Tourist Visa Wife Deported After Honeymoon Cruise

[Adil & Jeanne 296]

My brother-in-law married a Russian girl and wanted to take the cruise with her parents when they came. spouse visa. he was

told frankly by immigration she was not allowed to leave the country for the first year. Not even honeymoon or to go outside

international waters even on a private ship to fish.

[aaron2020 11,651]

My brother-in-law married a Russian girl and wanted to take the cruise with her parents when they came. spouse visa. he was

told frankly by immigration she was not allowed to leave the country for the first year. Not even honeymoon or to go outside

international waters even on a private ship to fish.

A person entering on a spousal visa would automatically get a green card allowing him/her to immediately leave the U.S. and re-enter.

Your BIL got bad advice. Alternatively, there may be some facts missing.

[General Buhari 46]

A normal person could reasonably assume that simply having a marriage certificate provides several benefits. It works with HR benefits, and it works with the IRS. We know it doesn't work that way with USCIS. But it's because if it did, there would be a high volume of fraud and homeland security vulnerability. So there are a lot of super odd procedures with ridiculously long waiting times which makes all of us miserable.

But, guys, this Kafka nightmare is a *consequence*, not a *necessity*. I feel the VJ community suffers from a crazy Stockholm syndrome. Just because things sucked during your immigration process, it doesn't mean people that assumed it would be easy are fraudsters, scum of the earth that deserve to live apart for a year.

I mean, look at what you are saying. You have no sympathy for a bona fide, missionary couple that went on a honeymoon in Mexico and the wife was deported.

THIS.

No Stockholm syndrome here.

They violated the law, they got caught, they suffered the consequence.

If that's the case then I bet you there will be many that would go and do missionary work to have the same benefit they tried to flaunt.

I recognize your point of view, recognize ours.

I haven't seen any and to be brutally frank, I have no intention to contribute.

I agree with you and I in fact have strong opinions about those doing it for immigration.

I think it's s diservice to the immigrant because clearly the host is not financially stable enough. But to each his own.

Edited July 18, 2015 by General Buhari

[aaron2020 11,651]

I mean, look at what you are saying. You have no sympathy for a bona fide, missionary couple that went on a honeymoon in Mexico and the wife was deported.

No, I am not saying that. You are reading that into my statement.

I have no sympathy for people who blame someone else for all their problems without accepting responsibility for screwing up.

I have sympathy for people who make mistakes and own up to them.

If the newlyweds and his family had acknowledge their mistakes instead of blaming US immigrations, then they would have my sympathy. They are even lying about the circumstances to get money on GoFundMe. How about a little honesty - we screwed up and we need help? That's sympathetic. Not, we didn't do anything wrong, US immigration is evil, and give us money to fix USCIS's mistakes.

When my children screw up and then blame others without taking any responsibility, I am not very sympathetic either.

Edited July 18, 2015 by aaron2020

[aaron2020 11,651]

I had sympathy for them until they choose to lie about the circumstances, spinning a story about how evil US immigration is to them, and then seek to financially profit from this tale.

[JamnSol 35]

These are two naive kids. Not human trafficking, and I am doubtful of an intent to commit fraud. I was raised Mormon (as these two are) and this would not be an unreasonable assumption.

[TBoneTX 43,061]

Many ppl is in a haste to travel outside the US without GC in hand & at times on rare occasions AP don't even work ni getting back because its up to the CBP discretion. If there is no emergency wait for the card, don't go gallivanting outside of the US unless the plan is to wait outside for processing .

This nails it. It continuously amazes me how many K-1 couples go through fire and water to get the beneficiary here and then promptly ask whether they can go to such-and-such a country or take such-and-such a cruise on their honeymoon.

-- If they just got the beneficiary here, why are they so wild to leave?

-- It shows an ignorance of the process even among those who should be self-informed, and it highlights why it's so crucial to be a student of the entire immigration process, even of those steps that are seemingly far off in the future ("Help! I don't have any evidence for my ROC package!").

[IleanaArpaio 10]

Well probably because he was rich..Rich ppl sometimes are so naive thinking "oh honey we will be fine, we are going in our honeymoon, you do have a valid visa" so what's the worst can happen and we can't fix it?

I don't know i didn't had a desire of leaving US in 5 and half yrs till I had some major problems back in my home country with my family..that's when i got really nervous and I wasn't able to think straight. But I will never blame Immigration was my stupidity of not searching.

Either way she is in russia now and she will have to go trough this wonderful process and an Immigration Officer would decide if this is for real or not..they gonna have a lot to prove now after all this. But pointing at immigration as been their fault is not really a smart move.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

My question: could a congressman somehow speed things up for them given that they're trying to get as much publicity out of this as they can (ie: to make them look good)?

