Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

On 4 Oct 2005 01:25:01 -0700, "Voltron Beta 2" <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >There is no need for unhelpful comments. This bloke is clearly
    >distressed, no point in giving him the benefit of your sympathy now is
    >there?

I was simply encouraging him to act on his feelings. The process is
what it is. One can either endure it or drop out. It's free country.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

And the OP has lived here as a non immigrant for nearly 15 years. Can not be that bad?

PS Assylum Seekers became a term of abuse in the UK because of the massive abuse, 90% plus. What do you expect?

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 00:40:08 +0000, Boiler
<member22431@british_expats.com> wrote:

    >> On 4 Oct 2005 01:25:01 -0700, "Voltron Beta 2" <[email protected]>
    >> wrote:
    >> >There is no need for unhelpful comments. This bloke is clearly
    >> >distressed, no point in giving him the benefit of your sympathy now
    >> >is
    >> >there?
    >> I was simply encouraging him to act on his feelings. The process is
    >> what it is. One can either endure it or drop out. It's free country.
    >And the OP has lived here as a non immigrant for nearly 15 years. Can
    >not be that bad?
    >PS Assylum Seekers became a term of abuse in the UK because of the
    > massive abuse, 90% plus. What do you expect?


It should be a term of abuse here as well. My brother in law is an
asylum hearings officer in Miami. You wouldn't believe the bullshit he
hears.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

Guys the problem with asylum seekers being a term of abuse is that
those who abuse the system are not in fact asylum seekers, they are
fraudsters pretending to be one. You have no idea how much depressing
it can be to be able to escape real persecution only to face
humiliation and degradation due to actions of asswipes who have abused
and worked the system for their gains.

I personally belong to a minority that was heavily targeted by the
governing majority during early 90's and let me tell you, the terror of
random killings and undocumented detentions, lack of any access to
freedom of speech or even the ability to make an honest living are not
your run of the mill problems. I never thought of escaping this
nightmare as an asylum seeker myself since I didn't even realize the
option was there and instead focused on working hard and making myself
marketable in the west as a skilled migrant, but even if I did decide
to seek asylum, I can gaurantee you that no-one in west has even heard
of the ethnic cleansing that took place in my city during early 90's -
the persecutors and their collaboraters are rather good at hiding their
tracks especially in totalatarian regimes with good relations with
western nations and a rather tight grip on media (this has changed
recently in the last 3 or 4 years in my country of origin).

My point is that the cost of degrading or denying a true asylum seeker,
one with mental agony and baggage of persecution is too high for us to
endear this as a term of abuse. I am glad, that this isn't the case in
America, but the way even geniune asylum seekers are branded as an
attacking army on the march here in UK, it disgusts me, that's all.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

you say that the USCIS people are nice and I have found that on the
phone whenever I (a US citizen) have called them.

BUT you have to see the people in the embassies... My husband and just
about all of his compatriots in line with him were routinely humiliated
and accused of lying at the US embassy in Bogotá, Colombia where he
applied for 2 denied visas and one successful one. I was ashamed to
know that those people are from my country and work for my country.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

If there were the same numbers where I am in the US as there were where I was in the UK, I assure you the reaction would be much more forceful.

I am at a loss to think of a method of stopping the abuse, well not one that is likely to be implemented.

The only likely outcome will be the abolition of the concept.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

[email protected] wrote:
    > you say that the USCIS people are nice and I have found that on the
    > phone whenever I (a US citizen) have called them.
    > BUT you have to see the people in the embassies... My husband and just
    > about all of his compatriots in line with him were routinely humiliated
    > and accused of lying at the US embassy in Bogotá, Colombia where he
    > applied for 2 denied visas and one successful one. I was ashamed to
    > know that those people are from my country and work for my country.

I have been to US embassies in three different countries and here is
what I observed. This is the first line of defense against people
trying to enter the country on false pretenses and all they (embassy
staff) have to go on is documentation and paperwork that people submit
along with their applications. I have applied for 5 visas in past at
embassies including visitor's, business visa and work permits and in
all of these cases my documentation was solid and my demeanor was
professional and confident - I was treated with a lot of respect, in
fact I saw a bit of envy and even admiration at occasion.

