I129f September 2017 filers

[Naes 12,205]

3 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

That' trueeeeee. Just getting antsy I supposeeeeeee. Youssef keeps telling me he has this feeling he'll be with me soon. we started putting folders together of the 6 trips i've taken and documenting what we did each trip. I printed out my tax returns for 14,15,16 and I guess just praying I won't need a sponsor.... so long as they don't ask for 2017 returns and my letter from employer is enough. stressful, yet beautiful. (I also e-mailed the senator in new york state just because I can I guess!)

See, you're all prepared!

Just a little bit more guys! Let's see what this week brings if it is going as good as last, we can expect September to start by the end of February!

[RJandHamid 1,133]

4 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

Praying.

 

Do you know where I find out specific information about what's required from the consulate in Morocco? I always google it, but nothing specific comes up. I keep reading that some require different things as far as proof of income and what not.

Morocco requires the same general income requirements as most other consulates (100%, though %125 is recommended, of the federal poverty line for the I-134, then 125% later on when he goes through AOS). Other required documents are his police record, court record, celibacy certificate and birth certificate, as originals (arabic) as well as certified English translations. 

Edited February 12, 2018 by RJandHamid

[Naes 12,205]

2 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

Praying.

 

Do you know where I find out specific information about what's required from the consulate in Morocco? I always google it, but nothing specific comes up. I keep reading that some require different things as far as proof of income and what not.

Did you try the regional portal here? You can get there from the home page. 

 

Or what I did for my consulate was asking May and june filer friends who went through my embassy. 

[Kush_Omaded 29]

12 hours ago, BK&MC said:

With our time drawing so close to getting the NOA2, I am so excited, yet at the same time so overwhelmed.

 

I'm beginning to have anxiety on all the things there's to be done once we obtained the NOA2.

 

Although my country has a US Embassy but they do not process immigrant visa (they class K1 as immigrant visa over here).

They told me I'll probably have my interview done in Malaysia or Singapore. 

We're gonna push for it to get to Singapore.

 

Question is, since I won't have a return date when I book my tickets, can I buy a one way ticket?

Will the Singapore IO let me enter, especially since I'll have all the proper documentations with me to show I'm there for an interview and I'll buy my ticket home as soon as I get my passport back from the US consulate (with my K1 visa in hand hopefully).

 

Any insight would be so appreciated!

I'm in the same boat; living in Tajikistan, which doesn't process K-1's, so I'm trying to figure out how to get my fiancé permission to enter Kazakhstan.

Anyway, I'd spoken to the U.S. embassy in Kazakhstan about it. Kazakhstan, and other third-party interview countries, can refuse entry to people entering solely for visa interviews, and since it's "their country, their rules" the best the U.S. embassy can do is give you the visa interview documents and hope for the best. My recommendation, while I'm not sure how strict or lax Singapore or Malaysia are with their "entering for visa interview rules," it might be worth contacting the embassies beforehand, if they have a presence in Brunei-Darussalam. Or, perhaps even having the petitioner contact the embassies of Singapore and Malaysia in the U.S. It may seem excessive, but you can try to get the beneficiary a special permission to enter with a one way ticket. I wouldn't generally recommend it, though, strictly for the possibility of administrative processing.  You may be waiting a indefinite period of time. Ultimately, though, a third party country is worried about the potential that the beneficiary is a flight risk. Are they going to enter my country and try to live or work illegally? So you can at least try to nip some of the stress in the bud beforehand by seeing if the embassy can offer you any help. Sometimes having the U.S. citizen vouch for the genuine intent of the foreign fiancé can help smooth out the entry process. So if you do want a one-way ticket, see about contacting the embassy beforehand. The worst they can do is say no to a one-way ticket, so it's worth a try. Good luck!

[RJandHamid 1,133]

2 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

Thank you for clarifying. I'm sure you know that offices in Morocco do not help you unless you're literally in the office in the city where you were born. His address is in Casablanca so the police in his town send him all the way there JUST to send him to another town Sidi Bennour because that's his "place of birth", I'm like don't your systems work together? -____-

Yes, the Moroccan bureaucracy is incredibly frustrating and inefficient. I was lucky that my husband was born and lived near Rabat and didn't have to travel very far to gather documents, attend the medical exam and interview. 

