Urgent time-critical Humanitarian Crisis

[Boiler 45,731]

Perhaps I am being pessimistic and I certainly am not suggesting you do not try everything but the US Gov definition of speedy very seems to match with the normal meaning, so let's assume they do pull out their finger still might not meet your timeline

 

Best case would be that you are close to it coming through and it comes in a  few days but no way of knowing now

[wazzujoel 76]

3 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

1.  Avoid panicking.

 

2.  Narrow down the travel options and speak with a travel agent on Monday.

 

3.  Make a list of the diplomatic options (asylum, expedited USCIS petition, et al.) to discuss with the Congressman's aide.

 

4.  Think long and hard about leaving your daughters.  They'll be affected whether you want to think otherwise.

 

5.  See (1.).

 Thank you. All spot on and exactly what I am planning. Regarding point 4... Yes, I am not fooling myself and I know they are going to be affected. I am hoping this plan I have will result in only at most 60 days away. Even 60 days away is a lot in the lives of my kids, and it is something I never thought I would consider. I feel a little trapped though. I can't leave my fiancée alone in another country, and I need to get her out of Cuba asap. i-134a parole processing is taking anywhere from 2 days to 90 days.... and I am currently 30 days into it. Hopefully my congressman and/or his aide can help get this pushed through a little quicker. 

[wazzujoel 76]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

Perhaps I am being pessimistic and I certainly am not suggesting you do not try everything but the US Gov definition of speedy very seems to match with the normal meaning, so let's assume they do pull out their finger still might not meet your timeline

 

Best case would be that you are close to it coming through and it comes in a  few days but no way of knowing now

 

It's actually quite amazing how fast this process is as soon as an agent at USCIS processes your application. If an agent gives my application 5 minutes of time, I will get an approval which will kick off an email to my fiancée. She then signs up for a CDP application, submits her info and a few hours later is given a travel authorization paper. This could all literally happen on Monday and I could have her on a flight to the US on Tuesday. Considering how slow processes like K1 and CR-1 move, it's crazy how quick this can move..... But USCIS is so disorganized on what applications they work on. It seems like it is random. and there is no way to expediate these sort of applications because by definitions they are all already expeditated.

 

Anyways, my plan right now is like TBone said... Talk to a travel agent on Monday and get her out of the country. I have a location in mind already which I think is my best bet. I will get an Airbnb there and go live there with her until we are approved. When USCIS finally touches my application then I will fly with her to the US without her never going back to Cuba. She actually might never be able to return when the details of the Cuban law emerge. 

 

Now to focus on the main part.... "Dont panic"  - easier said than done. 

[Boiler 45,731]

The issue is getting through the system, I have always assumed the actual doing something is minimal

 

I remember my interview, pretty sure this was the first time he had seen the fike, I was watching, 20 minutes until I had visa in hand

[TBoneTX 45,591]

2 hours ago, wazzujoel said:

I know they are going to be affected

This is a blessing, because you matter to them, and a curse, for the same reason.

2 hours ago, wazzujoel said:

I am hoping this plan I have will result in only at most 60 days away.

Unless things come together, it might be anywhere from somewhat to quite a bit longer.

2 hours ago, wazzujoel said:

I feel a little trapped

Unless you're imprisoned or in a straitjacked in Bellevue,  .

2 hours ago, wazzujoel said:

I can't leave my fiancée alone in another country

If Spanish or English are spoken (and you didn't specify the place that you had in mind), at least she'll be able to communicate -- the language barrier elsewhere would be daunting.  You might stay long enough to get her situated and fixed up with a support network -- something else to begin looking into shortly, at least preliminarily.

2 hours ago, wazzujoel said:

Hopefully my congressman and/or his aide can help get this pushed through a little quicker. 

There's some more-direct line to USCIS than we have.  If your papers are on a service center's processing floor, one or two calls would suffice to move them along to the next place that they should go.  Tell the aide that your matter is in queue for Tier 2 assistance, and the exact timing (30 days into it, multiple recent calls); this may suggest the right people to contact.

2 hours ago, wazzujoel said:

"Dont panic"  - easier said than done

You have several promising avenues, and one of them will pay off.

I'm going to send you a private message in a bit.

 

Find nonalcoholic ways of stress relief:

  -- violent physical exercise

  -- tape a thick pillow to a wall and punch it hard while shouting wildly

  -- treat yourself to a great meal that you cook, have delivered, or go out for

  -- prayer (don't downplay this)

[TBoneTX 45,591]

It's early, but any news?

[wazzujoel 76]

4 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

It's early, but any news?

Sent you a PM. I will update the thread when we get some good news, but I am just hitting roadblocks at every corner. I never would have imagined an immigration case could get this stressful and life uprooting. I am just trying to stay calm, take it a day at a time, and hope nothing detrimental affects our long term plans. 

[maduros 6]

Sorry for what you're going through. I applied for a Cuban the evening of 1/6 and still no word. I called USCIS today and they said it still hasn't gotten through "preprocessing checks," by which they mean background checks and I don't know what else. I've also gotten a pair of MDs a sponsor and reading your thread has me rushing to get them out ASAP. I looked at flying them somewhere else for now, but all the visa-free countries I looked up are $575 to $950 one way per person, most of them at the higher end of the scale, so I'm wondering, if you're comfortable telling me, what you have found. 

