Chloe Girl

Thanks SalishSea.

Hello VisaJourney community. [I had originally posted this in someone's thread but now realized I should've posted it separately. So here it is again....] I am hoping this helpful community can offer some advice..... I am helping an Afghan national reunite with his family. The husband evacuated to the US at the end of August 2021, as a humanitarian parole. The blast at the Kabul airport separated this family; his wife with their 2 very young sons were stranded in Kabul. In May 2022, his wife (and sons) were selected in the 2023 DIV lottery via a notification letter from KCC. Her case number is in the low 9000s. In Sept 2022, she completed the necessary application along with pertinent docs and successfully submitted all to KCC. She has since managed to relocate into Pakistan (yes she has a valid Pakistani visa). In her foresight, she designated the US Embassy in Islamabad to be her preferred interview location. She recently contacted KCC for status update and their response has been general: "case is active" and 'not everyone who is randomly selected in the lottery gets an interview or a visa'. Question: Can she contact the US Embassy in Islamabad DIRECTLY for a status update specifically on her case? If yes, how? Everyone's comments much appreciated. Thank you.

Hello, SusieQQQ, Family, and arken, I really so appreciate you guys taking the time to share your advice. I know it’s hard to respond effectively when my post is not forthcoming with specifics. My friend prefers that, as much as possible, I not share his info on the internet. He has good reason to believe that his wife can and might be traced. So, I refrain from stating the country name. I am honoring his request. I will say this bc you guys deserve some explanation…. 1… He had a pro bono attorney here, supposedly working on his Asylum app. This attorney did not offer help in getting his wife out or with filing for Humanitarian Parole. Unfortunately, the attorney recently left the nonprofit org that she was with. Turns out neither the attorney nor her assistant had done much work on his case. So he lost about 4 months. I do know that the attorney and the org (a very well-known reputable nonprofit org whose focus is on helping resettled refugees) were inundated with clients, many seeking help with HP apps to rescue immediate family members and extended relatives. In fact, earlier this year, the org stop accepting new HP cases. So, until we find another attorney (pro bono or one that is affordable), I have implored him to work on his statements, to answer the various questions on the asylum app. Fortunately, I have a friend who is an immigration attorney who has agreed to review the application as he/we develop it. (My attorney-friend is super busy now and so is unable to take on his case at this time.) 2… Circumstances were so dire that he was granted Humanitarian Parole AFTER being airlifted to a “lily pad” location before entering the US. His wife and child likely would’ve received HP but the tragic situation separated and stranded them into the chaos of others scrambling to evacuate. So, no, she has not filed for HP. 3… Filing for HP could take several years to process. The backlog is a hope-killer. Since early this year, there have been numerous news articles about ppl with stellar credentials and very strong proof of threats to life, who have filed for HP, but waited, waited, waited, and then were ultimately rejected. Heartbreaking. Of all the ppl applying for HP, the number of ppl who actually become a Humanitarian Parolee is extremely low %. (Now, add Ukrainians to the pool of waiting HP applicants.) Also, the $575 filing fee for each applicant is steep (in this case, it might have been 2 ppl, but now, it might be 3 ppl if the newborn needs a separate HP application, or maybe the kids can travel under mother’s HP). $1725 is a lot of money to raise (though I’m sure my church would help fundraise). I think husband may have better luck with being granted asylum….. then as a Legal Perm Resident, he can apply for Family Reunification. That’s my thinking for now. All that said, we are not ruling out applying for HP for his wife and children. It’s just not high on our list right now. 4… Then his wife won the DV lottery. What luck! So we are focusing our attention on submitting the DS-260 as soon as possible. That might be the faster route out. We want to get everything right; mistakes will delay or reject her submission. That is the reason I signed up with VisaJourney. Emailing questions to the Kentucky Consular Center is a painfully slow wait and when they do respond, it’s general, bureaucratic, generic, and doesn’t really answer my questions specifically. Your responses to my post have been more helpful! My local congressperson’s office has helped with federal agencies, including KCC, but even the response is still very general. 5… In the meantime, my friend is working his tail off. Housing, as you know, is insanely high, especially for someone working slightly above minimum wage. I am helping him navigate our local health insurance (medicaid) system, helping him find a doctor that is compatible with his cultural needs and language, etc. He is depressed, frustrated, and feeling guilty that he left his wife and children. No doubt suffering PTSD. 6… It’s a good thing he and his wife speak and write English decently. Otherwise, I would not be able to help. So, thank you all for commenting on my post. Your comments advance my understanding.

Thank you Arken. Your comment help confirm what I am thinking.

Hello VisaJourney community. I am helping a friend, a recently resettled refugee, complete the DS-260 for his wife, the Principal Applicant. The DS-260 has not yet been submitted. Their home country fell into the hands of a terrorist group, an authoritarian controlling body that is not recognized by the US. Deadly circumstances separated husband from wife & toddler at the moment they were attempting to evacuate. He is now here in the US but she is stranded in their home country. The US Embassy evacuated from the country in 2021. On his wife’s behalf, husband applied for the 2023 Diversity Immigrant visa lottery. She was selected and notified in May 2022. The wife is the Principal Applicant. Questions: 1… What address should be listed for the wife? Will the US visa processing authorities (KCC-Kentucky Consular Center) send mail to that address? She is a “high value target” due to her former occupation. The terrorist group have been seeking her. She cannot return to their home because the terrorists have chain-locked on their front gate. She doesn’t want to list a friend’s address bc friends’ lives would be in danger if the terrorist group found out. Ditto with both sets of parents and their addresses. After much consideration and seeing instructions dictate to use most recent address, we defaulted to use her home address, even though she cannot go there anymore. She changes location often and remains in hiding. We are assuming KCC will send correspondence via email instead of physical mail. We also listed husband’s US address (and phone) as secondary address. Any thoughts on this strategy appreciated. 2… Should the email and cellphone # that we list on the DS-260 be the wife’s (the Principal Applicant) or her husband’s? I hesitate to list her email and number. Terrorist have been known to confiscate cellphones and scroll thru texts and emails. Anyone with connections to anyone in the West is dealt with severely. Thus, many rescue organizations with experience arranging airlifts, counsel terrorized hopefuls to know how to quickly delete files from their devices when terrorists approach. Her husband can still contact friends and parents to reach his wife. 3… On the DS-260, the wife is the Principal Applicant and their two children are also listed….. BUT SHOULD THE HUSBAND BE LISTED? The husband, after all, is already legally in the US under Humanitarian Parole, and is permitted to stay in the US until Sept 2023. Interestingly enough, on the DS-260, his interview location automatically lists “USCIS” with no specific location. Her interview location, as expected, is in a country that neighbors the country in which she is stranded. In the meantime, he is applying for asylum. I’m guessing YES he should be listed on the DS-260 because it’s valuable to have a US visa. (No telling how long it will take for his asylum to be granted.) So, should husband be listed? Thoughts and advice appreciated! 4… Can newborn travel under mother’s valid passport and hoped-for US-issued visa? At the time of their separation 10 months ago, she was about one-month pregnant. A month ago, while in hiding, she gave birth to their second child. The situation remains too risky for mother/principal applicant to apply for a birth certificate and passport for the newborn. We’re hoping the newborn can travel without the normal documents. Thanks much for any advice and suggestions.