Our journey actually began in March of 2015. We met on a phone app called Mingle2 and we left it rather quickly because there were a lot of questionable people on the app as with most dating apps/sites. We began texting daily, multiple times a day and shortly after, we began to video chat daily.
Imagine the amount of texts we had to edit for our K1 visa?! Hundreds of pages.
Not long after, we decided to meet - still friends. I found a cheap ticket to Morocco for just $560 roundtrip with an 18 hour layover in Madrid! No one else wanted to come so I was going alone!
We met in person in Morocco because it made sense. Moroccans have a hard time getting a visa to practically anywhere in the world. I'd never been to Morocco. We ended up traveling around - so we went to Zagora first, Ouarzazate, Boumalne, etc to Agadir to meet his parents and then back to Marrakech for a few days before I went home.
After we met, we knew we wanted to get married - because the meeting just confirmed we were the same people on and off video, and we had the same thoughts of what we wanted in life - through our chats which went in depth on everything.
Even better, his father suggested to his mother that Ali should marry me and it just seemed right.
After I went back to the US, we decided for K1 visa because we didn't know how hard it might be or what we would need to prove a relationship. Obviously, we were naive. I went on visajourney and we tried to incorporate whatever we found.
Soon after, I booked a second trip to Morocco for March and we also filed in February for our K1 visa.
It was nerve wracking to wait for any step of that visa process.
While we waited, I ended up going for my second trip to Morocco. We got to go see more places that even Ali didn't see - like the beautiful Paradise Valley - only its beauty was marred by a lot of plastic bags and garbage on the roadsides. We stayed in Aourir, which is close to the surf town of Tagazhout.
A few months later - in June, we received word that our package was being transferred to Casablanca consulate for the next stage. In July, I emailed the consulate weekly until finally, we received our interview date and had a month to prepare. Ali did everything he was instructed and the interview was in September.
I booked a trip to see him in October.
After his interview, I emailed for status and eventually received a notice that our case was rejected and sent back to the USCIS. I called the USCIS the day of my trip and was told it had been refused. No reason given.
Trying to enjoy the trip was hard. K1 visas suck. You never get the reason for rejection. Filing for a freedom of information act was also hard. You didn't know where the file was. I got a letter months later that I sent it to the wrong department but it was the USCIS and that's where they send these applications to die. We decided to say f it and go for marriage instead.
Since we knew the chances of reopening the case were slim, we made plans to get married.
But yes, the K1 refusal was a huge disappointment.
While we waited, I ended up going for my second trip to Morocco. We got to go see more places that even Ali didn't see - like the beautiful Paradise Valley - only its beauty was marred by a lot of plastic bags and garbage on the roadsides. We stayed in Aourir, which is close to the surf town of Tagazhout.
A few months later - in June, we received word that our package was being transferred to Casablanca consulate for the next stage. In July, I emailed the consulate weekly until finally, we received our interview date and had a month to prepare. Ali did everything he was instructed and the interview was in September.
I booked a trip to see him in October.
After his interview, I emailed for status and eventually received a notice that our case was rejected and sent back to the USCIS. I called the USCIS the day of my trip and was told it had been refused. No reason given.
Trying to enjoy the trip was hard. K1 visas suck. You never get the reason for rejection. Filing for a freedom of information act was also hard. You didn't know where the file was. I got a letter months later that I sent it to the wrong department but it was the USCIS and that's where they send these applications to die. We decided to say f it and go for marriage instead.
Since we knew the chances of reopening the case were slim, we made plans to get married.
But yes, the K1 refusal was a huge disappointment.
