Improving the Spousal & Fiancee Visa Processes

[Transborderwife 4,666]

1 minute ago, f f said:

odd idea but how about a 15k fine for adjusting from a non immigrant visa and the fine is not eligible for a fee waver. a kind of if you want to jump the line and be in the us pay for it.

 

see how many people would rather pay 16k to adjust in the states when they could get a visa abroad for less than 1k.

 

it is not really an improvement but will push most people to not try to abuse visas. to take it to an extreme have the fine increase by mabye 5k a year they are in the us illegally.

I think that you'd be surprised 

[phillamb168 19]

Just now, Transborderwife said:

I think that you'd be surprised 

Yeah I'd be happy to pay that. I'd probably have to get a loan to do it, but I'd have jumped on that nearly a year ago when we started this process.

[Marco&Bettina 502]

1 hour ago, jamaicankim said:

Get rid of spouse visa. Why can't you find a spouse in your own country.

Like you did?

[KierenHby 897]

1 hour ago, jamaicankim said:

Get rid of spouse visa. Why can't you find a spouse in your own country.

What? 

Love knows no boundaries. 

None of my US relationships worked out for whatever reasons, found my spouse overseas, and happy for it. 

[Chardon Ne' 71]

8 minutes ago, jamaicankim said:

Get rid of spouse visa. Why can't you find a spouse in your own country.

So if someone's parents brought them here as children and on one of their visits home they met and fell in love with someone who shares their culture and values, they shouldnt be able to bring them to live where they are? 

[Chardon Ne' 71]

46 minutes ago, f f said:

odd idea but how about a 15k fine for adjusting from a non immigrant visa and the fine is not eligible for a fee waver. a kind of if you want to jump the line and be in the us pay for it.

 

see how many people would rather pay 16k to adjust in the states when they could get a visa abroad for less than 1k.

 

it is not really an improvement but will push most people to not try to abuse visas. to take it to an extreme have the fine increase by mabye 5k a year they are in the us illegally.

Would you want this if this was how you adjusted? lol 

[Chardon Ne' 71]

53 minutes ago, phillamb168 said:

I'm sorry I didn't read through everything already said, but:

 

this is a mostly electronic process. As someone who helps companies do process improvements for a living, specifically those related to software, based on what I've seen from the software being used on this stuff it would benefit a great deal from process industrialization. Metrics, performance bonuses that can be easily tied to those metrics, accurate goal setting based on previous data, and most importantly (at least for us!) accurate time estimates based on current and previous case loads. And it wouldn't hurt to do a little Amazon-type stuff and over-estimate, instead of under-estimate, the time needed for a given task, so that we, the poor people on the other end of all this, can get a pleasant surprise when "1 - 6 weeks" is now "4 weeks" but is actually done in three. Also improved communication w/r/t where our paperwork is in the stack, and the removal of what appears to be 'random' processing - people who sent in stuff in January who get CCs a week later, versus people from the same country who submitted in November who are still waiting.

 

Of course all this and $5 will get you a cup of coffee.

Fellow Techie you are speaking my language...A more informative system adjustment...

[Lenchick 133]

28 minutes ago, KierenHby said:

What? 

Love knows no boundaries. 

None of my US relationships worked out for whatever reasons, found my spouse overseas, and happy for it. 

I think It was merely a "get back" comment at someone who mentioned to get rid of an adult child visa. The member is an F1 applicant and this is an adult child visa. I think that most parents would always like to have their children closer so that they could visit more often which would be difficult to do living thousand of thousands miles away, and maybe even would like to be able to look after and spoil their grand children in the future. Also, in many cultures when parents get old and disabled, the children take up the baton and  take care of their old parents and this is a very noble cultural feature. So I would say 'yes' for all close relatives to have the opportunity to reside in one country and get together which would be difficult without the respective immigration law.

[AK_2014 113]

Hi Dave,

 

For us at least, part of the frustration simply stems from not knowing what is going on in the process. Better communication from USCIS (i.e. reliable online updates, for example) would do a lot to help ease our minds during this long process. Also, it must be possible to update "current" processing times more quickly? It's early February, and USCIS is still showing data as of November 30. That's a pretty long lag time, over two months.