 

Here's a list of everything he brought to the interview (July 2017):

- Signed (beneficiary) visa appointment instructions page (received through email from Casablanca consulate along with interview appointment date)

- Signed (petitioner) I-134 Affidavit of Support 

Financial Support documents: 6 months of pay subs, 2016 tax return, letter from employer

- Beneficiary passport (needs to have at least 6 month validity)  
- Original birth certificate of beneficiary, as well as certified English translation 
- Original police certificate of beneficiary, as well as certified English translation 
- Original court record of beneficiary, as well as certified English translation 
- Original certificate of singlehood/celibacy as well as certified English translation 
- Two 5cmx5cm color passport photos of beneficiary  
- Medical Examination packet (done by Dr. Mourand Maach, consulate approved physician in Rabat) 
- Appointment letter provided by Casablanca consulate

- Proof of ongoing relationship – Additional photos and chats that occurred after the initial filing of the I-129F petition 

- DS-160 Confirmation Page 
- $265 visa fee (can also be paid in MAD equivalent)

 

[RJandHamid 1,133]

4 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

Thank you SO much! this is so helpful. Do you think we should start getting some of these records now? We were waiting for the approval to NOA2, but I'm thinking he should start now. Wasn't sure if the date needed to be closer to the interview.

I think the documents are usually valid for 6 months in Morocco. We waited until NOA2 approval to start gathering documents, but if he will need to plan on traveling to get some of them like the police record, he could start now. 

[RJandHamid 1,133]

6 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

I will let him know because I already know he will be sent all over as he was previously. What documents did you gather? or is this just all about him? So far I've just printed my 14,15 and 16 tax returns. Assuming people are filing now they won't ask for 2017. Maybe just pay stubs and a letter from employer. Not sure. Do I have to do a background check as well?

It might depend on when his interview is if you will need the 2017 return or not. Just going off your VJ timeline, if you get NOA2 at the end of March, you can estimate his interview to be sometime in June. You don't need to submit any additional documents on your end, other than the signed I-134 and supporting documents along with that. We also included 2 updated letters of intent, though the consulate didn't look at them. You do not need to include a background check for yourself, only he needs one. 

[AntoinetteB 165]

I see everyone stating their taking paycheck stubs to their interviews. I'm confused by this because it doesn't state that this is something that is needed,whats the point of the letter from employment if your going to have paycheck stubs too that's a bit of overkill.

[RJandHamid 1,133]

3 minutes ago, AntoinetteB said:

I see everyone stating their taking paycheck stubs to their interviews. I'm confused by this because it doesn't state that this is something that is needed,whats the point of the letter from employment if your going to have paycheck stubs too that's a bit of overkill.

That's a good point. We took more than enough evidence because the Casablanca consulate is known to be one of the tougher ones in terms of visa approvals, so we didn't want to risk them asking for additional documentation and then not being able to provide it. They did keep all of the proof we submitted. Experiences will certainly vary in different countries/embassies. 

[RJandHamid 1,133]

15 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

Ah ok. You're so helpful. I send my fiance the list that you gave me and he's like "Whoa, all of this?" I guess it hit him now that it's not just a background check. Haha! Do you know roughly the cost of translating all of the documents? I heard that's a pretty pricey thing to do in Casablanca. In addition to the cost of the medical exam and visa.

I just asked my husband and he said he paid somewhere around 500-700 dirhams to get the original documents, and then the certified translations. He had all of the translations done in Rabat. 

 

He also got translations of his university diploma and driver's license, but those are not required for the visa. (and these were not included in the price I said above). He just got them to bring to the US. 

 

Here's a tip: Get 2 certified translations of his birth certificate. He'll need one for AOS and translating originals in the USA is much more expensive than in Morocco. 

 

He did the medical exam in Rabat with Dr. Mourad Maach and paid 2500 dirham. I think the physicians in Casablanca are actually a little bit cheaper. 

[Madeline & Matt 252]

Just my little story of the day!

A year ago today, my fiancé and I decided we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, and started planning this whole process. Now we're just a few months away from our forever. It's been a long road, but putting it in perspective, we're now almost at the finish line.

Come on, NOA2! I'm so ready for the rest of my life!

[WOG 15]

Hi - a dumb question from a long time lurker - on the Visa Journey timeline, it says "your I129F may be adjudicated between...", does this just mean the estimate for the NOA2 to be completed (i.e. step 4 in the VisaJourney timeline) and before its submitted from the service center to the National Visa Center? Or is this a estimated timeline to getting the actual visa?

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated and thank you to all who post on this board regularly. It is the best resource I've found. 

