I just can't believe it! Rome finally updated their list today and our case STILL isn't on there. It's been 6 weeks since the file was sent. I contacted Casa and was informed that it was sent by diplomatic pouch on June 14th. I asked if there was a way to trace the pouch to make sure that it hasn't been lost. They said once it leaves their office they have no information on it. Are you kidding me???? So....how the he-ll do you know if it's been lost. Their response was...sorry ma'am, we can't help you, you will have to contact the Rome office.

Are we lost in a frigg'in black hole? I swear this process is going to make me lose my mind. I don't even know how to break the news to Hicham. I guess we are going to have to wait another two weeks...AGAIN. By that time, it will have been 2 months since his file was sent. Oh...and just so you know, the wait time once they LOG IN the file, is 6 months!!!! By that time, we will be well past the 4 year mark.

The only help our Congress rep has been is to actually get the file out of the local CIS office (that took 9 months) and sent on to NVC. Once it left the country, we were told they could no longer help us.

I'm all out of ideas and letter writing at this point. It's killing Hicham to hear his little boy talking on Skype. I have so been hoping that he would get home before our son begins to know that his daddy isn't here, know what I mean?

I'm just sick over this. Sick and very, very sad!

I am sorry to hear this news. That really bites!

Just out of curiousity...are you planning a trip to Maroc with your son soon? Maybe that would help the wait (even if you can only go for a week).

I hope you hear some good news soon.

My husband and I have been debating on whether or not for us to visit. We had been planning on coming in November, but then he got his interview and 6 months was about November, so we were going to wait.

Also, he has been traveling a good bit lately and has heard rumors from friends that work with the police that things aren't too safe right now in the North African regions. While he says these are just rumors, he doesn't want to take a chance with my son and I. We are going to wait until September or October to see if that's any better. We just don't know. If he's going to come home soon, we need to save money for his ticket as well. We're kind of in a catch 22 right now.

oh god honey i'm so sorry!!! i hope they haven't lost your file. its hard to believe they don't have a tracking system for the package! i hope you get answers soon!!!

I am so sorry to hear this. Hope the package turns up and your name is on the next list.

I hope things start to clear up for you soon.

How long does Rome update their list? Hopefully, when they update next your husband will be on it. I hope you hear good news soon!

alusa,
email them. be polite and make sure you provide the following
case number
husband' name
husband's birth date
husband's address
husband's telephone number

try to make it sound like it is just an inquiry, and that you are worried since it has been couple of months now. on the subject write something like
please help, case########
this worked for me with the naple's embassay(italy), I am confident they will respond to you. just give them couple of days.
as I said this had worked for me.
let me know if you need thier email address.
best of luck
3sila

All, I really appreciate your advice.

I have emailed Rome 2 times now and after a couple of days, they do respond, but each time they have told me that his file has not been received yet. But I will email them again today. Hopefully, it's there and stuck in a pile.

it won t hurt, just make sure you include the info I talked about. that will make it easy for them to locate your case,and of course you get a faster response.
good luck. just pray and try to relax, it will all turn out to be okay
3sila



if at this time, you still get the your case hasn t been received yet response . email casa and attach rome's response. explain that your case must have never been sent and ask them to investigate the where about it.
good luck

The north african regions are safe, dont worry about that. I am so sorry y ou are going through this

I just sent them another email with the info that you suggested. Hopefully they will tell me it's there, just not logged in.

I've been hoping that maybe they would expedite his file based on the year it was started. For example, our file starts with 2005 and I have been hoping that maybe they will assign it a priority since it's much older than say ones coming from 2007. But, I'm sure that many of us would agree that whatever system it is that they use...doesn't make sense!

It's just been so hard. When we first learned I was pregnant, we kept hoping that he would make it home to see our son born. Then we had hoped he would be home by his first birthday. I guess now we can only hope he'll be home by the time our son is two. We are just sooooo tired of being apart.

I so remember that catch 22- you want to buy a ticket for travel and you start looking ahed when the prices are low but you fear the approval will ceme and so you wait, bu then it doesn't come.

I would NOT worry about the file being lost. I've seen certain filers on VJ going through certain places where there is a backlog/high number of filers and their files appear to take longer to travel than otehr files. My gut feeling is that it arrived and is on the bottom of the stack and this is just unexpected tiem waiting that you did not count on which is why its so disappointing.

Rome updates their case list every two weeks?

I can t imagine what you are going thru. I have been apart from my husband for almost a year now and it sucks. I am sorry you and your child have to suffer for this long.
when you write to rome or casa next time, try to include the info about your kid and how he is 2 years old now and that he needs to have his dad in his life. try to get them to see what you and your son are going thru because of this visa issue ..
best of luck
3sila

I'm so sorry to hear this! I really can't imagine how hard it is being stuck in such a long wait with a young child, and not being able to share parental responsibilities, birthdays, etc. You seem, from the outside, to have been coping really well up to this point, and I really hope you're able to get some resolution soon.

Guess this means we're definitely going to Rome...huh?
Are you packed????

Yallah!

It's definitely been hard sometimes. My husband, Hicham has been so supportive. We have been supportive to each other. Whenever one of us hits a rough patch, we get each other through. Hicham has actually been handling this last leg much better than me. I'm so ready for him to come home for so many reasons. I work full time and taking care of our little boy (and he's a handful ) AND taking care of all the chores around the house....WHEW....I'm ready for some help.

But mostly, I miss my best friend. We both miss each other SO much.

Between all of my buddies on VJ and my friends in "real life" and my hubbie....I'll make it.

Ya'll keep your paws crossed....

I just fired off a letter to our Congress Rep that is pretty impressive I must say. She has been trying to pass legislation targeting illegal immigrants. In my letter, I asked how can you tackle that problem when the "legal way" is so lengthy and so expensive. It's almost a deterrant to going by the legal way.

Wish us luck!

The process is unbelievably slow. Those camels in your avatar could WALK to Rome faster than that diplomatic pouch seems to be moving.

Just maddening.



-MK

Thank you! I told someone (well probably several people) that I can totally see illegal immigration after going through this! i'm always one to do things legally, but sheesh! They make illegal look so promising and easy comparitively (and cheap!!!). Granted you have deportation and detention issues, but still!

I totally know what you mean! Alot of my friends have suggested sneaking him through the "southern" border (not meant as a racial slur to anyone...okay?) because I'd have better luck. I tell them that since he's an Arab they will most definitely detain him and deport him immediately! Know what I mean?

At times we have wondered if alot of the delays are due to the fact that he's Palestinian. Hicham says that he and his family have encountered prejudice against them many times (keep in mind they've been in Morocco since the late 60's) living in Morocco simply because they are Palestinian. Whose to say, though? I'm sure that we'll never know.

You are definitely preaching to the choir girlie!!!! When there was talk about giving the 12 million or so illegals in the U.S. amensty and fast tracking their citizenship, I just about went ballistic. I've written some government officials about this, but have gotten no response.

If Fed Ex can track a package any where in the world...how come that same technology cannot be applied to the Immigration system. WTF????