Meredith

sigh...

I am sorry you have had this happen Meredith. It upsets me on many levels, but I want you to know that there are many of us that can help get you through the next year, and tho it will take time, this can be overcome!

Gary & Ala you really helped me in my first petition as a K1 and I was always grateful to you, but your statement that admission of marijuana use is a lifetime ban is incorrect. Admission of cocaine use is not even a lifetime ban. Only a conviction or arrest that relates to a controlled substance is a lifetime ban from our country.

A person who admits to using drugs will be banned for a specified amount of time in order to prove remission. In 2010 the ban was changed from 3 years to 1 year. http://travel.state.gov/pdf/Revised%20Tech%20Instructions%20Phys%20Mental%20Substance%20Disorders%20-%20June2010.pdf

Say what you want to say about how people should not be using this horrible illegal Schedule 1 drug, but the truth is even our past Presidents have admitted to experimenting with Marijuana and it is NOTHING close to heroin! There is a HUGE push for a change in federal legislation in regards to this, not only from American Citizens, but also from other countries around the world!

http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/2012/04/president-obama-attend-summit-americas-colombia-weekend-discussions-include-drug-decrim

Jamaica is the only consulate I know of that will ask the specific question several times and in several different ways trying to get someone to admit they have used marijuana. To me it is heartbreaking to see families kept apart over something even our leaders have admitted to doing.

The public health care in Jamaica is horrible.

I am praying for you

Thanks, Jasmine I appreciate everyone's support. Sadly, we have to wait until March for him to reapply because although he confessed to using in December, the doctor wrote "March" on his medical form. I mean, really. Wouldn't he have dirty urine if he used in March and tested in early April? Oh well. I cannot control this situation so I raise my hands to the air and let the good Lord take over from here.

I'm looking forward to getting married and refiling. Dare I say that a sick, twisted part of me actually liked doing all of this paperwork? All the sticky notes and hyper organization rubs me the right way - lol

Search back on the posts here - they changed the laws to be the one year post use - There are a few other yardies that this happened to, and they married and refiled to get the interview right after the ban was up - One's hubby has been here a few years now, they have a beautiful baby - it was before they changed the law. So, my suggestion, if you want to marry regardless, is marry in JA and refile - make sure his interview is one year post this interview and you will be fine.

Yes. We're getting married in July and refiling in September so we can interview shortly after April 23rd. Luckily, I'm a teacher, so I'll be living there this summer.

OMG!! He used only ONCE in the past year and they found it??? Are you sure? That is ridiculous!!!

They didn't find it. His urine was clean. In his medical, the doctor asked him when the last time was that he smoked. Since he's a tobacco smoker, he replied "this morning." She then ordered a drug test (to the tune of 2000 J extra) to which he said "you didn't clarify between tobacco or ganja." She frowned at him and then told him that ganja stays in the system a very long time and if he's done it even once, he better confess because it will look better to the consulate. So he confessed to having used it once in December. *sigh*

And yes, it's not the worst place in the world to have to move to They even have free healthcare - can we say that? (okay, so far, it's a pretty crappy system, but still, free, eh? eh?)

Thank you for all of the advice. And yes, I do want to get married, regardless of the outcome. If it doesn't work out for us here, I'll be heading down there. It's not ideal, but we're in this together, no matter what.

Can I send in another petition earlier than a year? With the CR-1 processing times, I figure that if I send it in August (CR-1 this time around), we'll be ready to re-interview/apply for the visa in the Spring, after the one year ban. The I-130 is simply the petition, the interview is the visa application.

Will USCIS return the paperwork to me? I need it back to get married and refile.

And I do see your point on marijuana. It's hard for me to fathom giving someone a one-year ban for a simple admission considering that I live in a city where it's decriminalized.

Good Advice

Can I send in another petition earlier than a year? With the CR-1 processing times, I figure that if I send it in August (CR-1 this time around), we'll be ready to re-interview/apply for the visa in the Spring, after the one year ban. The I-130 is simply the petition, the interview is the visa application.

Will USCIS return the paperwork to me? I need it back to get married and refile.

I filed in early October 2011 and we were approved by mid-February 2011. It's an error.

Hey there,

So my fiance was denied for one year his K-1 visa in Kingston because he admitted to using marijuana once in the past year in his medical. His urine was clean. I won't go into the specifics of how Dr. Banbury tricked and bullied him into confessing, but there was a lot of shadiness there...not to mention the fact that she charged much more than the Embassy web site says that she does AND basically salivated over charging him an extra 2000 J after convincing him to get a urine test. I do not want him to go back to her at all next time.

My questions are:

1. His paperwork was not returned. Will it be? If we need to refile, we'll need it back.

2. Will we need to refile? Or will he just get another interview letter next spring and have to return with a new medical and police certificate?

3. Any further advice from anyone who's been through this before?

Thanks,

Meredith

There is nothing at this point you can do aside from wait out the 1yr ban. The issue is, you application will probably expire and you will need to re-apply all together. My friend now husband was denied for three years prior to the change. When the three years was up, they called for another interview date. One was granted and at the interview he was told they want his wife here. Well when she does come down they looked at her like what are you doing here. She was then told that they needed to refile because everthing had expired. So I just suggested that she marry him and then file for and I-130 which would be cheaper in the end and he would come over with everything. There is another lady who is about to have a second interview on 4/26. Her husband had a denial as well. Touch basis with her and she can probably fill you in on more current stuff. Her name is Mrscampbell. Good Luck!

Thank you for the information. Yeah, we're probably going to get married this summer and refile late next fall so that he can interview again in the spring. Ugh, what a process!

Greetings,

Yesterday, at the Kingston Embassy, my fiance was given a one-year denial because he admitted to using marijuana once over the past year during his medical exam. He tested clean.

My question is: What now? Do we have to file additional forms? Will the embassy simply send him another interview letter next spring? Do we reapply for a visa altogether? I know he has to get another medical exam and it is suggested that he take occasional drug tests over the next year to ensure that he is drug free.

I'm having trouble finding the answers to these questions.