Have the "read deal" now on the K visa delays

[mjhlava]

I wish I had better news .. but this is directly from the US State Dept by way of my Congressman. I don't like it either, but going off the deep end with threats of leaving the country, or burying your Congressman in mail or faxes won't resolve or change the situation.

This delay became necessary due to one fact: previously, there had been a 10-day time limit on the wait for security clearance data to be returned on a pending visa applicant. If the information did not arrive within that timeframe, the visa was automatically placed back in the process queue for continued action. Sadly, it was discovered
that increasing numbers of these auto-approvals were found to be serious security risks .. after the fact.

Subsequently, in an attempt to close this security loophole, effective August 1, 2002, ALL visas submitted for security clearance verification will now be required to wait for a reply from the investigating agency (usually, but not limited to the FBI) .. no matter how long it takes for that reply to be received. Preliminary estimates say it will add from 30 to 45 days to visa processing.

This was not announced in advance to avoid the sudden flood of potential security risk applicants from sneaking under the wire, so to speak. Regrettably, this meant innocent bystanders were also adversely affected. Those at the Consulates all over the world, some with approvals sitting in front of them, were equally and unfairly devastated.

ALL visa processes are a coordinated effort of multiple agencies from both governments involved - American and foreign. Though we continue to be frustrated by the undue length of time required
to get a spouse, fiancée, or other loved ones into America, the causes for the delays are not without a degree of merit. The events of the World Trade Center nearly a year ago were the result of people residing in America, most on expired or falsified visas. Some
of those same people were deemed security risks when they entered the USA .. yet they were allowed to enter because our flawed security clearance system did not identify them in time.

This situation appears to be a one-time major delay,and those who were within sight of the visa finish line have been the ones most hurt by it. Long term, the backlog will diminish, and processing will get back to some aspect of "normal", but with the added
burden of waiting for every security clearance to be returned for each applicant.

Bottom line .. it appears we can expect up to 45 more days wait for a K-series visa to be issued than was previously experienced. A lucky few won't experience any added delay. Others .. will. There's no way to tell in advance.

I know it's patently unfair to request anyone for yet MORE patience than you've already been asked to exhibit, yet that's exactly what it’s going to require. Rants to senators and representatives
probably won't do much good. It appears they were caught as off-guard by this as we were.

Mark

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Have the "read deal" now on th..., posted by mjhlava on Aug 6, 2002

It sounds like this new information is referring to the I-129F process at the local INS office, not the exit interview...

Why wouldn't they put the due diligence there? Why wait until the exit interview to suddenly add the delay?

What am I missing here?

BTW, I disagree with your assessment that this is all necessary in the light of 9-11.

NONE of the terrorists were here on a fiance visas!

That is what really frustrates me about ALL of the security measures enacted... NONE of them would have stopped 9-11.

Not the elimination of short-term parking, not the limit on carry-on bags, not the checking for ID and boarding pass, not the elimination of butter knives in the airport restaurants... NONE of it.

If all of our current security  measures had been in place on 9/10, the tragedy still would have happened on 9-11.

And making it hard for women fiances to enter the country doesn't make me any safer, either.

[BrianN]

... in response to I'm not sure I understand, posted by MarkInTx on Aug 6, 2002

powers of government that be.

A arab student going to crop dusting school still has to have information filed with the INS, by the school... (same as a sponsor for a K1).  

Then when the app is approved, it's forwarded to the state department and the matter is now in their hands.  (In a K process they send your fiance a packet, which has duplicate crap to fill out for them - may as well call it an S-194 application for the lady).  

The state department final security check is the absolute last line of defense against these maggot terrorists.  In this politically correct idiocy, to change this would require them to admit to profiling. (Not gonna happen I mean jeez.. well, maybe not, they do love to profile white american 80 year old ladies and Al Gore).

Ok, so they would eliminate security check delays on K- Immigrants.  Hmmmm... well, then we have Mr Wgama Aldubaba brings his terrorist child wife immigrant over here on a k1 visa and she just happens to be well educated by hamas and wants to wreak havoc on the plane ride over.  

