Help! I have to cancel my wedding !!! ???

[Alexander De Ridder 0]

My USCIS approval went smooth, they asked for an additional evidence, my finacées birth certificate, and once they got that, they approved us.

My interview went perfect, I would come back the next day to get my visa.

Then I get a phone call ... no need to come, there's a delay in washington, we can only issue the visa once they clear you.

Now that was 16 january. My reception is planned for the 14th of april. We booked the reception, catering, limosine, photographer and dj.

My very busy family booked themself out from work for that period so they can come to my wedding.

Today I called department of state, with my case number. The lady said this:

they started working on your case 31 january. On average it takes 2 or 3 months, but can take up a year.

BAM, in my face ..... why me? I have lived the most simple of life ..... Clara is the first girl I kissed .... I am a model citizen born and raised

in ONE city and lived in ONE house all my life .... we have done all required paperwork .... taken a 2 month time between interview and marriage ....

and now our wedding is at stake !!

Why is this happening? Why us? Why so long? My heart breaks if I have to tell Clara that the wedding must be cancelled :-(

In fact, I am crying myself now ...

[J&D_anon 0]

My USCIS approval went smooth, they asked for an additional evidence, my finacées birth certificate, and once they got that, they approved us.

My interview went perfect, I would come back the next day to get my visa.

Then I get a phone call ... no need to come, there's a delay in washington, we can only issue the visa once they clear you.

Now that was 16 january. My reception is planned for the 14th of april. We booked the reception, catering, limosine, photographer and dj.

My very busy family booked themself out from work for that period so they can come to my wedding.

Today I called department of state, with my case number. The lady said this:

they started working on your case 31 january. On average it takes 2 or 3 months, but can take up a year.

BAM, in my face ..... why me? I have lived the most simple of life ..... Clara is the first girl I kissed .... I am a model citizen born and raised

in ONE city and lived in ONE house all my life .... we have done all required paperwork .... taken a 2 month time between interview and marriage ....

and now our wedding is at stake !!

Why is this happening? Why us? Why so long? My heart breaks if I have to tell Clara that the wedding must be cancelled :-(

In fact, I am crying myself now ...

OMG i feel soooooooooooooooo endlessly sorry for you!!!! I don't even want to imagine this happening to me and my fiance....

I hope they will finish your visa quick!!!

DIana

[YuAndDan 153]

This is why never to make solid wedding plans around the K-1 visa, the government is never predictable, when it comes to processing times.

I do feel bad for you.

[Turboguy 6]

Try contacting the immigration specialist at your congressman or senators office. sometimes it helps. It can't hurt.

[no name 1]

You should never book a wedding til visa is n hand...

But anyhow, you can always have a non-legal wedding in April if you don't have your visa yet. Then you can return to Belgium til you get the visa, then have a courthouse wedding when you move to the States.

[Alexander De Ridder 0]

You should never book a wedding til visa is n hand...

But anyhow, you can always have a non-legal wedding in April if you don't have your visa yet. Then you can return to Belgium til you get the visa, then have a courthouse wedding when you move to the States.

thats not possible for religious reasons, I personally see a wedding as binding .. you are either married or you are not. And a yes means yes. When your yes means yes in the future, its called engagement, not a wedding.

Regardless of that, "til visa is in hand" is a statement that is easily bent when you pass an interview and are told that you will get your visa soon.

It takes heaven and earth to plan a ceremony + reception wedding with families from two continents present.

[no name 1]

It takes heaven and earth to plan a ceremony + reception wedding with families from two continents present.

I'm quite sure most VJers are well aware of that! We've all done it before!!!!!

thats not possible for religious reasons, I personally see a wedding as binding .. you are either married or you are not. And a yes means yes. When your yes means yes in the future, its called engagement, not a wedding.

Regardless of that, "til visa is in hand" is a statement that is easily bent when you pass an interview and are told that you will get your visa soon.

Listen, we all know we have to do things differently because we are dealing with immigration here. I'm sorry you won't do a non-binding ceremony in April. You may have to cancel your wedding. It's not what you want, but it IS the gov't. We have to wait until they say yes...

