The USA you are looking for is unfortunately gone and hopefully may someday return. Montreal is looking for people just like you and your wife . What is your problem?
4
I am a US Citizen now.
I arrived at Florida in 1988, legally, right through the airport.
Even though the work to become a permanent resident begun immediately, I got my green card in 1993.
I begun to work on my citizenship pretty much that day, and I gained my full citizenship in 1999.
I had it easy.
My brother, had to deal with issues like his green card application and documents got stuck in a building with asbestos and they could not fish it out in years. YEARS, not weeks, or months, years. And when he finally got his green card, they had put his wife’s picture on it; took 2 more years for them to change her picture for his.
This is what it really takes to become a US Citizen.
Sob stories of ‘I have not heard back in a whole 3 months’, really? Try 3 whole years for a file to be pulled, and 2 for a picture change.
You have the choice of staying the course and gaining your citizenship. Or chose any other of a number of countries more welcoming to you, like Canada.
Now you know why those of us who did it the legal way, resent when socialist say ‘open borders and every body wins a green card just for showing up’.
5
I was told by German friends visiting the USA this past August that they were asked by the immigration officials at LAX if they had any plans to kill the president of the USA. I could not believe it.
You have a solution right in front of you. GET MARRIED.
5
Have you guys considered Canada? It might be the only sane option in the Americas these days.
3
Been there, done that... yes, it's frustrating and it takes a long time. The process is complicated, sometimes convoluted, and always expensive- the first thing to understand is, this is all by design.
A better question from this should be- why go through all these procedures and jump through hoops, and spend a bunch of cash with lawyers, and go to immigration appointments, doing everything the correct way... when other folks think they can just turn up in our country and make themselves at home? And, if they get kicked-out, they think they can just come back?
Get the wall finished, it is common-sense.
4
Funny how the author tries, but fails, to inject race into this: "Britain is 87 percent white; Morocco isn’t." Actually, Morocco is pretty much 100% white, according to the official US Census definition of "white," which includes Middle Eastern and North African people. Better luck next time, Mr. Schulman.
2
And is it all worth it at the end of the day ??
2
also i'm waiting and my son is born in usa because i am still waiting the DS 5535 MY FAMILLY NOW is surviving
There was a student at CUNY who went to Germany to give a talk at a conference. She had been here legally on an F1 visa but the US denied her permission to return. Her German visa expired and she was forced to return to her native China.
Six weeks passed and she was finally allowed to return to the US, and immediately the Immigration service complained that she had missed six weeks of classes and perhaps she was not really a full time student.
And why did the New York Times not write about this case?
Because Obama was president.
5
Move to Morocco. Get married. Good quality of life there, lovely people, great food, and a low cost of living. Be adventurous. Be resourceful. Discover the world. Discover yourself. You don't need to live in the US to be happy. The way things are going, you might find a better life somewhere else.
9
Moshe -- the US government cannot stop you from marrying; they can only stop you from bringing your wife back into the US.
Go there, marry her. You might be better off though to go to any European country where you can both gain admission, marry there, and deal with that consulate.
Good luck.
1
Think this is bad, check out the California DMV.
1
If there weren’t already tens of thousands of foreign nationals in this country gaming our system, or overstaying their visas, or crossing our borders illegally etc... perhaps, then, the bureaucratic process for legitimate prospective immigrants and residents wouldn’t be so convoluted. Illegal immigration is a menace...harmful to our country and all our citizens. Solve that problem and the problem of obtaining visas for foreign fiancés would likely evaporate.
4
I had the honor of dealing with the state department blackhole of processing around 2 years ago. I needed a passport overnight to go to Canada for my brother-in-law's batchlor party.... so important but no where near the level of importance that the writer dealt with. When I cam back to the passport the office, they said it wasn't ready and I could wait. I waited the day at the office, sent the rest of the party ahead telling them I would catch up. 20 calls, 2 letters, another passport office visit and 16 months later I finally was called by a special agent from diplomatic security, saying the case had been referred to them as potential fraud. They apologized for the delay, but would not clarify what had happened the previous 16 months.... I went in and was interviewed, was able to prove who I was and was able to get my passport within 2 days.......+16 months. My suggestion is find a way to get to a special agent of whatever department you are dealing with. They are really the only ones with any power to do anything. The reason I was flagged for fraud was Social Security Administration declared I was dead right around the time that I applied for my passport, that only took 3 months to figure out (after my bank and life insurance started mailing my wife about her benefits)
it took talking to a special agent in SSA to get that fixed as well
Firstly, you're not married so she's not family. So this isn't "tearing families apart".