Yeah it makes no sense but these guys will do anything to get past our defenses.  Think about how long the 911 thing was in planning stages.  

In final analysis, it almost makes sense, and throws another hurdle in front of a wanna be terrorist.  Of course it screws up the works for the legitimate folks but hey?  Ever been in any military book camp... some dude screws up and the whole company is stuck doing 100 push ups for this poor sap because he didn't salute properly?  Or how about the installation of road humps on a residential street because 10 percent of the drivers wanna do 50 mph in a 30 zone with kids around....

The majority will always pay for the few malcontents that are out there trying to screw it up for the rest of us.

Just a fact of life don't cha think?

[tfcrew]

... in response to I'm not sure I understand, posted by MarkInTx on Aug 6, 2002

I could declare that I have mine and to blazes with everybody else. I do have mine..but I am outraged with the sencelessness of this new edict. So is my wife. (She has marriage minded friends at home).  This is your congress-person's attitude.... They have "theirs". Good for them.
I do not agree with this thread statements that it does no good to complain .. be upset.. protest etc. Of course it does! They count on us not complaining...and we are few..

Our goverenment is based on oiling the wheel that squeeks the most. The I-129 petition  is supposed to be a peliminary examination by investigating authorities regarding the fesibility of a potitial spouse entering the country for marriage. Now peliminarys have to be done twice? Come-on!
Have more to say...but I am furious !!!!!!!!
Karl

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Mark-and all ..un-understandable, posted by tfcrew on Aug 6, 2002


Thanks for the vote of solidarity :-)

[BrianN]

... in response to Mark-and all ..un-understandable, posted by tfcrew on Aug 6, 2002

I always thought it was the INS that evaluated the initial petition and validated the US citizen's status and authority to apply, and then the foreign US consulate's job to evaluate and validate the K1 immigrant.

I don't think the INS will ever have the horsepower (or legal authority) necessary to evaluate "potential" immigrants that aren't already here.  That's the state dept's job.

[mjhlava]

... in response to I'm not sure I understand, posted by MarkInTx on Aug 6, 2002

Mark,
Whether you AGREE or DISAGREE is NOT the issue.

The ISSUE is that the STATE Department and NOT the INS who is the one who have initiated this "policy".

It is "policy" on ALL, I repeat "ALL" types of visas.

Granted not one of the "terrorists" were on a K-1 but this is a "policy" across the board!

I totally agree that the "checks" should be made at the initial application. The ladies would just need to supply their POLICE reports as part of the process to INS and save a lot time.

This would be "LOGICAL" and can anyone honestly say that ANY Govt. agency has "common sense"?

This is not however the case and from what my "contacts" tell me, this NEW policy went into effect on 8/01 because it "finally" got the computer updated to contain this "new" information to check backgrounds.

I am not writing this to all of you because I have nothing better to do and want to upset or discuss what, why, when or where.

I OWN "USA Fiancee Visas" and was asked by a man who I did a K-1 for who belonged to your group to find out anything I could and pass it along to all of you.

Mark

[BrianN]

... in response to Re: I'm not sure I understand, posted by mjhlava on Aug 6, 2002

You said:

"I totally agree that the "checks" should be made at the initial application. The ladies would just need to supply their POLICE reports as part of the process to INS and save a lot time."

First of all, the INS, is a true POS and overworked organization that doesn't have the manpower or political support to actually enforce our own borders with mexico, (even though it does have the mandate to do it).  Hell, all it takes is a faked police report from some third world country with no checks and balances to bypass it.

Then:
This would be "LOGICAL" and can anyone honestly say that ANY Govt. agency has "common sense"?

Absolutely not, it would be totally illogical to have the INS, an agency that is empowered with enforcement of the US borders and immigration issues with people here in the USA, to go outside of the border and engage in another job that it couldn't even possibly imagine to do with any more efficiency that it can now.

Totally impossible.

