Letter to congressman

[andrea&roberto 1]

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

Don't listen to anyone else. You have every right to write to your Congresspersons, just as they have the same right to do the same. Even if no action regarding our individual applications. at least they will see how many people are made to wait too long to be reunited with their spouses (even 90 days is too long, we're married for God's sake). Then maybe they will do something to make the process faster.

As for me, I've only been with my wife for 2 months out of the past 18 months. Thank God we finally have an interview date.

Do anything you can to speed things up. Everyone else is free to do the same. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Joel

AMEN! Thank you.

[babybunny 2]

wanna know what can happen if you send this letter?

the Embassy could very well show up to your house and question your family.

kind of like a " using BEES to honey effect" we all know we dont want bees around our home.

I am saying this -because Ding dong me sent a letter like this to VP chaney. 1 week later.

my husbands family got 2 suprise visits. they showed up with camaras and chit. his mom thought she

was gonna be in a movie. I am still embarrassed over that stunt.

oops let me add.. the embassy question his family and the neighbours.

they took pics of all kinds of chit in the home. mostly the lay out of the house. use caution

when sending letters.

I find this hard to believe. Why would you send a letter to the VP anyway? Seems you just chose the wrong person to write to.

Joel

Wow... I'm just wondering why a letter would trigger this? Just curious!

It's because Bush and Cheney are the ones who spy on Americans illegally, that's why. They are the wrong people to be sending letters to.

Joel

well at the time I sent the letter I was on AP over 6 months. it seemed like all the efferts to get our case looked at failed. if anyone knows about AP they will tell you its the black hole abyess. once on it seems like you will never get off it. well I was at a breaking point in the process. The congessman and sentator hands were tied. so I thought of writing the VP. it did not get us off AP. but. it got our case looked at. it got our case moving along. we are still on AP < 11 months now >. like a snail its moving along.

[JoelAndAnalyn 0]

well at the time I sent the letter I was on AP over 6 months. it seemed like all the efferts to get our case looked at failed. if anyone knows about AP they will tell you its the black hole abyess. once on it seems like you will never get off it. well I was at a breaking point in the process. The congessman and sentator hands were tied. so I thought of writing the VP. it did not get us off AP. but. it got our case looked at. it got our case moving along. we are still on AP < 11 months now >. like a snail its moving along.

Wow sorry to hear that. I would still be on the phone to all my representatives every day until they got so sick of hearing from me, they would get something done :-)

I wonder if a lawyer at this point would be helpful?

Good luck,

Joel

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

knowing that some cranky consulate worker could deny our application just because they're having a bad day; having our marriage, our life, our "destiny" in the hands of another human, is the most vulnerable feeling in the world.

This should help expedite your case.

[Laura_and_IanM 0]

knowing that some cranky consulate worker could deny our application just because they're having a bad day; having our marriage, our life, our "destiny" in the hands of another human, is the most vulnerable feeling in the world.

This should help expedite your case.

pmsl..thats great...lol

[morocco4ever 63]

knowing that some cranky consulate worker could deny our application just because they're having a bad day; having our marriage, our life, our "destiny" in the hands of another human, is the most vulnerable feeling in the world.

This should help expedite your case.

Trust me on this, it doesn't matter how cranky they are, they do what they want with no repercussions. I have seen some gross mishandling of cases in Morocco and we have all been in contact with senators, congressman, ombudsman, you name it. These people are pretty much untouchable.

You must know also that even though the senator and congressman can monitor the status of our cases, they have absolutely no effect on the speed of the process or the final outcome. In fact, I have seen people who have contacted their representatives that have refused out right to help people who have valid complaints. Initially even my congressman wasn't sure he was going to help us, originally he didn't even buy into my marriage, but finally he sees that my marriage is real and has been helping us to monitor our case.

I guess my point is not to expect to much, and hopefully don't scare people off from helping you in the case your situation does turn into something outside of normal processing.

BTW, sorry for my original outburts.....I just miss my husband so much and took it out on the OP. Thanks for the personal message

[Ban Hammer 13,342]

You know, this isn't a debate for me. I simply was asking about the content in the letter itself. Not wheter or not you agreed with my aproach, or whether or not it was justful. I have NO control over the government, and no control about what others, with serious medical conditions choose how to handle their petitions. Hopefully, they do the same as me, and hopefully, they're even bumped up in front of me, but I'm still going to try to get mine bumped up as well. Because the worst that can happen is that they'll say no, and then i'll only be in the same place that i was to start. I would have lost nothing. I can't control whether my government is corrupt or not- this doesn't effect that.

if you are asking about the content of the letter, it sounds to me like you are asking for special treatment due to your past work campaigning. campaign all you want, just don't expect that it is a favor you can call in later on.

