Travel Ban Support Group

[salhasl 113]

7 hours ago, m-alihaji said:

Hi everyone,

 

I'm Iranian and I petitioned for a K1 visa for my Iranian fiance in January 2016. He went to his interview in Abu Dhabi July 2016 and his case has been in administrative processing since then.  We have not been asked for any additional information since his interview. Before the supreme court made the final decision on the ban, I had emailed the embassy several times, but they never replied to any of my emails. Since the supreme court's ruling, I haven't contacted the embassy at all, because I've been afraid to bring any attention to the case...I'd  rather his case stays in administrative processing than for it to be denied 😞 I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions or any good news. I've pretty much lost all hope. 

 Thanks  

While initially there was confusion in regards to whether K visas could qualify for waivers, it is now clear that K1 are being granted waivers, I have seen one myself. Your case has been in AP for over 2.5 years!!! This is unbelievable. You should contact the embassy and/or your senators. 

 

The travel ban has basically translated to mandatory AP for spouses and fiances.  

 

 

[Cm3957 3]

My fiancé who is an Iranian had her interview in madrid yesterday, she is studying there for the past two years under a student visa (medical field). She went into the interview and the office did not review her file before the interview. The office was surprised she only had a Iranian passport and not a spainish passport also. No where on the multiple paperwork filed did we say anything about a spainish passport. 

 

When my fiancé told her that she only had a Iranian passport she closed the folder on her desk and began to apologize about not being able to do anything. She only asked her brief and simple questions about us and then went to go speak to her supervisor for ten mins about what to do. The officer told her she needs to look into a cr1 visa and start the process over because it’s easier to get a waiver. She said no Iranian k1 visa waiver has been approved since 2016 (not sure if she was talking about the madrid embassy alone). She also mentioned the undo hardship in our case would be for the u.s citizen (me)  and not her.

 

The officer told her she will help out the best she can and get started on a wavier but issued her a 221g request for more information which includes 

-email addresses used 

-travel history for the past 15 years

-handles for all social media 

-cv resume

-prior passport numbers

-past jobs

-past phone numbers

-letter from sponsor 

 

[salhasl 113]

4 hours ago, Cm3957 said:

My fiancé who is an Iranian had her interview in madrid yesterday, she is studying there for the past two years under a student visa (medical field). She went into the interview and the office did not review her file before the interview. The office was surprised she only had a Iranian passport and not a spainish passport also. No where on the multiple paperwork filed did we say anything about a spainish passport. 

 

When my fiancé told her that she only had a Iranian passport she closed the folder on her desk and began to apologize about not being able to do anything. She only asked her brief and simple questions about us and then went to go speak to her supervisor for ten mins about what to do. The officer told her she needs to look into a cr1 visa and start the process over because it’s easier to get a waiver. She said no Iranian k1 visa waiver has been approved since 2016 (not sure if she was talking about the madrid embassy alone). She also mentioned the undo hardship in our case would be for the u.s citizen (me)  and not her.

 

The officer told her she will help out the best she can and get started on a wavier but issued her a 221g request for more information which includes 

-email addresses used 

-travel history for the past 15 years

-handles for all social media 

-cv resume

-prior passport numbers

-past jobs

-past phone numbers

-letter from sponsor 

 

Yep. Standard experience. There has been 1 k1 a month approved for iran past few months. You will be put in ap. Same as cr1. If you have made the decision this is the person youll spend the rest of your life with marry and do cr1. Otherwise youll wait 1 to 2 years for the k1 to come through.

[JennaL 151]

4 hours ago, Cm3957 said:

My fiancé who is an Iranian had her interview in madrid yesterday, she is studying there for the past two years under a student visa (medical field). She went into the interview and the office did not review her file before the interview. The office was surprised she only had a Iranian passport and not a spainish passport also. No where on the multiple paperwork filed did we say anything about a spainish passport. 

 

When my fiancé told her that she only had a Iranian passport she closed the folder on her desk and began to apologize about not being able to do anything. She only asked her brief and simple questions about us and then went to go speak to her supervisor for ten mins about what to do. The officer told her she needs to look into a cr1 visa and start the process over because it’s easier to get a waiver. She said no Iranian k1 visa waiver has been approved since 2016 (not sure if she was talking about the madrid embassy alone). She also mentioned the undo hardship in our case would be for the u.s citizen (me)  and not her.

