Very disappointing - Trying to get visa for my mother-in-law

[christeen 966]

Immigrant visa is an Expensive route to take for visiting, but perhaps she will enjoy it here and spending time with her daughter and family and decide to split her time between countries? Sometimes it really does mean THAT much to visit your family?

[Christopher R. 6]

Wow, impressive the things that happen while I sleep! Allow me to posit my thoughts for the

The amount of presumption here is staggering. I promised myself I would not "feed trolls", and yet they came out in droves to jump all over me. I have read these forums for quite a while and to say that this is not a supportive forum is not an unfounded conclusion. What you rationalize as logical repudiations are thinly disguised attacks with little actual data or support! If you actually read what I had put forth, and granted, maybe not all the data from all my incidents were included in my previous missives in painstaking detail, most of your conclusions are not even remotely supportive or even neutral in disposition towards me and my situation. Again I stated, I was venting my frustration not at the ultimate decision, but the method/approach/cruelty/inhumanity displayed by this embassy and this CO. I would assume this woman could have easily worked the crematorium at a concentration camp and displayed the same compassion and positivity in her job duties. I knew the chances were low for her to get approved knowing all the factors here in this country and knowing what I already know about the process and my government in particular.

For anyone here who is not a US citizen, nor being a Georgian citizen that has gone through, or is going through my processes. You do not possess the insight nor acute knowledge to assume the positions you taken without engaging in due diligence and in essence, you are no better than this CO and are basically cut from the same cloth. I don't want to make disparaging comments nor do I want to engage in pointless debates since those that have posted have already reached a sad and regrettable viewpoint. Please refrain from future disparaging and borderline derogatory for someone who truly deserves it, which ultimately, nobody actualy deserves cruelty!

For everyone here who is attempting to visit or live in the USA, I have the utmost sympathy, no I have the utmost EMPATHY. I myself have tried to help several people through their journeys here on this forum. People that did not have good English skills, and were seeking help and information. Most of all, people come to these places looking for solace and fellow HUMANS to share their thoughts in a constructive forum. Since I went through this painstaking process over the course of 2 years personally in order to have my wife who just so happened to lose the effing 'Geographic Lottery' of not being born in the supposed "greatest country in the world", it was a startling wake up call for me to find that other people in the world don't have it as 'easy' as me. To go to my wife's country 1/2 way around the world to leave my 'bubble' of fast food, low taxes, and jingoistic arrogance was more of a smack in the face than any other singular experience for me. I was already a moderate, humbled open-minded person, but still inside a deeply proud American. I had traveled all over the US, even Canda and Mexico extensively. My short trips to the UK and Taiwan never remotely prepared me for what was 'out there'. What I found is that people are still the same inside, regardless of external trappings. Poverty does not exclude kindness and generosity. Wealth is not found in a bank account, nor in a nice car. It is found in family, in community. True wealth has nothing to do with money. Those that think otherwise are trying to make money off you to aquire the fallacy that is wealth, not true Wealth.

What I have found is something I wish all Americans could see. That we have it wrong. That we have lost our way. That our pursuit of capatalism has taken over and we have truly lost what made us American and great in the first place. I bet most Americans don't know how our cemetaries in Europe that our soldiers from WW2 are revered and treated? It is that kind of altruism we have lost. I would think that if America had the temerity to erect a cemetary of this kind in Iraq or Afghanistan they would get the same respect. Our embassies are supposed to be beacons of Americanism abroad. It is nothing of the sort. In no way did I even contact nor harass the CO in question. I merely observed her pathetic attempt to do her job that clearly there are no standards for. The research that I have been accused of not having done enough of has even included going behind the scenes of the State Department itself where I have had friends and contacts I have interview tell me that there are no actual metrics for these people being measured to do their jobs. It is analogous to the protagonist of the Disney movie "The Incredibles" doing a rather thankless, menial job at an insurance company where in essence they are tasked with keeping the # of approvals low, but give the illusion of transparency and compassion. I think most rational people here would understand the meaning of my point here.

