Travel Ban Support Group

[JennaL 151]

13 hours ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

Are you trying to just push a narrative or what? You post a link to a website that's not even news related to say that people need to find someone in the media. What is the media going to do?

@Cyberfx1024, the link is just a place for people affected by the ban to share and listen to other's similar stories and gain support. I am glad you have not had to deal with being separated from your loved one because of this ban, but please have understanding for those US Citizens that are currently dealing with this. A little compassion goes a long way.

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

3 hours ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

Sorry but I won't go anywhere else since I had a valid question. 

Cyberfx, 

 

I am not sure what brings you to such a thread. We are here all because we are impacted by the Travel Ban. We pitch our ideas and suggestions without any malicious intentions. So please no need for throwing accusations and judgements right and left with no reason. 

If you disagree with someone, it is your right; but no need to attack each other! 

 

Thank you

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

To all members, 

 

I am thinking to try a new strategy to bring light to our situation; I do not know how easy it is to apply such a thing. But June 25th is coming up soon (the date the decision was upheld by the supreme court). How about we go on a hunger strike around that date if things are still complicated? 

I would not mind taking a few days off and set up my tent somewhere, have a few signs condemning the ban and start a hunger strike! what do you think? 

[mado1983 79]

Im thinking of really some channel or newspaper .. Unfortunately i dont know any one... But it has to be big number with many questions such as .. How come some cases less than 4 month how come they issued b1 visas ... Or how they work because i dont see any time line or time progress to thier works

[Yamen 10]

I suggest to go the day of June 26 and protest in front of JFK airport. it is New York. International arrival at major airport. One spot with all of us. We need to gather all of us who affected. The protest at JFK when the travel ban initiated shocked them. We need those who are affected by the travel ban. we can start by inviting those on 

https://in-it.com/allmissions

[mado1983 79]

i dont understant when you see hunderds of Yemenies issued immigrants visas (( im happy for them )) then you found syrians just a few a really dont understand and how its works ????  

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

I noticed the same thing today after seeing Feb stats  
What is strange also is the big number of B1/B2 visas given to Syrians  That is so unfair! 

[mado1983 79]

 

 

really ... something to do ..

[JennaL 151]

So my mom just sent me the below story - she was interviewed (along with several others) by the Washington Post regarding my situation and my sister's situation regarding the travel ban/extreme vetting - take a read (her name is Deb.)

 

Keep speaking up about the issues affecting you - people are listening  

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/26/more-stories-hearts-broken-by-trumps-travel-ban/?utm_term=.92ff7558cc53

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

1 hour ago, JennaL said:

So my mom just sent me the below story - she was interviewed (along with several others) by the Washington Post regarding my situation and my sister's situation regarding the travel ban/extreme vetting - take a read (her name is Deb.)

 

Keep speaking up about the issues affecting you - people are listening  

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/26/more-stories-hearts-broken-by-trumps-travel-ban/?utm_term=.92ff7558cc53

Can you post the content of the article here? I do not have an account and do not intend to make one.

 

Thanks you advance  

[JessM28 62]

17 hours ago, JennaL said:

So my mom just sent me the below story - she was interviewed (along with several others) by the Washington Post regarding my situation and my sister's situation regarding the travel ban/extreme vetting - take a read (her name is Deb.)

 

Keep speaking up about the issues affecting you - people are listening  

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/03/26/more-stories-hearts-broken-by-trumps-travel-ban/?utm_term=.92ff7558cc53

 

15 hours ago, MuhammadSheikh said:

Can you post the content of the article here? I do not have an account and do not intend to make one.

 

Thanks you advance  

I had to cut out the photos (which were really beautiful) but here is the body of the article: 

 

More stories of hearts broken by Trump’s travel ban

Opinion | Trump tried, and failed, to keep this couple apart

An American woman and her Iranian husband have reunited in the U.S. after President Trump’s travel ban threatened to break up their marriage. (Kate Woodsome, Joshua Carroll, Dean Storm, Danielle Kunitz/The Washington Post)

By Kate Woodsome and

Jason Rezaian

March 26 at 9:50 AM

When we released our first short documentary about two married couples separated by President Trump’s travel ban, we asked viewers to let us know whether they had similar stories. Nearly 800 letters of heartbreak poured in. Americans from across the country, and the world, said they were struggling to keep their families intact because of the executive order blocking immigration from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen — countries Trump says are security threats.

Immigration from the majority-Muslim countries listed in the ban has plummeted, and the State Department says fewer than 3,000 waivers were granted between Jan. 31 and Dec. 8, 2017, when the policy went into full effect. These waivers were a key part of the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the travel ban. The Trump administration said it would make exceptions for people experiencing undue hardship and who are, essentially, not terrorists. But that waiver system isn’t working out too well for most visa applicants who are stuck in indefinite bureaucratic limbo.