 

The officer told her she will help out the best she can and get started on a wavier but issued her a 221g request for more information which includes 

-email addresses used 

-travel history for the past 15 years

-handles for all social media 

-cv resume

-prior passport numbers

-past jobs

-past phone numbers

-letter from sponsor 

 

My fiancé is from Iran also, although he's been a citizen of a European country now for most of his adult life. He had his embassy interview about two months ago and was also given the 221g. We've been waiting since then in AP, although I know there are many others on here in the same situation who have been waiting much longer. It's definitely a frustrating situation to say the least.

[MO&RA 22]

6 hours ago, Cm3957 said:

My fiancé who is an Iranian had her interview in madrid yesterday, she is studying there for the past two years under a student visa (medical field). She went into the interview and the office did not review her file before the interview. The office was surprised she only had a Iranian passport and not a spainish passport also. No where on the multiple paperwork filed did we say anything about a spainish passport. 

 

When my fiancé told her that she only had a Iranian passport she closed the folder on her desk and began to apologize about not being able to do anything. She only asked her brief and simple questions about us and then went to go speak to her supervisor for ten mins about what to do. The officer told her she needs to look into a cr1 visa and start the process over because it’s easier to get a waiver. She said no Iranian k1 visa waiver has been approved since 2016 (not sure if she was talking about the madrid embassy alone). She also mentioned the undo hardship in our case would be for the u.s citizen (me)  and not her.

 

The officer told her she will help out the best she can and get started on a wavier but issued her a 221g request for more information which includes 

-email addresses used 

-travel history for the past 15 years

-handles for all social media 

-cv resume

-prior passport numbers

-past jobs

-past phone numbers

-letter from sponsor 

 

I just don't understand why USCIS approve the case from the beginning! This is so frustrating going through the whole process and waiting about a year to get an interview, then they say there is a slim chance for the waiver to be approved!!!

I wish you the best of luck. My husband's born in Iran and holding a swedish passport for 15 years. His IR1 visa case is on AP for 10 months now  

[salhasl 113]

On 11/7/2018 at 8:00 PM, MO&RA said:

I just don't understand why USCIS approve the case from the beginning! This is so frustrating going through the whole process and waiting about a year to get an interview, then they say there is a slim chance for the waiver to be approved!!!

I wish you the best of luck. My husband's born in Iran and holding a swedish passport for 15 years. His IR1 visa case is on AP for 10 months now  

Dont lose hope. AP is long but almost always results in approval. Here is a doc with some details on how long it used to take before ds 5535

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W_NGZltpmwaCwFj5qlIzVUKlAYoPcbtfW1x2HWKu6nY/pub?single=true&gid=2&output=html

 

 

Unfortunately 5535 is very new so i dont have more recent data. If people here know of recent spouse visas for iranian nationals it would be great if you can pm me interview dates so we can update the spreadsheet.

[JessM28 62]

Hi All,

  I found a new podcast- They tried to Bury Us- and the guy who is putting it together is interviewing immigrants. I contacted him and asked if he would do people in the process of immigrating. He said yes and I told him about my husband trying to come to the USA. I told him that I thought it would be great to highlight what is happening to families as a result of the travel ban. He is interested and we are trying to set up a time to do the podcast. I wanted to see if you all had any thoughts on specific things I should include. I plan on talking about how the Department of State is not giving statistics and clarification of the process. Thanks for your time and consideration in this matter. I am hoping that the more we can make people aware of the travel ban and its impact the better. 

-Jess

[Roulay 2]

Hi guys, i am the applicant of IR5 visa (parent of a US citizen), i've had my interview in Frankfurt last week and was refused due to the proclamation.

I am Syrian, my daughter is AC.

The consular told me i am eligible for a waiver and still waiting further instructions.

I will update you if anything happens.

 

 

[JennaL 151]

19 hours ago, JessM28 said:

Hi All,

  I found a new podcast- They tried to Bury Us- and the guy who is putting it together is interviewing immigrants. I contacted him and asked if he would do people in the process of immigrating. He said yes and I told him about my husband trying to come to the USA. I told him that I thought it would be great to highlight what is happening to families as a result of the travel ban. He is interested and we are trying to set up a time to do the podcast. I wanted to see if you all had any thoughts on specific things I should include. I plan on talking about how the Department of State is not giving statistics and clarification of the process. Thanks for your time and consideration in this matter. I am hoping that the more we can make people aware of the travel ban and its impact the better. 

