My sister married her husband, who is from Saudi Arabia, in January 2005 and they began the process of filing for his permanent residency in February. At this point, they have spent more than two years and thousands of dollars trying to get USCIS to grant him residency, but to no avail. Their case has now been denied three times, in three different but equally ridiculous ways, despite extensive documentation of their life together, affidavits from my family, and their compliance with everything USCIS has asked of them.
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My sister’s I-130 was actually approved–meaning the immigration adjudicator determined it was a legitimate marriage–but my brother-in-law has been denied a green card because, according to USCIS, he didn’t register for the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System quickly enough, although he registered as soon as he learned of it, in the presence of his lawyer.
I commend Nicole and Wajahat for being brave enough to share their story–and believe me, when your family’s right to be together is dependent on navigating the frightening, confusing whims and processes of USCIS, it is really scary to speak out.
