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[Noel Calvert 0]

"Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing annual numerical limits applied to immediate relatives of US citizens."

You really want limits on my family being allowed to be in the country I defend? The main problem with this line of reasoning, is each person has family somewhere. If this person speaking, for some reason were sent to another country,& forced to stay there, his own perspective would instantly change. Put the shoe on the other foot, or stop speaking without thought. My wife is being forced to wait to come to be with me. Many people here are being forced to endure separation simply, because laws are written badly!

Government workers have no actual incentive to do their jobs with any motivation. When I go to work, my boss tells me what is to be done that day. If I do not get that job done that day, I lose my job. They do not face this kind of atmosphere. Even if they do, the laws are written to make it impossible to actually move things along quickly.

Let me give you an example. Yesterday, I called USCIS to obtain some "basic information". After about 30 minutes I finally got someone on the line. I described my case, & the options I am presented with. This "government worker" read the USCIS webpage to me word for word. (I had just read the information moments before calling) When I told her I had already read this information, & I was looking for the quickest route with the options I have, she said she was required by law to do what she is doing (read the webpage word for word). No useful information what so ever!

After hanging up with her, I continued my research, & I am still having difficulty finding out which option is best for us. I read posts like yours, & I feel sickened that I joined the military to defend you & your rights as an American citizen.

If anyone has any advice for a man marrying a Colombian woman (She is from Antigua, Antioquia, Colombia if that matters) as to whether I should marry her & apply for spouse visa, or apply for fiance visa & marry her in the united states, please let me know. I am looking for fastest possible. We have been together over 2 years, & this process is very expensive. Supporting 2 households is very expensive as I am sure many of you already know.

Edited October 14, 2011 by Noel Calvert

[jhp 10]

Then you would be wrong.

plz make us understand .....and we will try to make u understand our positions and views.....so dotn get to the conclusion but try to elaborate the reasons....they are not allowing us to reunite on travel visa bcaz its nt easy to prove that we dont have immigration intent or we will return to our country....so they are not allowing most of f2a visiting visa....so this is our facts and now what about ur facts...

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

"Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing annual numerical limits applied to immediate relatives of US citizens."

You really want limits on my family being allowed to be in the country I defend? The main problem with this line of reasoning, is each person has family somewhere. If this person speaking, for some reason were sent to another country,& forced to stay there, his own perspective would instantly change. Put the shoe on the other foot, or stop speaking without thought. My wife is being forced to wait to come to be with me. Many people here are being forced to endure separation simply, because laws are written badly!

Government workers have no actual incentive to do their jobs with any motivation. When I go to work, my boss tells me what is to be done that day. If I do not get that job done that day, I lose my job. They do not face this kind of atmosphere. Even if they do, the laws are written to make it impossible to actually move things along quickly.

Let me give you an example. Yesterday, I called USCIS to obtain some "basic information". After about 30 minutes I finally got someone on the line. I described my case, & the options I am presented with. This "government worker" read the USCIS webpage to me word for word. (I had just read the information moments before calling) When I told her I had already read this information, & I was looking for the quickest route with the options I have, she said she was required by law to do what she is doing (read the webpage word for word). No useful information what so ever!

After hanging up with her, I continued my research, & I am still having difficulty finding out which option is best for us. I read posts like yours, & I feel sickened that I joined the military to defend you & your rights as an American citizen.

If anyone has any advice for a man marrying a Colombian woman (She is from Antigua, Antioquia, Colombia if that matters) as to whether I should marry her & apply for spouse visa, or apply for fiance visa & marry her in the united states, please let me know. I am looking for fastest possible. We have been together over 2 years, & this process is very expensive. Supporting 2 households is very expensive as I am sure many of you already know.

I also served my time in defense of my country, not that it makes any difference. It doesn't make my opinion any more or less valid than any other American citizen's. When I put on the uniform I swore to defend all Americans, even those I disagreed with. If you have a different perception then maybe you're wearing the uniform for the wrong reasons.

You have no individual rights when it comes to immigration, nor does any other US citizen or permanent resident. Immigration is a privilege which the government regulates, hopefully in the best interests of the entire nation. The US government first instituted numerical limits on immigration in 1921 as an emergency measure to drastically slow the rapid influx of immigrants from Europe. They made that law permanent in 1924. Those restrictions applied to everyone from the affected countries, including those who already had family in the US. The law has been revised numerous times since then. Our current law is based on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which has also been revised numerous times. A lot has changed in the way that numerical limits are applied in order to make the system more fair to everyone. One substantial remaining exception is that certain immediate relatives of US citizens - spouses, parents, and minor unmarried children - are not subject to numerical limits of any kind. Given the current economic situation in the US, and the likelihood that it won't improve significantly for many years, I would have no objection to the US imposing numerical limits on immediate relative visa categories. This would be in the best interests of the country as a whole, even if it seems unfair to an individual US citizen. It could also be rescinded when the economic situation improves.

To put this in perspective, the current US workforce currently stands at about 154 million. That's about 58% of the US population. 9.1% of those, or about 14 million, are currently unemployed. Immigration currently stands at about 1 million per year. If we assume that same level of workforce participation, then that's about 580,000 new potential workers per year. If we also assume the same level of unemployment, then that's about 53,000 new immigrants each year who won't have a job, and about 527,000 new immigrants filling jobs that someone who is already here might have been able to fill. If those immigrants had not filled those jobs then the unemployment rate might have dropped to 8.7% in that one year.

I'm not proposing that we should close the borders. However, I am saying that the reasons for managed immigration are as strong now as they've ever been. There's a valid case to be made for establishing numerical limits for all family based immigration categories, even if it's only temporary.

Something your experience with USCIS should have taught you is that you never ask a customer service representative for a US government agency for advice about something as complicated as immigration. Whenever any government program is complex enough that millions of non-governmental professionals making a living helping others navigate the minefield then you know that a low paid customer service rep is going to be next to useless. The USCIS customer service reps are not trained in immigration law. They are trained in using the USCIS customer service computer system - that's all. If you want competent advise from USCIS then you need to talk with an immigration officer. Better yet, do the research yourself. All of the laws relating to immigration are posted on the internet, as are the policy manuals used by USCIS and foreign service officers at the US consulates abroad. There's also a very handy comparison guide on this website that gives an overview of the pros and cons of each visa type:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=compare

The fiancee visa is a little faster by perhaps a couple of months, but it's also more expensive. The green card application process alone will cost over $1000.

Edited October 15, 2011 by JimVaPhuong

[Boiler 43,692]

If you want legal advise then you consult with a Lawyer. Not a tele sales operator.