My gut says nope, wouldn't happen. However you never know in this world.

[Boiler 43,451]

Highly unlikely unless they have major contacts. Certainly not on the basis of what has been said so far.

[D.Ba 85]

The story is a bit inconsistent:

Some say she was deported because the passport was in her maiden name.

However, the immigration could not possibly have known that this wasn't her name any more at the time.

GoFundMe:

"However, while checking our daughter-in-law's Russian passport which of course has her maiden name, Immigration officers asked if she and our son had been married. My son responded, "Yes. Two days before we boarded the ship. We told you about it when you checked her passport as we boarded." (...) ICE explained that as soon as she was married her tourist visa became invalid because she didn't state she was getting married when she entered the country two weeks earlier with her Mother. Her limited English undoubtedly contributed to the misunderstanding."

>> So the reason was the invalid visa and misrepresenting the purpose of visit.

I am wondering what she DID say when she was asked at the POE? Shrug her shoulders? Look uncomprehending?

Josh's Facebook page

There he says they were asked why they came up to the window together, and he said because they had just been married.

So, totally apart from the discussion on what they did wrong concerning the visa, the tragic thing is - had they just gone up to the window separately and not blasted out they were married ... there would not have been any issues??

[IleanaArpaio 10]

The story is a bit inconsistent:

Some say she was deported because the passport was in her maiden name.

However, the immigration could not possibly have known that this wasn't her name any more at the time.

GoFundMe:

"However, while checking our daughter-in-law's Russian passport which of course has her maiden name, Immigration officers asked if she and our son had been married. My son responded, "Yes. Two days before we boarded the ship. We told you about it when you checked her passport as we boarded." (...) ICE explained that as soon as she was married her tourist visa became invalid because she didn't state she was getting married when she entered the country two weeks earlier with her Mother. Her limited English undoubtedly contributed to the misunderstanding."

>> So the reason was the invalid visa and misrepresenting the purpose of visit.

I am wondering what she DID say when she was asked at the POE? Shrug her shoulders? Look uncomprehending?

Josh's Facebook page

There he says they were asked why they came up to the window together, and he said because they had just been married.

So, totally apart from the discussion on what they did wrong concerning the visa, the tragic thing is - had they just gone up to the window separately and not blasted out they were married ... there would not have been any issues??

Nope i don't think they would've had any issues ..of course ..but him going with her just shows up that they knew they would been in some kind of trouble..I'm not immigration officer to realize now that they knew.. I'm sorry that this happened to them if their marriage is real ..that sucks..totally ! But i feel 100% they were aware of the situation.

[IleanaArpaio 10]

For a B1/B2 visa u have to know english..it's logic u gonna travel in USA and since Russian or Romanian in my case isn't the main language i can't help it but wonder how she passed that interview? She can't use the excuse english is not her first language.. Because when i went to my tourist visa interview i was only asked in english questions..like why i'm in mexico? ( because i got married) what a Romanian does it mexcio? ( i live in mexico because i got married) What is my interest for traveling in USA.( to join my husband in his business trips) Where my husband works ? ( He is a President for General Motors In mexico) How i came to Mexico? ( flying from romania) Where I meet with my husband?( in UK while i was working there, he was in one of his business trips)...So a 10-15 min of questions.. that logic u have to answer..and since Russia is not a great friend of US..I know the consulate over there have to do an extreme interview.

I doubt it she didn't understand english..i mean seriously i'm feeling sorry if this story is true but more i read more i realize it's bull. Again if its real prayers for them to reunite with each other pretty soon.

[D.Ba 85]

TBoneTX: Why would anyone want to leave the country immediately?

I give you two examples from my own life:

- I will likely be in El Paso while waiting for AoS. I would like to be able to walk across the border to Juárez/Mexico for the day.

- Shortly after my arrival, my (then) husband will travel to Peru for work and I would be happy to tag along.

I can understand the honeymoon to some extent as well ... although I am not too keen on a cruise.

I am not yet in the USA, but I already feel suffocated by the prospect of being unable to leave the country (or rather leave, but not return). If you live in borderless Europe, where you go into other countries all the time without even stopping your car - it's a weird and unpleasant thought.

[IleanaArpaio 10]

in europe u dont need a passport to travel we can travel with our ID.. but US has their own laws unpleasant but that's how it is. I have a friend in Canada she got deported and her husband is active in US army ..and she get's no special treatment.. and geez!! is Canada i mean right there Canada!

She overstayed her student visa and got married and somehow when she applied for 130 the officer at the interview told her she needs to go to canada to apply for her 601 and she was never able to get back in.. so she is waiting there for 2 yrs.