Secondly, the US government isn't keeping you from marrying your girlfriend. There is no guarantee that any visa will be processed speedily.
Thirdly, the reason both of you are separated in the first place is because of her own circumstances (her study visa).
3
We have a 7,000 not legal immigrant caravan headed to our border and in many places illegal border crossings are up 50% or more. And Democrats have little to nothing to say about it. No one can deny that a border wall will help.
3
A universal problem taking place in every country. The "State Leviathan" and the defenseless minnows.
2
Forget the US. It’s a dying imperialist sink hole run by the 1% for the 1%. The astonishingly civically illiterates who vote might wake up one day but it’l be too late. Focus on civilized countries such Canada, Scandinavia, and many of the countries of Western but not Eastern Europe. Yes they have their problems but also are committed to Enlightenment principles.
5
If it proves too much of a hurdle they can always go back to their own countries and not fill it out.
We NEED to know your background in order to process your application!
Cmon, let turn our brains on here.
2
Thank you so much my brother Moshe Schulman. The extreme vetting is certainly not applied to keep bad people away, but to punish everyone from a Muslim country or has an Arab or Muslim name. You are a good example of the improper utilization of these resources (DS5535). Your fiance is a very educated woman from one of the best universities in the world, she had been a trainee in the US. You are a great journalist! What to expect?? Your family is certainly a pleasure for US (two intellectual souls). I hope soon you have your fiance-Wife in the US and all of us. I have been asking my senators to bring the issue to the floor. I think we need to organize and push back this unfair practice. Make no mistake, we are all patriotic Americans and we love our country dearly and we are ready to protect our country USA by all means. Yes, we want our country (USA) to be able to screen and keep the bad apples away. However this process need to be transparent, fair and applied uniformly to all visa applicants not just the Muslim and Arab countries. Also, as you suggested this process should have started side-by side the initial application and not after we already invested and waited one year for our interview which should have been just to confirm the applicant identity and content of their original documents. I too booked my wife ticket and planned to accompany her after the interview however unfortunately I had to cancel my none-refunded ticket and traveled 4 times since the interview!
2
At this time, I wonder why anyone would even want to come here.
9
Moshe:
your description of trying to get your fiance to the United States
does NOT sound like a good idea and the United States does NOT seem like a good place from the tone of your complaint.Perhaps you should go to Morocco and get married there.
1
Just tell her to go to Mexico, walk to the border and present herself for asylum. Seriously, this is why it is so unfair for people like you and your fiancé to have to follow the rules while those who have access to our southern physical border can waltz right in. I do sincerely wish you and your fiancé good luck.
2
Vote! Vote! Vote!
Vote to Change it...
To those in the House and Senate - Silence is implicit endorsement of behavior.
Some of the comments here are shocking. I can just imagine how they would have reacted to the interracial marriage ban in Loving: “Virginia isn’t preventing you from getting married, just from living together in Virginia. You don’t have a right to live in Virginia, so what are you complaining about?”
9
17 years ago I went from a J1 to a K1 to be able to stay with the man who became my husband. It was painful, long, and mainly stupid. I still remember waiting in France unable to work, not knowing when I will have my interview, then giving my medical report issued by a doctor in Paris working with the U.S. being paid much more than what a regular french doctor would be paid for a physical, and the interview, being treated like cattle at the consulate, being asked to come back to pay for the visa cause, well, that day they did not have the time to interview me and receive my payment that had to be done to the post office a few blocks away...and then the mess of the temporary work permits at the time just valid for 3 months at a time. I could add a lot more details, it was unnecessarily long and painful. The situation you describe is worse. Good luck.
I believe I have a way to defuse the potential dangerous consequences of the migrant/refugee march toward the USA. Before I make my suggestion I would like to declare that I am not "for" the Wall, but accept the reality that I do not always get what I want. So here is a win/win/win solution: The marchers say they want jobs; the US should hire them to build the wall with solar panels facing South and sell cheap electricity to South America.(BTW: any wall could never be contiguous, look at the topography) Those workers who show that they truly have a work-ethic will be able to apply for citizenship. Solar panels could be built in Mexico. Seems to me a solution with the best possible outcomes for the most people.
3
Congress could pass a law allowing every congressperson to sponsor 50 immigrants a year. Hopefully they would sponsor the best and the brightest.
