Thoughts on this whole process

[Dream'nJordan 9]

Sachiko n Arnaud , I could not agree with you more! I also think it is crazy that someone who files a K1 visa gets an interview date faster than those who file the CR1. When their cases are done at Homeland Security they send them to NVC for 2 to 3 days only to receive case number and then shipped directly to the consulate. Which puts them in the front of the line at the consulate.I find NO logic in that what-so-ever.

[Blake and Jeanie 4]

Is there not an organization that could propose the kind of immigration reform that would take care of this. I was under the impression US had an organization for every single cause, why not this one? I absolutely agree with those who point to the narrow focus of the current immigration policy-makers. There should be some knowledgeable people, who can help to effectively develop a campaign for the kind of immigration laws we're talking about here. Maybe I am naive in my thinking, but those of us who've gone through this and are already with their families may have a good chance of raising the government's awareness of this problem. The reason we hear so much about the US Southern border is because that's what's in the public eye- the Latinos speak up. So should the rest of us, and maybe we can change something for those people who are yet to go through this.

I have not seen my husband since March of last year, and I absolutely hate the fact how this process turns all things I treasure into some artifacts of proof that our marriage is not a fraud. I agree that the burden of proof when it comes to the legitimacy of marriage should be on the officials. And honestly, the interview step should be eliminated. The human factor with all its subjectivity should be down to the minimum. Whether or not I can be with my family should not depend on personality/disposition/mood of the person who interviews me. If all documents are fine, medical should be the last step (and even that is debatable). Ok, I'm done...have to get to bed, so I can work on Sunday, you know... to afford all this amazing hassle

[KBcrand1 1]

every one here has some good ideas....... but lets not make judgement decisions. The process is not perfect, in fact far from. If someone in another country can file with DC, why does it take so long to check for those of us in this country to more than double the amount of time for approval? Maybe it's just coincidence...... or maybe there is more to it. WE DON'T KNOW. I agree, it should not take as long as is does to do backround checks and initial processing. Other people have stated receiving noa-2's from illegals, in less of a time.......but there are many "type" of illegals. There are those that entered the country legally and overstayed, and there are those that entered without documentation. Again, every case is different! I do like many of the ideas I have heard here, and someone mentioned some time of "government awareness"..... if it's done correctly, it may help future immigrants.

[Dream'nJordan 9]

I think someone should take this one step higher. Is there any way all of us can pull together and do something about this? I'm in! It sounds like everyone else that has commented would be willing. Am I right?

[David Allen 3]

As much as I have disliked going through all the ####### and bureaucracy to bring my fiancee into this country, marry her, and finally obtain a green card for her (especially when millions can just walk over our southern border) I don't buy into your premise that the US Goverment or USCIS/Homeland Secrity is anit-marriage.

With who knows how many thousands or millions of fradulent visa applications - going through the system over the years, how are they supposed to just magically know that you're not one of them - unless they ask the questions and put you through the process? Does it suck that I had to wait a long time before I could finally bring my fiancee here and marry her? Yes. Has it hurt our relationship at all to be apart? Not a bit. I think the application process has helped us to get to know each other better, and has helped us learn to deal with adversity better. I also know that if I had better followed the instructions on this web site, and maybe asked some more questions of the group here our time line would probably be about 50% shorter.

You're certainly free to marry whomever you want to - more or less within the rules - but that doesn't mean you automatically get to bring them into this country unscreened. I also have to agree with Jonswifey about the situation in England. That is not something I want for the USA.

More to the point - it's the system we currently have - so yelling, screaming, insulting, wringing your hands over the process isn't going to change the fact that you're still going to have to go through it - like it or not.

It's good to learn some patience and figure out what, if anything you can do to make sure you're not giving them any reason to make it longer.

-David

It is a horrible process BUT i have to agree to somewhat.

I think they either need to employ more people to get the process done quicker or like it was mentioned..the electronic processing. Its not fair to be apart from your loved ones for so long but i can understand why they do this..I mayself actually know one or 2 people who are looking for husbands for the greencard which makes me super angry. I dont think letting people in while they wait is an option..Look at England!!! Im happy for america that they do it the way they do because british people in England cant even call it there own country anymore..we are not even allowed to wear our football shirts or support our teams without getting in trouble because we are putting ourselves at risk for getting shot!! Its very patriotic what america does but they are looking after there country. In England we dont even celebrate our national day because it might offend other people who have come over from other countries just like that!

In england people come in illegaly sooo easy and once they are there chances that they will get kicked out are very slim because when they get found out they can claim asylum and they are ALLOWED to stay in the country until it gets accepted or denied...and if it gets denied they can go against it as many times as they want! Now could you imagine what america would be like if they did that? America is a country that everyone dreams of moving too so they say but if they changed there rules for immigration america would just go down hill in my eyes.

[Rich and Bey 1]

i agree with a lot of people here but let's face it,that it is a painful process but they are protecting the united states border. but with that said, there should be an easier or at least a way to understand or even teach the process to the people better. i do understand there are businesses out there that want to pay people 10 to 15 thousand dollars to get married to get into the country and this is just wrong. i know in the philipines things like this exist and i am not trying to pick on one country. i just know that this happens there. i know that they do there best to find legit marriages but like what was said before the good marriages shouldn't be condemned for it. there should be a better way to do this and to inform the people of where they are in the process much much much better instead of keeping us in the dark.

[gina_raluca 14]

! Now could you imagine what america would be like if they did that? America is a country that everyone dreams of moving too so they say but if they changed there rules for immigration america would just go down hill in my eyes.

Blanket statements are never good and extrapolating from a few cases is specious. There are millions of people who do not want to move to the US. They don't even have an interest in visiting America

Edited July 18, 2010 by gina_raluca

[Indy90 21]

For those that believe that family unification is not important to the US government, I think a look at the history of US immigration and current numbers might dispel this notion. Since 1965, with the passage of the Hart-Cellar Act, family reunification has been the basis of immigration to the United States. Before 1965, pretty much only military members could bring their family members to the United States and only about 180,000 people were immigrating to the United States. In 2007, 689,820 people obtained Green Cards through family based immigration. You can imagine what the 10 year total looks like. The fact of the matter is that family based immigration is not something that impacts thousands of people, but rather millions per year.

Take a look at this link for some interesting statistical information. http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/yearbook/2007/ois_2007_yearbook.pdf

DHS ever year publishes a lot of statistical information about immigration that in my opinion can make for an interesting read. A google search can find the other yearbooks

There are problems with family based immigration and I think that there are a few things that can realistically be done to improve the situation...but the sheer volume would make it difficult for anyone to manage it well. We all want to be with our loved ones as soon as possible, but also do not want to see cases like that of Terry Nichols (co Oklahoma City bomber, you can look up his immigration story), which should never have happened (he did go through the process when it was much faster and easier).

[tea4two 0]

I have to agree with the OP, especially about the notion of "one agency". This is ridiculous, and the process isn't saving any time, manpower, resources or money. If anything, it would be great to start the CR-1 process BEFORE you get married, to do the necessary background checks, validate income, accomplish the medical, etc. then just do the interview afterwards, especially since they effectively got rid of the K-3 visa.