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Nice, sorry haven't updated. Wife passed her interview we're back in the states now.

Thank you, very kind words. 🙏

We got it this morning, she has her passport back in hand with an IR1 stamp and we're ready to go back soon. When her interview was over and I was watching her walk out the door of the Embassy, I gave a thumb up/down gesture, she gave thumbs up and it immediately felt like 50lb weights were taken off my shoulders at that exact moment. It was very emotional to know that our fight is over, we can sleep knowing that we have the rest of our time on this planet to wake up and see each other everyday, I don't fly home alone this time. Getting the visa in hand was what made us realize this is real and we can finally rest after years of battle. I think those here that have fought for years to have their significant other with them in their home country know the feeling of finally getting approval, but it's impossible to describe in words, I look my wife in the eyes and I'm filled with emotions never experienced before. I wake up and say thank you that we're finally allowed the same benefit every human should be. I'm sure it may sound sappy or even hard to understand for some who have had immediate approvals and never had to deal with K1/C-IR1 immigration for seven years. We never gave up we never questioned our love and we never stopped pushing to have our future together. I know I'm not the first and I won't be the last to feel like this, I hope life works out for every real couple out there fighting and they are also finally given the opportunity to rest their stress.

As one who has had two K1s denied, and Redro linking my posts, I wish so much that we did not waste time filing another K1 and just got married to file a CR1 back in 2019. The time spent apart was just not worth it.

Thanks, we did get it figured out. It's for in person pick up but it's at a different building and not the embassy itself.

Yeah I'll be happy to. I do have a question regarding the Traveldocs site, we're trying to fill it out how it asks per the instruction sheet she received. We got to the page where it asks for mailing address, is it asking for her address here in Cambodia or my address in the U.S? This is just for the Visa pickup at the consulate on the date she was given. So I wouldn't think it would be my U.S address, but it's asking for city, state, postal code.

My wife was approved this morning. This long arduous process is done, at least the parts dealing with the embassy and what not. 🥳😭 Still feeling shock, not yet reality.

That's just insane, it's always sad to hear just how ridiculous this whole process can be. Especially when they tell you they don't like a foreigner taking men away. Only in the immigration process can we humans be treated this way with no way to get any sort of over ruling on a decision. That's good to hear the IR1 was approved after the second time. I can imagine you felt the exact same way as I do now, during that time.

She does know everything and we do practice over video calls. It's not so much the questions vs the previous denial stuff that we worry about for them to just use that as an automatic denial. If there was something that came away from the denial it was giving us the opportunity to have the full Khmer style wedding in Cambodia. It was an amazing experience and memories we'll have forever. I remember leading what felt like the entire village down the street to her house where they had her waiting, I had to carry this big metal vase thing that got so heavy after about 15 minutes I could barely move my arms. I guess it was an offering the man brings to the home in exchange for the ladies hand in marriage. Much more memorable than the small wedding we had planned to do here in the states.

That's what neither of us could ever figure out. She told me all the questions they asked in both interviews, I wrote them down and her responses the same day so it was still fresh in her mind. Nothing stood out to me trying to look at the responses from an outside non bias viewpoint. She asked the consular woman why she was denied a second time at the end of the interview, she was told they don't believe it is real. I even went to the embassy in person on a visit and was given the run around when trying to speak with someone. I finally was sent an email the day before my flight left stating, the consular officer determined your fiance did not display adequate intent to marry in the U.S, the consul chief agreed with the finding. Every question was given a truthful correct response except one, who owns his apartment, she said, I don't know. In all honesty, I would have even had to look at my lease to know offhand which company owns my apartment if I was just randomly asked. Just seems like a dart at a wall to find one answer that was an I don't know so they could issue a 221g.

🤼‍♂️ I just need to word it in a way that comes from myself without sounding like an a hole or that I'm telling them how to do their job. Stern and to the point so they know we'll never back down. They should already be aware of that from the times they pushed us down and we keep getting back up.

For the time being in Cambodia, only the beneficiary is allowed inside the building, allowed one person if a minor child or person with disability. So I do have to wait outside. They used to allow the petitioner inside from the consulate reviews I've read. Unfortunately they changed it now. Good idea, I was debating what to write from @Family suggestion.

I wholly appreciate your optimism and straight to the point no bs way of getting across what you're saying. We'll know the outcome in around a week and a half.

Of course I'm upset, angry with the way the current system is, trying to stay positive while having stress is tough. Avoiding getting in to the political side, I'll just say we all are fully aware of what is happening on the borders currently, we're all not blind to it. And while it's on us to affirm our legitimacy, it still feels like a punch to the gut when you fight for so long and see what is happening. While I would love to give my worded feelings to them, would it really help anything?, The stress is already enough on a daily basis and I try to stay as positive as I can just for the mental health side of things and to stay strong for my wife. But I'd be wholly dishonest if I said I'm never angry about the situation, I think I'm most upset about the time that is gone. She never got to meet my father in person before he passed away, there is just things in life that happen that we can not control, it's time that you can not replace. In cases of immigration, it can be years. And many here have dealt with it the same as I have. It's sad as born citizen when I've already had to tell my job that if she is denied, that I'll be back to tie up loose ends, sell my belongings, put my two weeks in and give up my citizenship just so my wife and I can begin our family together. Sorry, I guess you can see with that last paragraph, that I do have some frustration inside about the immigration process.

Two visits prior to marriage, about a month and a half total in 2018 and 2019. They had the covid lockdown from 2020 until 2022 when Cambodia reopened to tourists. Marriage visit was an entire month in 2022, went when Covid was still affecting everything, and quarantines were still commonplace. But we wanted to get married and decided it was worth the risk, 2023 I should have visited but I was saving my vacation for the interview which we thought would be before year end since we got DQ in Nov 2023. Total time around 3 months to date and I'll be there for another month, leaving next week. Besides staying together during this entire process we've dealt with, it's the personal things that show me her love is real and to me those are irreplaceable. She could of left anytime after the first or second denial, the lockdown period when we didn't know what would happen or when the world would essentially reopen. But we stayed together strong the entire time. If that's what you're asking about in a way.