Since you have an opinion, why don't you enlighten us as to how long it did take?

And how well (or not) each functions now.

If it's your conclusion that DHS isn't functioning well, is it because it happened to quickly? Because it wasn't well thought out?

If the Gov't wanted to implement a change they can do it over night. But like most everything they do, slow or fast changes, it isn't well thought out.

Key problem is we are in the minority on the immigration issue, 65K come in on HIB's, 50K from the lottery, 140K from marriages, and have no idea where these 600K came in to apply for US citizenship before the rates went up which seems to be the major excuse for the delays. But apparently congress was putting the screws to the USCIS as they wanted more people to vote. Just doesn't sound right.

With a nominal load of 240K applications and a work force of 3K leaves an average of 80 applications per USCIS employer to fill per year, ha, where do I sign up for this job? And if a form states to allow 90 days for processing, should be within 90 days, not 18-24 months!

As we have a government by representation, only recourse we have is to contact our representatives, and I have been doing that, I am fighting for my family! but in regards to making this a national issue, have doubts, 200K people among 300 million is not very much, and our little problems are nothing compared to a nation at war and an economy that is just about ready to be flushed down the toilet.

All I can suggest is putting pressure on your congressman, and I hate hearing from a USCIS officer that I have to be happy with the processing dates, and told our application is undergoing a background check when we already had an extensive background check for a previous application with nothing said about a background check for our current application that is taking years.

But you have to be nice and patient. Not to say anything about the 20 million illegals here that seem to be ignored. Hear about one or two here or there being deported, but since we are doing it legally, they have our names, so we would be on top of their list.

Hey Kevin and Tuyen, did you also send a "letter of evolution relationship" when you were at the interview.. I see lots of people getting blue slips because they don't have one of those.. it is basically a timeline and letter stating how you met, and the different times and what you did.. I have written it up already (1 1/2 pages), but I haven't even been approved yet.. haha, I know what do look out for , except I'm not there yet.. I'm giving them until the end of the year before I move back to China.. =(

Formation of DHS took a couple of years to put together, which is relatively quick to put together an agency. At the same time, it brought different subagencies from other agencies. Examples include INS from DOJ, TSA from Transportation and Customs from Treasury. These were then combined into the subagencies of DHS (i.e. ICE, CIS, CBP, TSA, etc).

In sum, it didn't take long to form DHS, but that might be part of the reason DHS has been heavily criticized. Some subagencies were not planned out sufficiently beforehand.

Possibly illegal immigrants, those who had no reason/incentive to apply before, or those who didn't have the money at the time to apply. For the illegal immigrant part, I think there is a a rule that if a person had been in this country for a long enough period, he or she could be granted citizenship. Am I correct on this one?

***

"General Naturalization Requirements

Age
Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
Refer to the section, Naturalized Citizen's Children under Waivers, Exceptions, and Special Cases for information on applicants who are less than 18 years old.

Residency
An applicant must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Lawfully admitted for permanent residence means having been legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws. Individuals who have been lawfully admitted as permanent residents will be asked to produce an I-551, Alien Registration Receipt Card, as proof of their status."

Etc. Etc. can be read here:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00045f3d6a1RCRD

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/men...00048f3d6a1RCRD

Hi Gogo, yes I did send a letter of our relationship timeline nd other documents they requested.

As far as pressure on my Reps. I have been in contact with my Congressperson and both Senators. All three get the same response from the USCIS. It could be up to two years before they get around to reviewing our case.

From what I am told, way the rules are set up in the Congress, they can't intervine on behalf of a constituent. All they can do is monitor the progress of a petition or case of a Visa.

I would venture to say that the main reason for that was the extreme circumstances from which those were both born. Apples/oranges.

Unfortunately, Joe Q. American doesn't see immigration as something requiring immediate attention It's only those of us with foreign spouses or relatives (who are paying the now higher fees) that give a tinker's damn about how fast the immigration process is (or isn't). Sad but true.


*edited for clarity*

only TWO senators? haha.. I would be writing to all of them.. and congressmen, vice president, senate, president, FOIA, Ombudsman..