Btching simply because a man's fiance has to endure new regs won't get anyone anywhere.  Look for alternative solutions to the new problem instead of complaining because it exists.  I'll bet you 10:1 odds that there's terrorist influences in your own city, and you don't even know about it.  Likely, the INS knows also, but they are usually powerless to do anything unless every freakin t is crossed, and i is dotted, with extremely well verified evidence of such activity.

Unfortunately for us, those that are actually engaged in the process at this moment, are paying the stinking price for the immediate transition.  Somebody always does.  If everyone engaged now, had their fiance with them NOW, instead of a few months from now, it would be the next batch of guys that would be crying foul.

I think it's time for some people to take a cooler-heads approach to this and realize that this is one of the few ways that the US can get around the problem of being accused of racial profiling.  IE, EVERYONE... gets checked.  That d/a express visa program they had going over there in saudi arabia also got shut down...  dam good thing and I wonder how many US citizen arabs are btching about that too... (Me personally, I'm rotfl they would be complaining, as they are the root disease of half of this muslim terrorist crap anyway).

The state department was the only proper route to take on this issue by instituting new procedures, because they ARE the last line of defense and they know, that if they sign off on another visa and that sob or whoever makes it here and they blow up another building or airplane, then their heads are gonna roll.

The guys that got into this k1 fsu bit should be big boys and roll with the punches.  If they can't handle the stress of waiting, then maybe they'd be better off picking up a chick at mcd's.  

After all, there's been trip report after trip report of dudes going over interviewing 10-30 different ladies, with the guy in total control of the process, then when he gets back he totally loses it because there's another 2 week delay.  Yeah right.  Real control.  Makes me laugh my ass off.

jmho.

[mjhlava]

... in response to Wrong Mark, posted by BrianN on Aug 7, 2002

First of all INTERPOL is "supposed" to be linked with "our" INS to eliminate any chances of "terrorists" or "possible" terrorists into the USA so HER "police" report could be checked and expidite the process.

Is INTERPOL linked up with the INS as it supposed to be? Who knows as ALL of our Govt. Agencies are "closed" mouth about what is going on.

AS FOR THIS:
I'll bet you 10:1 odds that there's terrorist influences in your own city, and you don't even know about it.

I live in Palm Coast, Florida and the "only" terrorist influence would be for all these "retired" people to "storm" Walmart on a "buy 1 get 1 free" of Geritol or Viagra.

MArk

[Jack]

... in response to Re: Wrong Mark, posted by mjhlava on Aug 8, 2002

Hey, maybe I can send you the money to get one of those extra bottles of Viagra!

[MarkInTx]

... in response to Re: I'm not sure I understand, posted by mjhlava on Aug 6, 2002

Look,

I know that you are not just trying to piss us off...

I appreciate the heads up.

But I'm not gonna like it... And I am going to write some letters...

[BruceS]

... in response to I'm not sure I understand, posted by MarkInTx on Aug 6, 2002

I understand exactly what the heck is going on. It's
called pacify the dupable public into thinking things are
being done to "make" the US safe. I saw this on my trip to
Belarus. Notice as you fly around the world where yo get
screwed with the most. For me it was in NY and PGH. I saw
many middle-eastern folks walking right through checkpoints
with nary an eye raised, but not me a life long resident of
the good old USA. Heck at La Guardia on the way home I had
my carry on check 4 times in 2 hours and I saw plenty of
older men (proly WWII vets, older ladies, and folks in wheel
chairs get checked, but not 1 frickin' middle-eastern. Burns
my A** all this racial profiling crap.

   Like I said...typical lame stuff the government does to
make the average person with no common sense and/or never
thinks for themselves ....  to feel safe.

Cheers,
Bruce

[BruceS]

... in response to Re: I understand...Do we want to try doi..., posted by BruceS on Aug 6, 2002

Forgot to post that I will be emailing all public
officials in my district and the white house with my ideas
on their stupid ideas!  *-)
   Get all that you can to do same and maybe it woun't
help, but unless you try you never know.

Cheers,
Bruce

[Jack]

... in response to Re:Do we want to try doing something..op..., posted by BruceS on Aug 6, 2002

Maybe we protest, like dumping all the tea we can find in Boston harbor,...ooppps, that's already been done.