I-129F July 2016 Filers

[cyanmavi 101]

Hey CRamak, so sorry to hear about your situation, I can't even imagine how devastating this must be for you guys. I really do empathize and that's why I wanted to write.

You might not like what I am going to say next but I am just playing devil's advocate, and want to help.

I think that they do not believe you are his top priority. He already had the K-1, entered the country but left before marrying you. I know that there were extreme extenuating circumstances and I completely understand how difficult a decision it must have been for you, but does USCIS know that? The situation was quite grave from what you said, but did you include any evidence at any point demonstrating this to the USCIS? Like medical reports, emails, doctor's notes, how his leaving derailed any of your plans (change of wedding date for example, plans of visiting family that got disrupted and any tangible proof showing these).

This also goes to the priority thing, about the children, is there any way of showing how he has and/or will integrate into your family unit? I know you said you don't have any pictures, but what about Skype screenshots where the children talk to him? Any drawings or cards the children made for him? Or any cards or gifts he got or sent to the children? Any emails of him inquiring about them or you writing in detail about something about them? Any teacher or school official the children talked to about him?

Please know that I am not expecting an answer to the questions personally, and I am in no way judging the integrity of your relationship. Just wanted to give you an idea of how someone without any emotional investment in your case might be seeing it. Trying to be as objective as possible and giving you examples of proof that might help. And if you already included the things I asked about, then I am so sorry they are being so tough on you.

Hope everything works out for you at the end.

[ADT 17]

CRamak, so sorry to hear about your cases..

As I believed, same with

cyanmav

I think CO didn't buy the answers your fiance given...You should tried to gather information him and the kids being together or talking together...Base on what you described, CO thinks why your fiance came US on K1 to see before but have not marry you, no pics with family or kids...,.Best thing you can proof to them is he flew back for emergency family medical, such as doctor report, text, ect.....related to his leave the country...

They gave his passport back? truly its not a good sign...I am not making judgement about your case...But as far as I seen, passport return more likely not good news.

Just gather what you have and submit to them and see from there...Hopes he get approve!!!!! Don't give your faith up...Wishing you best luck

[MeAlone 161]

Sad but I agree with all said above. It looks like the US embassy doesn't believe in you 2 going to marry. Maybe you better marry and do the marriage visa? CRamak, did you think about that? Is your fiance thinking about to marry you in his country?

The embassy gave your fiance his passport back. What the letter says? Do they ask to send his passport to them together with the additional evidence?

[MeAlone 161]

I finally got the answer from my fiance why the embassy is asking about my web design. We met in Facebook, he started talking to me and CO asked him why out of all people in Facebook he got to me and how? So he told he was looking for web design, he saw some of my ad in craigslist and that's why he contacted me finding me in Facebook too. And it's the way it happened, smart African guy was looking for free help about his real estate website and he got his website and me, lol! I was wondering why the embassy asked us about craigslist as all I remember he started to chat to me in Facebook, now I know. Yes, of course, Facebook is huge and starting talking to me precisely, it has sense the CO asking for additional info.

Tasha

[ADT 17]

Did your fiance get his visa yet?

My interview coming soon, hopes they don't give me a hard time...I seen lots of people had interview with 3 to 5 questions and approved

[Chris/Uni 23]

Well, I know the latest messages are meant to be helpful, and thank you for the ideas, but I have to say I am now more worried than ever. I don't believe the CO did not believe we are a real couple. I believe he did not like my fiance. To start...my fiance got his number for the interview and waited #137 .. they called numersbs.. went past his number.. WAAAY past. he waited. and waited. he waited all day. they went up to the 300s. finally he was the last person in the room and they called him. The were not friendly from the start. They kept asking him about my ex husband. (Is this a trick question? How should he know so much about him?) He does know because I talk about him. Why we divorced (that is a whole other story that makes people say "what?) . What his job is. Does he know him. My fiance feels it is bec his name is very muslim. He always feels this. He gets different treatment. I don't know.