[wazzujoel 76]

11 minutes ago, maduros said:

Sorry for what you're going through. I applied for a Cuban the evening of 1/6 and still no word. I called USCIS today and they said it still hasn't gotten through "preprocessing checks," by which they mean background checks and I don't know what else. I've also gotten a pair of MDs a sponsor and reading your thread has me rushing to get them out ASAP. I looked at flying them somewhere else for now, but all the visa-free countries I looked up are $575 to $950 one way per person, most of them at the higher end of the scale, so I'm wondering, if you're comfortable telling me, what you have found. 

 

Yes, expect to pay 1k in airfare, and then living in Trinidad and Tobago isn't cheap either. Trying to get to Nicaragua or Guyana would be cheaper to live, but I think most flights you find will need to transit between Panama which requires a transit visa and they aren't really given them to cubans anymore. I wish I had better news for you but it's a lot of dead ends no matter what way I look. And USCIS is no help in trying to get urgent support. 

 

I've read stories of people being approved for parole when the sponsor is living in Section 8 housing and is on SNAP (food stamps). 

 

Yet here I am with a spotless record, hold government clearances so I've had more stringent background investigations than anything USCIS can do, hold advanced degrees in Engineering and work for a prestigious fortune 500 company, no debt, own my own home... And my beneficiary holds a dental degree, has plans to practice dentistry in the US after she passes her boards and does two additional years of education in a International Dental Program, and has also never had trouble with the law. Applied on 1/6 and my application hasn't been touched. I've been in line to talk to a Tier 2 agent for 120 business hours which they have told me multiple times I would be contracted within 72 hours. Oh and my case is marked Urgent. 

 

USCIS is awful. I wish I could get some national news to pick up my story. I'd love to put them on blast and show the would just how incompetent they are. Oh and my K1 application has been in process now for 16 months while the bulk of approvals for K1 now are people that have been waiting 14 months. 

 

I wish you a luck but I can't say I have any faith in the US immigration process. I swear their goal is to keep families apart and do nothing to help people that might actually contribute to our society. Sorry Im a little jaded and frustrated right now. 

[maduros 6]

Ugh. What about all the countries listed here as "visa on arrival?" Granted, the only one in Latin America I see is Bolivia. Montserrat and Columbia require "visa online," whatever that means. I wonder if there are direct flights to any of these. My Cuban friend tried getting a transit visa to Belarus through Canada and was denied. 

 

https://visaindex.com/visa-requirement/cuba-passport-visa-free-countries-list/

[wazzujoel 76]

3 minutes ago, maduros said:

Ugh. What about all the countries listed here as "visa on arrival?" Granted, the only one in Latin America I see is Bolivia. Montserrat and Columbia require "visa online," whatever that means. I wonder if there are direct flights to any of these. My Cuban friend tried getting a transit visa to Belarus through Canada and was denied. 

 

https://visaindex.com/visa-requirement/cuba-passport-visa-free-countries-list/

Thanks for the link. I can't really comment on what you said as I have never tried this. I am going to look into it though. 

[maduros 6]

3 minutes ago, maduros said:

Ugh. What about all the countries listed here as "visa on arrival?" Granted, the only one in Latin America I see is Bolivia. Montserrat and Columbia require "visa online," whatever that means. I wonder if there are direct flights to any of these. My Cuban friend tried getting a transit visa to Belarus through Canada and was denied. 

 

https://visaindex.com/visa-requirement/cuba-passport-visa-free-countries-list/

one-way nonstop Havana to Bogota, $88

 

https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxolagcIARIDSEFWEgoyMDIzLTAyLTIzcgwIBBIIL20vMDE2NXYoAHACggELCP___________wFAAUgBmAECsgENGAEgASoHCAESA0JPRw&tfu=GioaKAoSCaHZfu57UjFAEWeTwyddilDAEhIJcgZEabNDIMARZ5PDJ91-VMA

[maduros 6]

17 minutes ago, maduros said:

one-way nonstop Havana to Bogota, $88

 

https://www.google.com/travel/explore?tfs=CBwQAxolagcIARIDSEFWEgoyMDIzLTAyLTIzcgwIBBIIL20vMDE2NXYoAHACggELCP___________wFAAUgBmAECsgENGAEgASoHCAESA0JPRw&tfu=GioaKAoSCaHZfu57UjFAEWeTwyddilDAEhIJcgZEabNDIMARZ5PDJ91-VMA

"typically approved within only 1-2 days" http://www.medellinlegal.com/colombian-visas.html

 

"Within ten (10) business days after payment of the approved visa, the Immigration and Visa Authority will issue and send the electronic visa to the foreigner's email address registered by the applicant." https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites_servicios/visa/abece-visas 

 

apply here: https://tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/solicitarVisa.xhtml

[Boiler 45,731]

The last time I went to Turkey was visa on arrival you just paid a fee, seem to remember same in Sri Lanka.

[TBoneTX 45,591]

3 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Turkey [...] Sri Lanka

Might be a language barrier, plus residency issues if stuck there, but good to know.