the GDR and a US visa today

[panterchen 1]

Hey guys,

as my case is now already taking a little longer than average my dad conveyed to me last night that he is scared that he is the reason for possible visa issues to the US.

I have been born in Berlin, Germany, in 1983 in a military hospital right next to the Berlin wall in the zone occupied by the Soviet Union.

My parents have both served in the army of the GDR where my dad has been pretty high up in the hierarchy and worked as a soldier on the Berlin wall (never had to shoot anybody though). Both, of course, have been members of the communist party as was usual at that time but both have never been part of the Stasi or anything like that but rather were monitored closely by members of it (that is a fact my parents know about).

My dad also said last night that it is very likely he was mentioned in some type of files that the CIA stole from Germany after the fall of the iron curtain that were just handed back in 2003. The stasi files of my dad (which for sure must have been existing) are non-findable anymore (today you would usually be able to read them) according to our government and we don't know why nor who has them.

I was 6 years old at the time the wall came down and thus do not remember much of it. I have never been a member of any type of communist organization and neither have my parents ever since the wall came down. I already had a J1 visa to the US in 2001 for a highschool-exchange and my dad or I never had problems entering the US on a VWP in 2004.

My question now is in how far my parents' past could screw me over in this K1 process? Could their past be a reason for denial? Could that come up in security checks? In how far does USCIS or the FBI check not only my past but also that of my parents (whose names and birthdates I had to mention on my CV of the petition)?!

I would appreciate if anybody has an answer or knows more about the security checks. Maybe anybody even had a similar past and wants to share his/her experiences?

[William33 110]

Hey guys,

as my case is now already taking a little longer than average my dad conveyed to me last night that he is scared that he is the reason for possible visa issues to the US.

I have been born in Berlin, Germany, in 1983 in a military hospital right next to the Berlin wall in the zone occupied by the Soviet Union.

My parents have both served in the army of the GDR where my dad has been pretty high up in the hierarchy and worked as a soldier on the Berlin wall (never had to shoot anybody though). Both, of course, have been members of the communist party as was usual at that time but both have never been part of the Stasi or anything like that but rather were monitored closely by members of it (that is a fact my parents know about).

My dad also said last night that it is very likely he was mentioned in some type of files that the CIA stole from Germany after the fall of the iron curtain that were just handed back in 2003. The stasi files of my dad (which for sure must have been existing) are non-findable anymore (today you would usually be able to read them) according to our government and we don't know why nor who has them.

I was 6 years old at the time the wall came down and thus do not remember much of it. I have never been a member of any type of communist organization and neither have my parents ever since the wall came down. I already had a J1 visa to the US in 2001 for a highschool-exchange and my dad or I never had problems entering the US on a VWP in 2004.

My question now is in how far my parents' past could screw me over in this K1 process? Could their past be a reason for denial? Could that come up in security checks? In how far does USCIS or the FBI check not only my past but also that of my parents (whose names and birthdates I had to mention on my CV of the petition)?!

I would appreciate if anybody has an answer or knows more about the security checks. Maybe anybody even had a similar past and wants to share his/her experiences?

No one here can accurately speculate on the length of security checks. However, given the access to the US that has already been realized, my supposition is that you will not encounter any delays based on the aforementioned visits.

[Chris & Mara 0]

Your NOA1 was only issued in June, whilst it does state that by VJ standards you have pasted your adjudication time, remember that you cannot start hassling USCIS until you pass the recommended 6 months (or I believe it says March 08 now), if you do all they are going to do (in most cases) is tell you that you are still within your adjudiction time.

I know its hard (ive only been waiting since August and I am struggling) but USCIS isn't going to be any help just yet

Hold on there and stay strong.

[panterchen 1]

Your NOA1 was only issued in June, whilst it does state that by VJ standards you have pasted your adjudication time, remember that you cannot start hassling USCIS until you pass the recommended 6 months (or I believe it says March 08 now), if you do all they are going to do (in most cases) is tell you that you are still within your adjudiction time.

I know its hard (ive only been waiting since August and I am struggling) but USCIS isn't going to be any help just yet

Hold on there and stay strong.

I know that. We are not bothering USCIS until we are really past due. I am just having this posted because my dad worries a lot and I am curious if they also check my parents' background for my visa.

How do they handle people coming from former communist countries anyway I wonder? Does the US government still care about that? It seems kind of outdated to me.

[saffa 0]

I dont think that it will bias your application. I have been living in Prague a few years now, and know a couple of Czech people who have been approved fiance and spousal visas. Like in GDR, their parents all used to belong to the communist party, take part in marches etc and it didn't seem to affect their approvals.

I think it's just Vermont being slack, nothing more.

[Chibby 0]

I didn't know you were there on a J1 already. I wouldn't worry too much then, if they admitted you then, why wouldn't they now? I hope Daniel finds out more at the infopass appointment, keep me posted

Big hugs

[Aubrey 10]

I wouldn't worry about it. Your parents affiliation wasn't terrorism or something! That was a long time ago, and the US and Germany have pretty good relations now. Try to think of it that way.

I understand waiting is hard - I'm with you there. But don't let this be an additional burden on your mind. Finding extra things to

about will just make it harder on you.

I hope you get your approval soon!