Here are some links for you:

http://www.visaserve.com/CM/Articles/CIS%2...tact%20List.pdf

http://www.duluth.lib.mn.us/Databases/Contact/Federal.html

I even told the USCIS now (and whoever I faxed my letter to, now up to 3 pages describing my stuff).. that if they don't make a decision soon, I'll just forward to any and all people above, below, and besides them.. if they are not afraid, that's fine.. someone else will be.. Also, fax everyday and bother the hell out of them.. that's the only way to get something done with your case.. are you going to wait out 2 years??.. I even got people at USCIS argue with me.. they told me to wait another 6 months.. so then I said, "so what happens after 6 months and it doesn't get approved?? You don't expect me to wait that long.."

I found out last week that I am not eligible for certain clearences (SCI) with the government until my fiancee becomes not a conditional resident, not a permanent resident, but a U.S. citizen. I always wondered if marrying someone from outside the U.S. would have negative consequences, and now my fears have been realized.

I would understand that if I was marrying someone from a country that sponsors terrorism, I would have no shot at these types of clearences. However, Brazil is not in the top 10 of that list and regardless, no non-U.S. citizen is allowed to be an immediate relative in order to be eligible for this clearence.

The worst part of it is that it is a rule by the government to not be eligible for these clearences based off of an immeadiate relative pursuing citizenship. It is also the same government that is delaying citizenship to be granted for 4-5 years. That's a long time to be ineligible for the same clearence that any married couple with U.S. citizenship is eligible for.

You're right - Brazil is not one of the top 10 countries for terrorism. But if they started discriminating in their processes based on where the immigrant was from, can you imagine the endless stream of lawsuits??

Unfortunately, we chose to marry non US born spouses and there are sure to be some consequences of that - many of which do not seem fair to us. I still would not have it any other way.

I would have it another way...

I disagree with you there because there is a list of countries that do sponsor terrorism and that we do have an embargo against and it is understandable that they would automatically be out of the running. I don't think all other countries should be penalized because of a few. I think there woudl be fewer lawsuits then there are now because people from syria, north korea, etc are already on notice of the U.S. State Department's policy with their countries.

Some consequences don't seem fair and don't have to be. Have tighter restrictions on those known countries (i.e. syria, north korea, iran) that we have declared sponsor terrorism. Don't discriminate against permanent residents who are applying for citizenship.

State Sponsors of Terrorism

You're perfectly entitled to your opinion - they're sort of like armpits...we all have 'em, eh?

For my money? I don't think its feasible (or fair) to paint all citizens of a country with the terrorist brush just because they come from that country. The way the process is now pretty much assumes that everyone is a potential terrorist until proven otherwise...no matter if they come from Canada, Brazil, the UK or Iran.

Exactly, but it doesn't have to be that way. I don't think citizens from the "terrorist" countries should all be painted with the bad brush either, but I would understand the federal government's inclination to wait until they are U.S. citizens before giving their American spouses top security clearences.

Afterall, several of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt (unless you believe they are still alive as some media sources report), yet those countries are not on the State Department's list and for rightful reason.

I think this is a law that can and should change to allow permanent residents of non-State sponsored terrorist countries similar rights as their U.S. citizen counterparts. There are plenty of Americans who are less qualified to have these positions and yet get cleared. I understand nothing will change for now, but nothing ever does by accepting its reality and not challenging it.

Rebecca: Yes, since I posted this I may have talked to the same guy you spoke to. I think that this is correct.

Susan

FBI name checks should be a national security issue. Someone can come here on a K visa and be a terrorist and the FBI would not finish checking them out for years sometimes. Why can't they get a system working that can check fingerprints and names in seconds? Any data on a computer has global access. Once biometrics are done why can't the data be processed in seconds and if there is a hit on a name or fingerprint then a human can review the results if needed and done quickly so we don't have potential terrorists running around in the US.

Jack -

The bolded part of your comment seems a little double-sided to me. Well - actually - a lot double sided. And biased also.

Just for your own peace of mind, I think you should go back and re-check on that security clearance situation you mentioned a few posts back. I've never heard of spouses of immigrants being barred from jobs which require security clearance. I'm wondering if you misunderstood.