-Jess

@JessM28, I think this is a great idea. My fiancé is a Norwegian citizen but born in Iran. Under the travel ban, he is not technically banned, but instead now singled out for additional vetting. There is no timeline and I've heard of others in the same situation that have been waiting upwards of a year now, so it actually does feel like a ban to us. My sister is also married to an Iranian refugee. They have been waiting in Turkey for his paperwork to go through for two years now. Everything was sailing along until the ban became effective and since then their process has completely stopped, with no news or direction on what will happen to them next. They have actually been featured on some podcasts and the local news in our hometown did a great interview this summer with my parents talking about the frustrations of not knowing when their daughter will be able to bring her husband home. It's so disheartening to know that our spouses/fiances have been vetted backwards and forwards just like everyone else and then some, and are still not able to enter the US because of this new ban. I think anything you can do to highlight the fact that this is happening to people who have a legitimate reason to come to the US is helpful. Especially the lack of transparency and information from the DOS that we keep running into time and time again. I would love to help in any way possible.  

[bashar26 21]

Thanks for speaking out! I think you probably are experiencing all the same stuff as us. I would just emphasize the fact that there is no timeline. My husband is Syrian and we are both really seriously considering starting our lives together in Syria rather than wait in separation for this travel ban waiver to come through (when we have no good reason to believe it will actually even come!). It seems pretty ridiculous that I can't return to the country where I was born and start my adult life just because my husband is from Syria. Also, I have spoken with 3 congresspeople and have seen no results following their inquiries into my husband's status. The limbo is truly torturing. We can't plan anything. We are both 26 years old and just in a total forced pause. 

[JessM28 62]

On 11/30/2018 at 4:31 PM, JennaL said:

@JessM28, I think this is a great idea. My fiancé is a Norwegian citizen but born in Iran. Under the travel ban, he is not technically banned, but instead now singled out for additional vetting. There is no timeline and I've heard of others in the same situation that have been waiting upwards of a year now, so it actually does feel like a ban to us. My sister is also married to an Iranian refugee. They have been waiting in Turkey for his paperwork to go through for two years now. Everything was sailing along until the ban became effective and since then their process has completely stopped, with no news or direction on what will happen to them next. They have actually been featured on some podcasts and the local news in our hometown did a great interview this summer with my parents talking about the frustrations of not knowing when their daughter will be able to bring her husband home. It's so disheartening to know that our spouses/fiances have been vetted backwards and forwards just like everyone else and then some, and are still not able to enter the US because of this new ban. I think anything you can do to highlight the fact that this is happening to people who have a legitimate reason to come to the US is helpful. Especially the lack of transparency and information from the DOS that we keep running into time and time again. I would love to help in any way possible.  

Thanks so much @JennaL for your response! I am sorry to hear that you are in the same boat- but I appreciate you sharing your story and that of your sister. I totally plan on speaking about the frustrations of going through so much processing and waiting and not really seeing anyone get through. When I introduced the idea to the podcast host he was shocked to hear that people could be separated from their families for so long. I will let you know when the podcast is complete and maybe you can share with others. My goal is to get the message out there to as many people as possible so hopefully more people press Congress for changes to this situation! 

[JessM28 62]

On 11/30/2018 at 4:39 PM, bashar26 said:

Thanks for speaking out! I think you probably are experiencing all the same stuff as us. I would just emphasize the fact that there is no timeline. My husband is Syrian and we are both really seriously considering starting our lives together in Syria rather than wait in separation for this travel ban waiver to come through (when we have no good reason to believe it will actually even come!). It seems pretty ridiculous that I can't return to the country where I was born and start my adult life just because my husband is from Syria. Also, I have spoken with 3 congresspeople and have seen no results following their inquiries into my husband's status. The limbo is truly torturing. We can't plan anything. We are both 26 years old and just in a total forced pause. 

