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| Morocco |  Review on January 11, 2013: |
GGG1975
Rating:  | Review Topic: General Review
My husband arrived at the Consulate by 7:40 AM. He said they didn’t let people in until 8:00 AM and the check-in process was pretty quick/simple for CR-1. I stayed in the apartment that we had in Casablanca and waited for the outcome. He said he had to check-in his bag (minus all our documentation) at the door but he noticed many people with blue blinders that held all their documents. So you are able to organize things in a thin binder, I just don’t recommend bringing a big white or black hardback binder.
After about 1 ½ hours of waiting they called him in for the interview. They asked him the following questions:
* How many times has your wife visited Morocco?
* How long was each visit?
* Does your wife send you money?
*Where does your wife work?
*What type of policy does your wife write?
*What type of Christian? NOTE: Interviewer brought in Arabic speaker for this question because my husband did not understand the question. Once asked in Arabic, he answered correctly.
*How often does she go to church?
*Does your wife own her home?
*How much is her mortgage?
*Have you been married before?
*Has your wife been married before?
*Does your wife have children?
*Where did you meet your wife?
*Why did you go to internet to meet your wife?
*Do you have a bank account together?
*Where does your wife live?
*What is the location of the State where your wife resides (West, Mid-West, or East Coast)?
He said the interview was less than 10 minutes; and the interviewer did not ask for any additional evidence (No current communication or pictures reviewed or submitted). He said that the questions came quick and he gave short answers. He said if he paused during a response the interviewer went to the next question so all his responses were short and direct. The only information that we knew they had was what we submitted in May 2012. So any new information we had after May 2012 was never submitted for review. The interviewer gave him 221(g) with Administrative Review circled on the paper. They also gave him back his passport. Of course we were sad but the day after the interview I wrote to my Congressman. I submitted a request for an inquiry per my attorney. The request was sent over the weekend.
The Tuesday after our interview, the immigration representative immediately sent a request to NVC and within 24 hours they replied by telling her that the request needed to be submitted to the US Consulate because our case was still in Morocco. NVC responded within 24 hours not 15 to 20 days like they tell the public when we make inquiries).
The representative sent off the request to the Consulate on a Wednesday by Friday morning, the US Consulate called my husband and asked him to bring in his passport. My husband asked, “Is this about the visa?” The man on the phone said, “I don’t know.” The man asked if my husband was at home. My husband told the man that we were still in Casablanca and that I was still visiting, so the Consulate representative told him to drop off the visa at 2:30 PM the same day. I was able to go into the Consulate gates with my husband and we turned in the passport at the outside window. The lady said, “We will call you to either pick-up passport or passport & visa.” So, of course we were still not sure what was going to happen. And then, 2 hours later the US Consulate contacted my husband and told him to pick-up his visa the following week!!!
We know that the Congressman inquiry was definitely a factor because right after calling my husband, they wrote a very nice email to the representative letting her know that my husband’s visa was approved. They never used the word approval when speaking to my husband but they were very clear to the Congressman’s representative and wished her happy holidays. I say this just to show the different attitude and level of service provided.
Side note: I highly recommend not asking for advice on VJ in a public forum, only concentrate on the process and learning about the steps I had to learn this the hard way. I know the majority of my stress was based on reading the comments made about the Consulate and asking for advice in a public forum (Big mistake). However, if you need advice find someone that you have a good vibe with and email them directly or like me, find someone going through the process at or around the same time and bounce ideas, concerns, and worries off each other but don't ask questions publically to all of VJ readers because you're bound to get judgmental when you really only want positive advice or constructive advice about your situation and not a personal attack. And most importantly, remember your case is different than everyone else’s and whether you have 5 visits or 1 visit no one can really tell you if it's enough to prove a legitimate relationship. Do what you can in regards to visits and document your conversations and any other evidence. I recommend letters from both families supporting the relationship but this does not equal a definite approval. So if you think it will help, do it.
When I submitted my request to my Congressman, I included all the letters from my family and my husband’s family & a few pictures. Based on them not asking for any additional information at the time of the interview, they at least saw the additional letters & pictures I obtained during the 7 months of waiting.
And don’t feel bad for being emotional during this process. It’s not easy to be away from the person you love. I was told in a forum that there was something wrong with me for being emotional and one blogger said, “Let her hang herself.” Luckily I realize that people like being negative and critical especially when they are hiding behind the internet but I say, be emotional, upset, and frustrated if that’s how you feel there’s a time and place for all of that in this process but don’t give up no matter what others may say. I did receive positive feedback and constructive criticism but what really helped was writing individuals on a one on one and having another person as a support to communicate with about the process.
And finally, there were a few bloggers that used the term “legitimate relationship” based on them getting through the process the first time around. I have always been a strong advocate that getting through this process the first time around doesn’t mean your relationship is legitimate or illegitimate and I have corresponded with many bloggers that had to go through the process 2 or 3 times and they are happy and been married for many many years. There could be many reasons why you have to wait 2 or 3 years before being together but at the end of the day all that matters is you don’t give up. So if you are one of those having to go through this process again, don’t give up and don’t be discouraged.
I hope this helps applicants and I wish, we wish, you all much success in this process.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #11244