The evidence I provided on both occasions was not fraudulent. It looks like in hindsight it was incomplete, but again considering the specifics and cultures involved I really don't know if a tourist visa was a wide choice to apply for and expect approval. I do appreciate someone showing me the average annual income and yes, I can see that by not providing all the assets in the first visit and between visits would seem fradulent and a definite reason for a CO to perform due diligence before making a judgement. But that is assuming all the evidence was even looked at, which it was not as I had stated. The interviews at this particular embassy, by this particular CO were all for an outsider, beyond belief. My observation of the American women who wanted to adopt a Georgian child was particularly disheartening. For us all to pay what is a kingly ransom by this country's standards only to all be scrutinized and judged to all be found wanting is offensive at best, and criminal at worst. That would assume there are paths for appeal, which as we all know there are none. All decisions, right or wrong, are final.

And yes, once my wife completes her citizenship process, she gets to enjoy the same rights priveleges I have. One of those will be to petition my gov't for her to mother to get a green card. Since I am accutely aware of my mother-in-law's health, criminal background, and wealth factors (of which there are none that would halt her approval remotely), she will get approved without hesitation. Further, if she is denied at any time, there are actual appeals and processes to investigate, UNLIKE the tourist visa process. My own mistake of having my wife first petition for a tourist visa before going through the immigrant visa process was easily understood by the NVC and by the embassy, so I know these 2 denials will not have any effect on my mother-in-law. I have all the paperwork ready to be filled out and sent, we are merely waiting for the figurative other shoe to drop, so we can have my son enjoy the few joys I had growing up, having his grandmother teach, play and guide his life with her amazing wisdom, and fill his days with giggles and happiness. I am aware of the terms of Permanent Residency since my wife has it. I know my mother-in-law will use it at her leisure and will possbily petition for citizenship when she is eligbile, merely to facilitate her own life to be easier, not due to some burning desire to live in the shithole I call my mother country. And yes, if only for this singular reason and overall experiences I do loathe my own country. Does it mean I will abandon it? No. But once of the many freedoms I do enjoy is the ability to look at my government and express my displeasures without inherent fear of reprisal!

I don't know why some of you are so prone to judgement and callousness. I won't presume anything in your lives. I would simply implore you to remember what this forum is for, to share experiences and data for people who want to come to the US for whatever their reasons and assist them in this, their VISAJOURNEY. If there is anything I can share with you all, I would be honored to do so.

Chris

[RhettVoe 282]

Speaking of being 'prone to judgment and callousness'...it is YOU who made the disparaging remarks about this CO, making her out to be the bad person, even though you have zero inside knowledge of the visa process...yes....zero. BTW, an adoption cannot legally take place using tourist visas...and international adoptions have a very strict set of rules in place in order to reduce the specter of baby selling or trafficking....something that that CO knows...do you? (no).

You are just unhappy because your MIL got denied, then even more unhappy when your thinly disguised attempt to fool a CO backfired...and now you want to castigate the entire United States and its rules and regulations..just because they were applied to your MIL and others....too bad. If you really think that little of my country, why not abandon your blue passport and citizenship, return to Georgia, the land of milk and honey (and more than a few heads of cabbage) and enjoy life there? Easy answer to this one: a lack of courage.

Our laws regarding visa issuances and denials are in place to protect our way of life...and thanks to the countless thousands or millions who have decided to disregard those laws, other people from the same country may find it more difficult to get certain types of visas...again, sniffle sniffle...too bad.

You can also thank our Congress for not legislating tougher border controls and then backing up the people who are tasked with enforcing those laws....too much money stuffed into Congress's pockets has resulted in a system that lacks integrity, and it falls to the COs around the world to be the first line of defense of our borders, since Congress won't show any courage when legislating....for example, I think ALL waivers should be eliminated....no more being rescued from one's unwillingness to obey our laws by marrying some moron from a trailer park...no more 6 month admissions as a tourist...a ridiculous amount of time...no matter COS from tourist to something else....do what you say, leave when you say, do not violate our laws without expecting a severe repercussion.....if somebody overstays by as little as a day, bar them for 5 years to send a message...obey our rules or go somewhere else....notice that if these new laws were in place, they would not affect responsible adults,....only those who don't respect our laws and our country.