I don't have a probbo with your letter....long as you don't go all TerriO on us *looks around to see who gets that*

be nice now

[Yodrak 7]

andrea,

I think you've not only told your representative why you don't deserve to be expedited, you've also indicated to him that your husband may not qualify for an immigrant visa on financial grounds.

Yodrak

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

....

[morocco4ever 63]

andrea,

I think you've not only told your representative why you don't deserve to be expedited, you've also indicated to him that your husband may not qualify for an immigrant visa on financial grounds.

Yodrak

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

....

Interesting comment Yodrak. Just curious....if the person makes over the minimum wage requirement can they still deny the visa based on financial reasons? What if they make considerably over, but they have a lot of bills and money is tight? I have often heard that some people that make over the limit were requested to provide a co sponsor, so this has peaked my interest on how they determine that.

[Yodrak 7]

Morocco4ever,

Excellent question. See 9 FAM 40.41 Notes and see what you think. Start with N3.1(a). And N3.3.

As with many immigration issues, consular officers and USCIS officer have broad, but limited, discressionary powers. Definitive answers do not exist, judgement must be applied to case-specific facts.

Yodrak

andrea,

I think you've not only told your representative why you don't deserve to be expedited, you've also indicated to him that your husband may not qualify for an immigrant visa on financial grounds.

Yodrak

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

....

Interesting comment Yodrak. Just curious....if the person makes over the minimum wage requirement can they still deny the visa based on financial reasons? What if they make considerably over, but they have a lot of bills and money is tight? I have often heard that some people that make over the limit were requested to provide a co sponsor, so this has peaked my interest on how they determine that.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Not to break any bubbles, but if you're doing CR/IR1, neither USCIS nor congresspeople are eager to investigate unless 180 days have passed (personal experience). I've no clue how long the wait for I-130s is these days, but I'd hope for you that you'll here from them before that time. Good luck.

[morocco4ever 63]

Morocco4ever,

Excellent question. See 9 FAM 40.41 Notes and see what you think. Start with N3.1(a). And N3.3.

As with many immigration issues, consular officers and USCIS officer have broad, but limited, discressionary powers. Definitive answers do not exist, judgement must be applied to case-specific facts.

Yodrak

andrea,

I think you've not only told your representative why you don't deserve to be expedited, you've also indicated to him that your husband may not qualify for an immigrant visa on financial grounds.

Yodrak

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

....

Interesting comment Yodrak. Just curious....if the person makes over the minimum wage requirement can they still deny the visa based on financial reasons? What if they make considerably over, but they have a lot of bills and money is tight? I have often heard that some people that make over the limit were requested to provide a co sponsor, so this has peaked my interest on how they determine that.

Yodrak,

Another question. I see that you are pretty much done with this area of your immigration journey. Why do you choose to hang around? What is you interest now that you are completed? How do you know so much about the regulations? Just curious...lol

Not to break any bubbles, but if you're doing CR/IR1, neither USCIS nor congresspeople are eager to investigate unless 180 days have passed (personal experience). I've no clue how long the wait for I-130s is these days, but I'd hope for you that you'll here from them before that time. Good luck.

This is 100% correct. They won't even consider it before it reaches 30 days past when the website shows they are processing cases in your priority date, or unless you run into an unusual situation that they won't work with you to resolve.

[Dina 0]

Morocco4ever,

Excellent question. See 9 FAM 40.41 Notes and see what you think. Start with N3.1(a). And N3.3.

As with many immigration issues, consular officers and USCIS officer have broad, but limited, discressionary powers. Definitive answers do not exist, judgement must be applied to case-specific facts.

Yodrak

andrea,

I think you've not only told your representative why you don't deserve to be expedited, you've also indicated to him that your husband may not qualify for an immigrant visa on financial grounds.

Yodrak

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

....

Interesting comment Yodrak. Just curious....if the person makes over the minimum wage requirement can they still deny the visa based on financial reasons? What if they make considerably over, but they have a lot of bills and money is tight? I have often heard that some people that make over the limit were requested to provide a co sponsor, so this has peaked my interest on how they determine that.

Yodrak,

Another question. I see that you are pretty much done with this area of your immigration journey. Why do you choose to hang around? What is you interest now that you are completed? How do you know so much about the regulations? Just curious...lol

Not to break any bubbles, but if you're doing CR/IR1, neither USCIS nor congresspeople are eager to investigate unless 180 days have passed (personal experience). I've no clue how long the wait for I-130s is these days, but I'd hope for you that you'll here from them before that time. Good luck.

