Starting fiance visa process in Morocco

[kikiaumaroc 0]

I apologize in advance if this is not an appropriate place to ask (please directe me to the right place if so!) , but I've never joined a group like this before, but was reading and finding the advice given very helpful.

I am living in Morocco, conducting anthropolgoical research for a PhD, and engaged to a Moroccan man. I still have a year and a half of fieldwork to complete before coming back to the States and was going to apply for the fiance visa now, when I go back to the States in a couple of months, as it seems like it is taking a very long time for people to get their visas processes (hopefully the new immigration legislation doesn't slow this process down even more!).

I was basically wondering if anyone had any advice before I start this process (it seems like quite a nightmare), or any information on the Casablanca consulate (it seems they are particularly difficult from reading previous posts). I have been corresponding with a really great immigration lawyer in Chicago, but she mostly deals with Latin American cases, and has only once had a case with the Moroccan consultate, where she obtained a waiver for someone. Do you recommend retaining a lawyer with more specific experience with the Moroccan consulate or does it matter?

Thanks in advance!

[noura 0]

First of all, hello & welcome to VJ! If you go to the top of any page you will find a tab named "Guides" - read them.... they are full of information that you will find extremely helpful. Also, if you search here in the ME/NA forum for a couple of threads called "Casablanca consulates" or something similar, you will find many posts from people who have dealt w/ Casa (good, bad, & ugly). It's not a bad idea (imho) to start filing now and get things rolling. With the consulate having been closed for over a month now, there may be a little more wait than usual.

Please feel free to ask more specific questions when you need to - but the guides are your friends.... all you ever wanted to know and then some!

Noura

[brnidokiegurl 0]

Best wishes, just start with guides and ask questions when you come across something not clear, plenty of information here.

[mybackpages 0]

Hi and welcome to VJ. Is getting married in Morocco and doing Direct Consulate filing a possibility for you since you are staying in Morocco for another 18 months?

I filed for a fiance visa for my husband and it took less than 5 months from mailing the petition to receiving the visa in hand. As you know teh consualte is temporarily closed postponing interviews for the last month. I think it is safe to say this will cause a slowdown in getting an interview time once the consulate reopens.

Going through Casa can be tough, but keep in mind that lots of people have had no problems. There are some tricks to filing that will make it easier for you, especially since you have not filed. Some of us suspect that the Consulate uses the original petition evidence to flag cases before the interview. If you can make your case as solid as possible to address any potential red flags, this will help with the interview process IMO.

Reading the stories of denials is especially disheartening, but the best advice I have ever received in this entire process is NOT to compare your case to others. Learn from the stories what you can and apply what is needed for you circumstances? My husband arrived in February so we are relatively recent in the process. You can search my posts (you wil have to sort through some meaningless chatter) to get some of our experiences.

Good luck!

[mybackpages 0]

Just to add on the lawyer question- Some people feel comfortable using an atorney. Others have gone through this process (including me) without one. A lawyer will not speed up the case nor give you any special help that is not readily availble on the internet with a lot of researching. Immigration is tricky but good reading and writing skills as well as the ability to do your own research, many people are fine. Even if you go the route of using an attorney be sure to do your research and know who you are choosing. Once you choose a good one, stay involved in the process instead of staying in the dark!

[maggieNomar 0]

Unless you have a specific issue that you do not feel you can overcome easily with the evidence you have available to you, I wouldn't use a lawyer at this point. There is plenty of help here. This is my personal opinion, having gone through the process and using a lawyer. If you do decide to use one, PM me and I"ll tell you the one I used. He is experienced with Morocco and yes I would definitely let that be a deciding factor in whomever you choose, should you decide to use a lawyer. I interviewed 4 before I chose the one I did, and the 2 reasons I chose him were money back guarantee and experience with Casa specifically in the past.