 

Another, smaller pet peeve has to do with biometrics: they should actually last the full 15 months or whatever it is they're supposedly valid for, i.e. if you apply for a re-entry permit shortly after getting the green card, the earlier biometrics should be consulted and the $85 for the second biometrics should be refunded. But again, that's by far a smaller issue. :-)

[Ontarkie 13,981]

~~Inappropriate posts removed and some that quoted. Administrative active taken.~~

[Love To Teach 161]

I just paid my taxes for the year, and you'll understand if I'm a little downhearted. I couldn't file with my husband because he owns small businesses where he lives and I can't figure out how to file with all the ins and outs. I had to file separately...It was just a pretty big shock...lol

 

Someone wrote that these are not reimbursable expenses for a sponsor????

• Medicaid and other health insurance and health services (including public assistance for immunizations and for testing and treatment of symptoms of communicable diseases; use of health clinics, short-term rehabilitation services, and emergency medical services) other than support for long-term institutional care
• Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
• Nutrition programs, including Food Stamps, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, and other supplementary and emergency food assistance programs
• Housing benefits
• Child care services
• Energy assistance, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Emergency disaster relief
• Foster care and adoption assistance
• Educational assistance (such as attending public school), including benefits under the Head Start Act and aid for elementary, secondary, or higher education
• Job training programs

I think I read it wrong. Another poster said these are NOT benefits that the sponsor has to pay? If not, heck, you're talking a lifestyle here. After knowing a bunch of immigrants from different countries and their histories, going through a K-1, now doing a CR-1, I think I've had a bit of experience.

Suggestions:

1. Limit the number of time a person has to be in AP...6 months, years...it's ridiculous. For some, there is no end in sight. There needs to be an endpoint, not endless AP.

2. Put some glasses on when you interview couples. A blind man could have seen the problems in some of the 90-Day Fiance couples. And yes, before you criticize, I spent a lot of time in airports in different countries. One in particular I won't name, was a constant coming and going of women, how shall I say it, that anyone would know is not in a legit relationship. I even ran into one woman who quit her job, got pregnant in the guy's home country, none of her relatives here would have anything to do with her (not because of this guy, but because she was a crazy), had already had her children taken away from her. and on and on. And, she was on disability, but apparently was non-disabled enough to get through a bunch of airports, eat plenty, and get pregnant.  It was absolutely amazing... (And yeah, I can say that cuz I'm a chub too...lol)

3. Do not let current prisoners apply for visas...This should be self-explanatory.

4. Do not let people with federal crime history bring people here.

5. If you can't support yourself, don't bring somebody here. From experience, lots of welfare benefits are taken. It's kind of like a little community figuring out how to "trick" the US into paying their way. If you are on welfare, you couldn't have the money needed to bring someone here and support him/her (picture Danielle and Mohammed).

6. Track people and see what is going on....I know a guy from a foreign country that cheated on his taxes, sending his cash home to buy a gorgeous mansion. When he got caught, no big deal. He paid a fine, still got his citizenship...his butt should have been shipped home. I heard about places in NYC that a person could pay a woman to marry a guy from this foreign country. I think the going rate was $5,000. Then, of course, they adjust and divorce.

7. Another couple I know from abroad had their kids (who are all here) bring them over. He was hoping to get free medical for a big surgery he needed. They easily got their green cards within a year.  And BTW, this guy works a great job in his home country where he fleeces people in his job for big money, has several houses and properties, cars, money, jewelry, servants, etc.

8. Send back all illegals and have them apply like the rest of us. I saw somewhere that a person said the illegals don't get benefits....I cry BS. I work at a school where we are not allowed to ask for SS numbers for kids. They "give" the kids strange SS numbers. All of the kids get free breakfast, lunch, food for the weekend, no fees, free Christmas (but not the working poor kids), free medical, free housing, free transportation, clothing, Head Start, special ed, ELL, energy assistance, food stamps, etc. And most of these families have 4+ kids. The dads have typically been in a different state with a different woman. There are more riding in the wagon than pulling it now. Think about adding up the cost for all these "benefits." No more anchor babies. Heck, we can't do all these things in other countries.

