers should know about local customs and the importance of such ceremonies for locals, these are seen as a formal wedding and thus bring about a denial as the couple is considered married and thus ineligible for a K1 visa.

Is it right? Probably not. But it does happen.

[clairegie 265]

[We only had a month before filing to spend with each other before filing. Yes, this sounds suspicious, but you must understand Cambodian culture to completely comprehend the situation. We talked on the phone everyday while we were apart. We were trying to adjust the story to make it more convincing. That we talked on the phone before we met and that she send pictures to me before meeting in person. We talked about the day we first talked and the the day I proposed to her. I really don't have the time and money to go the CR-1 route. I would have to have the ceremony all over again. I would lose my job. I know that there's a chance we might get denied again going the same route but I don't have much other options. Of course, I love her and I want her be with her but what good is it if I don't have an income?]

--

Okies, try the K1 route again. But this time, stick to the whole truth.

A half truth is still a whole lie.

It is hard to convince someone else when you yourselves doubted your "love story" and adjusted it just to make it more convincing.

Regarding the Cambodian culture... Why is it necessary to have a ceremony all over again? If you are refiling as K1 and the last time you met is still within 2 years, just refile using the proof you already have. They must still be fairly recent right?

Edited December 6, 2013 by iammrsregi

[Loveherforever49 4]

Okies, try the K1 route again. But this time, stick to the whole truth.

A half truth is still a whole lie.

It is hard to convince someone else when you yourselves doubted your "love story" and adjusted it just to make it more convincing.

Regarding the Cambodian culture... Why is it necessary to have a ceremony all over again? If you are refiling as K1 and the last time you met is still within 2 years, just refile using the proof you already have. They must still be fairly recent right?

Thanks for your reply. I think I will try filing the K1 again using the same evidence. I would only have to have the ceremony all over again if I went the CR1 route because they scanned all of my pictures that I submitted. So if I had to go the CR1 route I would need new photos showing I didn't use the same ones as last time. Next time, I will stick with the truth. I am still here in Cambodia with my fiancee. Our interview was just a couple of week ago. So yes our evidence is very recent. Hopefully, next time things will finally go my way. I promised her I would be right behind her for everything, and I meant it.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Next time, I will stick with the truth.

Lying during the immigration process is a bad idea. Bending the truth to fit a convenient story is not a good idea either.

As a lesson to others, don't lie or invent stories. Still with the truth.

Also, do not have a fake wedding ceremony before immigrating.

[Loveherforever49 4]

Lying during the immigration process is a bad idea. Bending the truth to fit a convenient story is not a good idea either.

As a lesson to others, don't lie or invent stories. Still with the truth.

Also, do not have a fake wedding ceremony before immigrating.

Thanks found this out the hard way but hey life is for living!

[aaron2020 11,651]

Thanks found this out the hard way but hey life is for living!

Sorry about your situation.

Hang in there, you can fix this.

[Loveherforever49 4]

To Cambodian members, considering my situation what should I do? Get married? Do the K1 again. Keep in mind if I had to the CR1 route I would probably lose my job because I would have to fly back here to have the new ceremony. But I am willing to sacrifice everything I have to be with my love. Even if it means getting a new job, and taking it slow. People are saying on here stop messing around with the K1 in a tough embassy. I tend to agree but if the K1 might work, it would save me thousands of dollars

also anyone else who has an opinion on this can add on I will take in every bit of advice. Thanks in advance guys!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

To anyone curious, from my understanding Cambodia is like Vietnam in that it is traditional to have an "engagement party" that looks very much like a wedding, and that not having it can be a sign of fraud for these countries. I also believe Cambodia is the country that is severely restricting marriages to foreigners (preventing older men with no money from marrying their women, for instance), so OP might not be able to get married there. We don't know if that applies to him, but my point is that is is harder to get married in Cambodia than one may realize.

[aaron2020 11,651]

To Cambodian members, considering my situation what should I do? Get married? Do the K1 again. Keep in mind if I had to the CR1 route I would probably lose my job because I would have to fly back here to have the new ceremony. But I am willing to sacrifice everything I have to be with my love. Even if it means getting a new job, and taking it slow. People are saying on here stop messing around with the K1 in a tough embassy. I tend to agree but if the K1 might work, it would save me thousands of dollars

also anyone else who has an opinion on this can add on I will take in every bit of advice. Thanks in advance guys!

Do not quit your job. You may solve one problem and unwittingly create another.

You need a job to sponsor your wife unless you have lots of assets or a Joint Sponsor.

[Loveherforever49 4]

Do not quit your job. You may solve one problem and unwittingly create another.

You need a job to sponsor your wife unless you have lots of assets or a Joint Sponsor.

I do have a joint sponsor for next time but it would only work if I make 10,000 and my sponsor 10,000. So I would still need a job.

To anyone curious, from my understanding Cambodia is like Vietnam in that it is traditional to have an "engagement party" that looks very much like a wedding, and that not having it can be a sign of fraud for these countries. I also believe Cambodia is the country that is severely restricting marriages to foreigners (preventing older men with no money from marrying their women, for instance), so OP might not be able to get married there. We don't know if that applies to him, but my point is that is is harder to get married in Cambodia than one may realize.

It is tough especially if you have little or no connection. It's about who you know and that's how it's always been.

To anyone curious, from my understanding Cambodia is like Vietnam in that it is traditional to have an "engagement party" that looks very much like a wedding, and that not having it can be a sign of fraud for these countries. I also believe Cambodia is the country that is severely restricting marriages to foreigners (preventing older men with no money from marrying their women, for instance), so OP might not be able to get married there. We don't know if that applies to him, but my point is that is is harder to get married in Cambodia than one may realize.

It is tough especially if you have little or no connection. It's about who you know and that's how it's always been.

[aaron2020 11,651]

I do have a joint sponsor for next time but it would only work if I make 10,000 and my sponsor 10,000. So I would still need a job.

Your Joint Sponsor must be able to meet the 125% poverty level on his own. Making $10k will means he cannot be your Joint Sponsor because he does not make enough.

You cannot combine income with a Joint Sponsor.

You can only combine income with a Household Member who is a qualified relative of yours. You must share the same household - address.

[Loveherforever49 4]

Your Joint Sponsor must be able to meet the 125% poverty level on his own. Making $10k will means he cannot be your Joint Sponsor because he does not make enough.

You cannot combine income with a Joint Sponsor.

You can only combine income with a Household Member who is a qualified relative of yours. You must share the same household - address.

Thanks for the info

Yes, he does live with me and does make the 125% on his own but he has 2 dependents on his tax return. not sure if this effects anything.