I've been screwed again by the USCIS. My wife is from the Philippines. She came to the US on a K-1 (fiancée) visa legally. We were married in Maui Hawaii on August 2nd 2013. When she arrived in Honolulu on August 1st 2013 she relinquished her sealed visa package which contained her medical exam records(I-693). She had been required to get a medical exam and immunizations before entering the US. She did this and I paid several hundred dollars plus travel to the only approved hospital in the Philippines. This exam couldn't be done at a local hospital. It had to be done at St. Luke's in Manila. Of course, she didn't live in Manila, not even on the same island as Manila. After giving the paper work to the officials in Honolulu, the documents should have been sent onto Denver CO since we were going to live in Boulder CO after our wedding and honeymoon. We went for her "Green Card" interview which required that I take off a day of work and which cost me more money. When we sat down for our interview, the first think that the interview said was that her visa package was lost but he promised to find it. He didn't find it. We were sent a notice a month later that she would be required to get a second medical exam because her first one was "deemed lost." Again it must be by an approved facility so we can't just have our family doctor perform the exam. There is an approved facility in Boulder but only if she was a patient. The Boulder facility gave us a phone number of a facility which would do the exam but it is 3 hours away. The cost of this second exam is anywhere from $200 - $500. It is NOT covered by insurance and will mean another day off work.
Prior to this fiasco, the entire visa process was delayed by 6 months due to the DACA executive order by President Obama giving processing priority to illegal immigrants. I wrote about how that order negatively affected me, other citizens and military personal here.
I saw on the USCIS Facebook page that the USCIS was award a "customer satisfaction" award. My chin dropped. This customer is not satisfied. I've not run across a more inefficient and ineffective organization in my life. If any corporation was run like our government agencies, it would be out of business.
It is not surprising to me that the Obama administration is full of corruption. The "buck stops here." The CEO of the the US federal government is ultimately responsible for the offices under his authority. The lack of effectiveness of the USCIS is the responsibility of the leader. Our president has proven his lack of leadership ability many times.
It is time for this president to go. I personally cannot wait until 2016. The question is: Will I be able to endure another 2 years?
Well, Jorge Loweree, who works for Jared Polis, proved to be helpful. We had to pay over $400 to get a second medical exam, but Jorge made sure it was put in the hands of the approval officer. The green card has been approved.
ReplyDeleteBlame your conservative buddies in congress who keep stalling out on immigration reform . . .
ReplyDeleteImmigration reform specifically the parts of the DACA that President Obama enacted with his executive order inhibited our process. I show that in a previous blog http://melphleg.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-daca-executive-order-has-given.html
DeleteNeither party wants to help immigration. The liberals want to do what will gain a few votes and the conservatives want to stop that. Neither act in the best interest of American citizens.
Immigration reform that has attempted to pass would not have helped my situation at all.
Here's what one bill proposed
1) Allow deportees to return to families
2) Allow illegals to legally work in the US, apply for a green card and citizenship
3) Boost boarder security so people can't enter illegally.
4) Enact a merit system for visa applicants.
In fact, as I said it would hinder it. It's mostly to try to help illegals already here.
Also you have helped prove my point. Effective leadership would have gotten congress to compromise and get some reform passed. Our ineffective leader acted on his on his own and issued an executive order. That's not leadership. That's dangerously close to dictatorship.
Real reform would improve the USCIS so that documents aren't lost, delays are not made in the process and people wishing to come here legally can. The USCIS needs more modern document system such as digitally storing documents. Forms could be filled out online. More people could be hired to cover the overload of work.