Travel Ban Support Group

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

Travel Ban waiver hearing tomorrow in SF court: 

 

Hello all, 

 

If you live close to San Francisco or know someone there, please be present tomorrow morning in the court! there is a court hearing against the waiver system. The lawyer is asking for people to show up so that the judges will see the impact. PLEASE be there if you can. If you need details, please let me know. 

 

All the best 

[Mnj11 29]

7 minutes ago, Muhammad&Mansory said:

Hello everyone, 

June numbers are out. Iranian visas show improvement; Syrians slight improvement too. 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/immigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-immigrant-visa-issuances.html 

The numbers are still pathetic

[r.a12345 11]

I don't know if this is new to anyone.  This is auto reply I got from the embassy that my husband's case is at.

Presidential Proclamation 9645
 On December 8, 2017, the Departments of State and Homeland Security began implementing travel restrictions for nationals of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen under Presidential Proclamation 9645 (PP 9645).  Waivers are available, but the process has proven to be quite lengthy. Recently, however, the Department of State began implementing a procedure for PP 9645 cases that includes enhanced automated front-end (pre-interview) screening to determine whether any additional review is required related to determine whether the applicant has satisfied the national security and public safety waiver criterion. This new automated system, which is now fully operational, should significantly increase the speed and efficiency of the vetting process for both current and future waiver cases while maintaining all security standards. Due to the large quantity of PP 9645-related cases that U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur must adjudicate, we ask your patience as we work to effectuate the changes, and ask that you please refrain from emailing the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur Consular Section with general questions related to this directive.  If a waiver is granted in your case, we will notify you immediately; there is no need for you to inquire about your status.

[Mnj11 29]

1 minute ago, r.a12345 said:

I don't know if this is new to anyone.  This is auto reply I got from the embassy that my husband's case is at.

Presidential Proclamation 9645
 On December 8, 2017, the Departments of State and Homeland Security began implementing travel restrictions for nationals of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen under Presidential Proclamation 9645 (PP 9645).  Waivers are available, but the process has proven to be quite lengthy. Recently, however, the Department of State began implementing a procedure for PP 9645 cases that includes enhanced automated front-end (pre-interview) screening to determine whether any additional review is required related to determine whether the applicant has satisfied the national security and public safety waiver criterion. This new automated system, which is now fully operational, should significantly increase the speed and efficiency of the vetting process for both current and future waiver cases while maintaining all security standards. Due to the large quantity of PP 9645-related cases that U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur must adjudicate, we ask your patience as we work to effectuate the changes, and ask that you please refrain from emailing the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur Consular Section with general questions related to this directive.  If a waiver is granted in your case, we will notify you immediately; there is no need for you to inquire about your status.

 

This is good news because now we know that there's a new system in place to expedite waiver process. Thanks so much for sharing !

[Adam82 14]

On 7/24/2019 at 9:37 AM, Muhammad&Mansory said:

Travel Ban waiver hearing tomorrow in SF court: 

 

 Hello all, 

 

 If you live close to San Francisco or know someone there, please be present tomorrow morning in the court! there is a court hearing against the waiver system. The lawyer is asking for people to show up so that the judges will see the impact. PLEASE be there if you can. If you need details, please let me know. 

 

 All the best 

Hi @Muhammad&Mansory
Do you have any news about the hearing today ?I have heard that the Judge denied the DOS request to dismiss the case, but nothing behind that. 
Thanks. 

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

11 hours ago, Adam82 said:

Hi @Muhammad&Mansory
Do you have any news about the hearing today ?I have heard that the Judge denied the DOS request to dismiss the case, but nothing behind that. 
Thanks. 

Yes, I think the session was in our favor. The judge seems sympathetic to what the Lawyers are asking and he denied the motion to dismiss. They will meet again on 12 Sept after giving both sides homework to do. 

 

I felt the DOS attorney was cornered and he had no answers to certain questions! Hopefully this reflects on the number of visas issued in the near future. 

 

[salhasl 113]

58 minutes ago, Muhammad&Mansory said:

Yes, I think the session was in our favor. The judge seems sympathetic to what the Lawyers are asking and he denied the motion to dismiss. They will meet again on 12 Sept after giving both sides homework to do. 

 

I felt the DOS attorney was cornered and he had no answers to certain questions! Hopefully this reflects on the number of visas issued in the near future. 