 

Jeff

[Jaquelly 1,647]

1 minute ago, WOG said:

Hi - a dumb question from a long time lurker - on the Visa Journey timeline, it says "your I129F may be adjudicated between...", does this just mean the estimate for the NOA2 to be completed (i.e. step 4 in the VisaJourney timeline) and before its submitted from the service center to the National Visa Center? Or is this a estimated timeline to getting the actual visa?

 

Any info would be greatly appreciated and thank you to all who post on this board regularly. It is the best resource I've found. 

 

Jeff

Hi Jeff - That's correct. Sometimes they are accurate. I think the best thing to do is just try not to think about it!

The good news is that June/July are still in the thick of getting approvals, and they're starting to roll out some from August. You'll be there before you know it!

[RJandHamid 1,133]

8 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

PHEW. Not as bad as I thought. 5-700dh. You know what's funny, is when I am there and lets say I see something I want.. maybe Shampoo? It'll say "89dirhams" and I'm like what? No way! Meanwhile... it's like 10$ here in the USA and I buy it. Not sure why it seems like so much in MAD. My fiance always laughs. We do lunch often and I cringe when the bill shows like 300dh, meanwhile... 25-30$ for two here? No problem! lol!!  

 

I appreciate your help. He asked me if I'm not bothering you, if you could just let me know the cost for the diploma? I told him to do this and he said maybe but I said even if they don't need it, its needed for when he gets here anyway, inshallah. Hes concerned about proof. He feels there's a certain number of pictures he should bring and I told him that I really don't think he needs 6,000 photos from the 6 trips I've made, Maybe like 300 pictures?

Yeah, the price difference is hard to get used to lol. My husband has been here in the US for over 6 months now and has become even more frugal than he was in Morocco. $10 for a pizza seems normal to me, but he'll think that it's an outrageous price. 

 

You are not bothering me at all. I'm here on VJ to share my experiences as well as learn from others who have gone through the process before me. I think he paid around 100 dh to translate the diploma. We haven't used it here yet, but we are planning on having it 'evaluated' soon to see if the credits are worth anything here. 

 

As for photos, my husband brought I think 6-7 photos to the interview, and it was only photos that we didn't include in our initial I-129F petition (there were about 25 photos in there). It's really good that you have made so many trips, that will certainly help come interview time. I also made 5 total trips and his interview was really easy. I also should add that we don't have an age difference or any prior marriages or children, which are some things that COs look for and sometimes question. 

[RJandHamid 1,133]

4 minutes ago, HarmonyAndYoussef said:

That's amazing. It's always good to read something good come out of Morocco because so many speak negatively about the process there. We don't have an age difference either and we met in the weirdest way, yet it's an amazing story. I'll try to shorten it. I was moving to Spain. Had no plans but to enroll in school there to finish my masters and teach english. Plus, Barcelona is my favorite football (soccer) team and I was dying to see a game. Downloaded Tinder, paid for Tinder Plus to change my location and started looking to meet folks to show me around so I knew what to do when I got there. I ended up playing around with my location, browsing germany, france, spain, china, ireland... you name it. Just was kind of lurking and I saw someone was from Morocco so I changed my location and just left it. When I went back on. I saw Youssef and was like "wow, that smile." He was the first person I actually "Used" Tinder for and swiped right. Sure enough, I went to Spain for a week, and flew from Spain to Marrakech, met, stayed 3 months.. another 3 months and small two week trips between september and february. Couldn't imagine my life without him!

That is such a sweet story. 

I'm a sucker for these international by random chance online love stories. 

 

I met Hamid when went to Morocco for the first time in August 2015 to volunteer at an HIV/AIDS clinic because I wasn't ready to start being a real adult yet and get an actual job after graduation lol.

I went through a local Moroccan organization (Thaqafat Association in Rabat), who helped place me at my volunteer site and house me with a local Moroccan host family. Hamid was a local Moroccan volunteer at Thaqafat, who's job was to show me around Rabat a few days after I arrived. We exchanged phone numbers in case I had any questions about life in Morocco or issues with my volunteer site or host family. During the tour of Rabat, he took me to Hassan Tower, where I asked why there were holes in some of the unfinished walls. He couldn't answer my question, so I said I would go home, do some research about it and then text him the information I found out. We ended up texting often and hanging out almost every day of my 2 month stay. Then I went back to visit him 4 additional times, and now he's finally here with me! 

 

I wish you guys (and all of the other September filers!) a speedy and sucessful visa process. Feel free to message me anytime!