I applaud the CO...she did her job. All this other yammering about cemeteries, etc, is just a lot of hot air....from somebody who knows nothing about the process.

[Teddy B 17,252]

The OP thought that he was more important than anyone, which he indicated by his telling the tale of abusing a local guard...but his actions did not produce a visa....no matter how loud he may whine, or what congressman he writes, he tried to game the 'system' and failed. Oh well.

A green card application is an entirely different process (one that the OP clearly does not understand, along with countless other facts or rules within our visa system)...he tried to fool a CO..the CO was not fooled...the poor guard was not even a part of the process (except security, again, a policy that is outside the authority of the OP), but the OP certainly showed him 'who was boss.' Fat lot of good that did.

My guess is that the COs re-tell this story during a party and are laughing themselves silly....

Christopher R, your sense of entitlement and willingness to cheat the system to get what you want, is why we have such a stringent visa process in the first place. And attempting to bully a security guard to get your way is laughable. I'd say you got what you deserved in this case.

[novedsac 355]

The evidence I provided on both occasions was not fraudulent. It looks like in hindsight it was incomplete, but again considering the specifics and cultures involved I really don't know if a tourist visa was a wide choice to apply for and expect approval. I do appreciate someone showing me the average annual income and yes, I can see that by not providing all the assets in the first visit and between visits would seem fradulent and a definite reason for a CO to perform due diligence before making a judgement. But that is assuming all the evidence was even looked at, which it was not as I had stated.

That is very presumptuous of you.

It is very likely that you have no idea of the amount of time the CO put into reviewing the file prior to the interview.

Just because they didn't review the information during the interview does not mean they didn't look at it.

Indeed, it seems to be a very widely accepted consensus on VJ that the information is reviewed and vetted well before the interview and that the COs have basically made their decision prior to the interview even taking place.

[RhettVoe 282]

Documentation and the application are reviewed prior to an interview...those who have been denied before and present 'new' documents can expect those papersto be placed under a microscope to check for 'accuracy.' A bank document, for example, that shows $30,000 in an account that previously held $3000, in a country where the average monthly income is around $500 per month, is going to be checked...and when the bank says that this sudden influx of cash arrived out of nowhere, well, the situation is clear...somebody is trying to fool the embassy....so, questions will be asked of the applicant regarding the source of this new found wealth, and when the stories told cannot be matched with credible evidence, well, good bye credibility. Compassion is not even considered...ever...because it is not addressed in our laws governing visa issuance. The applicant must convince a CO of his/her bona fides....period. When somebody's feeble attempts to be 'creative' fail, then the insults fly about, castigating the nearest CO or our laws, or apparently, even the United States of America...from somebody who calls himself an American? Then, Mr. Know-It-All tried to show everyone what a bigshot he thinks he is by bullying a security guard....but did a visa get issued? No. He's lucky he was not deposited outside the embassy doors by the Marines....(yes, it can happen).

People who know absolutely nothing about the visa process whine like hungry babies when a decision does not go their way....they cast aspersions on the COs, the process, etc, without any factual knowledge of what goes on. They run off crying to their congressman or senator, believing (erroneously) that said representative is going to phone the embassy and order the CO to change their decision....which demonstrates that the whiner did not listen too closely while attending Govt 101 in high school or college....remember those three circles the teacher drew on the board? Legislative, Judicial and Executive branches of our government? The key element is our system is that NO ONE from one branch can tell another what to do! Congress, in the legislative branch, cannot order a CO, in the executive branch, to issue a visa...period.

Nothing about the interested third party to a tourist visa applicant matters....your bank account, your college degree, the size of your house, your alleged religious beliefs, who you supposedly know, etc, do not become attached to a visa applicant...they must succeed or fail on their own merits...not yours...and you cannot make any guarantees about the actions of the applicant while they are in the US because you lack legal authority over them...you cannot force anyone to leave the US (though I wish you would do so yourself) nor board an airplane, thus, your promises about the applicant returning are worthless...something that fragile egos cannot stand to hear....

At the end of the day, the CO is still at her job....your MIL is still in her country...and you are still pouting.....yet, the world continues to revolve.

[Boiler 45,486]

What was the reason for gifting her all the money?

What was it supposed to prove?

