Questions about Moroccan Visas

[jaws2003 1]

Hello Everyone, 

 

I am new to this site after doing some research and I have some questions. I tried to post in the "Morocco" section but I could not create a thread there. I have been talking to a woman online that is from Morocco. She is a Muslim woman and I am a Muslim man. She is also ten years younger than I am(I am 32 and she is 22). On this site it looks like more women talking to men and bringing them to the U.S. but not as many men talking to women from this country. Not sure if this makes a difference with visa applications. Since reading about some people posting about the interviews it seems that Morocco is a high fraud country for marriage and I want to be careful. Also the consulate officers question very tough from posters on here. She also wants to be careful as well because of people marrying and leaving the spouse in Morocco never to return. The young lady I am talking to right now as well wants to get married and come over with me as soon as we get married. I had informed her this is not possible because there is a process from my research. The biggest thing to her is that the marriage is genuine and she can come afterwards. She is scared because she's heard stories of men from abroad coming to her country and having relations with the new wife and then never coming back. I understand that a woman that goes through that in her country can be looked down upon.  With that being said she is open to doing a fiance visa if we decide to continue and then have a Islamic wedding where I live. I know fiance visas are faster so here are my questions below: 

 

1. I see that older women marrying younger men can raise suspicions to consulate officers but is the opposite true(older man and younger woman)?

2. Is Morocco known for approving fiance visas for two people of the same religion?

3. Can it be more beneficial to become married and then apply for a spouse visa if we are the same religion(even though it takes longer)? 

4.  Can visiting the person more be better for your visa case(more than just the one required time)? 

5. Can having a child on my end affect a potential fiance or spouse visa from Morocco? 

[geowrian 22,337]

1. I'll defer to others who know more about Moroccan culture, but I don't believe only a 10 year gap and with an older male is considered unusual in that culture, and therefore wouldn't raise any flags.
2. Having the same religion is generally a plus. Having two different religions is when a flag could be raised (not that it's prohibited at all, but something they will take into consideration).
3. I think spousal visas are a little "safer" IMHO, but either a K-1 or CR-1 should be fine. I would look at it more from the perspective of what suits your needs. Do you want to be married in the US? Do you prefer to be together sooner or being able to work and travel sooner? K-1 is more expensive overall, too. there are pros and cons to each type of visa, and I suggest looking into that and basing your decision on what you two want to do. K-1 is taking ~6-8 months currently, and CR-1 is taking a little over a year currently, on average. You can file the I-129F for a K-1 now if you want, whereas a CR-1 needs an I-130, which requires you to be married before you can file.
4. Yes. Face time is important, especially with high fraud embassies. The more you have, the better. Only one visit tends to have a pretty low chance of success with high fraud embassies. Front load and side load, too.
5. Having a child won't impact the process (except maybe getting the CRBA processed to recognize the child as a USC and travel with her). A child isn't proof of a bona fide relationship or marriage.

Good luck!

Edited April 30, 2017 by geowrian

[jaws2003 1]

On 4/29/2017 at 9:15 PM, geowrian said:

1. I'll defer to others who know more about Moroccan culture, but I don't believe only a 10 year gap and with an older male is considered unusual in that culture, and therefore wouldn't raise any flags.
2. Having the same religion is generally a plus. Having two different religions is when a flag could be raised (not that it's prohibited at all, but something they will take into consideration).
3. I think spousal visas are a little "safer" IMHO, but either a K-1 or CR-1 should be fine. I would look at it more from the perspective of what suits your needs. Do you want to be married in the US? Do you prefer to be together sooner or being able to work and travel sooner? K-1 is more expensive overall, too. there are pros and cons to each type of visa, and I suggest looking into that and basing your decision on what you two want to do. K-1 is taking ~6-8 months currently, and CR-1 is taking a little over a year currently, on average. You can file the I-129F for a K-1 now if you want, whereas a CR-1 needs an I-130, which requires you to be married before you can file.
4. Yes. Face time is important, especially with high fraud embassies. The more you have, the better. Only one visit tends to have a pretty low chance of success with high fraud embassies. Front load and side load, too.
5. Having a child won't impact the process (except maybe getting the CRBA processed to recognize the child as a USC and travel with her). A child isn't proof of a bona fide relationship or marriage.

Good luck!

Thank you very much. These answers have been very helpful. Wish someone could answer the first one. 

[TBoneTX 45,284]

Thread is moved from General Immigration Discussion to the Middle East/North Africa regional forum, for country-specific answers.

