Calling All Iraqis

[bridget and alen 0]

Well i havent seen any threads for iraqis.I just thought it would be nice to have a place to share our griefs and joys.I know alot of iraqis are displaced in other countrys.My fiancee was in sweden but he has been deported back to iraq last month.We are still in ap in sweden and they want transfer our case until we are out .Id like to know your thoughts an exsperances on interviewing and living in another country.And if any of you have been deported back to iraq?

[Bajih 4]

Salaam Bridget-

You know most of my story. My SO fled Iraq due to the war and was living as a refuge in Syria for 3 years. It was a hard, hard life. His mom/dad and other family are still in Baghdad, although he has many other brothers in different countries around the world.

We feared every day that Syria would kick him out. Getting a "temporary residency" card was harder each month- and finally for the last 4 months, he didn't have any. Last Sunday they interrogated him and almost sent him to the border. We had to pay $2000 to get this through... It was sickening. Not like living in Syria was a dream-world. It wasn't. They wouldn't let him work and he lived in deplorable conditions- but compared to living in a war zone, it was preferable. He had to depend on his family to send him money each month. Very hard for a man to ask for money like that. I felt for him.

Everything changed for us last Wednesday when I picked him up at the CHicago O'Hare airport. That is a whole other story- He was in there SO long! (over 4 hours in immigration!)

I am sorry your SO was deported back to Iraq. What a nightmare for you. You did tell me that he was living with people he knows. What city is he in? How do you correspond with him? Is he able to get to an internet cafe? Is he in an area where he lived? What is going on there?

Did he have a temporary residency card for Sweden which they decided not to honor? That so sucks- there are just no other words.

Keep praying hard. I know I am for you.

Baj

[bridget and alen 0]

Salaam Bridget-

You know most of my story. My SO fled Iraq due to the war and was living as a refuge in Syria for 3 years. It was a hard, hard life. His mom/dad and other family are still in Baghdad, although he has many other brothers in different countries around the world.

We feared every day that Syria would kick him out. Getting a "temporary residency" card was harder each month- and finally for the last 4 months, he didn't have any. Last Sunday they interrogated him and almost sent him to the border. We had to pay $2000 to get this through... It was sickening. Not like living in Syria was a dream-world. It wasn't. They wouldn't let him work and he lived in deplorable conditions- but compared to living in a war zone, it was preferable. He had to depend on his family to send him money each month. Very hard for a man to ask for money like that. I felt for him.

Everything changed for us last Wednesday when I picked him up at the CHicago O'Hare airport. That is a whole other story- He was in there SO long! (over 4 hours in immigration!)

I am sorry your SO was deported back to Iraq. What a nightmare for you. You did tell me that he was living with people he knows. What city is he in? How do you correspond with him? Is he able to get to an internet cafe? Is he in an area where he lived? What is going on there?

Did he have a temporary residency card for Sweden which they decided not to honor? That so sucks- there are just no other words.

Keep praying hard. I know I am for you.

Baj

Hi girl.Im so excied that you got your valentine..lol.Im sure they gave him a hard time a poe.But your dreams are finally coming true.I hope the beans and cerial havent been to bad either lol.Well Alen is in baghdad with a relative but she is leaving in one week so he will be on his own.No money, no job.I dont know what he will do ,he doesnt want me to send him money.He scared .He does have cousins inArbil i think so mabe he can go there i dont know.He is so pround and hates to ask anyone for help.We talk by phone .He doesnt have internet and want use internet cafe for fear he will be seen talkin to an american. I hope this is over soon..Someone keeps calling my hbouse from this overseas # named Larkin Parker.They just hang up.Weard they call off and on for 2 weeks now.i dont know what area he lives in other than baghdad.The situaion isnt good there .Still no electricity,bombings still happening daily.Alen says the more the us backs out the worse things are getting.Please pray for us.He wants out of there but im afraid if he leaves ,he will be in you fiancees shoes have to pay out the teeth for residency in another country that will not even let him stay.

