Author Topic: Fellow AH members, I need your help (Read 1002 times)

Dingbat · « **on:** October 20, 2003, 06:43:28 PM »

My Wife, a former Latvian citizen, came to America several years ago for a better life. We met and later married. My wife always felt that she should give back to the country that has given her a new lease on life. So she joined the US ARMY, and now we made the decision to allow her to pursue her dreams as an Active Duty Soldier.

However, The INS or as they are called today BCIS, has been dragging their feet and making false promises for the past YEAR! I've created a petition online to help show our congressman the support the she has behind her and to intervene on her behalf.

I will gladly go into detail if asked too, If you would take a few moments to read and sign the petition, I would be forever indebted to you.

My wife and I thank you for your support,

Pete Wood

A soldier trying to serve.

Twist · « **Reply #1 on:** October 20, 2003, 06:49:00 PM »

Done.

Sent out an email with your link to a few friends.

Definition of 'a few'=there are currently 346 people in my address book, let's see if they feel the same way I do.

Dingbat · « **Reply #2 on:** October 20, 2003, 06:51:44 PM »

Thank you, as many signatures as we can get may make the difference.

Tarmac · « **Reply #3 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:19:09 PM »

Signed. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

Octavius · « **Reply #4 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:20:52 PM »

ditto, signed.

loser · « **Reply #5 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:29:32 PM »

signed, good luck.

Dingbat · « **Reply #6 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:42:14 PM »

Thank you guys, keep'em coming...

CavPuke · « **Reply #7 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:47:30 PM »

Signed and good luck !

majic · « **Reply #8 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:53:01 PM »

Good luck!

Sandman · « **Reply #9 on:** October 20, 2003, 07:55:35 PM »

I'm in... Good luck!

wulfie · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2003, 08:20:21 PM »

Dingbat,

What exactly is the problem here? She's currently in the reserves and wants to go active duty. She isn't a citizen yet? Is this keeping her from active duty? If it is, what does she do in the Army?

Please give me as detailed an explanation as possible. If She wants to go active duty the fact that She is not a citizen is not necessarily going to make this impossible unless she is in one of a few specific fields.

I'll be able to check in for replies from you for the next several hours and then it will be at least 5 or 6 days before I can check back again.

Mike/wulfie

fullback · « **Reply #11 on:** October 20, 2003, 10:04:34 PM »

Sorry, but I have to agree that this is not clear at all.

What is the change of status?

If she was SA-1, changing records to indicate a marriage does not change status - only records and no confirmation will be received.

Is she currently a Resident Alien?

If she is already in the reserves, then she already has the clearances necessary for her MOS. She would not have been released from her AIT without the proper clearances being issued.

Resident Aliens enlisted in the Armed Sevices undergo a more rigid background investigation for selected MOSs, i.e. a confidential clearance for a citizen requires a Secret clearance for a non-citizen and are unable to be commissioned as officers. In addition, some selected specialties are not open to non-citizens, but that is irelevant since she has completed some specialty already.

Dingbat · « **Reply #12 on:** October 20, 2003, 11:01:17 PM »

Okay, I will try to be as detailed as I can, I've dealt with the INS several times and they only leave me with more questions.

Initially, she was here on an H1B visa (work visa)
We got married and filed to have her status changed to permanant resident alien and to get her green card.

She's still in her AIT she's a 25R and her AIT is one of the army's longest AIT's

Because of the situation that she's in, she wouldn't be able to be deployed oversea's where most of the available 25R slots are and that is why the army is questioning her status...

On top of it all she would have had her green card by now but because of basic she missed her interview, of which we requested a new date 4 month's prior to it even occuring.

Once basic was over and she had some leave, we went to the INS and they said that they "probably recieved the letter" and I asked why haven't we been notified of a new date. there answer was,"we don't look at the file for the letter until you come in"
What the hell is the point of sending a letter!!!
We were promised phone calls of which never came, promised responses to our letters, but nothing... I'm not totally understanding the whole process between the army, jag, and INS. I'm trying to understand everything in crash course style unfortunately...

SHe doesn't make anything easy for me, damn that woman

mrblack · « **Reply #13 on:** October 21, 2003, 12:02:01 AM »

done my friend hope it helps.

wulfie · « **Reply #14 on:** October 21, 2003, 03:44:30 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Dingbat
Okay, I will try to be as detailed as I can, I've dealt with the INS several times and they only leave me with more questions.

...

Has She talked to the CO of the school she's currently in - thru the chain of command?

That might be the best way to have the Army contact who they need to contact at INS, etc.

Just my personal opinion here - but you might want to do that before you do the petition thing - at least try it. If Army personnel command or someone else gets an 'I'm pissed' fax from a congressman, etc. over a fairly new reservist - they could go the 'this isn't worth the damn trouble' route.

Unless there is some time-critical issue, I'd say be patient and work thru Army channels first.

If you give me ~2 weeks I can maybe find something out that could help. A guy I know who is from Nova Scotia was in a school in the USN that required a 'secret' clearance. He got to this school so quickly after boot camp that he wasn't a citizen of the U.S. but no one relevant knew it (and he didn't know he was supposed to be a citizen). 6 months into a 7 month school they found out he wasn't a Citizen yet and a few people had minor heart attacks. But he was allowed to finish the school and they got the Citizenship problem cleared up amazingly fast. I'll drop the guy an email and ask him if he knows how it happened, how it was done, etc. (i.e. who he went to in the CoC or who in the CoC 'took care of business' and how they did it).

Mike/wulfie