Maybe the double-sided part is the sarcasm you sensed? I don't see any bias. There is a reason why the State Department has a list of "states that sponsor terrorism." The government has a watchful eye on anyone who travels from these countries. I don't see why all other countries should be punished because the government has issues with the 5 countries on the website I previously posted. I'm not saying that any immigrant from these 5 countries should be punished either, but I understand that the government would look at them differently simply because they are on its own watch list.

Spouses of immigrants are eligible for S and TS clearences so long as they are not SCI. This means certain agencies such as FBI and DOD are possible routes for me, but others such as NSA, CIA, etc that require full scope polygraph are not possible until my fiancee is a U.S. citizen.

Just for clarity - those applying for visas from or are nationals of one of the countries on the "List of 26" or the "Terrible 7" go through a very lengthy process that is the result of tighter restrictions. They are treated differently in many cases.

If I am understanding you correctly - you may have found one of those situations which exemplies the situation we are all in as USCs marrying foreigners. Others have reported difficulties with EADs, mortgages, etc. It's just part of the "journey" so to speak.

Do you have a link for the "List of 26." I am unaware of this one and couldn't find it on a quick google. Regardless, it sounds negative, Brazil I bet would not be on it. What I have been saying is that regardless of whether your spouse is from Canada, England, or Syria, the U.S. spouse is not treated the same as other Americans in terms of this specific clearance, which I don't think is right.

If people are reporting difficulties with prejudices in mortgages or other things based on spouse's country of birth, there might be reason to challenge it. Just because it's law, doesn't mean it's right. Likewise, just because the government has a problem with its 5 listed countries, I don't think that should be part of the journey that we have to suck up and deal with.

Try a google search of : "list of 26" immigration

What I am having difficulty with is you are saying that despite passing the processing of these security clearances (as a requirement for much of the list of 26) it should be pretty much ok to continue to scrutinize after they enter the US, just dont scrutinize those other countries which you assume are "safe".

For the record - the mortgage issues, etc that have been discussed had nothing to do with contry of origin - its just more "par for the course" for having a relationship with a non USC.

Contact some lobbyists if its unliveable for you. Thats the only way to enact change.

right on, gogo!

As stated in a different thread I actually emailed the immigration report correspondent from the New York Times, Ms. Julia Preston.

I urge you all to do the same, maybe someone somewhere can shed some light through the media in regards to our plight.

I believe something should be done to relieve the load of work on the CSC areas (which I noticed are the high-volume immigration states; AZ, CA, WA, OR etc.) but until then, I guess we cannot do anything but wait.

Oh and one more thing, if you're looking to send an email to Ms. Preston, here's how. Just click on the little link in the page that says "Send an E-Mail toJulia Preston".

You mailed your case on Monday.

What is your plight?

Made the comment to my wife it was a shame we didn't meet twenty years ago, but we were even close to meeting before 9/11, just didn't work out that way. Found some of the same immigration forms on the net prior to the DHS, actually were written in English and I could easily understand all the questions.

The key problem and has been a long time problem is that each agency has it's own king and namely the CIA couldn't listen to the FBI to prevent 9/11, so the solution was to start up yet another government agency, like that solves problems, we already have 1,526 agencies, and even our congressman don't even know what's going on. Heaven help you if you are in manufacturing and have to deal with agencies, explains why our jobs first went to Mexico then China.

So why was the INS jammed under the DHS, and why were incompetent people put in charge? Okay, so they helped with the campaign, so give them a couple of bucks and have them stay home, so at least they wouldn't be doing damage. We think we are electing one guy to run this country, but not much is said about that one guy bringing in another 10,000 to run this country, we have to learn how to live with that. Putting that woman governor in charge of the EPA was a bad joke, she didn't know the difference between a can of salt and some critical acid, but yet she was put in charge. Maybe that is why my company is now in China.

Our Senator Feingold was the only one to vote against the American Patriot Act, because he read it. That caused me to read it as well, about a hundred pages long of some unbelievable stuff. Was asked why I didn't put my wife on my saving account during our initial interview, showed her bank letters where I tried but couldn't, this quiet 5' 3" 120 pound woman was treated like a terrorist. Give her a green card, then you will find her on my savings account, sent that in with our I-751 application. We have to make yet another 450 mile round trip next week for the N-400 fingerprints, this is the 3rd time!