We WERE approved EASILY the first time with the same circumstances. I submitted the same proof, with the reason for return, and the additional proof of relationship continuing since he departed. That SHOULD suffice... but now it has become an issue of them wanting me to go back to the beginning of our relationship and showing MORE evidence during the time we were together.

Maybe we are not like other people and that is hurting us now.. but I don't SAVE texts for years. I keep lots of pictures.. The kids are older.. they are busy with thier own lives.. they don't draw pictures anymore.. He doesn't skype with them except "hey dude" from my son is passing..

I don't think the CO officer would keep his passport.. you bring it to the interview so why would he keep it? He kept our file... tomorrow fiance will bring the packet I will email to him to the drop location.. along with his passport to drop with the evidence. It will go "into processing" it could take 6 days. Ot 6 months.

I can go there and marry. It's not as easy as it is here. Our different religions make it trickier. Once we marry the process starts over. I return and apply for a marriage visa. That takes slightly longer than fiance visa. so another 8 month wait. And no guarantee of approval for that either.

For now, we will drop off the additional proof monday and wait.. I am angry. 3 1/2 years and they get to judge if this is a priority? years of crying over the phone and scrapping together money to visit and hoping to someday be in the same place again. All in the hands of someone who does not care at all. It is not about if they think HOW much of a priority this is. They are there to judge if he is a national risk. That is all. Not to assess our level of quality of relationship. That is simply not fair. No one has lived in our shoes. It has been and incredibly rough road so far for me to even have come to the point to meet him and have him in my life. and now someone has decided I can't be with him -at least for now.

[Chris/Uni 23]

I am just going over the entire list of what we need. I am very confused. Half of these things I have already submitted. Do I submit them again? "A statement detailing how we met and decided to get married" I've done that. I will write a new one and do it again... and "photos of you during courtship". our immigration attorney said to submit about 20 - alone and with friends. so I did. I added about 30 more. then "proof of gift you have given each other" I took photos of all of them - there were a lot - with captions explaining each one last time... In the past 8 months since he left there have only been a couple more things I ordered on amazon for him. I printed that... I don't know what else!!!

Should I re-submit the many pages of photos of gifts and courtship? Did they not see it???

[MeAlone 161]

CRamak, please try to be calm. I am so sorry about your hard time and we all here understand you, so long waiting is not easy. You do well going through the list and yes, submit even all you submitted before, all of it and adding more if it's possible. Better you overdo it than the embassy saying it's not enough. It will work, just focus on your list and do your best

Tasha

[Chris/Uni 23]

CRamak, please try to be calm. I am so sorry about your hard time and we all here understand you, so long waiting is not easy. You do well going through the list and yes, submit even all you submitted before, all of it and adding more if it's possible. Better you overdo it than the embassy saying it's not enough. It will work, just focus on your list and do your best

Tasha

Ok, Thank you, Tasha...

[Allison/Robert 43]

I am just going over the entire list of what we need. I am very confused. Half of these things I have already submitted. Do I submit them again? "A statement detailing how we met and decided to get married" I've done that. I will write a new one and do it again... and "photos of you during courtship". our immigration attorney said to submit about 20 - alone and with friends. so I did. I added about 30 more. then "proof of gift you have given each other" I took photos of all of them - there were a lot - with captions explaining each one last time... In the past 8 months since he left there have only been a couple more things I ordered on amazon for him. I printed that... I don't know what else!!!

Should I re-submit the many pages of photos of gifts and courtship? Did they not see it???

Here's my suspicion... Yes you submitted a petition for him previously and it was approved, but it sounds like they're treating this as a new petition completely. I think you should also treat this as an entirely new petition as if you hadn't previously applied. That could be where some of the confusion is coming from. Send them info from the past 3-1/2 years, not just the past 8 months since the previous petition.

It was easy for them to approve the visa the first time because all evidence since the beginning of your relationship was included. In 8 months new staff may have been added or shifted at the embassy. The person who reviewed your information from the first petition which was approved may not work there anymore. This time around, you're seeing it as supplemental information to the previously submitted package, but to them it only looks as though there are missing chunks from the beginning of your relationship.