At the same time, I did see people being humiliated (rejection in
itself is quite embarrassing, I am sure you are aware). But in every
case that I was able to gather information from fellow queue members or
affected parties, it was their own fault (i.e. missing documentation,
lack of conviction in presenting their case and so on).

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

On 6 Oct 2005 13:56:58 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

    >you say that the USCIS people are nice and I have found that on the
    >phone whenever I (a US citizen) have called them.
    >BUT you have to see the people in the embassies... My husband and just
    >about all of his compatriots in line with him were routinely humiliated
    >and accused of lying at the US embassy in Bogotá, Colombia where he
    >applied for 2 denied visas and one successful one. I was ashamed to
    >know that those people are from my country and work for my country.


Colombia is one of the leaders in abuse of the asylum process. That's
no excuse for rudeness but may explain why the visa process is so
rigorous.

I am familiar with the visa process there because my wife is Colombian
and her family has ontained visas at that embassy.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

zico wrote:
    > > After a few years of waiting you get used to it but if something as
    > > trivial as red tape puts you off living in the US then you might as
    > > well give up now.
    > Well there is a wait and there is a wait....I came to the US back in
    > 1991 on a student visa...then in 1998 transferred to H-1B. In 2002, I
    > got an approved Labor cert then I got laid off. I got another job,
    > applied for Labor cert again and the application has been pending for 2
    > years since 9/2003. Today, you hear backlog reduction centers are moving
    > and get some hope that the process is nearing the finishline, then the
    > next day you hear that the change of status I-485 visas have been
    > retrogressed for EB-3, and it's back to square one....and you tell me
    > this is trivial....this is BS....God damn whoever is in charge of this
    > f-cked up system for ruining the hopes and lives of so many people who
    > just want to have a life...God damn them, indeed...

I feel your pain. You have been quite unforunate that the first time
around, you got laid off just after your labor cert approved. Hang in
there.
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

Thanks Amanda for your kind words....Are you in the same boat or what's your story.

bye

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

Voltron Beta 2 wrote:
    > Guys the problem with asylum seekers being a term of abuse is that
    > those who abuse the system are not in fact asylum seekers, they are
    > fraudsters pretending to be one. You have no idea how much depressing
    > it can be to be able to escape real persecution only to face
    > humiliation and degradation due to actions of asswipes who have abused
    > and worked the system for their gains.
    > I personally belong to a minority that was heavily targeted by the
    > governing majority during early 90's and let me tell you, the terror of
    > random killings and undocumented detentions, lack of any access to
    > freedom of speech or even the ability to make an honest living are not
    > your run of the mill problems. I never thought of escaping this
    > nightmare as an asylum seeker myself since I didn't even realize the
    > option was there and instead focused on working hard and making myself
    > marketable in the west as a skilled migrant, but even if I did decide
    > to seek asylum, I can gaurantee you that no-one in west has even heard
    > of the ethnic cleansing that took place in my city during early 90's -
    > the persecutors and their collaboraters are rather good at hiding their
    > tracks especially in totalatarian regimes with good relations with
    > western nations and a rather tight grip on media (this has changed
    > recently in the last 3 or 4 years in my country of origin).
    > My point is that the cost of degrading or denying a true asylum seeker,
    > one with mental agony and baggage of persecution is too high for us to
    > endear this as a term of abuse. I am glad, that this isn't the case in
    > America, but the way even geniune asylum seekers are branded as an
    > attacking army on the march here in UK, it disgusts me, that's all.