If as you say she wants to immigrate then applying for an immigrant visa sort of justifies the refusal of the visitor visa.

The problem is obviously abuse, I am not saying your MIL would, I have no idea, but many many in similar situations have.

As effectively once you are in you are free and clear then the only line of defense is the visa issuing process.

There are who really knows how many people here out of status who entered with a visa, so the logical conclusion is that the Consulates are handing out too many.

I can think of several solutions, however none that have a chance of being enacted. Blame you Politician friends.

[Christopher R. 6]

I see your points. And I know that there are times where the USA plays games with visas/embassies/foreign aid with all countries, allowing some people in more than others to win favor, etc.

I appreciate your kind words. As I stated, I will be simply waiting an extra few months. There are no obstacles to her getting an immigrant visa, and utlimately, that is the right visa for her, given the circumstances of her desire to visit her grandchild at her leisure, and stay as long as she pleases.

I will absolutely blame the politicians of my country, since they are the ones playing games with our very lives for the sake of their own egos.

Chris

What was the reason for gifting her all the money?

What was it supposed to prove?

If as you say she wants to immigrate then applying for an immigrant visa sort of justifies the refusal of the visitor visa.

The problem is obviously abuse, I am not saying your MIL would, I have no idea, but many many in similar situations have.

As effectively once you are in you are free and clear then the only line of defense is the visa issuing process.

There are who really knows how many people here out of status who entered with a visa, so the logical conclusion is that the Consulates are handing out too many.

I can think of several solutions, however none that have a chance of being enacted. Blame you Politician friends.

[Christopher R. 6]

- Please remember the golden rule of aruging with people on the internet is the same as winning a gold medal in the Special Olympics. Even, if you win, you are still a retard... which sadly, you are still lagging behind in this race. I loathe this form of back and forth and I will henceforth cease any further posts since all it does is stir the tard pot, and you my new friend, have apparently simmered to the top.

Since you deigned to respond to me not once, but twice and hurl nothing but insults and disinformation so that other people can see your handiwork, allow me to clarify your ignorance regaring the visa process in this country I am visiting. I actually happen to be an American citizen by birth, and a proud one at that. But as a proud American (as we say) it's my God-given right to critize the ####### I see everyday masquerading as policitics and I am EXTREMELY aware of the visa process, as I stated going through a rather painful process where MY wondeful government LOST our application along with 50,000 others! We had no rights to appeal until at least 6 months of time had elapsed, and people were actually suggesting I 'grease' the wheels by donating huge sums of money to my Congressmen which would provide immediate results! Sounds like a legal bribe to me, so I opted to wait. And wait we did. eventually, with enough artful calls to the USCIS, and enough social engineering which it looks like your sorely lack, I got our application put back into process and was approved and moved through the wheels of this RIDICULOUS process and finally have been living surrounded by love and now a family for the last 3 years.

- Your assumption of another's plight and your words are baseless and serve only to make your feel better about yourself.

- My desire to entire the American embassy was totally separate and had nothing to do with my MIL's application. I was going to register myself and my son for the STEP program so we can be alerted of things during our travels here in GEO. A moron security guard (NOT A MARINE! I would never disrespect a uniformed American serving at home nor abroad) who was a hired local with a shabby haircut and little to no grasp of the English language is what upset me. I wanted to go to my embassy to register for a program available to citizens abroad. This moron had to pick up a phone to get someone who was an English speaker to talk to me and give me the help I asked for. Again, if you want to hurls insults and cruel words, go pick on someone in real life, not in a place where honest people are looking for help and information regarding their VISA JOURNEY. Again, I tend to gravitate to the very meaning of this forum, not what you deem it has evolved to be.

- My wife has even read through these posts and for a change, since she usually is a 2nd perspective on things and can help me see things in a different manner, she thinks my original point of venting my frustration was completely lost upon most of the people here. I appreciate the other views and opinions, much like our #######, it seems we all have one, and sadly, some of them are foul and need to be cleaned out.