They already have a stack of information on my wife, daughter, and myself from the time we were born, well over an inch thick with many of the sheets, I had to pay 50 bucks a page for to have it legally translated and certified. If we are all going through that, they surely have a load of paperwork.

Somebody here teed off those 26 terrorists, it sure wasn't you or me, but we are sure paying the price, and they did a strip search on my wife and daughter when they first came here wrecking their luggage and losing some stuff, had to wait four hours and they wouldn't let me in. In one instance we were so happy to be back together again, in another, I was steaming mad ready to kill.

And why so many armed guards at any field office and is there anything in there really worth while taking a picture of? A lot of things going on today do not make sense in a country at one time in my life I was willing to lay my life down for, but that is forgotten. And I really don't like draft dodgers running this country, especially spoiled rich kids that had better breaks in life than I did. But we have to deal with it.

You also have to be very careful with your letters to the editor, if you step on the wrong toes, may find you are in for a stiff tax audit, they may not find anything, but sure can make your life miserable for two years with lots of expenses for a tax attorney and an accountant. So much for freedom of speech.

No where have I said that it is ok to scrutinize anyone legally coming into the U.S. All I have said is that I understand that if you come to this country from one on the U.S. government's watch list, then you are already looked at differently (by the government), and will likely be scrutinized (by the government) through the path to citizenship (especially in interviews, background checks, etc). It's not ok, but anyone who doesn't think it happens is joking himself or herself.

I did not come up with the list and don't condone it. However, if the government is steadfast in its reasoning for why certain countries are labelled as sponsoring terrorism, I don't think all other countries should pay the price. And, if my fiancee was coming from a country on the list and was being persecuted solely for that, I'd be contacting my congressman about it.

Maybe we should make up a list for all the countries so you can feel better about being 'persecuted' inadvertently.

Statistically from this forum it sure looks like some countries get better treatment, than others

I have no plight at the moment in regards to the timeline. The timeline is right now NOT my main concern. I know that one day I will be under the same blanket of super-long waits at the CSC, though.

HOWEVER;

I am also concerned for other K-1 CSC filers like myself, and K-3 VSC filers. What I did was NOT complain about the difference in time it takes right now for an application to go through, but rather shed some light on the current situation and alert people who actually KNOWS these trends (because it's their job).

Wow. I would expect nothing less from you after reading some of your other posts. Maybe try reading a post with an open mind instead of looking to criticize everyone elses. I will let other members read what I wrote and judge for themselves.

You're absolutely right. I thought the comment was way out of line. The system is very much broken, and we need intelligent people who are being proactive.

AGREED! Right ON, you said a mouth full! You are so correct in everything you just said!

P&K,

You will learn to ignore some users on the site. Don't let any one person's comments bring you down. I only wish I could learn to ignore some other members' absurd comments. Maybe one day...

AGREED, you are completely correct, there is a pattern. And if you will notice it is always one of the visa free waiver EU type countries that gets special treatment and whisked right on through the process quite often on this website. Now watch me get bombed and attacked for speaking the truth, get ready here it comes.

RJ's AOS experience was quite long if you'll take the time to look at her timeline. So much for "visa free waiver EU countries" and that special treatment.

How was that for a 'bomb and attack'?

I think if other members read what you wrote (say members from the T26 nations) they could find quite a bit of affrontery with it. Which is where I am coming from.

You're pipe dreaming when you say people who come into this country shouldn't be scrutinized. If you DO want John Q. Public to take your side, you surely should put that idea aside. When my husband was first caught in his lengthy namecheck, I had many a USC tell me that was fine by them that the government was performing thorough checks on immigrants.

You also seem to be more than circling yourself when you say people who are from T26 should realize they are being checked, as if they should just learn to deal with it. And further go on to say that your immigrant shouldn't be subjected to checks just because T26 citizens are. What kind of nonsense is that?

You can call my comment criticism if you like. The fact of the matter is that your fiance doesn't deserve a free pass just because she's from a certain part of the world. Personally, I think your comments are rude. Yes, let other readers decide for themselves.