What disgust me more is denying asylum to those who deserve it while
giving to those who were from the *other* side. Yes, that's what
happened with me. Like you, I didn't take the route of asylum. Instaed,
I went to school on TA/RA and worked hard, and stressed out, got a job
that was leading nowhere, went back to school with hope to get an H-1
with GC offer with a new degree but instaed got sick which made me take
a risk visiting back home to see my family in case I would die.
Recovering from the surgery, I had no energy but pushed myself to
finish school but decided to apply for asylum as my hope to get H-1 was
dwindling with the economic recession. Just because I got out safely,
I was denied asylym while the people connected to the miliatry junta
who denies equal citizenship (and the oppression that comes with it) to
families like us who are considered foreigners despite being the 3rd
generation in the country.

I'd say don't just blame on the fake asylum seekers. Blame the system
too. Why can't they screen better? Last I heard, there is a tribe in
a neighboring country to my home country who are from etnically the
same tribe as a tribe persecutaed in our country. The ones in my home
country are Christians and being granted asylum by US but the ones
from neighboring democratic country, a minority in that democratic
country, are entering US with the passport of their country, and then
claim to be from my home country and applaying for political asylum.
Who is the dummy here not checking *how* they entered? Even if they
claim that they got the passport of a neighboring country, in order to
leave the region, one should think how logical that claim is.

BTW, I am getting my GC (in less than a month) via my sister. May be
I would have pursued asylum more vigorusly, i.e applied early on
instead trying to get H-1 and GC sponsor via wirk if I had not hade
this option as a back-up. I don't know.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

Please correct any errors:

You fled from your country to the USA

You returned to visit family?

You fled again, perchance also to the USA.

All a bit odd and coincidental?

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

zico wrote:

    > >
    > > I feel your pain. You have been quite unforunate that the first time
    > > around, you got laid off just after your labor cert approved. Hang in
    > > there.
    > > > --
    > > > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
    > Thanks Amanda for your kind words....Are you in the same boat or what's
    > your story.
    > bye

I am on family-based. Interview coming up. Hope my officer won't go
for matrernity leave or paternaity leave or whatever leave.

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

Boiler wrote:


    > Please correct any errors:
    > You fled from your country to the USA
    > You returned to visit family?
    > You fled again, perchance also to the USA.
    > All a bit odd and coincidental?

You don't understand. They wanted us to leave. They don't want your
gene in their gene pool. I was let go because I had taken a letter from
the embassy that my visit would be temporary and that I would leave the
country in 2 weeks.

Among those who could afford to leave using their education or some
other alternative, have left that country; the ones left behind are
given no ID card (means no citizenship card). In cities, and towns
where these people have communitites, their properties and enterprises
get destroyed constantly by the jealous indigenous people from
neigboring subdivision while the government does nothing (and in fact
incite such conflicts) while in villages, soldiers beat beaten, kill,
and rape women.

I know a lady whose uncle who lived in a village got killed from
getting beaten. She was my next door neighbor where I grew up. I have
relatives (distant or not) everwhere, in cities, in town, in some
villges.

The old national ID card we had were seized (with promise of a
replacement) but when the time came, it wasn't given to people like us
but in the beginning, people were able to bribe and obtain and so my
family got them but I wasn't there and so I didn't. Then later, no
employees dared to take bribe on these applications - I guess the
authority from upper division put a stop to that - and so a bunch of
people like us were left w/o the ID cards, the essential to life there.
You can't do anything without that damn card.

If I were to move back to that country, I might as well tell my family
to build a prison for me beforehand and starve to death (unless my
family - only one brother, one sister, and my Mom - feeds me from their
left over) as I would not be able to do *anything* (no work, no buying
house or a shop or a business, no renting a apartment, no nothing) w/o
the ID card. Comprande yet?

Assuming that older people would die first, what will happen to me when
my much older brother, single, and my much older sister, only one son
who is coming to US soon, die? Should I beg from other relatives some
of whom themslevs are w/o the id and are poorer than us? I see it as a
slow death sentence to my people individually, a form of ethnic
cleansing.

    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: From one queue to another!!!!! What an American nightmare!!!
 

    > You fled from your country to the USA
I fled but here, I was hoping things would change when the opposition
won the election, the only true election sicne 1962. But it never
happened to this day and the opposition leader in and out of house
arrest.

Before you judge, ask for the facts first.