[sparkles_ 456]

It won't raise any suspect just for you being 10yr older. it will however raise a bit just because you aren't Moroccan or of Moroccan heritage, even if you are Muslim. In your setup it is more important to have a shared language you are both highly conversant in plus shared values and wanting a common future. Do you look well matched, do you both have the same aroundabout level of education, things like this. 

 

I would be leery of this whole wanting to come over ASAP thing. Women being left by American/UK/Canadian men is actually not common and she more than likely knows this, this ghost act tends to happen when they marry men from the gulf countries hence them having a bad rep there. 

 

Having a child on your end won't affect the visa process but be highly aware of the cultural stigma attached to step parents in Moroccan culture. It is considered less than stellar ideals for a man to raise stepkids, even less than this for a woman to raise stepkids. Also, an Islamic wedding won't suffice to AOS from, unless you follow with a civil marriage.

Edited May 12, 2017 by sparkles_

[jaws2003 1]

10 hours ago, sparkles_ said:

It won't raise any suspect just for you being 10yr older. it will however raise a bit just because you aren't Moroccan or of Moroccan heritage, even if you are Muslim. In your setup it is more important to have a shared language you are both highly conversant in plus shared values and wanting a common future. Do you look well matched, do you both have the same aroundabout level of education, things like this. 

 

I would be leery of this whole wanting to come over ASAP thing. Women being left by American/UK/Canadian men is actually not common and she more than likely knows this, this ghost act tends to happen when they marry men from the gulf countries hence them having a bad rep there. 

 

Having a child on your end won't affect the visa process but be highly aware of the cultural stigma attached to step parents in Moroccan culture. It is considered less than stellar ideals for a man to raise stepkids, even less than this for a woman to raise stepkids. Also, an Islamic wedding won't suffice to AOS from, unless you follow with a civil marriage.

Thank you for your input. As a matter of fact at this point we do have a lot in common. Especially the points that you mentioned with education and common language.  I am taking my time and learning more about her. Yes, this young woman seems to want to come over ASAP because of that and she's told me about how men gulf countries do like coming just for sex and leaving or "marrying" and then leaving after having sex. Honestly I told her from my research that she has to wait regardless rather if we applied for a fiance visa or spouse visa. It is just how things are and I also told her if she could not accept that then we do not need to continue talking to each other. Also I did not know that there was a social stigma with stepkids in Morocco. Honestly it happens here in America too. The step parent does not treat the child the same as their own with that person. Is that that what happens in the Moroccan culture? If it does I believe the step parent needs to make it clear to the other party and handle any situations where the stepchild may feel out of place or treated differently. Thank you for letting me know that the Islamic wedding will not suffice. Honestly if things keep going well then I am leaning to a fiance visa with this woman. 

[sparkles_ 456]

10 hours ago, jaws2003 said:

Thank you for your input. As a matter of fact at this point we do have a lot in common. Especially the points that you mentioned with education and common language.  I am taking my time and learning more about her. Yes, this young woman seems to want to come over ASAP because of that and she's told me about how men gulf countries do like coming just for sex and leaving or "marrying" and then leaving after having sex. Honestly I told her from my research that she has to wait regardless rather if we applied for a fiance visa or spouse visa. It is just how things are and I also told her if she could not accept that then we do not need to continue talking to each other. Also I did not know that there was a social stigma with stepkids in Morocco. Honestly it happens here in America too. The step parent does not treat the child the same as their own with that person. Is that that what happens in the Moroccan culture? If it does I believe the step parent needs to make it clear to the other party and handle any situations where the stepchild may feel out of place or treated differently. Thank you for letting me know that the Islamic wedding will not suffice. Honestly if things keep going well then I am leaning to a fiance visa with this woman. 

You can always PM me if you want to discuss in detail and not put it on the forums. If you prefer talking to a male I can let my husband PM you. 

 

Yes and no about the step parent issue. Often times it is the extended family who will make a big fuss about the stepchild and not include them or ever see them as a real family member and that spills over into the spouse/fiance and general marriage. Without sounding strange or racist, if she is berber you have little if nothing to worry about concerning this as they practice fostering children of others often and don't have the concept of stepchildren really. 

 

An Islamic wedding in Morocco will work since you register it with the family court, but not one in the states. Just keep in mind that culturally, you should want to have a decent Moroccan wedding or engagement party for her sake and her family's sake to do right by her....or at least have some Moroccan wedding style photos taken once in the states.