Religious letter

[iwannaplay54 985]

6 hours ago, Kanja said:

Anecdotally I read a book about a woman in Saudi Arabia where she indicated neither she or her sisters were allowed to meet their spouses. They only spoke on the phone. 

This neither reflects Saudi culture nor Saudi law

[Kanja 201]

24 minutes ago, iwannaplay54 said:

This neither reflects Saudi culture nor Saudi law

Not saying it does. 😬

[iwannaplay54 985]

1 hour ago, Kanja said:

Not saying it does. 😬

I know you didnt.  Im SMH at some of this.

[carmel34 3,620]

14 hours ago, Sanda2022 said:

We couldn’t meet in person due to cultural and religious reasons and they want letter from our local religious authority.l to fulfill our waiver.

I'm not an expert on an exemption of the meeting in person requirement for a K-1 because of cultural/religious reasons, but in reading through this thread, the whole concept doesn't make sense.  Theoretically, even if the exemption was approved by both USCIS for the I-129F petition and then later by the consular officer and a K-1 was issued (both seem unlikely), how would the beneficiary be able to travel to the US and marry their intended husband/wife without meeting each other in person prior to marriage?  Would they have to live separately and never see each other until the moment of the ceremony?  I'm genuinely interested in how this would work if anyone knows.

Edited December 12, 2022 by carmel34

[Kanja 201]

12 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

I'm not an expert on an exemption of the meeting in person requirement for a K-1 because of cultural/religious reasons, but in reading through this thread, the whole concept doesn't make sense.  Theoretically, even if the exemption was approved by both USCIS for the I-129F petition and then later by the consular officer and a K-1 was issued (both seem unlikely), how would the beneficiary be able to travel to the US and marry their intended husband/wife without meeting each other in person prior to marriage?  Would they have to live separately and never see each other until the moment of the ceremony?  I'm genuinely interested in how this would work if anyone knows.

Good point. I think a lot of family is involved so yes, theoretically spouse would live with other family members until wedding. 

[Boiler 45,434]

OP has been back but no response so I do not think this is going anywhere.

[Letspaintcookies 2,310]

36 minutes ago, Boiler said:

OP has been back but no response so I do not think this is going anywhere.

To be fair it shows that we're all super interested but unfortunately no real help with that subject. @Kanja gave some good pointers on the first page as to what to include in the letter and I hope OP can come back with an update at some point cause that would really help us to help others.

[JeanneAdil 6,487]

6 hours ago, iwannaplay54 said:

Non-existent.  Assuming they are Muslim these two are allowed to meet in person with a chaperone present.  

I was also chaperoned when i met Adil (even though Morocco is not as strict as middle east)

 

everywhere we traveled family went with us 

we stayed in apartments in several cities the month of June 2009 before 2010 marriage and 2 to 6 family would take the bus with us and stay in apartment with us

In Morocco it isn't so much the religion but for the reputation of the family

after marriage we had to take marriage certificate to rent or stay in hotels 

 

 

until very recently Morocco women did not learn English or use internet as internet was thru cyber cafes only so the men married foreigners but wome n did not

now there is more WIFI in homes (in Moroc) so things are changing in that part of the  muslim world but middle east is so different 

 

USCIS seems to dwell on "bona fida" relationships so how does a person prove this if they can not meet ? we get very little news out of Yemen but as late as 2016 a woman was given the punishment of stoning to death so i wonder how the OP can overcome this with just a letter

 

OP u need the permission of the family and perhaps the religious authority to marry

i would go for that and travel and marry 

and for your sake,  protect yourself while there as the October 2022 state department warnings say 

Do not travel to Yemen due to terrorism, civil unrest, health risks, kidnapping, armed conflict, and landmines.

 

Actually i would send that page to show u can't meet if u continue with K1

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/yemen-travel-advisory.html

 

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/al-qaeda-yemen-stones-woman-death-adultery-135922487.html

 

 A bona fide relationship is one where both parties share a true and genuine romantic connection. When you're applying for a marriage green card, you need to prove to the U.S. government that you and your spouse share genuine romantic affection and that your marriage is real and not a sham for immigration purposes.Apr 28, 2022

 

 

[Boiler 45,434]

There is no requirement to meet in Yemen

[Family 3,988]

Most marriages in Yemen are arranged and evidence of such cultural/ religious customs get no push back either at USCIS or Consulate stage for lack of the western norms of dating / courtship . 
 