- You blew right past the truth. The person at the embassy did precisely ZERO prep for this interview. Have you been through an actual embassy interview in this country? No! Then please I implore you to keep your nasty words to yourself. This place here specifically, is worse than a prison. At least in a prison if you want to have an interview with legal counsel, there is a chance for one on one contact. Talking is done via an intercom. There is a huge plate glass completely separating the interview from the interviewed. There is no chance for someone there to read body language. There was no prep for her visit. She stared at a screen, most of the time, then talked to her interpreter, which further added to confusion and the chaos. It was easier for that lady to flat out deny everyone there than to spend more than what she felt like doing. The VERY popular opinions of the people who go there for visas is that unless you walk in wearing designer clothing, have some kind of celebrity status, or having lots of zeros in your bank account, then you simply aren't gonna get into the US. And from the other side of the pond, I actually know of many Georgians that have done exactly that, jumped the fence as it were and stayed here. I know of one in particular who came here for a tennis tournament and basically ran! Now she dwells in this psuedo-underground of cash jobs, no ID, and lives within the small enclosed community since any real contact with the US would end her up back in Georgia, or in an American jail which where I feel she really belongs. It's not bad here. It's no heaven, but as I said previously, I have found more genuine people here than in my own country, and I bet I have seen way more of the US than most Americans. I grew up near racists, so I know what real prejudice smells like. and there sure is a lot of prejudging going on here.

- I don't know you, and you certainly don't know me, so in the future, you should really think about being a more supportive person in a place for people looking for information or support.

- Civics lesson? Have you actually paid attention to the 3 ring circus our government has become? We live in an Oligarchy, a fact which has been proved recently and it is a sad state of affairs. We have no real voice in government, nor will we for some time. Until money is removed from polictics, your childish perspective of how our government is actually RUN vs. how it is architected merely reinforces your puerile views and your pathetic attempt at getting a rise out of me. That part worked on me! I am on vacation and usually I would not even bother to blog or post on here. I have loved and prefered to stay behind the scenes, helping the people that have come to me asking for advice and support in their specific VISA JOURNEYS due to my knowledge and experience in this area. I can only assume that you yourself have either worked in an embassy, or yourself not being an American citizen have gone through this process in severval place around the world so you can dish our your sagely views? Oh you haven't? Then shut your flanhole and stick with what YOU know, not tearing down others for your own enjoyment. In other words, eat a bag of gonads.

Chris

Documentation and the application are reviewed prior to an interview...those who have been denied before and present 'new' documents can expect those papersto be placed under a microscope to check for 'accuracy.' A bank document, for example, that shows $30,000 in an account that previously held $3000, in a country where the average monthly income is around $500 per month, is going to be checked...and when the bank says that this sudden influx of cash arrived out of nowhere, well, the situation is clear...somebody is trying to fool the embassy....so, questions will be asked of the applicant regarding the source of this new found wealth, and when the stories told cannot be matched with credible evidence, well, good bye credibility. Compassion is not even considered...ever...because it is not addressed in our laws governing visa issuance. The applicant must convince a CO of his/her bona fides....period. When somebody's feeble attempts to be 'creative' fail, then the insults fly about, castigating the nearest CO or our laws, or apparently, even the United States of America...from somebody who calls himself an American? Then, Mr. Know-It-All tried to show everyone what a bigshot he thinks he is by bullying a security guard....but did a visa get issued? No. He's lucky he was not deposited outside the embassy doors by the Marines....(yes, it can happen).

People who know absolutely nothing about the visa process whine like hungry babies when a decision does not go their way....they cast aspersions on the COs, the process, etc, without any factual knowledge of what goes on. They run off crying to their congressman or senator, believing (erroneously) that said representative is going to phone the embassy and order the CO to change their decision....which demonstrates that the whiner did not listen too closely while attending Govt 101 in high school or college....remember those three circles the teacher drew on the board? Legislative, Judicial and Executive branches of our government? The key element is our system is that NO ONE from one branch can tell another what to do! Congress, in the legislative branch, cannot order a CO, in the executive branch, to issue a visa...period.

Nothing about the interested third party to a tourist visa applicant matters....your bank account, your college degree, the size of your house, your alleged religious beliefs, who you supposedly know, etc, do not become attached to a visa applicant...they must succeed or fail on their own merits...not yours...and you cannot make any guarantees about the actions of the applicant while they are in the US because you lack legal authority over them...you cannot force anyone to leave the US (though I wish you would do so yourself) nor board an airplane, thus, your promises about the applicant returning are worthless...something that fragile egos cannot stand to hear....