Nine days after we published our story, U.S. officials notified one of the Iranian subjects in our video that he qualified for a waiver. After filming his reunion with his wife in Michigan, we received even more texts, emails and videos from people hoping to get media coverage. We can’t publish them all, but this is a sampling of the hardship Americans and their foreign-born loved ones say they are experiencing because of the travel ban.

[Listen to Post Reports to hear how Kate Woodsome and Jason Rezaian covered this story.]

Deborah Vosseteig, West Fargo, N.D.

Our youngest daughter, Sarah, has been living in Turkey for five years homeschooling an American family. During this time, she met and married a Christian Iranian refugee living in Turkey. He fled Iran with his mother because of religious persecution. He and his mother are registered refugees with the United Nations and have been given the U.S. as their new placement country. However, they have not seen movement in their processes since the travel ban two years ago.

Afshin Bahiraei and Sarah Vosseteig. (Courtesy of Deborah Vosseteig)

They have been waiting desperately to be allowed in the U.S. to start a life of security and freedom. They do not know when or even if that will ever happen.

Our other daughter, Jenna, lives in North Dakota and is engaged to the brother of Sarah’s husband. Her fiance lives in Norway and has been a Norwegian citizen for about 14 years. Unfortunately, he was born in Iran, one of the countries named in the ban. He has been waiting for 2½ years for a visitor’s visa to the U.S. and is consistently told it’s in administrative processing.

Daniel Bahiraei and Jenna Vosseteig. (Courtesy of Deborah Vosseteig)

They have also applied for a fiance visa, but that also is in administrative processing. They do not know when he will be allowed in the U.S. and when they will be allowed to marry and begin their lives together.

So yes, our entire family has been affected tremendously by President Trump’s travel ban, and we pray something can be done to overturn this decision.

Majid Jamshid Zadeh, Houston

My name is Majid Jamshid Zadeh. I’m from Iran and living in Houston. I have a master’s degree and have been working as an electronic engineer for two years in one of the best industrial companies in Houston.

I have been married for 10 years. My wife’s name is Shabnam Taleb, and she lives in Iran now. She is a licensed medical doctor and is one of the best doctors in her field in Iran.

I applied for her to join me in the United States on Jan. 4, 2017, and after checking all our documents and background, she was approved by the National Visa Center on June 20, 2017, with an alien number and all legal documents. They sent her to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on Oct. 18, 2017, then put her case under administrative processing, which was more than 17 months ago.

This separation is hard for us. For more than 42 months, we have not seen each other. I tried to contact my congressmen and senators to help me. I sent several inquiries to the embassy for an update, and they always answer me: “Your case is under Administrative Processing.” I sent three letters to President Trump, too, but nothing happened.

My wife is alone awaiting for administrative processing to finish so she can join me, and I am alone here waiting for her. We are legal immigrants, educated people whom the president promised to help come to U.S., but after the travel ban, they seem to have stopped processing applications. What is our fault? For what reason do we have this hardship? We are losing our chance to make a family here due to age and stress.

Mehrshad Alexander Mehrdad, Irvine, Calif.

Mehrshad Mehrdad and his fiancee, Melika Nazar. (Courtesy of Mehrshad Mehrdad)

My name is Mehrshad Alexander Mehrdad. I’m a U.S. citizen born on Oct. 2, 1990, residing in Irvine, Calif. I have been awaiting the arrival of my fiancee, Melika Nazar, since March 2016. At that time, I filed a petition for a fiancee visa. Melika’s acceptance arrived on April 2016. In early September 2016, my immediate family and I traveled to Iran for a short two weeks, and with a beautiful ceremony, we announced our engagement to both of our families.

On Nov. 1, 2016, Melika successfully completed her visa interview. However, Melika’s fiancee visa status continues to remain unchanged from “administrative processing” even after almost two years from her visa interview. In October 2017, out of desperation and at the risk of losing my job, I made another trip to see my loved one. Since my departure, she has been ill and struggles with depression. I am also emotionally and financially exhausted. With recent regulations and changes in Iran, I was unable to revisit; therefore, we planned another trip to Thailand to meet each other in June 2018, again putting my vocation at risk in order to see my significant other.

After our trip, we were separated again, and Melika’s symptoms have gradually worsened. In the past year, she has had multiple hospital admissions. She has also been treated several times this year for major anxiety disorder, severe dehydration and peptic ulcer disease. I have been trying every available option to find out about her visa status that remains in administrative processing.

Laura Kakish, Azusa, Calif.

Khaled Nawaya and Laura Kakish. (Courtesy of Laura Kakish)

I am a U.S.-born citizen, and my husband is of Syrian descent. (He was born in Saudi Arabia and carries a Syrian passport but has only visited Syria as a kid once or twice. Saudi Arabia does not confer automatic birthright citizenship.) He previously lived in the U.S. for 16 years on a student visa and left after completing his education.

