Sponsoring husband from Morocco

[Penny]

Dear mgz,
2 years!!!! I don't think I could do it! I guess we don't realize when we have it good eh? It's only been 5 months since my daughter sent the papers to Mississauga for sponsorship, so it's really not been that long. Good luck to you both!
- Penny

 

[Penny]

Boras,
Thank you that was nice of you to say that. I love them both so much, but I, I guess like all mothers, still think they need my help, and can't do things without me.
- Penny

 

[Penny]

Thankyou I think I need your prayers.
- Penny

 

[Penny]

Yes it is hard! I told Kelly that my portable phone is permanently attached to my hand now waiting for that call. I even take it to bed with me in case Rachid phones early in the morning. Everyday by 1:00 p.m. I realize I'm not going to get a call. I've even started phoning the Royal Air Maroc office in Montreal, and checking about flights, asking lots of questions and so on. One guy was so nice, especially when I told him that our Rachid hadn't got his visa yet and that we were waiting for the call. Everybody must think I'm nuts! My husband has been very patient, but he always is with me. He's just as excited as I am, but is more quiet about it.
Well Kelly has 5 more days before she meets her husband at the airport! I can just imagine how she's feeling.
Well all for now,
- Penny

 

[travel_fan]

Hello Everyone;

I just wanted to say that my husband arrived in Vancouver on Sunday safe and sound - with no problems transiting through Frankfurt or with his arrival in Vancouver. Abdel and Loretta tried to make it to the airport to meet us - but unfortunately they had problems with their car and missed us. It's been a little surreal having him here - and at the same time it feels like we were never apart. I just called him at home to say hi as I would normally be calling him in Morocco about now to say goodnight (or go online). My whole family met him last night - a moment I've been dreaming of for a long time.

I just wanted to say be patient everyone - the day will come when you will be together with your loved ones and the long wait will be distant memory.

It's been great - Rachid is enjoying his time here. We went to the North African/Middle Eastern grocer and the halal butcher yesterday and he's already met a couple of Moroccans in Victoria (who knew!) and may even already subconded (sp?) for a soccer team. I figure go where people get their food and we'll connect with the North African/Arabic community. Sure thing. Staying true to their Moroccan roots everyone has offered help with introducing Rachid to the community here in Victora. It's a good start. I think they've mentioned there's about 8 Moroccan families here. Small community in size but big in heart. He's at home with a tagine cooking (got some charcoal today) and planting the mint in the garden that he brought from Morocco. It's always good to have a bit of home in one's new home...

Take care everyone,

Tracy

 

[Yasmina]

Wow that just made me cry
So good news!!
I am very happy for both of you!!
Hope we get to be in your shoes soon enought!!
take care!
Isabelle/yasmina

 

[Penny]

Oh Tracy, that is wonderful. Very smart of you to think of going to the food market. It is so important for the husbands to have some of their own countrymen and women to talk to. It will take away some of their loneliness. At first it will seem like they are on holiday, but it will kick in that they won't be seeing their friends and family back in Maroc for awhile. They will have to make new friends here, friends of all nationalities, which is why Canada is so great. As for the food, it's great that you can get much of the same food here as found in Maroc, and your Rachid cooks too? Wonderful! I think that's the first thing to look for in a man, that he loves to cook!
- Abdel's Lady Penny

 

[Penny]

THEY PHONED THIS MORNING!!!!! I am so happy! We are all so happy! Thanks everyone for your support. I needed every bit of it, and thanks for having patience for all my questions.
Kelly, two more days!
- Abdel's Lady Penny
Ohhhh! I'm so excited!!!

 

[Mornie]

I am so happy for you and your daughter Penny! It was about time!

Mornie

 

[Penny]

Yasmina, it took 5 mos. plus a week in all.
Thanks for your messages of congratulations everyone! I was just talking to Rachid on MSN. He said to say a big thankyou to you all. Again thanks for all your support through this, I don't know what I would have done without it.
Now for flights!
- Penny

 

[travel_fan]

Yay!!! Good news Penny!!!! I knew they were going to call - who knows what happened and why it took so long.

Very happy for your whole family, and of course for your daughter and her husband. Now you can get on with life, flights, plans, celebrations, etc etc.

As Boras said, now you all can relax and look forward to the future,

Tracy

 

[scoobet]

Congratulations Penny on the good news. It is so exciting to read everyones news. It gives the rest of us hope and a feeling that we also will be with our loved ones soon. I am still waiting for my husbands interview date. If we dont hear anything by next week, my husband will call them. They received our papers in Rabat on June 7. We are still within the normal time frame of waiting. I think that also some of the staff must be on vacation. So we just have to be paitent.But sometimes waiting is the hardest part as you all know well. Then the excitment and relief comes when we get that final call for the visa. Wow I can hardly wait. I will keep you all posted if I hear of anything. Have a good weekend to all. Thinking of you...Scoobet

 

[Becca]

Hi there I am a newby and very happy to have stumbled across this website. I am married to a moroccan man from Marrakech. I met him Oct 2005 while on vacation there thru a mutual friend and got married to him May 31, 2007. We have not filed our immigration papers but hope to do so in the next month.

I am from Vancouver and hoping to meet other people in the same situation as me, in love but life on hold due to immigration!! Maybe we could set up some sort of a support group. Additionally, I would like my hubby to have some friends he could speak Arabic with who understand life here and the "culture shock" of the western world!!

One tidbit: If you fly your spouse from Morocco via England, there is no need for a transit visa - England recognizes all visas (permanent or visitors) issued by Canada. For Vancouver flights, I still find British Airways to have the best prices (the best prices are issued on site around 9pm PST on Wednesday nights - I saved $500 dollars by checking the prices every day - and booking on a Wednesday night)

One Question: My husband speaks only French and Arabic. He speaks very little English - I speak french so we communicate strictly in french. Will this cause a problem with his interview? Any tips or ideas?

Love to hear back from all you out there. It is nice to see a great site with such friendly people who understand our plight...

Thanks,
Becca

 

[Becca]

Hi, it is Becca again.

I had a few more questions that maybe someone who has gone thru the interview can answer for me.

I have tonnes of documentation -- probably 200+ emails, 20MB of saved MSN chats - do I need to give my husband all of this documentation (I am sure several trees will be killed if I print this all out) or can I just give a sample of these documents spanning the last 22 months?

Also, does all my husband need is his Fiche Anthropologique from the Police Station or does he need a RCMP statement as well?

Also, from experience here on this site, how long is it taking for approval?

Thanks again.

 

[Penny]

Scoobet,
I've been thinking of you! We haven't heard from you for so long. I was wondering how you were doing.
As for my son-in-law, the time between the time they started processing his papers and the interview, it was 3 months. But, seeing how this process is working, the time varies. Keep in touch! I told my daughter about you, because of where you live.

Becca, welcome!
Thanks for the info on the airways. As for French being used at the interview, I don't think it will matter. They had two people doing the interview, and I think one spoke French, the other English.

Our Abdel, as you probably read, is living in Vancouver. He just arrived two weeks ago, and Tracy, my mentor, lives in Victoria. Her husband just arrived last week.

We have all supported each other through all of this, and without them it would have been awful. I hope one day we can all meet. We feel like one big family.

Now, I have to show my support for my babies, Boras and Isabelle as well. I told my daughter I feel like all you guys' mother, and she asked me if that didn't make me feel old. So, maybe I'll be your older sister, if that's okay. Ha-ha!

Has anyone heard from Abdel? He's probably off sightseeing. I miss him!

- Lady Penny