Given the current administration, aren't you worried that some immigration official will see this editorial and retaliate against you and your fiancee?
I would like to comment here, but you cut off my comment so no point. My spouse and I have been abused by US embassies for over 4 years now. I am a US citizen. I could write a book by now. The icing on the cake was DS5535- now processing since Aug 2017...Which is not hard to fill out when you don't travel. When you have a husband who has been to 100+ countries had over a dozen US in and outs and is a world class musician and has to pay US taxes on his foreign earnings while he can't even get a visa to come and see me, it is pathetic. So far in our travels" France (honeymoon). Poland, Azores Islands, US (before we married). Morocco, Portugal, Holland, Dubai and Mali (5x so far going back there in Dec.) I could see it if we were needy or something, but we are a decent married couple... And it started under President Obama. I am Polish by birth, 43 years in US. If he were Polish, he would've been here in 6 months since filing (as was my manicurists' husband). As I said, I could write a book. This process is ridiculous and selective.
1
I, a US citizen, married a Swiss man 35 years ago. I opted to live in Switzerland, and it has been worth it. Why go through all the hassel, when life can be better elsewhere?
2
I really don't see what your problem is. Just have her fly to Mexico, join the immigrant caravan and jump the border. If she can make it about 100 miles in, she's home free and will never really have to worry about being deported. Alternatively, tell her to get a tourist visa, fly on in and just never leave. Almost a million people do these things every year and they do fine in their new home country. It's likely that the Democrats will be retaking congress and the presidency soon and they are entirely open to letting people stay. The more the merrier. And this is not to even mention the many sanctuary cities and states that are here to help. Good luck!
4
I’ve done the k1 visa and didn’t have the money for lawyer. Did it all myself 28 years ago and it was difficult. Took months longer. Plus as we were dating the embassy insisted i send my wife back to Hungary since she was on a tourist visa. Others i know simply got married in the us and applied for status change . Much easier and cheaper.
However i do know 3x as many people that abused the k1 proves than were legit like we were. It’s long , difficult and worth it. Im sure it’s worse now .....im wishing the best .
1
let’s use it!
I am in a similar situation we been engaged close to 2 years and half and my case under administrative processing for a six months we have not heard any update yet ,,, We are tired of waiting
Thank you for being the voice of the American people who are going through this situation . I’m also one of those forgotten people with the pain of being separated of my husband . My baby is two months old and still doesn’t know his father for this stupid Administrative Processsing . I do not understand how our government speaks out about legal immigrantion when not even legally we can ask our relatives. I feel embarrassed for what our government does with us .
2
so just fly/marry her....wouldn't that put things on a different footing?
2
Having immigrated over the decades to both Canada and the US, and watched/advised many family members immigrate to the US, UK, Australia and Canada, the fundamental, often-challenging situation is similar:
- stable developed countries accept, even want skilled middle class and professional immigrants;
- conservative governments in Canada, US, UK and Australia have slowed their immigration processing in all classes of migration to a terrible crawl (in Canada, Trudeau was elected in part on a promise of reducing immigration processing delays);
- the marriage route is universally provided for, but predictably has been widely abused with the result that all applicants are stress-tested with very long processing times, surveillance and other means (but in the end, visas are generally granted to bona fide marital class applicants -- in the end);
- even well-meaning and conscientious immigration officials (some are) are totally overloaded as a result of 'small-government' policies and cutbacks plus undeclared political policies that are de facto operationally anti-immigration;
- processing errors and loss of submitted paperwork are endemic (even more delay).
Competent private (non-NGO) immigration legal advice is not just helpful, it is essential.
Everything got much harder post-9/11, unfortunately, everywhere but especially US and Canada (one family applicant to the UK and Canada became a UK citizen in the time it took to get a Canadian 'green card'!).
Good luck, Mr Schulman.
2
Get married wherever you can. Take away that obstacle. As far as he nationality of your fiancee, it is abominable that Trump's America no longer considers anyone "innocent" until proven guilty (a charge he made against the American people v. Kavanaugh),when it suits him
It is also unfortunate you have chosen to fall in love while Trump runs this country. Undoubtedly if this was 2014 or 1998 or any other time, you two would have been here, contributing to our country and becoming(in your fiancee's case) a good citizen.
I wish you luck, and happiness that this dispicable situation (and ours) will soon be over.