Thank you @bashar26 for sharing your story with me. I am sorry to hear about your situation too. My husband and I are also considering our options. We are both in our mid-30s and want to start a family and know that time is against. Do we start a family while living apart? Do we try waiting a little longer? Or do we just find somewhere else to live together? It is so frustrating- I usually feel that you can get through anything that you know there is an end to it- but in this case I don't know that there will be an end. It's a tough situation and I hope to highlight that in the podcast. Best of luck in your situation. 

[JessM28 62]

Hi All,

   I just wanted to point out for everyone that the American Immigration Lawyers Association updated their practice pointer for the Travel Ban on Friday. https://www.aila.org/infonet/applying-for-a-waiver-pursuant-to-presidential

 

It is about 10 pages longer than the first version and they have slightly changed their advice on when to submit a travel ban waiver packet. I have found it to be a very straightforward and useful document. 

Stay strong in this tough process!

 

-Jess 

[Ron12345 17]

On 11/30/2018 at 4:31 PM, JennaL said:

@JessM28, I think this is a great idea. My fiancé is a Norwegian citizen but born in Iran. Under the travel ban, he is not technically banned, but instead now singled out for additional vetting. There is no timeline and I've heard of others in the same situation that have been waiting upwards of a year now, so it actually does feel like a ban to us. My sister is also married to an Iranian refugee. They have been waiting in Turkey for his paperwork to go through for two years now. Everything was sailing along until the ban became effective and since then their process has completely stopped, with no news or direction on what will happen to them next. They have actually been featured on some podcasts and the local news in our hometown did a great interview this summer with my parents talking about the frustrations of not knowing when their daughter will be able to bring her husband home. It's so disheartening to know that our spouses/fiances have been vetted backwards and forwards just like everyone else and then some, and are still not able to enter the US because of this new ban. I think anything you can do to highlight the fact that this is happening to people who have a legitimate reason to come to the US is helpful. Especially the lack of transparency and information from the DOS that we keep running into time and time again. I would love to help in any way possible.  

It's very likely that your fiance would have required additional vetting even without the ban.

 

On 11/29/2018 at 8:49 PM, JessM28 said:

Hi All,

  I found a new podcast- They tried to Bury Us- and the guy who is putting it together is interviewing immigrants. I contacted him and asked if he would do people in the process of immigrating. He said yes and I told him about my husband trying to come to the USA. I told him that I thought it would be great to highlight what is happening to families as a result of the travel ban. He is interested and we are trying to set up a time to do the podcast. I wanted to see if you all had any thoughts on specific things I should include. I plan on talking about how the Department of State is not giving statistics and clarification of the process. Thanks for your time and consideration in this matter. I am hoping that the more we can make people aware of the travel ban and its impact the better. 

-Jess

 

On 11/30/2018 at 4:39 PM, bashar26 said:

Thanks for speaking out! I think you probably are experiencing all the same stuff as us. I would just emphasize the fact that there is no timeline. My husband is Syrian and we are both really seriously considering starting our lives together in Syria rather than wait in separation for this travel ban waiver to come through (when we have no good reason to believe it will actually even come!). It seems pretty ridiculous that I can't return to the country where I was born and start my adult life just because my husband is from Syria. Also, I have spoken with 3 congresspeople and have seen no results following their inquiries into my husband's status. The limbo is truly torturing. We can't plan anything. We are both 26 years old and just in a total forced pause. 

We all mindlessly suffer, but hey, a play can't go on without its actors!

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/theater/the-jungle-st-anns-warehouse.html

 

As for the State Department, they claim that there are backlogs of folks with more severe hardship than yours, and encourage American citizens to move to 3rd countries... clearly those actors are facing very severe hardship!

Edited December 3, 2018 by Ron12345

[JennaL 151]

9 hours ago, JessM28 said:

Thanks so much @JennaL for your response! I am sorry to hear that you are in the same boat- but I appreciate you sharing your story and that of your sister. I totally plan on speaking about the frustrations of going through so much processing and waiting and not really seeing anyone get through. When I introduced the idea to the podcast host he was shocked to hear that people could be separated from their families for so long. I will let you know when the podcast is complete and maybe you can share with others. My goal is to get the message out there to as many people as possible so hopefully more people press Congress for changes to this situation! 

Yes, definitely let me know when the podcast is out - I’ll be happy to share it.