We were married in Canada in 2010 and have been dealing with the immigration process since then. He is currently in Saudi Arabia under a visitor’s visa, and we have not seen each other since 2012. We have never lived with each other or had the chance to experience married life. My husband has worked, paid taxes and purchased a home in the U.S., but he is not welcomed here. He finally got approved through the strenuous immigration process,only 10 days before the travel ban took effect. Now we are waiting again under the waiver process for more than a year after being approved by the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh.

This travel ban is tearing our souls apart. Our lives have been on hold for close to nine years, and we are not getting any younger. We want to have kids, but it may not be possible, and the government is the reason. I want my life back. I want to live like a human.

Payam Moein, Memphis

Payam and Caitlan Moein are hoping to reunite with his parents, Houshang Moin and Minou Vahdatpour, seen on the computer screen. (Courtesy of Payam Moein)

I am currently a J-1 visa physician, originally from Iran, about to finish my residency in neurology. I will be furthering my education by completing a two-year epilepsy and neurophysiology fellowship.

I have not been able to see my family for six years, although I entered the country legally. I have given up a lot since coming to the United States. I was recently married, and my parents were unable to attend the wedding due to President Trump’s travel ban. My wife has become pregnant, and I now have to face the reality that my parents may never get to meet their grandchild or my wife.

My father is 76 and was recently diagnosed with cancer. It pains me very much thinking of worst-case scenarios. My parents are up for a green card interview, and if the United States would give my parents’ application a chance, obviously they would be willing to comply with a full investigation. They would undoubtedly determine my parents are not a threat. I cannot leave the country as I am on a single J-1 visa, and the chance of being denied after leaving the U.S. is very high because of my country of origin (Iran).

I cannot visit my sick father. I often think of leaving this country and moving to Canada despite the tremendous job openings because of the harsh law of the travel ban. Essentially, Trump is not only hurting Iranian citizens; he is also hurting U.S. citizens who are in need of neurologists. This leads to longer wait times for patients. Time spent waiting can be life-threatening.

Mohammadhossein Moshkelgosha, Shiraz, Iran

Mohammadhossein and Mahsa Moshkelgosha. (Courtesy of Mohammadhossein Moshkelgosha)

I am a 32-year-old Iranian doctor who passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination. My wife, Mahsa, is a school psychologist who works with children with mental disabilities and emotional issues. She has been a legal permanent resident of the United States since 2013. She had applied for my visa after our marriage in 2015. Everything went well, and our application had been processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the National Visa Center. In 2017, when I had my interview at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the officer told me that “your documents are perfect and you will receive your visa by next two to three months.” Twenty months have passed, and nothing has happened.

We are both devastated by the travel ban and feel depressed after the Supreme Court’s final decision. My wife’s birthday was on Feb. 13, and we are still separated. We have tried everything but nothing has worked yet. Even the office of then-Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Calif.) contacted the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, but they answered that they are not allowed to take further actions. Interestingly, the embassy put our email address on a spam list so we have not been able to contact them anymore.

This is the sad story of many families all around the world who have been separated by the travel ban rooted in racism and xenophobia.

[JessM28 62]

On 3/19/2019 at 9:35 PM, Cyberfx1024 said:

Are you trying to just push a narrative or what? You post a link to a website that's not even news related to say that people need to find someone in the media. What is the media going to do?

The purpose of the in-it campaign is to create a tool for sharing with members of Congress who do not have the travel ban on their radar. It is great if it also gets the attention of the media because people are not going to fight something that they don't know (or have forgotten) exists. 

 

It's great that you and your wife are living happily ever after in America- those of us in this group are longing for the day when our spouses and loved ones can join us and we too can have the happy ever after. Right now we live in a type of purgatory- uncertain of our fate. Please be respectful of that fact when posting in this group. 

 

From the in-it website: 

Why it matters?

Travel ban separates families and uproot lives, and the waiver process has been proven to be a sham (former consular officers stated that they were instructed to deny or delay almost all waivers ). We want to bring public attention to this ban’s continued impact on our lives and ask the newly-elected congress members to oversee implementation of the waiver process and work to exempt the families

[JessM28 62]

My husband (who is Iranian) has his interview in Madrid (Spain) on April 3rd. This morning I emailed the embassy with the travel ban waiver letter we wrote and two letters of support. I was surprised not only to get a response- but with the response I received- which seems to imply that there is some sort of application process for the waiver. This did not sound like what I had previously heard. Below is the chain of 4 emails between me and the embassy. I only deleted information that was private- but the majority of the information is below. Please let me know your thoughts. I also emailed the chain to Senator Van Hollen's rep who deals with travel ban cases to see if this sounded correct with what she has heard and she replied: "No, this does not comport with what we’ve been told from DOS and other consulates/embassies about the waiver process" 

 

 

1.      My Email (which had attached letters of support and my Travel Ban Wavier Letter) I wrote:

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

    My husband,  is coming on April 3^rd for his interview for a CR-1 visa. We realize that he will need to be granted a travel ban waiver in order to receive his visa. We pray that you would carefully consider the attached letters with why we should receive a waiver (from me) and also two letters of support, …. Pouya has the original copies which he will bring on Wednesday.

