Yallah Middle East 2.0

[jordanianprincess 0]

LB - Stay strong and contact Elaine Alquist. Your wait has been riduculous, but this is no time to panic. We will help you get through this and hopefully you will be reunited soon. I would start contacting them everyday at this point as some people have done. You know the saying, God works in mysterious ways.

I wish I could be of more help to you We should start a protest!

[LebaneseMama 1]

JordanianPrincess ... when Ali does come I will send you a thank you card for your kind words and helping me stay strong Thank You.

About Elaine Alquist ... who is she ? If she is a congressmen she is not my congressmen. Mine is a man. So will she still be able to serve me ?

Also I did contact Senator Barbara Boxer ... is that who you are saying to start calling everyday or NVC ?

[AInfante-Saraireh 0]

DL book, hmmmm, well wonder if he will have any time to read it since they work him to death at the hotel. Anyway, we will make it, if he needs to stomp and gallop, let the stallion ride as they say. U know, I met my husband too in 2004, October to be exact. Didn't get to Jordan until August, 2005. So yeah, it's beena long ride. But yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!

Andrea

[MaryandMian 1]

LB I am sorry that you still do not have a date. Please stay strong and like you said you must trust in God and that he will reunite you soon. That is what is keeping us going stong. We have to stay positive and in our faith. It is hard but you have lots of support here on VJ.

Hugs,

Mary

[jordanianprincess 0]

LB- Elaine Alquist is a senator and I know her district is San Jose, but I think she can still help you and I'm pretty sure she is more active in immigration issues than Barbara Boxer. I would start calling the NVC everyday and get the senetors involved, they will either help or get sick of you calling and push your case through I have heard through the postings on this board that persistance pays off, especially in matters like yours. My words of kindness are always available to you and everyone else as everyone including you have been so kind to me in this process.

On another note, its really difficult to talk to other people about this situation bcz they look at you like you are from outer space. I'm really glad we all have each other here.

Andrea - LMAO! I don't know about stomp and gallop, he can whine but thats all i'm willing to take! j/k...Hotel huh? LOL I guessing they know each other bcz my fiance went to the Hotel Management School in Amman too and they are very close in age.

[kerewin21 2]

I just called NVC "Your husband does not have an interview scheduled for April, sorry"

waaahhhh!!!! This sucks!!! I'm so sorry

I agree with the others, start bugging the senator you contacted, and also contact your other senator AND your representative. Hopefully one of them will be useful. They will ignore you if you let them!!!!

Hang in there!

Hugs

Sharon

[AInfante-Saraireh 0]

What's going on in Lebanon? You are still waiting for an interview???????? How long? Sorry if I'm lost in this but want to know.

[jordanianprincess 0]

She has been waiting a really long time for an interview date. The problem is that the NVC still has the case. I was under the impression that Lebanon would set up the interview and not the NVC.

I talked to a co-worker today who is Lebanese and he actually has only been in the states for a couple of years. He told me that the Embassy in Beruit is pretty easy to deal with and the wait times are relativly short. He even told me that most people have their interviews in a bank! (he told me the name, but i cant remember it now)

I'm wondering now if there is another issue. I know the background checks can sometimes take a really long time, especially in islamic countries. Almost all the countries in the ME have been put on a special list since 9/11.

LB - Is there anything about where Ali lives? Maybe his address is near a "hot spot" or something. I think you should put the NVC on all the speed dial's in ur house, work , and cell phone as #1. I would espeically take the time to comb through your application at this point as a devil's advocate or have someone close to you do that. Look for any innacuracies, or part thats were left blank maybe?

Dammit! Hurry up NVC!

[LebaneseMama 1]

My friend JP summed it up pretty well, except one thing :

really long time = six months and counting for an interview date.

I went onto my congressmens website and he has a whole thing in there about how he loves to help people with their casework. So I sent him a letter today asking for help also. We'll see what happens.

I have been thinking about flying to San Francisco and meeting with someone from my senators office in person. Then going to my congressmens office and meeting with someone in person also. What do you think ?

