Express Delivery to a New Place!
- cyancreativeconsul
- Mar 19, 2022
- 3 min read
I don't know how it works for other countries but since I moved to the US a month after getting married, I thought the things that helped me expedite the process might help you too!
I'll write them down in points to make them easy to read.
If you plan on going abroad, make sure your husband-to-be informs his university so they issue the I-20. (I don't know what the document is called if the man has an Work/H2B Visa)
Make sure you have the English Nikkahnama and you sign it with the Urdu one. Even if you don't have to move abroad, it's nice to have this. If the people at your husband's university/workplace are nice they'll begin the process with this English document.
Apply for NADRA's Marriage Certificate right away because it takes 8-ish days for it to reach you. And most companies need this document (yes, it's different from the English document as it shows a record of your marriage in the country's data) to process the I-20 etc.
Once you have the I-20, fill out your embassy form at the earliest and book a date. (You will have to transfer some bank amount before you select an interview date) Since Covid, the embassy only interviews 50 people a day so your opportunity gets delayed by every minute.
Try getting an interview day from a city that has less load. For example, if three cities have the Embassy, go for the city that isn't the country's capital because it will get more applications from all over the country.
While filling out the form, give the address of a relative/friend in the city where you are looking for an interview or else the embassy takes time in getting your information from the city which you mentioned in your form, and that delays the process.
Because of Covid and embassies only accommodating 50 or so people per day, the visit visa takes way more than the spouse visa so apply for the spouse visa directly.
Make a file and take EVERYTHING with you! Photocopies of all your documents and your husband's ID to degrees to employment letters to visas and all I-20s.
While you are at the embassy, make sure you have a laptop in your car and some internet. So if there is an issue like your documents aren't complete or anything else, you refill the form and get the next appointment ASAP.
Before going for the interview, read the dos and don'ts of the visa you will be getting. Like you are not allowed to work under F2 Visa so if the interviewer asks, you know and you don't say anything about your job plans and make things messy for yourself.
Be honest, calm, don't over-express and you'll be fine. Nobody asks extra questions if you don't look confused or over enthusiast.
You will either get your visa right away and they will keep your passport or you will be asked to come again after a gap. This is okay as they need to do proper research on you, your background, and your husband- it's their job.
It's rare that they deny any spouse visa but if they do, there will always be a solid reason.
Let me know if all this was of any help and if you would like to know more about the immediate do's and don'ts after you move to a new country.
For a quick guide on "life immediately after marriage", check out my previous blog. I'm linking it below
Have a good one! (One of the expressions I learned after moving here.)
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