AOS delays with people from the middle-east???

[hanster 0]

I am from Lebanon and applying from AOS based on marriage. I have been in the states from almost 6 years now attending college and have had an FBI check in the past when they had the "special registration" for people from the middle east. I was wondering if my case will be delayed since I am from the middle-east. i know that the name check has to be done and all that and that it might trigger some flags since I have an Arabic name, but i wonder if anyone has any personal experience in this matter or knows of anyone who did?

any input will be appreciated

[Jenn! 918]

I don't have any statistics for you, but my husband also has an arabic name and was not held up for his AOS. His file was transferred to CSC and we were approved without any interview. Start to finish, AOS process took about 5 months.

Good luck to you!

[hanster 0]

I don't have any statistics for you, but my husband also has an arabic name and was not held up for his AOS. His file was transferred to CSC and we were approved without any interview. Start to finish, AOS process took about 5 months.

Good luck to you!

well that's reassuring, i hope mine goes smoothly too.

anyone else has any input?

[rebeccajo 14]

I was informed by an attorney last Friday that of the individuals stuck in the namecheck blackhole, an inordinate percentage are from the Middle East.

Keep in mind - the over 400,000 individuals stuck in namecheck are from all immigrant categories (not just family based I-485's) and that figure also includes individuals filing the N400 (naturalization).

Edited January 8, 2007 by rebeccajo

[hanster 0]

I was informed by an attorney last Friday that of the individuals stuck in the namecheck blackhole, an inordinate percentage are from the Middle East.

Keep in mind - the over 400,000 individuals stuck in namecheck are from all immigrant categories (not just family based I-485's) and that figure also includes individuals filing the N400 (naturalization).

ohh no, bad news for me in that case. i always told my parents they should have given me a nicer (un-arabic) name.. just kidding.

[Donna A 4]

sorry...i dont have good news here either. my syrian husband is stuck too.

[LaL 418]

same here, arab name, stuck in namecheck.

also interesting article here :

http://www.denverpost.com/movies/ci_4813326

Zuhair Mahd of Denver made all the right moves to become a U.S. citizen after escaping poverty and rejection as a blind Palestinian-refugee teenager in Jordan.

He found a banker to buy him a ticket to Boston. He excelled in U.S. schools. He pioneered Arabic text-to-speech software and worked for IBM, honing skills that recruiters for the CIA and other agencies covet for the war on terrorism.

Then he applied for citizenship, passed the tests and waited for an FBI background check.

And waited. And waited.

After waiting for two years, Mahd, 33, sued the FBI.

Now his case is pending in federal court along with hundreds of other lawsuits nationwide by Muslims who made the grade to become citizens but have been delayed while waiting for FBI checks for up to five years.

Applicants for U.S. citizenship come from many nations and cultures, but most of the lawsuits filed recently in Colorado involve Muslim immigrants.

Federal law says immigrants who pass citizenship tests must be granted citizenship in 120 days.

The lawsuits are getting results. An internal government memo indicates suing can accelerate FBI action.

Yet the core problem is getting worse: a mounting FBI backlog of unfinished background checks as the nation seeks greater protection against terrorism. Today's backlog tops 440,000.

FBI officials won't say how many of those waiting for background checks are Muslims but insist that the agency is not targeting any particular group.

[zsam 0]

We're not from the Middle EAst but do have Arabic names and we're stuck...I know it may be too soon to get worried about AOS but we're certainly concerned about not having an EAD.

Accding to my lawyer's paralegal she claims she knows people with my husband's first name who have been waiting for over 3 years for AOS!!!

So forgive me for asking...how are ALL the different checks different? My husband's K-3 took roughly 8 months (thankfully) but our I-130 never made it through so we refiled it in January 2006 (still stuck). Our friend's fiance took 3 years to get here and now he already has a green card (got it within the year!)

I sometimes feel like there is no rhyme or reason...I don't understand the namecheck very well...I really hate USCIS these days.

[LaL 418]

We're not from the Middle EAst but do have Arabic names and we're stuck...I know it may be too soon to get worried about AOS but we're certainly concerned about not having an EAD.

Accding to my lawyer's paralegal she claims she knows people with my husband's first name who have been waiting for over 3 years for AOS!!!

So forgive me for asking...how are ALL the different checks different? My husband's K-3 took roughly 8 months (thankfully) but our I-130 never made it through so we refiled it in January 2006 (still stuck). Our friend's fiance took 3 years to get here and now he already has a green card (got it within the year!)

I sometimes feel like there is no rhyme or reason...I don't understand the namecheck very well...I really hate USCIS these days.

I am sorry you are really having a rough go of it zsam. as far as the difference between the checks, overseas with the consulates you will deal with the DOS, whereas stateside you deal with DHS/DOJ. DHS is new comparatively to DOS, and there is less transparent. Its hard to say what specifically holds a case up.

[journeyhelper 0]

No good news here. Arab name ,2 years and waiting for name check. However it looks to me from the people on this board that many from Arab countries go through with no problem and some western countries have people stuck. So I am not convinced it is the country that is affecting these. Whatever it is I wish they would get it resolved.

[SENKA 0]

I have an unusual last name ( and first is not too common either), also stuck in FBI name check, don't know if it is because I was born in Bosnia, lived in Croatia and Canada.... Who knows, I can't figure out any pattern here. But I do feel like going back to Canada, each day more and more. My husband doesn't want to start immigration process to Canada, so I guess I have to wait for FBI name check, what else....

[John & Annie 0]

My wife has a Scott/Irish name and she is stuck

A point I have made several times.

It is not you (hopefully), it is the permutations of your name. This is not a personal thing. They put your name into the computer, it runs all of the permutations of your name and they need to check all of these"hits" out.

Being that my wife has a very common Scott/Irish name, we are going to be with you for a while. Unless these hits have been checked before and have been updated in the new database.