[Bajih 4]

Hey Bridget-

What pure hell. Hell on Earth. What to do? Pray, pray and pray. The situation seems hopeless, but all you can do is take each day as it comes and live it. Things will happen if there is a will. I know my husband used to talk to people online from the states when he was in Iraq during the war before I met him. Does he really feel that threatened? I know that in Syria we were pretty much limited to small talk because the fear of someone always listening or watching online. It sure sucks.

Just know that you are in my prayers. I am not sure about this Larkin dude. What phone number? Does it have the Iraq country code?

Alen will realize soon enough that he will have to accept help from others. It is very hard for him to do, I am sure of it. (been there!) There may be no other way.. He needs to find contacts of people who may be able to help.

I can't imagine the hell you are living through right now- my entire heart goes out to you. If you ever want to talk or vent or cry on a shoulder, I am here- just PM me.

Baj

[bridget and alen 0]

Hey Bridget-

What pure hell. Hell on Earth. What to do? Pray, pray and pray. The situation seems hopeless, but all you can do is take each day as it comes and live it. Things will happen if there is a will. I know my husband used to talk to people online from the states when he was in Iraq during the war before I met him. Does he really feel that threatened? I know that in Syria we were pretty much limited to small talk because the fear of someone always listening or watching online. It sure sucks.

Just know that you are in my prayers. I am not sure about this Larkin dude. What phone number? Does it have the Iraq country code?

Alen will realize soon enough that he will have to accept help from others. It is very hard for him to do, I am sure of it. (been there!) There may be no other way.. He needs to find contacts of people who may be able to help.

I can't imagine the hell you are living through right now- my entire heart goes out to you. If you ever want to talk or vent or cry on a shoulder, I am here- just PM me.

Baj

i dunno the number want let me call it back i think it is sweden.4029820624 is the number i think it is someone callin form the embassy.He doesnt feel threatened but is careful.He is moving to arbil next week so it should be better there and he will have internet.thanks girl

[S and S 12]

I haven't been on here in forever, but thought I would add a coment to your Iraq thread!

I understand your situations. My husband fled Iraq at the end of 2006 after he got threatened. He was stuck in Syria for a year. Half of 2007 he had no visa and had to pray they wouldn't kick him out. His parents were already in Jordan. Took them that whole year to swing him a 3 month temp visa for Jordan, after that he was illegal there until he came here. Our visa process took about 18 months from the time we got married May of 2007. Never did get the spouse visa to come through. The refugee visa I had also applied for him came through first in Dec 2008. It worked out in some ways. He is independent of me for his visa and changing his status to permanent resident only costs the biometrics fees instead of over $1000 in fees.

Now he has been here almost 16 months. I still thank God he is safely here. We have had our difficulties, I will admit. Many, many fights over the most ridiculous stuff you would never dream of, lol. Yet each month we also learned each other and our likes and dislikes. These days we are far less likely to make each other angry than in the first year. We have also had plenty of happy moments. Its been fun showing him things in this country. He has adapted well. He got his driver's license a few months after he got here and I got him a cheap minivan to use and he still drives it. The hardest part is finding work. He didn't find anything for the first 9 months he was here and he applied to anything and everything. First job he got was I-hop. Not his favorite thing, but he did his best. Then a job came up through telemarketing. He had applied months before and we were suprised they called. He is still working there, but the biggest pay check he has gotten is a little over $300 for two weeks. They pay minimum wage and let them go early more often than not. Sometimes he only works for 10 hours out of the week. He keeps applying to other places but no luck so far. At least that small amount of money helps and it gives him some pride. We are lucky his parents and most of his siblings got refugee to Australia two months after he came to the US. He knows they are safe and its easy to contact them. We hope we can go visit them sometime soon once he has travel documents (refugees can't use their Iraqi passport, must have some refugee travel document issued by USCIS). My husband has a brother in Sweden, thank God his brother has not been kicked out. His brother's wife got there before he did from Iraq so she has managed to get her citizenship to Sweden already. He hopes to get his soon.