I trust OP is a discerning reader and has read engagement in her thread to show the chances of getting waiver are slim to none..if the religion is any of denominations discussed. 

Pointing out that getting past USCIS  with a Good Letter …from some Good News Church..I.e. , doesn’t guarantee getting past Consulate , where  they rely on local intelligence from natives in the know. 
 

Though there are are plenty of forced marriages / child marriage and restrictions on women in Yemen…don’t think it applies to OP, who I believe is the girl/ woman  and USC Petitioner in this case. …still  I would not encourage marriage in Yemen..BUT  do see Utah Zoom online marriage as easy solution.
 

 

[SalishSea 17,791]

18 hours ago, Sanda2022 said:

Hi All,

 

I got an RFE and was asked to provide the following -

1. Beneficiary intent to marry - we have provided his letter of intent initially and a packet that outlined our wedding preparations but that did not seem to be enough :(. What else did everyone provide?

2. We couldn’t meet in person due to cultural and religious reasons and they want letter from our local religious authority.l to fulfill our waiver.   Have anyone done this before and can help me with details or example? 
 

thank you!  

There are NO religions that forbid in-person meetings prior to marriage, and USCIS is fully aware of this fact.

 

They will rightly reject whatever response you send, because you could have arranged for a chaperoned meeting, like all of the others from your religion who have had petitions approved.

[iwannaplay54 985]

2 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

I was also chaperoned when i met Adil (even though Morocco is not as strict as middle east)

 

everywhere we traveled family went with us 

we stayed in apartments in several cities the month of June 2009 before 2010 marriage and 2 to 6 family would take the bus with us and stay in apartment with us

In Morocco it isn't so much the religion but for the reputation of the family

after marriage we had to take marriage certificate to rent or stay in hotels 

 

 

until very recently Morocco women did not learn English or use internet as internet was thru cyber cafes only so the men married foreigners but wome n did not

now there is more WIFI in homes (in Moroc) so things are changing in that part of the  muslim world but middle east is so different 

 

USCIS seems to dwell on "bona fida" relationships so how does a person prove this if they can not meet ? we get very little news out of Yemen but as late as 2016 a woman was given the punishment of stoning to death so i wonder how the OP can overcome this with just a letter

 

OP u need the permission of the family and perhaps the religious authority to marry

i would go for that and travel and marry 

and for your sake,  protect yourself while there as the October 2022 state department warnings say 

Do not travel to Yemen due to terrorism, civil unrest, health risks, kidnapping, armed conflict, and landmines.

 

Actually i would send that page to show u can't meet if u continue with K1

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/yemen-travel-advisory.html

 

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/al-qaeda-yemen-stones-woman-death-adultery-135922487.html

 

 A bona fide relationship is one where both parties share a true and genuine romantic connection. When you're applying for a marriage green card, you need to prove to the U.S. government that you and your spouse share genuine romantic affection and that your marriage is real and not a sham for immigration purposes.Apr 28, 2022

 

 

LOL even we were chaperoned until after our ceremony (it was a day and a half after I landed but still her dang brother “shadowed” us while we did the very last minute preparations.  After 8 years living in KSA I am well aware of several right ways to meet in person while also adhering to Islamic rules and so are the IO’s who process these applications and waivers.  A waiver request is DOA if this is an Islamic marriage.  

[Fogo 14]

16 hours ago, Kanja said:

I don’t believe being forbidden to meet in person  is religious but more cultural. I’m a Muslim and it’s not really a part of the religion but there are several cultures/ethnic groups/practices that do forbid meeting the spouse, it would likely be strictly an arranged marriage. Again, I don’t think this has to do with religion BUT most of the people that practice this do happen to be Muslim. 

I totally agree with you. 

[Marieke H 2,495]

The K-1 seems like an odd choice in this situation. It would probably be easier to get married in the beneficiary's country, following all the cultural and religious requirements, and then apply for a spousal visa instead.

 

If you do want to continue to pursue the K-1, you will know best who could write the needed letter; it depends on the culture and/or religion that prevents you from meeting in person. Make sure that the letter includes why even a chaperoned meeting would not be allowed. It will be incredibly hard to convince USCIS, so any official documentation that you have about your customs and culture might help. There really isn't a template for such a letter; it is very specific to your circumstances. 

[powerpuff 6,670]

~~ Topic moved from K1 Progress Reports to Process ~~