 

I take it you were there. Did the attorney for the DOS bring up the automated pre interview screening system? I feel they rushed to implement it before yesterday hearing.

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

32 minutes ago, salhasl said:

I take it you were there. Did the attorney for the DOS bring up the automated pre interview screening system? I feel they rushed to implement it before yesterday hearing.

Yup, I was there. No, they did not bring it up. 

[NJ515 73]

10 hours ago, Muhammad&Mansory said:

Yup, I was there. No, they did not bring it up. 

 

10 hours ago, salhasl said:

I take it you were there. Did the attorney for the DOS bring up the automated pre interview screening system? I feel they rushed to implement it before yesterday hearing.

it's still pretty interesting... i got a CEAC update last week, so I hope this ends soon. If not, I'm still moving forward with the WoM case.

[Muhammad&Mansory 117]

Here is an article about the hearing: 

 

https://www.kqed.org/news/11763562/federal-judge-in-s-f-allows-challenge-to-travel-ban-visa-waiver-program-to-proceed 

 

On a separate note, I started my Mandamus today Hopefully we get the visa during this process! 

[NJ515 73]

21 hours ago, Muhammad&Mansory said:

Here is an article about the hearing: 

 

https://www.kqed.org/news/11763562/federal-judge-in-s-f-allows-challenge-to-travel-ban-visa-waiver-program-to-proceed 

 

On a separate note, I started my Mandamus today Hopefully we get the visa during this process! 

Did you file it?  Did they give you any estimate of how long the WoM will take? We are looking to file on or about August 8th.

[Asd1 1]

Hi everyone , my application is on AP since oct/2018 , IR1 , i know someon got his vis in one month frome the banned contries and lives in saudi arabia like me , nothing special no medical issues , they took his passport in interview but for me the officer refused to take it and told me they will contact me when AP is over.

[Asd1 1]

2 hours ago, NJ515 said:

Did you file it?  Did they give you any estimate of how long the WoM will take? We are looking to file on or about August 8th.

How much it cost you to file this and is the case filed with other applicants or alone

[Asd1 1]

3 minutes ago, Asd1 said:

Hi everyone , my application is on AP since oct/2018 , IR1 , i know someon got his vis in one month frome the banned contries and lives in saudi arabia like me , nothing special no medical issues , they took his passport in interview but for me the officer refused to take it and told me they will contact me when AP over

I dont know how the embassy is working but i think lately tgey are issuing more visa for the new applications , forget about the old ones 🤤

[MonHad 8]

Hello Everyone,

 

I have two cases here, my wife’s and my brother’s wife. Both interviewed in Riyadh.

 

so my wife interviewed on December 2018 and got a 212(f) refusal because she holds a Yemeni passport. You know, the refusal sheet included all that “review for waiver eligibility” stuff. Anyways, she’s been a resident of Saudi since 2011. We were asked to submit the DS-5535 right after the interview, which we did. The ceac site got a “case last updated” on Jan 7th. That was the last update on our case till this moment.

 

I email the embassy about once a month since the interview. Sometimes they don’t even respond, sometimes they respond with a one liner! The generic bs!! 

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?!!!

 

My brother’s wife in the other hand; interviewed on June 3rd 2019. She received a 221(g) and crapload of documents requested. Plus, they asked for a copy of her passport so they can give them a DS-5535 to submit. At the time, her passport was sent to the yemeni embassy to get renewed so every time they called asking for the copy of the passport my brother kept telling them to wait. A couple of weeks passed after the interview, some lady from the embassy called and said “congratulations we will issue your wife’s visa”!!! BUT WAIT, AREN’T THEY WAITING ON A COPY OF THE PASSPORT TO SINK ME INTO AP FOR EVER?!!! 

 

Well, they told him to mail the passport with a new I-864 (joint financial sponsor). We prepared the I-864 and he received the renewed passport then mailed it to them. His case remained refused until it got issued on July 15, 2019. Basically 40 days after the interview. Forgot to add, my brother’s wife is on a governmental visit visa that needs to be renewed every 3 months and she had to get a police certificate from both countries Yemen and Saudi.

 

Any who, the question that’s blowing my mind at the moment is, if you delay the completeness of the DS-5535, would that result in you avoiding the AP nonsense?!! 

 

Your thoughts on both cases please!