About 2 years ago, my husband and I for married in Pakistan. I'm American and he is Pakistani.
After we got married, I came back to the U.S. and filed a petition for a spouse immigrant visa. We sent every possible document you could imagine. When we were asked for "proof" that our marriage was "real" I sent them a 21 pound box filled with emails, phone records, chat history, Skype logs. You name it and I sent it: gift receipts, Western Union receipts, join insurance policy, photos... The list goes on and on. Finally, 19 months after we applied, our petition was approved and he was granted an interview at the U.S. embassy in Pakistan! We were elated! We could begin the life together that we had been planning and dreaming about for over two years.
Oh, were we wrong. He was treated like a criminal there, interrogated, ridiculed and given the advice that I should just move to Pakistan because it would be ten years before they would issue him a visa. WHAT???!!!!!
They gave him a letter stating that he was denied under section 221(g) and that our case was placed into "administrative processing". We would be contacted with further instruction. They HELD his passport. We weren't contacted. Two months went by and I emailed the Embassy directly (after a disappoiting reply to The Natuonal Visa Center requesting further instruction as to how we should proceed. They took over a month to reply and say that they couldn't even answer my question and pawned me off to the Embassy instead).
We waited again. Finally! I saw a reply in my email! I couldn't click on it fast enough, sure that it would provide the answers I so desperately need. I was a fool to think I would get some answers.
Here is their reply:
Dear Petitioner,
Our record indicates that the visa application for John Doe's immigrant visa case is still pending under administrative processing. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to predict how long this processing may take. The wait could possibly be quite lengthy.
However, please rest assured that as soon as this processing is finished, we will contact the applicant using the contact information he/she has provided on his/her application. Thank you for your kind understanding.
Sincerely,
Immigrant Visa Unit
Consular Section, American Embassy
Islamabad, Pakistan
Hmmmm.... I'm NOT resting assured about anything in this matter. In fact, I'm infuriated. They took over a year to "process" all the required documents we had given them. So, what exactly are they processing? They didn't ask for anything new that would need "administrative processing". How can they not know how long it will take them to process NOTHING???!!!!! We had already fulfilled the requirements, they had already been "processed" and our petition had been APPROVED.
Their reply states, "The wait could possibly be quite lengthy". How can there be a lengthy wait for them to PROCESS NOTHING? It doesn't make any sense. It defies logic. It's utter bullshit and unacceptable.
Here's my theory of what's really going on here: the consular section doesn't believe that two people from such vastly different cultures could legitimately be married. It must be a farce. He or someone must have paid me to marry him. In fact, they made him take an Oath that I was NOT paid to marry him. Twice. The first oath wasn't good enough. I suppose the second one wasn't either because here we are, still waiting, clueless as to how we can keep moving forward, in the dark with not even a hint as to how long this will take to "process".
Immigration reform is such a hot topic now, as it should be. However, there is another related subject that should also be a hot topic. Immigration Victims. Victims who have completed a lengthy process, provided all required documentation and then are treated like criminals and left in a state of limbo? Families are separated for years, endlessly waiting for answers that may never come. There are millions of Immigration Victims in the United States.
It boils down to this: section 221(g) is a fraud. It is Immigration Pergatory. It is an abuse of power. It is ludicrous. We deserve clarification on vague policies. We deserve to be treated like honest, hard-working, tax-paying, valuable contributors to society. We should not be separated from our loved ones needlessly. I agree there should be a thorough investigation of people immigrating here. I know it is for our safety. However, drastic changes need to be made.
#immigrationreform #immigrationvictims
#spousevisa
#221(g)
#221
#administrativeprocessing
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