JP - I am not an immigration worker. I have no idea what is in that application that can look good or bad. All we did was give it to a immigration lawyer who filled it out. (We didn't hire her .. she just filled out the applications). We are Muslim and he lives in a Muslim city. That's all I can think of

[jordanianprincess 0]

LB - If you need any help navigating your way around SF, I'd be more than happy to help. I live only 45 min from there Even attorney's can make mistakes. If you want, scan your documents and I will look them over for you.

As far as being from a muslim city, most of the ME is muslim so they would discrimate the same all over. They don't ask for your religion on the documents so it may not be that. You know how they have those no fly lists in the airport? Well maybe his name is on some kind of list they have...Ali is pretty common and maybe they are mixing him up with someone else....ok i got nothing

Elaine Alquist's office is in San Jose, if you do decide to come to SF. I can go with you there. Have you tried contacting the embassy in Beruit? Just for infomational purposes. Maybe you can try to verify some of the info you are getting from the NVC.

[AInfante-Saraireh 0]

Oh My God, LB!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry to hear this. Yeah it's difficult, so difficult, and not getting an interview date is the worse. Guess I shouldn't complain after received this letter from the embassy today. Posting it so all can read who are waiting in Jordan and Iraq.

Dear Madam:

Thank you for your e-mail. We fully understand your desire for this immigration process to move quickly – that is our goal as well.

US Embassy Amman is the delegated processing post for both Jordanian and Iraqi immigrant visas. We recently received a huge influx of cases. In an effort to provide more clarity to the process, we have decided to schedule all pending applicants for their final immigrant visa interview upon receipt of their case. By providing applicants with an interview date early on, it is our hope that you will be able to more effectively plan your future. In essence, the total processing time will remain approximately the same as with our previous system, however now you have the security of an actual appointment date early on the process.

We assure you that all cases are processed on a first-received, first-served basis and there are many cases that were received by our office well in advance of your case. We have a strict scheduling policy because we know that every case involves an anxiously awaiting American Citizen, like yourself, on the other end of the process. For these reasons, your relative was scheduled for the next available visa appointment and an earlier appointment will not be possible.

Regards,

Immigrant Visa Unit

US Embassy Amman

JP. Does your husband work at a hotel? If so, where? Maybe our husbands can comfort one another, LOL

I told Faisal about this letter, right now they are slave driving him at work and he's about to collapse. Wonder if your husband can get Faisal over to his hotel.

Andrea

[jordanianprincess 0]

OMG That letter is soooo frustrating! geeez louiseeeeeeeeeeeeee! Andrea, he did work in a hotel at one point for a very short time a long time ago. However I think there is only one school for that, so the chances that they met in school are possible.

My fiance is self-employed now and happier that way, which hotel does Faisel work at?

[LebaneseMama 1]

Andrea, NVC tells me almost exactly what that letter says. Except they will not schedule an appt. until they can, I wish they would do what Amman is doing for you. I disagree with JP, that letter is not frustrating. That letter would make me sooo happy to know that they actually care about the couple and the "Anxiously awaiting USC" and they state " it is our hope that you will be able to more effectively plan your future". See I can't do that right now and this is why it makes it all so harder.

[~Jess~ 0]

I am going thru Lebanon as well, but they have to send our petition to Athens...............well it is has been 31 days since we filed, and guess what??? ATHENS STILL DONT HAVE OUR PETITION!!!! and i called Beirut and they said 'oh yes we have sent it to them, they should have it' and i call athens and they say oh no its still in Lebanon we dont have it! ughh i dont know what to believe!!! honestly i am thinking about stopping this petition and just sending it to Vermont since my perm addy is still in New York!! i dunno how to go about that tho....................

[AInfante-Saraireh 0]

JP: He works at the Le Meridian. And he's so unhappy right now. I told him to try to find something in Zarqa. He has been working there for a very long time. He says there's nothing in Zarqa. I don't know what to do for him but boy are they slaving him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes the letter was encouraging, at least they are trying being as swamped as they are. But at the same time, it makes me wonder, they are making appts. and not looking thru the files, so what happens when it's almost or interview time and they need something else? HMMMMM