1
Every country has a right and a duty to protect its citizens. Extreme vetting of people from Muslim countries is not unreasonable. Your fiance is not a terrorist and, I assume, has no link to terrorists, but the US has to be sure of that. Liking NYC, fashion and Drake is great, but doesn’t mean vetting isn’t still necessary. Congratulations on your engagement and I wish you a happy marriage and life.
3
I'm in a similar situation although I am married and we live outside the United States. I had a choice of abandoning my country (and getting citizenship elsewhere) or of abandoning my spouse.
It was not my first choice but as it eventually turned out there was no real option due to the obtuseness of the US bureaucracy. I chose the former.
You might want to consider a similar action.
36
@Alternate
It is a pity that we no longer have the applied math and computer science expertise when we have all of the Trump fanatics who probably haven't graduated.
4
The phrase is "under the radar,"meaning the multitude of official regulations, that can define a historic change in national policy, that is unknown by all- except for the few that it impacts.
The Trump regime must have imposed thousands of such regulations, some that reward his followers and others, like this one, that is virtual war against any who fit the broad categories of "enemies."
I passed up reading this article a few times, as it didn't have an emotional title, but now I understand. The writer has the skill, motivation and resources to do everything possible to have his fiance join him in his country. How many with fewer resources are being affected by this "regulation"
Trump promised he would build a wall, and he has done so. It's invisible, which is the best kind.
1
The same story happened to me and my family. I was selected among winners in DV lottery 2018 and all members of my family celebrated that. We went through the medical check up and the interview which cost 2000 Us Dollars. We were surprised to be given DS 5535. we waited for 3 months and my visa was refused because the administrative processing was not finished. a lot of winners had the same fate and they are languishing to start a new life. It is really painful to wait for one and a half years and then be refused because of bureaucracy.
The phrase is "under the radar,"meaning the multitude of official regulations that can define a historic change in national policy that is unknown by all- except for the few that it impacts.
The Trump regime must have imposed thousands of such regulations, some that reward his followers and others, like this one, that is virtual war against any who fit the broad categories of "enemies."
I passed up reading this article a few times, as it didn't have an emotional title, but now I understand. The writer has the skill, motivation and resources to do everything possible to have his fiance join him in his country. How many with fewer resources are being affected by this "regulation"
Trump promised he would build a wall, and he has done so.
It was another era, 1992, and another unsuspected nationality, German, but people we met at the consulate in Bonn told us what a hassle it was to get a fiance visa. So my future wife just came on a tourist visa, and we got married and submitted our application for a green card here. And we've lived happily ever after. And once Obamacare passed, my wife was even willing to get naturalized, though she also kept her German citizenship, and since November 2016 she is mighty glad she did.
1
@David desJardins @Ro Ma Having spent one year and 6 months going through this myself I can say that it is needlessly harsh and the rules sometime nonsensical. Yes one COULD get married BUT this really does change the game and sets you back. My now wife is German well educated, a teacher so no obvious red flags. I am American, lived in Germany for more than 10 years and have permanent residence there. I returned here for a job. First we have to get married for me to bring her with me. Second where we married mattered. Getting married here would be easier, less paperwork, BUT, would drastically complicate the visa issue, because my wife was still working as a teacher in Germany to finish out the school year. So we went the K1 fiance visa route.
Then she got pregnant which caused delays because of the medical requirements. Finally got throught that got the fiance visa, she comes then we have to marry, quickly. Then apply for a green card. The medical flag on her visa because she was pregnant when she came caused a few months more delay plus extra costs because we had to repeat the medical exams.
We had to provide 5 years of addresses etc. then 10. We had to provide information on her biological father even though she has never had contact with him.
@ro Ma your suggestions were useless not everyone has infinite resources to pay attorneys fees. If they did they could become a citizen immediately like Rupert Murdoch just buy your citizenship. That was a bad bargain.
15
Welcome to legal immigration experience. It can take several years or decades to get the permanent resident status (the "green card") as an accomplished, highly published scientist. Moreover, after thousands of sleepless nights, during that strange half-existence, the application can be simply denied because the immigration officer, who finally got to your case, had a bad breakfast. This is what legal immigrants (or potential legal immigrants) have to go through. I'm sorry to say, but your case is as normal as they get.
This is why many legal immigrants don't particularly like being conflated with the illegal aliens who simply don't care about the law or the consequences. I'm personally very liberal on immigration but I really do understand other legal immigrants who are not so disposed.