 

You should also be receiving letters of support from Senator Van Hollen (Maryland) and Representative Trone (6^th District of Maryland).  

 

Pouya looks forward to meeting with you all on Wednesday and we pray that we will receive happy news- we just had our 1 year wedding anniversary and we are anxious to be reunited soon!

 

Sincerely,

Jessica

 

2.       Response from the Embassy:

Dear Mrs. B:

 

Regrettably the waiver, in case the beneficiary needs it, is not process by the Embassy, but it is process by the Immigration Services.

 

The consular officer, after the interview, will determine if your spouse, Mr. A, needs a waiver, and in that case will give him instructions on how to apply for it with the USCIS.

 

Regards.

 

Immigrant Visa Unit

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy Madrid

 

3.       My Response to the Embassy:

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

Thank you so much for the information. We hope that the documents previously sent will be included in his official file, in the case that a waiver is needed, and his file gets returned to Immigration Services.

 

Sincerely,

Jess

 

4.       Response from the Embassy:

Dear Mrs. B:

 

We will not keep the documents, as the beneficiary will have to file the waiver directly with the Immigration Services.

 

Regards.

 

Immigrant Visa Unit

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy Madrid

 

[salhasl 113]

6 hours ago, JessM28 said:

My husband (who is Iranian) has his interview in Madrid (Spain) on April 3rd. This morning I emailed the embassy with the travel ban waiver letter we wrote and two letters of support. I was surprised not only to get a response- but with the response I received- which seems to imply that there is some sort of application process for the waiver. This did not sound like what I had previously heard. Below is the chain of 4 emails between me and the embassy. I only deleted information that was private- but the majority of the information is below. Please let me know your thoughts. I also emailed the chain to Senator Van Hollen's rep who deals with travel ban cases to see if this sounded correct with what she has heard and she replied: "No, this does not comport with what we’ve been told from DOS and other consulates/embassies about the waiver process" 

 

 

1.      My Email (which had attached letters of support and my Travel Ban Wavier Letter) I wrote:

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

    My husband,  is coming on April 3^rd for his interview for a CR-1 visa. We realize that he will need to be granted a travel ban waiver in order to receive his visa. We pray that you would carefully consider the attached letters with why we should receive a waiver (from me) and also two letters of support, …. Pouya has the original copies which he will bring on Wednesday.

 

You should also be receiving letters of support from Senator Van Hollen (Maryland) and Representative Trone (6^th District of Maryland).  

 

Pouya looks forward to meeting with you all on Wednesday and we pray that we will receive happy news- we just had our 1 year wedding anniversary and we are anxious to be reunited soon!

 

Sincerely,

Jessica

 

2.       Response from the Embassy:

Dear Mrs. B:

 

Regrettably the waiver, in case the beneficiary needs it, is not process by the Embassy, but it is process by the Immigration Services.

 

The consular officer, after the interview, will determine if your spouse, Mr. A, needs a waiver, and in that case will give him instructions on how to apply for it with the USCIS.

 

Regards.

 

Immigrant Visa Unit

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy Madrid

 

3.       My Response to the Embassy:

Dear Sir/Madam:

 

Thank you so much for the information. We hope that the documents previously sent will be included in his official file, in the case that a waiver is needed, and his file gets returned to Immigration Services.

 

Sincerely,

Jess

 

4.       Response from the Embassy:

Dear Mrs. B:

 

We will not keep the documents, as the beneficiary will have to file the waiver directly with the Immigration Services.

 

Regards.

 

Immigrant Visa Unit

Consular Section

U.S. Embassy Madrid

 

This wont be the first time embassy staff are clueless about how to process the waiver. Spain is not an embassy that usually handles travel ban cases so I am not surprised they seem to give you what clearly is incorrect information. The beneficiary cannot file a waiver. Waiver is not applied with the USCIS. Its submitted by the consular officer to the department of state. 

 

The most probable outcome here is the same what hundreds of other couples are experiencing. An indefinite long AP. Feb visa numbers just came out. Iranian numbers are horrendous. Its great you are being a lot more proactive than most others. Maybe it will help. Keep us posted how it goes. Best wishes.

 

 

[Cm3957 3]

My fiance went to Madrid embassy, they ask by email for the extreme vetting information and forward the information along. They may take the information at the interview if it's complete with all information needed. I summit new information to them by email and they add it to her file.