Everything with Iraq is so complicated and difficult. My heart goes out to those of you going through this process. Some say things get harder when they get here, but for me the 18 month wait was still harder. The waiting, praying they don't get sent back to Iraq, afraid they will be killed if they do. The immigration process for Iraqi spouses is definitely one of the most stressful and emotional. I still have ulcer problems because i couldn't eat right while waiting for him to come. Just remember when they get here to show them love and patience. Its tough during the adjustment, but they will adjust. It just takes time. They have been through so much before even arriving here. Then they have to depend on others until they get on their feet. I still hug my husband every chance I get and give him a kiss reminding him I love him so much and I'm still glad after all this time that I married him.

I hope my post helps/encourages some of you. I wish you all the best of luck.

[bridget and alen 0]

I haven't been on here in forever, but thought I would add a coment to your Iraq thread!

I understand your situations. My husband fled Iraq at the end of 2006 after he got threatened. He was stuck in Syria for a year. Half of 2007 he had no visa and had to pray they wouldn't kick him out. His parents were already in Jordan. Took them that whole year to swing him a 3 month temp visa for Jordan, after that he was illegal there until he came here. Our visa process took about 18 months from the time we got married May of 2007. Never did get the spouse visa to come through. The refugee visa I had also applied for him came through first in Dec 2008. It worked out in some ways. He is independent of me for his visa and changing his status to permanent resident only costs the biometrics fees instead of over $1000 in fees.

Now he has been here almost 16 months. I still thank God he is safely here. We have had our difficulties, I will admit. Many, many fights over the most ridiculous stuff you would never dream of, lol. Yet each month we also learned each other and our likes and dislikes. These days we are far less likely to make each other angry than in the first year. We have also had plenty of happy moments. Its been fun showing him things in this country. He has adapted well. He got his driver's license a few months after he got here and I got him a cheap minivan to use and he still drives it. The hardest part is finding work. He didn't find anything for the first 9 months he was here and he applied to anything and everything. First job he got was I-hop. Not his favorite thing, but he did his best. Then a job came up through telemarketing. He had applied months before and we were suprised they called. He is still working there, but the biggest pay check he has gotten is a little over $300 for two weeks. They pay minimum wage and let them go early more often than not. Sometimes he only works for 10 hours out of the week. He keeps applying to other places but no luck so far. At least that small amount of money helps and it gives him some pride. We are lucky his parents and most of his siblings got refugee to Australia two months after he came to the US. He knows they are safe and its easy to contact them. We hope we can go visit them sometime soon once he has travel documents (refugees can't use their Iraqi passport, must have some refugee travel document issued by USCIS). My husband has a brother in Sweden, thank God his brother has not been kicked out. His brother's wife got there before he did from Iraq so she has managed to get her citizenship to Sweden already. He hopes to get his soon.

Everything with Iraq is so complicated and difficult. My heart goes out to those of you going through this process. Some say things get harder when they get here, but for me the 18 month wait was still harder. The waiting, praying they don't get sent back to Iraq, afraid they will be killed if they do. The immigration process for Iraqi spouses is definitely one of the most stressful and emotional. I still have ulcer problems because i couldn't eat right while waiting for him to come. Just remember when they get here to show them love and patience. Its tough during the adjustment, but they will adjust. It just takes time. They have been through so much before even arriving here. Then they have to depend on others until they get on their feet. I still hug my husband every chance I get and give him a kiss reminding him I love him so much and I'm still glad after all this time that I married him.

I hope my post helps/encourages some of you. I wish you all the best of luck.

[/quote Hi,Thanks for the reply it is encouraging to know someone has made it.I'm alittle cheered today as alen got a job with global contrating for the U.S. army.So hopefully that will be a good thing.I am sorry about your husbands job problems.Does he speak english well? Or is it a issue because he is from Iraq? We are lucky. I am starting a new business so Alen will be able to work with me.But it sucks that he can find know work better than that.I will keep you in my prayers.Good Luck and God Bless You Both

[illnevergetthis 5]

Congratulations on the new business

[bridget and alen 0]

Congratulations on the new business

Thanks ,god willing and ill be up and running by the time school is out here.I am excited and i think it will do well.Now if i could just have my hubby to be my life would be complete.Happy Easter..