Best luck with your case!
5
@natan
Of course, stories like this one help to explain why so many immigrants take the "illegal" route--and most often, that involves overstaying a previously issued visa (not charging a border en masse).
It has always been thus--if the law is made ridiculously labyrinthine, such that understanding and complying with it becomes well nigh impossible, people will resort to "illegal" work-arounds.
6
I know there are many reasons to bash the Trump administration, but it seems to me that your dispute is with, and caused by, the company that supported your fiance's initial J-1 visa and then withdrew its support for a 2nd year renewal of her J-1 visa.
It would have been helpful and informative for your article to explain why your fiance's company withdrew its support for her; why she did not seek or was not able to obtain another sponsor for a J-1 visa; and whether there are any factors in her (or her family's) background that might have led to to the extended administrative processing you describe.
I don't think it is, as you put it, a matter of requiring permission from the government to marry the woman you love. I am not an attorney and cannot offer legal advice, but I have heard that there is a process under which you could marry your fiance abroad and seek citizenship for her based on her new status as someone married to a US citizen.
I am pretty sure Brooklyn and the rest of NYC are chock-full of immigration attorneys. If the first one or two haven't resolved your and your fiance's problem after two years, you might want to consider seeking additional legal advice.
61
@Ro Ma, a J-1 visa would not have allowed her to live in this country more than temporarily so it would not have solved their problem.
6
@Ro Ma Yeah.... and you, of course, will make a substantial contribution toward those legal expenses?
@Ro Ma is this supposed to be helpful? confusing.
1
Yes, going through the process for immigrating to America is difficult. Too difficult. But thank you Mr. Schulman and to your fiancee, for attempting to do it legally and honorably.
But remember, please, that your fiancee has no basic human right to travel to and live in the United States. You write as if she does.
What I don't get is why having to answer questions about "...the past 15 years of their travel history, past and current social media handles, email accounts, addresses and employment history" is so traumatic, so outrageous. I would expect any country accepting me into their fold to ask me all sorts of similar questions.
What, exactly, is the relevance of Britain's overwhelming whiteness compared to Morocco? Zero, of course. What is relevant is the fact that Morocco is a country with porous borders, located in an unstable part of the world where anti-Western Islamist terrorists operate freely. As
a result, over the past 10 years the US State Dept has put out numerous travel advisories for Americans traveling to Morocco.
So it makes sense to do "extreme vetting" of people coming in from Morocco, even Trump is the one requiring it, even if your fiancee' is a wonderful person.
Good luck to you both.
43
@Livonian, your "Good luck" sounds hollow after your defense of the newly, enormously increased difficulty of getting a simple "fiancee" visa. I wonder if you could provide all the street addresses and e-mail addresses, all the travels, all the social media accounts and names, and more, you have had for 15 years. I could not do that, and I've done nothing extraordinary.
67
@Thomas Zaslavsky - I could, and yes the past 15 years have been uneventful.
@Livonian "What I don't get is why having to answer questions about "...the past 15 years of their travel history, past and current social media handles, email accounts, addresses and employment history" is so traumatic, so outrageous."
What a simple and comfortable life you lead......
Seriously - you never had a succession of part-time jobs? Even as a student? You never crossed the border from say Connecticut to New York, or travelled between US states, because if someone spent any amount of time in the EU for example, asking about travel there (and Morocco) is similar, as it would be in say Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Have you had a secretary, a family "private office" or a personal assistant keeping track of these things for you? Because your post certainly suggests as much.
I'm an international lawyer - trying to recall everywhere I have been in the last 5 years, let alone the last 15 is particularly onerous.
8
"As a United States citizen, I never thought I’d have to ask permission from the government to marry the woman I love."
That's not correct. You can marry the woman you love, you just need to have permission to bring her to the U.S.
I don't say this lightly. I'm married to an immigrant as are each of my children. The paperwork is a hassle, time-consuming, and even expensive. Everyone who wishes to bring a spouse or fiance to the U.S. must go through this and should consider this when deciding to get married.
Persevere. It will work out. Best of luck.
29
I'm sure it's been a frustrating experience for you, but comparing the number of visas issued to citizens of Morocco vs the UK without saying how many applicants there were from each of these countries is disingenuous. For all we know the percentages are identical.
