Daisy.Chain

9 hours ago, Family said:

I just came actos your post and read slowly..even as my stress level and anticipation rose. I so wanted to hear a success story . 
 

Have sibling print out all the docs ypu

uploaded and fly him to a US POE ..Mexico.

 . Have him ask/plead for Humanitarian

Parole . 

There is a section for humanitarian parole for organ donation on the USCIS website! I already have the medical documentation -piles of it. I am unsure if it can be done at the border - it looks like an application with a time period. Do you know for sure it can? I will update if I find out more info.

5 minutes ago, SalishSea said:

Good question.  Part of me thinks this could just be a matter of rattling the right cages.  Do any of your local news stations have a consumer advocate/investigator?  Maybe that seems far-fetched, but anything that can draw attention to his case is worth a try!

I don't know but will find out. I figure that getting the word out might help attract an altruistic donor even if they can't help with the visa.. or could they? I have never heard of a case in which a B2 denial was reversed ever. The applicant could apply again, I guess. In fact, the person who denied her said she could apply again - which seems odd to say as she was being denied.

8 hours ago, Family said:

I just came actos your post and read slowly..even as my stress level and anticipation rose. I so wanted to hear a success story . 
 

Have sibling print out all the docs ypu

uploaded and fly him to a US POE ..Mexico.

 . Have him ask/plead for Humanitarian

Parole . 

I'm currently reading everything I can. Is this currently a possibility? How do you know? I'm googling it. I thought I had exhausted the medical expedite option - can it be different at POE?

It is so frustrating to not be able to search for similar stories - it feels like we're working blind not only in the medical situation but also in the medical visa part.

3 hours ago, SalishSea said:

Daisy, what has your senator/rep been able to do?  Any chance to escalate it within that office (i.e. above the staffer who usually handles such requests)?

 

Mr. Daisy is a USC, correct?  Because this situation is nothing if not urgent for the health and well-being of a USC.

The rep's office got a reply from the consulate that the request would be noted in their file and -after the interview- told me that it had been denied. They are now requesting the specific reason why but I don't have high hopes. I hadn't thought of escalating it within the office - do you think there's a chance that would help? I'm not sure if they can do anything if it's been denied - would we the have to do a new tourist visa?

Yes, he's a USC.

5 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

I don't suggest this in frivolous fashion, but this is a legitimate crisis.  Call the U.S. Citizen service line of the consulate, and firmly request that your call be transferred to an American consul in the NIV (Nonimmigrant Visa) unit.  You'll get resistance.  Play the American card:  "Are you a U.S. citizen?  No?  Well, I am, and I insist that you transfer me to either the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit Chief or an American consular officer in that department who is there to pick up the phone."  Insist.  Upon further resistance, ask for the staffer's name and the name of his supervisor, then repeat your request.

 

Yes, this is completely against protocol, but it's likely a life-or-death matter.

Not frivolous at all imo! I didn't know this existed but am calling tomorrow. Thanks for the idea. I will be persistent and let everyone know how it goes.

We have NO qualifying donors so far - so far no one we know has even qualified for paired donation and at the same time his family members have done the pre-testing they can the DR and are likely to be good matches. In the past 3 weeks my husband has gone from being at a stable-ish decline to tanking- he was a big strong guy and now is in pain, has fatigue to where taking care of himself is hard, can't walk around the block and this week the nausea was so bad he vomited/tried to multiple times trying to brush his teeth. From "normal" to this within a year is a scary decline for a spouse to watch.

We have to get this figured out ASAP because it truly is life or death without a different donor. We are Christians and he is not afraid of dying but obviously we are exhausting all other options prior to.

14 hours ago, Boiler said:

They would have been told why the visa was refused.

Yes, they got the 214b denial. I meant that there was not a specific reason given.

6 hours ago, millefleur said:

Did they give a paper with the reason for the denial? It's usually 214(b) but it seems they almost always provide some reason why it was denied. Very sorry to hear about this.

 

I hope you can get the legal documents for the sibling, maybe see if there's any way you can get an emergency expedite for those?

 

I totally agree with you on the frustration of the B visa process. I've known plenty of people who got approved who frankly didn't seem like they met any kind of strict requirement for showing ties to their country, it's baffling sometimes. I once had the opportunity to ask a consular officer "How do you make the decision?" and he told me "Some people just look trustworthy" - maybe he was just joking, but sometimes given the seemingly random outcomes of who gets approved and who doesn't, makes me wonder...