My suggestion is to send in all of the evidence from the previous petition (even if you're 100% certain they've had it side-by-side with your current one) up until the point you submitted the previous one, but add the information (via an explanation letter) regarding the circumstances of the previous petition (you applied for a K1, it was approved, he came to the US, the incident occurred, and he had to leave before you were able to get married) and then continue the evidence of a relationship from that point up until now. It really does sound like they're hearing you say you've been together for 3-1/2 years yet all the evidence in front of them is for 8 months. The evidence for the USCIS was enough for them to say "yes, this is good, the petition is approved" because it sounds like they DO review previous petitions alongside current ones, but now the visa application at the embassy isn't sufficient enough for the embassy because I'm guessing they don't go back into any archived files to read the previously submitted evidence, that they only look at the evidence before them.

Please forgive me if you have submitted the current petition as if it's from the beginning and not just the past 8 months, but it was sounding as if that wasn't the case. And suddenly it was like a light bulb came on in my brain. Yes it will be a HUGE stack of info you'll be resubmitting to them, but I truly think this will only help rather than hinder. Include that info along with the suggestion Tasha made about responding to each individual item with evidence or signed explanation, and you will know you have done all you could. Stay strong. I know you both will get through this, and when you do come out the other side, you will be so much stronger than you were before. And all of us are here for you, too. <3

Edit for clarification: I'm not suggesting to send in the entire previous package, just the relationship evidence from that first visa application/petition, and heck, maybe even include the notifications you received in the form of approvals from the embassy regarding the first one... ? Not sure if that would be any help.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Allison/Robert

[Allison/Robert 43]

And of course I read back just a few comments and see where you said you DID include the previous evidence as well as all new evidence. I wasn't able to go back and edit the post again to remove those suggestions. I'm sorry.

[Chris/Uni 23]

Allison (and others) thanks for taking the time to write a really thoughtful response with good ideas. There are not many people in the world I can talk to who get what's happening and it helps a little that there are a few people out there listening and cheering me on who understand the process and the difficulties of trying to do this. Just knowing a few of you care to respond makes me feel better. So, thank you. Yeah, I submitted all my previous proof plus more for the second application. Now I have gathered everything I can possible think of. Even signed letters from my family member saying they are looking forward to having him as part of the family. And I did have my youngest son draw a big "come home soon" sign and took a picture of him holding it up (thank you cyanmavi) and I wrote full explanations for missing requested items (thank you Tasha). I've included photos, records and receipts of anything I could dig up. I think that is all I can do.

If he is fully denied the visa after this processing finishes then I will go to India and marry him and we will start over with a marriage visa and I will get my local congressman involved for that round. I hope it does not come to that.

I'll keep you all posted. THANK YOU EVERYONE soooo much for your help, advice and support!!!! I continue to wish you all approvals and smooth AOS and transitions over here - and of course, lots of happiness.

[MeAlone 161]

Dear CRamak, the embassy gives you a hard time but if you answer one by one to all their requirements, they will give you visa, they will do it. The thing is make it all answers clear and in order, maybe each answer with a cover letter and numerated, stapled each answer supporting documents. Do it very well organized so the CO cannot say something is missing, they will approve you. I think the embassy tries to give a hard time to your fiance just because it's kinda offending America, leaving America and an American fiance for his life and family in his country. We all, specially the embassy people, used to believe America is the most important and it's truth yet sometimes health issues, life or death experience make people to delay such important move.

Good luck, girl! Calm down, check well all documents, all nice and it will work

Tasha

[MeAlone 161]

me here, all the weekend praying, hoping to get out visa very soon, praying more and waiting

[MeAlone 161]

my fiance is praying too, we both at the same time, I wrote about buying stuff once he is here, he is praying for to be with me, saying no buying, just let us finally together, maybe poor as now is spending a lot, but together, in his prayers he says he want's to be with me, that' all he wants in this Christmas, the best gift us together

Tasha