2
As with Mr. Schulman's case, there are probably hundreds of thousands more. If we are ever to be free of Trumpism, I hope our historians will remember to include how damaging the xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric fed to the angry masses by Trump and his GOP allies turned out to be for millions of Americans and their families. Like the Irish, Italians and Eastern European Jews who traveled to the U.S. via steamer ships in the nineteenth-century, and were greeted by virulent racism promoted by the appropriately-named "know nothings", the future Latino, African and Muslims that arrive in our country will eventually become integral parts of this nation. Much like the millions of Muslims, Latino and Africans who already are. Despite the hatred, we thrive. Despite the ignorance, we adapt and integrate. Despite the violence, we grow. And, we remember. I wish Mr. Schulman and his fiancee the best, for they exemplify the joining of two beautiful worlds and what better place for them to share that beauty than right here in the U.S.. Land of the Free... Home of the...
3
This is the Deep State at work deep sixing immigrants - Stephen Miller’s Deep State. Or maybe it’s Kafka’s. All you need to do to make sure there is no immigration is make sure the government doesn’t function. And if there is anything that the Trump regime does well, it’s that. Ask Americans who want to vote or drink clean water and breathe clean air or work in safe workplaces or get access to healthcare. Just ask them how government is working for them.
7
I think it should be "cue" the alarm bells. I have many clients who have faced this unknown administrative processing. There is no transparency whatsoever from the government - I feel for you.
4
It is a catch of breath to see this problem making it on the pages of the NYT. I am in a similar situation, except my wife and I have been married for 20 months after 7 years of leaving together in the US. She is a US citizen and I am French citizen. I am also white if that matters. I have lived in the US for 8 years, first as a student, then as an engineer in Alaska. I hold an H1B visa since 2014 and am on the renewal process, stuck in France because of administrative processing with the US embassy holding my passport. I confirm the black hole that are the embassy and the State on visa issues, and I also think they are overwhelmed and understaffed like many American department except the military. For now my wife and I are still waiting and luckily my company supports us which means I still have a job, just remotely working and paying US taxes. This situation is infuriating, but I keep myself afloat by reminding me that we are lucky we do not have children yet, that other families are experiencing worst things like fleeing conflicted zones or being separated from their children. We are young and resilient and will find a solution to this, be it living somewhere else. The sad thing is that it would mean great hardship for my company who finds it very hard to get qualified people in the field that I am. Good luck, and don't give up.
17
And to think what would have happened to The Donald and Melanie--with this policy in place!! I shudder imagining it.
15
The DS-5535 in and of itself would not be so offensive if it were required for ALL applicants--and if it could be processed in a timely manner. But as evidenced by long interview wait times around the world, consular officers are already stretched ridiculously thin. Expecting them to evaluate 15 years of an applicant's life with no additional staffing is ludicrous. Yet instead of increased manpower to handle the increased workload, State gets budget cuts and a hiring freeze. And now applicants have to wait for months, possibly years.
Someone knew exactly what they were doing when they rolled out this form...
21
It's tough but it's worth it! I know when I earn something, it's worth more than if I'm just given it.
1
The author complains that Firm DS-5535 requires visa applicants to provide the past 15 years of their travel history, past and current social media handles, email accounts, addresses and employment history. This sounds similar to the forms U.S. citizens have to complete when they apply for federal jobs.
13
@William Case And the requirements for going from a "green card" to citizenship - and that was in 2006.
1
My son, age 20, left 8 weeks ago to live in Scotland to attend University for 4 years. I hope that Scotland has very stringent immigration policies and he will have to come home to the SF Bay Area after that. The weather is certainly better here.
I wonder though —to the point — what other countries policies are regarding US citizen refugees immigrating to other countries. Can I go live in Denmark, Ireland or Mexico?
Curiously to live in Scotland for 4 years my son needed to get a National Health Service card for medical. For 4 years he had to prepay for it. $900. (And he has pre-existing asthma),
I pay nearly that a month here. How welcome are US citizens elsewhere. Is there a caravan leaving?
27
Could be part of the GOP's "starve the beast" strategy. Budget cuts in every non-military department of the federal government means less personnel to process applications.
16
@The Poet McTeagle People have been waiting for their green cards for 10-15 years. Nothing to,do with GOP or Democrats!!!
2
I can certainly understand the author's frustration with how long the visa application is taking. But the DS-5535 form itself is not particularly onerous and the very first instruction tells the applicant "provide a response to the best of your ability" if unsure about how to answer. That seems reasonable even if the amount of time to process it doesn't. But people wait many years for legal into the US. And the fiancé has no legal relationship to the author. I don't know that it would be any easier if the two were married but the author could certainly travel to the fiancé and marry her there. I don't see how the visa process or the US government is preventing that.