[Justine+David 218]

Thanks ,god willing and ill be up and running by the time school is out here.I am excited and i think it will do well.Now if i could just have my hubby to be my life would be complete.Happy Easter..

Bridget, just wanted to tell you that I'm praying you and your fiance. I can't imagine how awful it must be for you and him. I wish you the best of luck in getting his visa soon and your new business. The August thread is pretty much dead, but there are a few of us who don't have the visa yet...we're stuck waiting for London to accept David's visa payment.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Justine+David

[bridget and alen 0]

Bridget, just wanted to tell you that I'm praying you and your fiance. I can't imagine how awful it must be for you and him. I wish you the best of luck in getting his visa soon and your new business. The August thread is pretty much dead, but there are a few of us who don't have the visa yet...we're stuck waiting for London to accept David's visa payment.

Gosh, im sorry about them making him wait for his payment but it could be worse.You could be in our shoes.I hope they get it straightened out soon girl. I figured yall were home together by now.Seems like things are moving slow for everyone since Dec.I hope they speed up soon.Thanks for the prayers girl i pray for yall too.Hope u get good news soon.

[S and S 12]

Hi,Thanks for the reply it is encouraging to know someone has made it.I'm alittle cheered today as alen got a job with global contrating for the U.S. army.So hopefully that will be a good thing.I am sorry about your husbands job problems.Does he speak english well? Or is it a issue because he is from Iraq? We are lucky. I am starting a new business so Alen will be able to work with me.But it sucks that he can find know work better than that.I will keep you in my prayers.Good Luck and God Bless You Both

My husband speaks excellent English. His entire medical school was in English. In fact, that is often the problem. He is always over qualified for jobs. We started leaving off the details of what he studied in college when he applied for work so they wouldn't pass up his application/resume. The problem is, in order to work as a doctor he must take a series of extremely difficult and expensive tests. Many foreign doctors study for a year or two before even taking the first one. Because he was a refugee and out of work for so long, he has gotten even more behind in his knowledge. Hopefully soon he can take the first test, but there will be two more after that. We also have to look at paying around $1000 for each test (some are a little more expensive, some a little less). One test can only be taken in one of 5 cities in the US and we are not near one of them so we have to factor in travel costs for that as well. After the tests he will then have to compete for a residency slot. Its extremely difficult to get one of those slots here because US med graduates tend to get priority.

Anyway, lol, I am so happy to hear your husband found a job so quickly. Good luck to you too!

[bridget and alen 0]

My husband speaks excellent English. His entire medical school was in English. In fact, that is often the problem. He is always over qualified for jobs. We started leaving off the details of what he studied in college when he applied for work so they wouldn't pass up his application/resume. The problem is, in order to work as a doctor he must take a series of extremely difficult and expensive tests. Many foreign doctors study for a year or two before even taking the first one. Because he was a refugee and out of work for so long, he has gotten even more behind in his knowledge. Hopefully soon he can take the first test, but there will be two more after that. We also have to look at paying around $1000 for each test (some are a little more expensive, some a little less). One test can only be taken in one of 5 cities in the US and we are not near one of them so we have to factor in travel costs for that as well. After the tests he will then have to compete for a residency slot. Its extremely difficult to get one of those slots here because US med graduates tend to get priority.

Anyway, lol, I am so happy to hear your husband found a job so quickly. Good luck to you too!

Awwww girl i understand about boards .I use to date a physician.He had to pay a tutor to help him study.Lol and he was smart. I cant even imagine.But we have a some great teaching hospitals in louisiana.Hehehehe....And you might try alil help form your congressmen or senator when you are ready for residency.If yall decide to come to louisiana let us know.I hope Alen gets a visa soon.I miss him so much and he want let me go to Iraq.grrrrr