2022-02-18 23:08:19 -0500
To: Congressman Jim Cooper, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Huge Delays Obtaining Visa Interviews at US Embassies: Please Expedite Interviews & Unite Families
Dear Congressional Representatives,
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration resources have been dramatically constrained at US Embassies worldwide. For those of us separated from our overseas families, the impact of all this has resulted in extreme delays in uniting with our families. In the calendar year 2019, the average wait time to schedule immigrant visa interviews after NVC determines a case to be “documentarily complete” was much shorter compared to what we have now in January 2022 (on average 60,866 applicants were awaiting the scheduling of an interview each month in 2019 [which corresponds to a 1-2 month wait for an interview in 2019] - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/visas-backlog.html). However, at this time (January 2022), there are 439,373 immigrant visa cases that are determined to be “documentarily complete” and awaiting the scheduling of an interview at a US Embassy. At the current month’s rate of processing, which is 26,605 cases, the applicants at the tail end of this list will be waiting for over 16 months to get a visa interview at a US Embassy. This wait is in addition to the USCIS approving the application and the National Visa Center stating that all documents are ready for review.
Please help us quickly unite with our families and loved ones by expediting the interview process via additional staffing, utilizing technology alternatives for interviews, and utilizing other embassies which may have lower workloads. Additionally, please provision other means to allow these family members to visit each other in the United States while their applications are pending. For those of us married to a spouse and have kids overseas, this additional delay severely restricts our families from developing into strong family units and moving forward. COVID has impacted our families, societies, and economies very harshly, and the isolation felt being away from our families is heart breaking, painful and depressing.
We request your immediate assistance with this matter.
Thank you.
Why is this important?
For the people who are fortunate to have families, they find real happiness within that family unit. They find friendship, love, compassion, appreciation, irreplaceable bonds, comfort, joy, acceptance, mentorship among other things in their families. Also, they find a home where you belong, can find contentment and peace around people you love. They find someone they can grow old with, someone they can mentor, someone they can laugh with, someone who will listen and understand them. However, a family is incomplete without its members, especially when they are not physically around each other to fully experience and grow as a family unit. It takes time and effort (lots of both) to grow a family. This cannot happen when the family is separated by distance. Without COVID-19 the process to immigrate to the United States is a lengthy one to begin with – taking a minimum of one year in most cases.
However, since the arrival of COVID-19 the immigration process has been marred with huge delays. Immediate family members such as spouses and children are separated far longer from their other spouse or parent than prior to the pandemic. You must have heard the phrase “Kids grow too fast” from parents. Imagine the negative impact of limited involvement with your growing child because she cannot be here due to visa process delays. Imagine the lost years, unable to build a stronger relationship with your spouse, because you are waiting for a visa process which has slowed to a crawl. COVID cases are a serious concern, and unfortunately COVID is here to stay. So, what is next? Can something be done to expedite the immigrant visa process to unite these family members? Since the onset of COVID-19, significant disruptions have occurred in the day to day operations of businesses and government. Still, our relationships and families have to be developed and parenting responsibilities have to be carried out. These must not be ignored for an extended period. Please support this petition and make a difference in the lives of people who just want to be around and grow with their families, as families should.
Thank you.