At the end of the day, the CO is still at her job....your MIL is still in her country...and you are still pouting.....yet, the world continues to revolve.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Evidently there is a very good reason why you only have 22 posts since joining VJ in Nov of 2010.

Less is more in some cases, this is one of those cases.

[Boiler 45,486]

I would be interested to know how they do it.

My supposition is that the applications are reviewed well before the interview and graded, yes and no for most and a few maybe's.

Judging from some of the comments made, perhaps some of the junior staff just get the No's?

That is how I would do it.

[GandD 5,966]

- Please remember the golden rule of aruging with people on the internet is the same as winning a gold medal in the Special Olympics. Even, if you win, you are still a retard... which sadly, you are still lagging behind in this race. I loathe this form of back and forth and I will henceforth cease any further posts since all it does is stir the tard pot, and you my new friend, have apparently simmered to the top.

Since you deigned to respond to me not once, but twice and hurl nothing but insults and disinformation so that other people can see your handiwork, allow me to clarify your ignorance regaring the visa process in this country I am visiting. I actually happen to be an American citizen by birth, and a proud one at that. But as a proud American (as we say) it's my God-given right to critize the ####### I see everyday masquerading as policitics and I am EXTREMELY aware of the visa process, as I stated going through a rather painful process where MY wondeful government LOST our application along with 50,000 others! We had no rights to appeal until at least 6 months of time had elapsed, and people were actually suggesting I 'grease' the wheels by donating huge sums of money to my Congressmen which would provide immediate results! Sounds like a legal bribe to me, so I opted to wait. And wait we did. eventually, with enough artful calls to the USCIS, and enough social engineering which it looks like your sorely lack, I got our application put back into process and was approved and moved through the wheels of this RIDICULOUS process and finally have been living surrounded by love and now a family for the last 3 years.

- Your assumption of another's plight and your words are baseless and serve only to make your feel better about yourself.

- My desire to entire the American embassy was totally separate and had nothing to do with my MIL's application. I was going to register myself and my son for the STEP program so we can be alerted of things during our travels here in GEO. A moron security guard (NOT A MARINE! I would never disrespect a uniformed American serving at home nor abroad) who was a hired local with a shabby haircut and little to no grasp of the English language is what upset me. I wanted to go to my embassy to register for a program available to citizens abroad. This moron had to pick up a phone to get someone who was an English speaker to talk to me and give me the help I asked for. Again, if you want to hurls insults and cruel words, go pick on someone in real life, not in a place where honest people are looking for help and information regarding their VISA JOURNEY. Again, I tend to gravitate to the very meaning of this forum, not what you deem it has evolved to be.

- My wife has even read through these posts and for a change, since she usually is a 2nd perspective on things and can help me see things in a different manner, she thinks my original point of venting my frustration was completely lost upon most of the people here. I appreciate the other views and opinions, much like our #######, it seems we all have one, and sadly, some of them are foul and need to be cleaned out.

- You blew right past the truth. The person at the embassy did precisely ZERO prep for this interview. Have you been through an actual embassy interview in this country? No! Then please I implore you to keep your nasty words to yourself. This place here specifically, is worse than a prison. At least in a prison if you want to have an interview with legal counsel, there is a chance for one on one contact. Talking is done via an intercom. There is a huge plate glass completely separating the interview from the interviewed. There is no chance for someone there to read body language. There was no prep for her visit. She stared at a screen, most of the time, then talked to her interpreter, which further added to confusion and the chaos. It was easier for that lady to flat out deny everyone there than to spend more than what she felt like doing. The VERY popular opinions of the people who go there for visas is that unless you walk in wearing designer clothing, have some kind of celebrity status, or having lots of zeros in your bank account, then you simply aren't gonna get into the US. And from the other side of the pond, I actually know of many Georgians that have done exactly that, jumped the fence as it were and stayed here. I know of one in particular who came here for a tennis tournament and basically ran! Now she dwells in this psuedo-underground of cash jobs, no ID, and lives within the small enclosed community since any real contact with the US would end her up back in Georgia, or in an American jail which where I feel she really belongs. It's not bad here. It's no heaven, but as I said previously, I have found more genuine people here than in my own country, and I bet I have seen way more of the US than most Americans. I grew up near racists, so I know what real prejudice smells like. and there sure is a lot of prejudging going on here.