No reason, just the general denial - not even a comment from the person who gave it to her. She said the woman who called her up looked irritated before she even got to the window. I asked our rep to request the "why" and they did but I haven't heard yet.

I'm less sure about expedited through the Dominican legal system but BIL is moving as quickly as he can! 😕

Update for anyone else in the same situation:

The emergency expedite process was comparatively straightforward. The person applying just goes I to US travel docs and hits "apply for expedite", upload documents and write a brief description of the situation. Both siblings' medical expedite appointments were approved within 24 hrs, and given about a week in which to schedule (although you could schedule out farther, you had to do the scheduling within a week). After the appt approval but before the appt I also had our state rep call the embassy. That was not helpful  or a smooth process - they are used to calling for potential immigrants, not for B2 medical visas and I explained a LOT of times but still wasn't sure they understood the process-.

One visa was denied for no specific reason and the other was delayed (they kept the passport) while the sibling gets some legal documents together that require a judge and could take months which is longer than we currently have available, health-wise.

I'm pretty bummed about the denial -Mr. Daisy is not doing well at all- and also am hoping the getting-the-documents process somehow goes quickly.

I understand that there are NO immigration guarantees but am so frustrated to see so many people -even people we distantly know- walk across the border or abuse/overstay their B2 tourist visas having had that plan all along and then have free housing, food tickets, work etc with no immediate consequences. We try the legal way with stable 40+ yr old siblings who have traveled internationally, have good jobs and what the heck? Lots of disillusionment this week.

If anyone is A+ or O+ and is interested in kidney donation, please reach out! 😭

Hi everyone! New fear unlocked - can anyone help with this?

This emergency medical visa is quite a process! The doctor's signatures are taking longer than I thought to get. Fortunately Mr. Daisy is on a new medication that might help extend things a few weeks (although it makes him feel like #######)   As far as the expedite is concerned.. both siblings that are potential kidney donors already have a B1/B2 visa in progress and have for a few months. They were going to come to visit/for tourism until this came up.

So now when I need the expedite for a different reason - medical- do I need to RESUBMIT (and pay both fees again) for a B2 visa (medical) visa? Or is that included in the B1/B2 visa? Travel.state.gov says "Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2)"

BUT on the DS-160 it specifies:

I'm not sure if resubmitting would help or confuse the issue. What do you think?

#tbonetx
#Boiler 

6 hours ago, Verrou said:

in marriage certificate listed FIL's last name is Rodriguez correct ? if yes, it wont be an issue. MIL can justify that after she's married she took her husband last name. a bit a nuance here. took is not equal name change ( usually name change is completely different first name and last name for example : "mary jane doe smith" become "lady gaga rodriguez". it is obvious why mary jane smithbecome mary jane doe de redriguez.... by submitting the marriage certificate that shows FIL's name is " papa RODRIGUEZ" 

 

 

 

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My USC husband is planning to petition his mom from the Dominican Republic. We are concerned because I'm not sure we have proof of her name change. (In the specific examples below I used fake names.)

MIL legally married  FIL -husband's dad, 1st last name Rodriguez- after the birth and declaration of my husband. On his birth certificate her name is (for example) Mary Jane Doe Smith. Later her married name became Mary Jane Doe de Rodriguez.

The married name is on the passport and visa. The VJ guide says a marriage certificate is evidence of name change. However, on her marriage certificate no name change is listed. It just says that MIL's maiden name is marrying FIL.

In the US the name change is spelled out really clearly. Is the Dominican marriage certificate I described good enough evidence to justify the difference between her passport and birth certificate? She has no other document and if she needs one I don't know what to tell her to get. I THINK it is ok but..anyone here who knows?

2 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

DR can do the matches needed

they do transplants

 In 2022, the number of organ transplants, including kidney, heart, lung, liver, pancreas, and small bowel, performed in the Dominican Republic added up to 62 interventions, up from 46 transplants reported a year earlier.

