Guzzardi is exactly right about the importance of eliminating the K-1 visa.

[Colin&Lori 6]

He was just stating his opinion,I tend to agree, K-1 is just a cash grab,means your allowed to come here nothing more..

tell that to the people who are going through the K-1 process

god you people amaze me sometimes :|

[LoriT 16]

i give up. you win. you are right

[thongd4me 69]

Guzzardi Link

The Fiancée Visa RacketBy Joe Guzzardi

When “Abby” enrolled in my English as a second language class, she had been in the U.S. for only a few weeks.

Abby is different from most of my students. At twenty, she is younger than the average student. And Abby’s native country is Brazil. Most of my class is either from Mexico or Pakistan.

Something else set Abby apart, too. As a brand new bride living out her dream of coming to America, Abby was full of enthusiasm for learning English.

Abby said that she had met her husband while he was working on a construction crew in Brazil. When they fell in love, she got a fiancée visa, joined him in Lodi and they married.

When I heard “fianceé visa,” I was immediately skeptical. But the story sounded plausible. Since Abby is a nice kid, I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. But before long, my suspicions were confirmed.

I overheard Abby tell classmates that her husband was twice her age, didn’t want her to learn to drive and worked as an auto mechanic.

And one day, when part of a classroom exercise was to write sentences using either “must” or “might,” Abby wrote: “Why must you drink so much?”

Then, three months after she arrived in the U.S., Abby announced that her husband had thrown her out.

As it turned out, Mr. Wonderful is 58, nearly three times Abby’s age. And Abby is the third woman he brought to the U.S. on a fiancée visa. The other two were Russian women, whom he cut loose before marrying them. Abby doesn’t know what happened, but we can be 100% sure they didn’t go back to Russia.

Here in a nutshell is Abby’s current situation: she has no job, no skills, no money, no close friends, no family and no home. She speaks limited English. If Abby is lucky, she might land a 7-Eleven job.

Abby is living in the Women’s Center. She can stay there for 60 days. In the meantime, she goes to Lodi Community Center where she gets free bus tickets and two free loaves of bread a week.

Mr. Wonderful has offered to buy Abby a return ticket to Brazil. But she doesn’t want to go. “I’m already here,” she declared.

While I feel badly for the young and naïve Abby, anyone who puts herself up for sale on the Internet has to take the consequences.

No matter what anyone may think about the merits or flaws of our immigration system, few can argue that the growth of international marriage agencies, aided and abetted by the “fiancée visa” is—for all except the shameless immigration lawyers and those who own the agencies —a bad deal all around.

The K-1 or fiancée visa makes it all happen. The visa, valid for 90 days, is issued when an American male petitions the INS for the woman to come to the U.S. If no marriage occurs during that period, then legally the woman must return. Of course, not many do.

Matchmaking companies drive the K-1 visa sham. Marriage agencies are an unregulated, multimillion-dollar industry. Organizations like the Anastasia Company (www.russianbrides.com) claim to do it all for the prospective groom.

So accommodating is the Anastasia Company that it will even arrange for flowers, candy or teddy bears to be delivered to over 180 Russian and Ukrainian cities. “Make your lady feel special!” encourages Anastasia. Just imagine: your bouquet in Moldova!

When it comes time for the visa nitty-gritty, the Anastasia Company passes the ball to the K-1 specialists, Lawrence R. Holmes and Allan Scott Lolly (www.fianceevisas.com). Conveniently, the two firms endorse each other on their websites.

If you are perhaps intrigued by the prospect of a Russian bride, may I sound a cautionary note? Holmes, who devotes his entire practice to fiancée visas, has this potentially exhausting advice for clients: “Stay in Russia for as long as possible. Spend as much time with as many women as possible. This increases your odds of success.”

And Holmes is very proud of his success. His website proudly states that Holmes has “a 100% success rate.”

All of this is tawdry stuff. Young women like Abby who would probably have decent lives in their own country come to America to be turned out and then left to their own devices.

But sometimes the young “exotic” brides dump the loser guys. Often the women know more about how things work in the U.S. than they have let on.

Many husbands have complained that their sweet brides had dramatic personality changes once they arrived on American soil. And other men report that once married, the new bride announces that her children—previously unmentioned—will be joining them soon.

Said former Senior INS official T. Alexander Aleinikoff in a critical statement about the international marriage business, “This is not to say that some (K-1 visa) marriages aren’t bona fide but given the chance for abuse and exploitation, should we be handing out visas that aren’t subject to quotas where the industry is totally unregulated?”

The fiancée visa isn’t in our national interest. The U.S. has no compelling need to issue a K-1 visa. Nor do we need the new K-3 visas that reduce the waiting time for those who married overseas and wish to bring their spouses to the U.S.

We need to slow down, not speed up, any and all immigration processes.

Yet the number of K-1 visas issued annually has increased steadily over the last five years, according to the State Department.

Eliminating these visas would be an excellent way to begin the overdue cutback in legal levels of immigration.

Joe Guzzardi [email him], an instructor in English at the Lodi Adult School, has been writing a weekly column since 1988. It currently appears in the Lodi News-Sentinel.

=======================================================================================================

Sweeping broad generalizations from his "friendly"

conversations with a scammer (the wife?)

or much ore likely the scammee.

When I heard “fianceé visa,” I was immediately skeptical.

But the story sounded plausible. Since Abby is a nice kid, I wanted

to give her the benefit of the doubt. But before long, my suspicions were confirmed.

I wouldn't envy her situation from any viewpoint.

If she was a scammer then hubby would be the innocent victim.

The "Mr. Wonderful" drinking loser is

no catch for any woman, foreign or domestic.