9. I agree it would be better for K-1 folks to have to get to know the person better. I thought I knew mine too...People can hide their true personalities unless you have seen them in many stressful situations and how they react.

10. As for bringing all the family members over: When a person leaves his/her country, he/she should know they are making a break from the family. It's not our responsibility to take in entire families. There's always going back to visit. I can see bringing children under 18 IF you can afford to support the entire family.

11. In the interview, they should make sure the people really know each other. I have seen cases where the fiance doesn't know a thing about the other person. They couldn't communicate at all.

10. If I hurt any feelings, I apologize. Someone asked for opinions and suggestions. So here are some. And if you are thinking I am really cold-hearted, I'm not. I just think there are way too many loopholes and crazy stuff going on that need to be addressed. We can't support the entire universe in the USA. Heck, we can't even support ourselves...lol

LIVE, LOVE, AND BE HAPPY CUZ LIFE IS SHORT!!!

[Daisy.Chain 317]

I would ask him to thank the regular employees, the majority of whom do a great job. 

I might suggest that greater resources be engaged to "catch up" as some offices are further ahead processing than others, which seems strange.

 

If so could go further, I would also suggest that the law be changed so that people on tourist and other non-immigrant visas not be allowed to AOS by marrying and staying in the US (except perhaps for the gravest of unforeseen health concerns - maybe they could produce an expensive, tedious, offputting waver for this), and that illegal immigrants never be allowed to adjust status from inside the US.

[NikLR 13,220]

5 hours ago, ManCharsey said:

No that's not what I am saying. You are the one making comments without backing it with substantive facts saying the US government allows AOS because of money blah blah..that's nonsense. 

 

I will just re-iterate my point again, AOS from a non-immigrant visa is there for a reason. spousal visas and K1 visas are there for a reason as well. They are all good, none is bad. However, making an argument that AOS from non-immigrant visas should be stopped just because your spousal visa route took a long time doesn't make sense. Laws are not written out of peoples personal feelings..It's based on merits and demerits. 

 

Besides you are aware CBP has the power to ensure one can not adjust status by annotating the entry stamp (can not AOS etc.) if they see anything suspicious. I hope you are also aware that less than 5% of people who travel to the US with a non-immigrant visa adjust status. Trust me, if this was a problem, it would have been at the fore-front of these immigration reforms going up on the hill.

 

It's not a problem and that's why no body talks about it. The only people who talk about it are filers who are in their feelings about 'someone cutting in front of them'.

You realize that notation means nothing.  People adjust with it all the time. Intent means NOTHING once a person is allowed in. If the CBP really felt there was intent all they can do currently is deny entry.  So either intent has to mean something or AOS has to go.   

 

4 hours ago, Lenchick said:

That not a wise perspective to get rid of adult children....what did you base your proposition on? Apparently you would have an absolutely opposite opinion if you had to leave your adult child who was at least 21 years old behind..

  A 21 year old is an adult.  If your child cannot take care of themselves by that age, you failed as a parent. 

Edited February 4, 2017 by NikLR

[Transborderwife 4,666]

10 minutes ago, NikLR said:

You realize that notation means nothing.  People adjust with it all the time. Intent means NOTHING once a person is allowed in. If the CBP really felt there was intent all they can do currently is deny entry.  So either intent has to mean something or AOS has to go.   

 

  A 21 year old is an adult.  If your child cannot take care of themselves by that age, you failed as a parent. 

I don't see too many people talking about having their passport annotated on here anymore, perhaps it's a thing of the past 

[NikLR 13,220]

2 minutes ago, Transborderwife said:

I don't see too many people talking about having their passport annotated on here anymore, perhaps it's a thing of the past 

Maybe the CBP realized it was a useless effort.  When you can claim at an interview that you always intended to commit visa fraud and they can't deny you for it, well what's the point? I know of a couple that committed fraud on the advice of a lawyer.  It upset my husband (as it was his friend)  and annoyed me, but I sleep at night knowing it wasn't me and I have a happy marriage.