[Dan J 277]

You really have to be flexible in this situation. My plan right now is probably to have 2-3 weddings. One in my fiancees country for her parents and family. A civil ceremony in the US to make the marriage legal, and possibly another wedding for my parents and family, or at least a reception. As much as I would like to have just 1 wedding, its not very cheap to get everyone to one country or another.

But anyway, it sounds like your visa may be held up in administrative review. You might be able to push it along by calling your senator/congress people. I wouldn't panic yet, there are some things you can do or at least try.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I'm really sorry about your delay and likely cancellation of your wedding plans. You should have planned more carefully. The K-1 visa is good for six months so if you had a wedding ceremony in your plans, then you could have used that six month period to plan when you would arrive and get married within the 90 day requirement.

If you have been on this site for any time, you have to have seen that everyone is frustrated by the delays. So, instead of getting angry, try to reschedule with that six month window of the K-1.

[Alexander De Ridder 0]

We have planned almost 6 months AFTER we got our NOA2, and moved onward for the consulate requests with highest possible speed.

We have NOTHING special about our case! My family is for generationSSSS Western-European, I am a model citizen, none of us were ever married before, in fact Clara is the first girl i kissed, and im 25.

I see no reason why they should hold us hostage in Administrative Processing. On what basis do they decide other than randomness? The consul has a friend that spoke to him for me today and told him there was nothing wrong in his opinion with my case and interview. Isn't equal treatment a basic human right?

Apparently I have no right to know why I am delayed and others are not. I have no right to know how long it will take. And more ...

[Michaela_Hassan 1]

Alexander,

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. The delay in Washington might be that not you but someone with a similar name has gotten in some sort of trouble before. It's so hard to make plans only to have them shattered, but what can you do but wait. I wish for you that it's speedy so you can make that wedding date after all.

Michaela

[Alexander De Ridder 0]

Alexander,

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. The delay in Washington might be that not you but someone with a similar name has gotten in some sort of trouble before. It's so hard to make plans only to have them shattered, but what can you do but wait. I wish for you that it's speedy so you can make that wedding date after all.

Michaela

you know what my dad said today?

No problem, if you dont get it soon enough, you can get married in NOVEMBER, when all of the family will be able to come.

That means if I get approved lets say March 17, my wedding plans will be long-canceled, and all of my family won't be able to make it to the wedding until november.

Hooray .. and they hold my international passport in hostage ... means I wouldn't see clara for almost a year unless she came here again but thats hard considering her families situation (remember her dad got shot in september?). Talk about cruelty

The thing is I may now get a marriage without all of my family :\ And If I get married between april and june my brother won't make it due university & exams.

then he may also have to retake exams in August or September if he doesnt pass them all ...

[heishe 2]

Alright buddy, suck it up. Your drama queenery is really not going to help things. It's a bummer your visa is held up. Plenty of model citizens, even virginal white people with strong European heritage (!) get their visas delayed for some reason. Just relax, have a sense of humor, and things will turn out alright (probably), even if you have to delay your wedding and re-book the DJ.

Edited February 16, 2007 by heishe

[malka 0]

Alexander,

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. The delay in Washington might be that not you but someone with a similar name has gotten in some sort of trouble before. It's so hard to make plans only to have them shattered, but what can you do but wait. I wish for you that it's speedy so you can make that wedding date after all.

Michaela

you know what my dad said today?

No problem, if you dont get it soon enough, you can get married in NOVEMBER, when all of the family will be able to come.

That means if I get approved lets say March 17, my wedding plans will be long-canceled, and all of my family won't be able to make it to the wedding until november.

Hooray .. and they hold my international passport in hostage ... means I wouldn't see clara for almost a year unless she came here again but thats hard considering her families situation (remember her dad got shot in september?). Talk about cruelty

The thing is I may now get a marriage without all of my family :\ And If I get married between april and june my brother won't make it due university & exams.

then he may also have to retake exams in August or September if he doesnt pass them all ...

Alexander - there should be some way of finding out what the hold-up is. Definitely have Clara contact her congressperson/people and have them start an inquiry. Squeak that wheel. It can't hurt. But your Western European ancestry really isn't going to make a difference.

Edited February 16, 2007 by malka

[UmmSqueakster 54]

We had no one from our family attend our marriage. And yet, here we are, a year and a half later, still married