- I don't know you, and you certainly don't know me, so in the future, you should really think about being a more supportive person in a place for people looking for information or support.

- Civics lesson? Have you actually paid attention to the 3 ring circus our government has become? We live in an Oligarchy, a fact which has been proved recently and it is a sad state of affairs. We have no real voice in government, nor will we for some time. Until money is removed from polictics, your childish perspective of how our government is actually RUN vs. how it is architected merely reinforces your puerile views and your pathetic attempt at getting a rise out of me. That part worked on me! I am on vacation and usually I would not even bother to blog or post on here. I have loved and prefered to stay behind the scenes, helping the people that have come to me asking for advice and support in their specific VISA JOURNEYS due to my knowledge and experience in this area. I can only assume that you yourself have either worked in an embassy, or yourself not being an American citizen have gone through this process in severval place around the world so you can dish our your sagely views? Oh you haven't? Then shut your flanhole and stick with what YOU know, not tearing down others for your own enjoyment. In other words, eat a bag of gonads.

Chris

You're taking stuff too personally. You're a number. Just read more man, you'll figure it out. Your feelings are irrelevant unless this is "venting" for you. The process is what it is, get better at it.

[pauli 49]

Hey Christopher, as it appears likely that you and your wife will be pursuing getting a green card for your mother-in-law (which you have the right to do), please research (if you haven't already) about maintaining permanent residence and the rights and responsibilities of permanent residents (including tax implications). Your posts here make it seem like you believe your mother-in-law would be able to visit the U.S. for a few weeks and then go back to Georgia for, say, 6 months, and then come back to visit for a few weeks, etc. If she does that, then it's very possible that her green card would get revoked, potentially making it even more difficult for her to come to the U.S. further in the future. I just don't want you to have any bad surprises.

[Christopher R. 6]

Brevity is the soul of wit. I would be childish to say "He started it!" but alas, I feel like it's time to back to slumber for this grizzly bear. He poked, I arose.

Posting publicly is not a sign of anything. I would judge someone by their merits, not the quantity of their posts.

Evidently there is a very good reason why you only have 22 posts since joining VJ in Nov of 2010.

Less is more in some cases, this is one of those cases.

[Christopher R. 6]

I appreciate your comments. I have review the tax implications for my wife since she is about to become a citizen and is current a permanent resident. We were pursuing some foreign property and some foreign investments, but we will most likely stay away from these things since you are correct in that my already long and cumbersome yearly tax filings would get even more tedious. If I had more of a vested interest in a long term residency myself, then I would do it. Even dabbling in the forex markets are highly volatile, and carry some nasty fees and tax implications. My MIL would have little of these issues since she is retired and would merely live with us and basically become a dependant of mine. A burden I will gladly look forward to! Her cooking is without a doubt reason enough to let her stay with us forever. She and my FIL would live in the US with us and her FIL would get some kind of job to fill his time. He is not the kind to sit around idly. I don't want to put such a burden of them having to learn such a complex language as English so late in their lives (If you know how different Georgian is from any other language in the world, it's unique and extrememly hard to learn) but I think overall our lives would all be better served living together as an extended family, something we Americans have forgotten how to do. I would not want to just ship off my parents when they got 'old enough'.

Hey Christopher, as it appears likely that you and your wife will be pursuing getting a green card for your mother-in-law (which you have the right to do), please research (if you haven't already) about maintaining permanent residence and the rights and responsibilities of permanent residents (including tax implications). Your posts here make it seem like you believe your mother-in-law would be able to visit the U.S. for a few weeks and then go back to Georgia for, say, 6 months, and then come back to visit for a few weeks, etc. If she does that, then it's very possible that her green card would get revoked, potentially making it even more difficult for her to come to the U.S. further in the future. I just don't want you to have any bad surprises.