The slow expedite, an oxymoron
I have been getting a lot of inquiries from friends and neighbors on when am I leaving for IL, the big boy too received a fair amount of that. Well, we need Uncle’s Sam approval before we can be united. It’s difficult for others to understand, why it takes so long to get a spouse of an American citizen over to live with her husband. And the silly law that assumed everyone has immigrant intend unless proven otherwise. Yes, it takes more than buying an air ticket and hop on the next plane!
It doesn’t help that we are dealing with one of the most inefficient governmental agencies in the world. These bureaucrats are jokers, they have been covering their butts with old excuses like security check for delays and backlogs. After 911, “security” has been the magic word to cover all the backlogs due to an arcane system and incompetent work force.
In this computer age, it’s hard to imagine an agency that handles more than one million permanent residencies application alone still uses an outdated and arcane system which involve transferring files around physically! Our initial petition is processed at a service center in CA , when the petition is approved, the file will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) in NH, then it’s forwarded to the consulate oversea. It’s not uncommon that files get lost or misplaced in all this moving around!!
The irony amidst all this is: it takes only a week or two to get a visa for a spouse of a non citizen H1B worker! You see, in the capitalist world, the corporates who have the financial power to hire lobbyists to influence the lawmakers get ahead of the games. Family reunification stays at the bottom of priorities because they do not have many people who look out for their rights. Work based petition can be expedited by paying for premium fee. Many people would be willing to give up their gold coin for faster reunification with their spouse and family. But there is no way to expedite a family petition unless it’s life and death situation! I really feel sorry for many families (some with young children) who have been separated for years while waiting for the visa to be granted.
It has been closed to three months since we filed the papers, except for a notice of receipt, we are kept in the black hole not knowing what happened to the papers. We tried to file an expedite request based on my medical condition that needs further attention. The big boy had even involved the congressman’s office to chase them down. However, we are yet to receive any news that the expedite request is approved or rejected. An expedite request takes weeks to process, what an oxymoron! It’s good that I have plenty of things to keep me occupied while this waiting game is going on, or else can die with all this slow response and keep in suspend not knowing what kind of outcome we will receive.