This is 100% correct. They won't even consider it before it reaches 30 days past when the website shows they are processing cases in your priority date, or unless you run into an unusual situation that they won't work with you to resolve.

Because like many members of this great community, Yodrak feels it's important to continue to share information and knowledge. This is how he supports others going through the same or similar process he underwent. Basically, he's a good guy and deserves to be commended. That's my 2 cents.

To the OP, your attitude seems belittling to those of us that have been going through this process longer than you have, that's why you are getting so many hostile responses. Oh yeah, stating your financial crisis is definitely NOT going to be cause for expediting your case.

Edited July 24, 2006 by Dina

[babybunny 2]

andrea,

I think you've not only told your representative why you don't deserve to be expedited, you've also indicated to him that your husband may not qualify for an immigrant visa on financial grounds.

Yodrak

Hey, I wrote to my state senantor, local reps, and congressman, all that handle federal issues....here is one letter in particular, with a little more interest than the other.... tell me what you think.

....

oh wowoww.

[zauberblume 0]

The entire immigration process is replete with unfairness.

The mistake that you made, Andrea, is posting your attempt to contact government officials who can help you here on this website. You're getting hostile responses from people because they do not want you to benefit in any way since they believe that you have no valid reasons for an expedited case. Arguably, you don't. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

Some people think it is unfair that my immigration process took only three months. Some people think it's not fair that only certain countries offer DCF. At no time were my husband and I separated, but that is precisely because I made sacrifices, which included moving to his native country for nearly two years, so that we would not have to cope with a long distance relationship.

It doesn't matter what they think. At all.

You're the one who is currently separated from your spouse. You can write to whomever you want. Indeed, the response may not be good and if you do not fix the content of the letter itself, you will, in my opinion, have done more harm than good. For example, you shouldn't say that you're having financial difficulties because your financial situation is important when the I-864 is filed.

Some suggestions:

Your letter, in my opinion, should be less personal and a bit more general. I think, by making it a more general letter, you’ll have the added benefit of standing up for others like yourself while simultaneously putting yourself first.

You can talk about the campaign work you have done but only in the context of political action. You can say that you have learned to fight for your beliefs and rights and that crystallized when you campaigned for this congressman. You need to say that working on his campaign gave you skills and knowledge on how to fight for other rights, which in this case, would be for a change in immigration policies.

If you were ignorant to this process before, you may want to explain that. Personally, I was completely baffled by it. I had no idea that the American immigration process was so thorny and extensive. I had heard of marriage fraud before, but I had no idea that the United States was so paranoid about it. It means, though, that citizens like us can suffer and, in your letter, you can say that that isn’t just.

Indeed, you should probably describe how unfair it is that you and others like you have to wait so long in this immigration process. Here, you can talk about how little time you have had to be with your husband. Do not mention that you are struggling financially. You can say, however, that it would be beneficial to have a second income in order to buy a house or generally do the things that married couples do. If it is difficult for your husband to obtain a tourist visa, you should mention that as well.

You do not need to say that other people should move ahead of you. It is not necessary.

You can say that you will try to get him here sooner rather than later. And you should mention that you are doing all that you can in this process to make sure that you are both able to finally live together as husband and wife. You can, then, generalize this point by saying that other people also have to cope with these long, emotional absences.

Do not call any consulate worker cranky. Do not disparage anybody. Be professional.

If you want to talk about the tense international relations between Brazil and the United States, you need to specifically draw that out. So, in essence, be specific. Don’t be unnecessarily dramatic, but give an overview of what is going on there. Your congressman probably does not know. Here you can decide whether or not it would help to speak honestly about any fears you have for your husband while living in Brazil. (Are there really any?)

If you would like Congressman Porter to expedite your application, then you need to, in this case, dress it up. Don’t be so blunt. Ask for advice, as you mention later.

Don’t tell him that you have his vote. It’s not necessary.

Including the website is, maybe, a bit too much.

Overall, you need to tighten your language and do an extensive spell check. This letter will represent you and your husband. Take great care to make it as honest, forthright, and intelligent as you can. Honestly, what you have written here, is not good enough to effect much of anything except a form letter and a special red dot next to your name...if you leave in such phrases like the "cranky consulate worker."

If you’d like to repost a second draft, I’ll give you more advice. I think what you’re doing is absolutely okay. I don’t think you should pay any mind to anyone on this forum who feels like you’re doing them a disservice. It's not really about them.

America is all about people rushing to the queue ahead of everyone, using any kind of methods necessary—apart of outright violence, of course. But in some cases, that has been used as well. This life is cutthroat. If you want what you want, then you need to make it happen. If that means writing to a congressman after only thirty days, then so be it!

Good luck!