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1033802/dominican-republic-number-organ-transplants/

 

this is so hard when time is short and u worked so hard to be together

u have my sincere prayers for a successful transplant

 

Thank you! In comparison, my current transplant center does over 1,000 transplants of the kidneys alone per year. My husband has a rare condition that affects his kidneys but is caused by an autoimmune condition - so for example there is likely to be more complicated scarring on his kidneys (due to the cobdition before they operate, not due to the operation itself) so we're looking for an experienced surgeon who has seen s lot of complications.

If we go to the DR the trip alone risks his life as he is pretty fragile, but that is our backup plane if absolutely nothing else works. We are going to try paired donation where I give a kidney to someone else and their loved one gives Mr. Daisy a kidney first so I don't think we'll need to risk the journey. I am hoping for the best possible outcome which is generally from family, but we will consider other alternatives if needed.

.I never knew I'd need to do so much research on all this stuff. I learned not terribly long ago that kidney transplants don't remove the diseased kidney (in the condition my husband has). They just add a new one in this maintaining a little of the original function and adding to it. It makes sense but is weird. Some people have even more than 3 kidneys bc of this!

11 hours ago, milimelo said:

This one would definitely work for early appointment expedite. You can request it yourself after you pick a date that's available (even if months later), or you can go through your congressional representative(s) for it. In either case, you have to have an existing appointment (sounds like you have one already) but as circumstances have changed you're now requesting an earlier appointment for medical testing purposes. Your congressional representative can work for you - you just provide as much information as possible to make it easy on all sides. Good luck! 

Thanks, I needed to know this! We have piles of medical paperwork. I have to get some final forms signed hopefully on Tuesday and then it should be complete.

Both siblings currently have scheduled tourist visa appts a few months down the road. I will check with them asap to look for an expedite request - I think I remember it now! So it's not a form to send somewhere, it's actually on the appt form itself - thank you so much! We'll check into this ASAP and ask our senator if we don't get it.

I appreciate the help. I was thinking I'd have to mail a physical document so where and couldn't figure it out.

20 hours ago, SalishSea said:

Omg, sending love to you!  My husband has a kidney transplant, so I totally get it.

 

Just wanted to say that in the absence of a match in the family, there also may be the option for you to donate a kidney to a third party, and for your husband to receive an unrelated matched kidney.   Sounds like he does have potential family matches, though, which is excellent.  Can any of the potential donor testing be done in the DR?

 

Btw, I don't usually recommend this, but in your case it might be good to contact your US senator/congressional rep for assistance.  Especially given the time urgency.....and, they might be more willing to help because of the PR/human interest aspect.

 

Feel free to DM me if you want.  My husband received a sibling's kidney >20 years ago, and is doing great - even got through a COVID infection unscathed.  *Hugs*

Aww, thank you! I definitely will.

We can do some of the testing in the DR but then I think we'd have to repeat it here in the US - maybe not if I csn figure out sone way to certify it?  This is one of my questions for the consult meeting!

If I can't figure out the expedite I am going to ask my rep/senator for sure.

Thanks again for the *hugs* and advice!

13 hours ago, Skyyy said:

you can take the patient to the donor's country and do the surgery there if things do not work as you wish

Yes, this is our backup plan but I have high hopes we can figure it out here. It would be a huge health risk for him to travel at this point in the disease progression and then restart the testing/donation at a center there. I'm planning paired donation (where I give one to someone else in need and their loved one gives a kidney to my husband) prior to that. Family is the best match though for a few reasons so it is our #1 choice.

19 hours ago, Boiler said:

I know there are people here who know the medical stuff, I do not.

 

I assume there would be some logical medical connection why someone would be a match? Just from a practical perspective you would want to narrow down possible candidates.

 

Medical B would include the medical paperwork and evidence the costs are covered 

Yeah, there is a much higher chance of a match from a family member, esp an immediate family member. A parent is a 50% chance and a sibling is 25% which is amazing compared. A live donor is way better than a deceased donor as far as function as well. We have a lot of offers and I want to narrow down candidates from his family as much as possible though to avoid unnecessary flights/expenses. No need to plan for 50 people when 2-3 might do.

Is "Medical B" the B2 visa?

45 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

hospital I go

Also, I hope your reason for going to the hospital is better as well. Medical stuff is no fun.

11 minutes ago, SalishSea said:

This might be a reason to reach out to your US senator.   

I will definitely keep this in mind. It is certainly a legit cause!