Exposing him does not cast fault on the K-1 system

in any way because he was an abuser/loser and

to assume the K-1 is bad because of that would only

be to assume guilt by remote association.

When visa fraud is discussed the focus is almost always on the foreign incoming spouse.

If the USC is involved in fraud, it's almost always in collusion with the non-USC.

This wasn't a case of fraud, just of someone with a personality problem

for which he probably blames the world generally and his wives specifically.

In VJ we believe this to be the exception rather than the rule.

The K-1 process or the matchmaking companies did not make "Mr. W" an idiot

- he had that base covered from day 1.

Guzzardi's rant is more like:

'people are prone to be bad so we can't allow any bad people to have

access to a system where they are likely to abuse foreign women.'

[Saddle Bronc 124]

He was just stating his opinion,I tend to agree, K-1 is just a cash grab,means your allowed to come here nothing more..

Your handle is rather apt--since you're spouting bakvas!

[thongd4me 69]

Banning the K1 is definitly within USCIS powers to do, however eliminating CR1 is not. The supreme court has routinely upheld that it is USC right to marry who they want, when they want. Since the supreme court upholds a USC right to marriage then other governing bodies would have no power to take away a persons right to be with their spouse.

Since a K1 is a nothing visa that does NOT go through same process as CR1 it can and it should be eliminated.

Judge, Jury and Executioner => certainly has all bases covered.

Since a K1 is a nothing visa

Forget about logic; go straight from the assumption to the conclusion.

Life is great when you can apply simplistic prejudices to any situation.

[thongd4me 69]

He was just stating his opinion,I tend to agree, K-1 is just a cash grab,means your allowed to come here nothing more..

Coming from an anonymous (troll) K-1 petitioner or beneficiary, such words of wisdom...

[joevegas 67]

tell that to the people who are going through the K-1 process

god you people amaze me sometimes :|

It's just an opinion,we're allowed that aren't we??..you certainly don't have to agree

[Colin&Lori 6]

It's just an opinion,we're allowed that aren't we??..you certainly don't have to agree

yes of course you allowed that

i was just stating my opinion that I don't agree with your opinion

[LaL 418]

Just remember the next time one measly meaningless article gets you in a twist :

Edited October 28, 2010 by LaL

[mawilson 2,133]

I don't see what the big deal is. We chose to go through the K-1 process only because

I still needed 6-8 months to wrap things up back home, otherwise we could have gone the

other route (marriage + I-130).

[Azzudiin 26]

I am not insulting anyone, just stating fact. The K1 visa allows you to enter the USA for 90 days, that is it.

The CR1 gives you much much more.

Many people file the K1 because they feel it is quicker to be with a loved one, but as the denial rate increases on K1's at many consulates around the world the CR1 gets to be a better visa everyday.

The other reason I dislike the K1 is they can tell you get lost when you file AOS which in my mind is outright wrong to yank 2 people apart that just finally got together in the same country.

Goodluck to the many K1 people on this board, I hope you pass.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Azzudiin

[Staashi 371]

Just remember the next time one measly meaningless article gets you in a twist :

LAL, I love it!!! Truer words have never been spoken!

[joevegas 67]

I am not insulting anyone, just stating fact. The K1 visa allows you to enter the USA for 90 days, that is it.

The CR1 gives you much much more.

Many people file the K1 because they feel it is quicker to be with a loved one, but as the denial rate increases on K1's at many consulates around the world the CR1 gets to be a better visa everyday.

The other reason I dislike the K1 is they can tell you get lost when you file AOS which in my mind is outright wrong to yank 2 people apart that just finally got together in the same country.

Goodluck to the many K1 people on this board, I hope you pass.

100 percent accurate

[thongd4me 69]

A whole lot of fuss.

The K-1 & CR-1 are two paths to the same goal,

with the same proofs of relationship incumbent

on both the petitioner and beneficiary.

Each results in immigration for a husband or wife.

Having a piece of paper that says you are married

from a foreign country is no better than the piece of

paper you get in any of the 50 states.

Having been denied AOS after a K-1 marriage

and forcing the spouse to return to the home

country accomplishes the same catastrophe

that denial of a CR-1 results in. It's just a

question of a different time & place.

If a CR-1 is denied you're still married to each

other. If a K-1 is denied, both parties will still

have more options open that don't require a divorce.

One of those options may be to get married

& do the CR-1 but now you already have

one strike against you by a denial of the K-1.

You then have to get better evidence of a

relationship and a marriage certificate is

not that evidence in and of itself.

I don't see the need for one or the other to be superior

or that the authorities will think your marriage is

more solid due to having used one or the other.

Anyone coming over on a CR-1 can disappear as

easily as someone coming on a K-1 if they are

just using the USC. Being married in one or the

other place doesn't guarantee the success of

the marriage or the integrity of either party.

We knew each other for almost 7 years prior to the K-1.

The K-1 is usually faster which is why we chose that as we

had already had enough of waiting. The evidence we

gave of the relationship would have been the same

no matter what route we chose.

I'm not insulted, just baffled.

[trillium13 84]

The article posted by thongd says, "The K1 Visa made it all happen".

What a crock. You know why these things happen? Because people don't bother to get to know each other before they get engaged/married. They have this fairytale idea of what it will be like, whether it's the old bitter fool who wrote the OP's article who wanted him some young fresh meat that wouldn't talk back, or the scamming females themselves who just want a free ticket to the US.

Sometimes it doesn't work out right for you if you don't look before you leap. Wahh.

No legitimate reasons to get rid of the K1 here. That article posted by the OP was like something you'd read on one of those government conspiracy/tinfoil hat wearer's/OMG chemtrails boards.