20
@James
The DS-5535 is a tool. As Schulman points out, it could be used efficiently, and "not particularly onerously". As he also demonstrates, it is not being used that way, but as "an effective family-separating tool". That is both the goal and the result.
Evil men make evil uses of tools that good men and women would make good uses of.
Get used to it. Trump is President.
5
@James My understanding is that it’s actuslly harder and more time-consuming to bring a foreign spouse to the US than a foreign fiancé. I think he’s doing it the right way. And it certainly never used to take this long.
2
@James
he can go and marry her anywahere but that will for sure automatically reject their right for a fiance Visa,and then all money,time,energy invested in all these will be wasted .
they can only get married after she gets to the US .
Trump wouldn't fill out this form
Lies and subterfuge is his norm,
Disordered distress
Brings him great happiness
Like porn stars whose nickname is Storm'.
27
I feel you pain. It took my wife about 2 years to get approved for her green card even though we were married and had a son together. 5 years later she is applying for citizenship an the process has taken another 1.5 years.
The bureaucracy is mind-numbing. I wish it was Trump that made it so, because that would offer hope that it would change after he left. However, it was mind numbing before he showed up and will continue to be mind-numbing afterwards.
54
@Dave Well, mind-numbing is one thing. Impossible is quite another. I apologize for my current government, and hope that you succeed, in a more timely fashion.
3
Frustrating - but yet I am not surprised. As another commentator said "welcome to US Govt. Bureaucracy".
When I applied for a green card (through marriage to my US citizen spouse, 20 years ago) we almost missed the interview because the immigration office gave us the time of someone else's appointment. Even then, I had to remind the interviewer that only certain J-1 visa holders are required to returning to their home country. For us we got through it OK, but it could easily have been otherwise. I'm sure the DS-5535 adds many further layers to the process, but it has never been straightforward.
27
Reply to Schrodinger:
Cannot speak to the problems at CMDV but I can tell you that , in recent years, Congress has willfully and consciously downsized the IRS. Freedom Caucus members and their allies have promoted defunding measures that have passed in both houses to now make it extremely difficult for the dept to perform oversight functions. With the recent corporate tax breaks, this situation at IRS becomes more pronounced as there are not enough employees to make sure corporations and the 1% are even paying what they actually owe. Those congressional members who helped downsize the dept. are the real winners when up for re-election. Very obvious where the campaign funding will originate.
38
Despite the insinuations of Mr Schulman, this has nothing to do with racism or Republican politics. Welcome to US government bureaucracy. US government agencies have a deep love of long complex forms with strange names. Customer service isn't in their vocabulary. And they don't care about how long they make you wait.
As an American citizen you will have to fill out a 1040 tax return for the rest of your life, along with Schedules A, B, D and another form that certifies that you have health insurance. If you have a foreign bank account you have to fill out your FBAR form, which replaced the TDF-90-22.1. Failure to fill out these forms can lead to large financial penalties and expropriation of your cash by the US government.
If you should be unfortunate enough to need to call the Internal Revenue Service be prepared for at least an hour long hold time. And if you ever have to visit a California Department of Motor Vehicles office make sure you bring a book, preferably a long one. Six hour waits are not uncommon there. If you need an appointment you'll have to wait several months.
I don't know why so many politicians get re-elected.
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@Schrodinger, you are wrong. I have seen the local IRS office being kind, helpful, and efficient.
13
@Schrodinger I agree with Zaslavsky. I never had to wait for hours at the IRS. In fact they have been very helpful to my friends in filing tax returns. Same goes for DMV too.
6
@Thomas Zaslavsky As have I. But the IRS has been deliberately starved of both funds and personnel. By...guess which party?
I am sympathetic, but you still don't need "permission" from the US government to marry her today.
35
@David desJardins If you are married, the process is longer and more arduous. Proving the bona fides of a long distance marriage as opposed to an engagement is more difficult. Canada recently stopped fiance visas as they are subject to abuse.
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@David desJardins
I am not sure about any of it.... if you married on a ship registered in the USA , would that count as US soil? would that do any good? My nephew married his love from Taiwan rather than go through the fiancee visa mess. It took about seven months for a social security number to arrive. Green card seems to come next.
Wishing you the best....