Do you think they know how to do the medical expedite or that they can help move it along? I'd rather try on our own following the steps if I can..but I'm getting nowhere looking for the steps for it. But I know people have tried to apply for it based on pregnancy and gotten declined so it has to be here somewhere but everything I'm seeing is for k1 or spousal visas.

16 minutes ago, Daisy.Chain said:

 

9 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Certainly worth a try, so they have initial testing in DR and those who look promising need to come for confirmation?

The DR doesn't have any kind of official initial testing that I'm aware of that translates between the two countries - certainly nothing we're currently signed up for. I'll keep a copy of the testing paperwork as documentation though.

The US health insurance company pays for all the testing for donors as well as the actual procedure - IF they are in the US.  However, the visa application/flights/ lodging/travel would be out of pocket for us so to minimize that we're doing some preliminary "easy" testing in the DR where it's way cheaper to do. There's no point in applying for a visa for someone of the wrong blood type, for example, so we're getting the blood types and doing some of the next step of bloodwork.

I'm trying to figure out how to apply for a medical expedite - so you know if this is posted anywhere I can review? I keep finding dead links and am not sure where to look. (Also, my brain might be fried from all the things this week do I'll keep trying tomorrow)

22 minutes ago, Lemonslice said:

 

 

Please reach out to the  

International Patient Services at Mayo.  

https://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/international

 

Similar service at the hospital I go to is very knowledgeable/good reference center to prepare the medical documents to support the urgency and severity of the situation, and why care in their hospital is required.  

 

I remember your posts Daisy, I hope that your husband will be able to receive prompt care and a donor match. 

Thank you!!

We tried patient services at Mayo and asked for people to help with the visa paperwork. I have to verify that we go to the actual department you listed since they transferred me and I'm not 100% sure. Regardless, though, both nephrology and the transplant center are willing to help make the documents BUT they won't until we have the initial transplant consult - and the first appt is in MARCH. (They restart their normal 8 week timer when our insurance changes 1/1/24 which is lame imho) (!!!) Not much time for visa paperwork even expedited although we'll stay on their schedule until we get a better solution.

I called about every transplant center all around and found one in our area with good stats that has a consult available Tuesday so I'm hoping they'll connect us with the right people for this as well! 

Hi everyone,

Mr. Daisy became a US citizen through a k1 a few years ago - thank you all for your help. I'm coming back with another question for you.

Mr. Daisy has a rare really aggressive autoimmune disease that affects his kidneys. It is not the traditional kidney disease where sometimes dialysis is an effective time buyer while you wait for a donor kidney. He went from "fine, slightly high bp" to where we are now (level 5 kidney failure) in less than one year.

We knew he was sick but Mayo Clinic this week gave him 6 months if we can't find a donor. This is after we're doing EVERYTHING possible to slow this down.

Family is the most likely shot at a match and we have lots of family volunteers in the DR that are possible matches. but the processing time for a B2 is longer than he has. We have tons of documentation and I'm hoping this qualifies for a medical expedite for them to come and get tested/possibly donate in the same visit.

Is there any guide for an emergency medical B2 visa of what or how to submit for an expedite? I am looking but some of the links I've found don't work and I don't want to do it wrong. Is it just a normal B2? If so, how do I request an expedite? I apologize is this is somewhere on here that I've missed. My brain about to go crazy.

At least one of my husband's siblings is a very possible match -we're testing OOP as much as possible in the DR with plans to repeat in the US- and already applied for a tourist visa a few months ago for unrelated (wanting to visit) reasons but the appt is several months away.  Is there a way to request an expedite of this existing B2 application?

Our last ditch scenario is to attempt it in the DR but my husband is deteriorating really fast and is currently fragile. Doctors would never let him travel but if we ignored them and did anyway it would be really dangerous...and we'd have to start all over there with the transplant evaluation and I don't know if we have enough time. 😞

Thanks everyone in advance.

Are they made of glass? 

If so (and they aren't a weapon), she could be overdressed!

On 3/3/2023 at 6:06 AM, Php2404 said:

Yes I do have the WAC number and it shows the case was submitted. It has been the same since the past 7 months now 😞

9ish more months to go (hopefully), then.

Did you get your WAC number? It should be on the letter you got a week or two after submitting the K1. You can check for USCIS status updates with that number.

It just took a family member 16 mos to reach the point where he can schedule the interview at the consulate in a month or two. 😕