You haven't been in this process long enough to criticize it. All you have is an opinion. Study up a bit longer and then come back to me with your bias. I think it's disgusting.




One of these days you're going to step in that big pile of $hit you keep spewing.

My comment certainly isn't 'out of line'. I just asked the same thing any PAC lobbyist or congressional aide would ask you at the VERY BEGINNING of any conversation they would have with you.

I appreciate that you have concern for others in they system. So do I or I wouldn't still be here after over three years trying to help people wade through it. But I've talked to many a congressional staffer and professional lobbyist. Until you have a personal story they can use to help make their case, frankly you aren't very valuable to them.

Insofar as thinking your own case is bad (in the future) if you ever tell your story to a staffer I can guarantee you they can tell you a worse one. When I mentioned my husband's 17 month namecheck to a senate liason, he was quick to tell me about the person he was trying to help who's been waiting four years.

There's always somebody who's got a worse time of it than you.

Thank you Rebecca. You're comments are fair, justified, and gracious. Maybe one day we can be friends? After all, your comments are right in line with all of my posts. I recommend rereading them. They have lots of words as do yours. I read yours. Try and read mine. If you have questions, please ask.

I think you should be careful (for lack of a better word) when you talk about the scrutiny T26 applicants go through.

And I often remind myself that our nations enemies change. Look to the history of immigration in this nation and you will find the groups who have been targeted in the past....especially China and India.

When you marry someone from another country, expect your life to be 'inconvenient'. I honestly never expected mine to be easy. I've been annoyed like the devil at the extent of some of it. But as I've said before - about 10 minutes after I realized I was in love with a man from another country, I realized I had a problem. And it wasn't just how we were going to afford phone calls or touch each others face. I never expected my government to give us a 'free pass'.

Is it worth it to me? You bet your bottom dollar.

Rebecca, please stop. Please stop. I actually reread your post because I thought I read hypocrisy, but I couldn't believe how much until I reread it. Please read above in bold OR just go ahead and criticize. You are great at it. I only wish you had logic behind it...

PS - My husband is from Northern Ireland.

Ever heard of the IRA?

Jack -

I haven't posted anything 'condescending' in this thread. I have given links that show the answers to things people wonder about. I can't help it if they aren't answers you like.

Nobody would like to see this system changed more than I. But.....there are already many organizations out there working for that change. And they are working for it in ways you can't really imagine. I don't say that in a way meaning 'you're a moron'. I say it only to let you know that there is soooooooooooooooo much out there you can research on the web to help you further understand what is going on out there. Every time the boys on the Hill start to mess with the illegal immigrant question, they start crafting laws which can affect the family categories. There are groups paying thousands of dollars to prevent that from happening.

I didn't know these things early in my learning curve. I certainly don't know all there is to know now. But there are people out there fighting for justice already. It's just that the wheels of justice grind slowly.

Finally, a good post.

Now we can be friends?

Never hurts to have a few more organizations or individuals out there working for change which was the subject of this thread about 4 pages ago. If there are 100 groups working towards a better cause, I say why not 101? If we are all in it together (on the same side), then it doesn't matter if someone is just starting out and new to the bureacracy and potential for long waiting periods or is late in the game and already been screwed over by the same long waiting periods that a newbie is already fighting against.

We never 'weren't' friends.

My recommendation is as LaL stated earlier. Find a group already fighting for your particular angle of the cause. This is a far more expensive process than you can imagine - a LOT more expensive than filing for one immigrant.

Personally, I've gotten way beyond worrying about how fast they will process 'everyday' type petitions such as most of the ones we see on VJ. I'm worried about the ridiculous bars for 3 and 10 years for petty infractions of immigration law; I'm worried about elimination of some of the family preference categories; I'm worried about processes that DO go on for too long (really too long like years) but the veil of secrecy shrouds the petition.

whoever told you that is full of crap. i've got a ts/sci with 4 tickets and nessa isn't a usc.

Charles, great post, I agree with you, but what do I know or any of us, we are not worthy! Well you are full of it according to the resident expert RebeccaJo, so get ready to get blasted by her and her posse on here at VJ, what is new. Never fails.