Examples of approved HSLs through Rome, London and Frankfurt

[Cynthia]

This is a letter Courtesy of Member Rheab ~ LONDON

Here is Rheabs' hardship letter, which was approved in London on Dec. 30, 2005 for previous unlawful presence of over 180 days (3 year bar). Included are both the USC letter, followed by the UKC supporting letter.

US Embassy
London
UK.

To whom this concerns.

RE: USC/UKC CASE NUMBER… LDNxxxxxxxxxx

I. HARDSHIP TO THE U.S. CITIZEN (USC) Mrs xxxxxx xxx xxxxxx (UKC) MR xxxxx xxxxx xxxxxx

Introduction

The USC/UKC has been ask to file a waiver I-601 with a letter of any hardships the USC/UKC has accrued while waiting on I-130 approved visa.
The USC/UKC will show hardships from extreme, unusual and some instances severe hardships to the USC/UKC
If ALIEN were not admitted to the United States, USC really would suffer, (from) extreme, unusual, severe hardships.
She would feel compelled by the powerful forces of her complete marital bond to do so.

There are several interacting hardships#

CHILDREN
.
USC has one child (xxxxxxx xxx xxxxx) from her first marriage to (MR x. xxxxx) who was born on August xx, xxxx. They were divorced in September xxxx. USC has primary custody of (xxxxxxx xxx xxxxx) and visitation rights were awarded to (Mr x xxxxx) every 2nd weekend of the month. They also are to split holidays during even and odd years. The custody agreement explicitly states USC is not allowed to take (xxxxxxx xxx xxxxx) out of Florida unless it is under specific circumstances regarding benefits for the Childs welfare, employment related to the USC, or education purposes. This was established so that (Mr x. xxxxx) could continue to have access to his child in close proximity.

USC had her second child (xxxxxx x xxxxxx) (D.O.B xxth Nov 2xxx) from her now Alien husband and biological father Mr.x.x.xxxxxx (UKC)

If UKC's waiver were denied, this would be extremely disastrous to USC and their children (xxxxxxx x xxxxx, xxxxxx x xxxxxx). (Mr x xxxxx USC) would sanction a move to the UK of his daughter (xxxxxxxx) and will invoke court proceedings to stop any move to the UK. He has provided a written statement expressing this attitude of not providing permission for the re-location of his daughter. Upon beginning court proceedings with his former wife USC, this imposes, financially, emotional and psychological hardships on USC and there children.
This would be as no benefit to anybody concerned.

(Please see Letter From Former husband Mr x xxxxx & Divorce degree attached)

As stated the USC has also a son from the (UKC Husband Mr x x xxxxxx) who is the biological father of xxxxxx x xxxxxx (The USC son xxxxxx) has only seen his father for no more than 18 days in 22 months outside the USA. xxxxxx who is now almost 3 yrs of age, and he needs his (UKC dad) in his life as all children needs both parents, to share both each other as a family unit.
The USC has, had to do this all on her own for this last 22 months, of which it is so important that her (UKC) husband can be there for his USC son & his USC step daughter, xxxxxxxx xxxxx and his wife. So that he the (UKC) can share the burdens of his USC family, every day.

Medical

Whilst the USC has no severe medical conditions; the same is not true for her 70 year old, USC mother. Her mother has a history of severe medical conditions spanning almost a decade.

The USC mother Mrs x xxxxxxxxxx was diagnosed with C.O.P.D. (Coronary (Obstructed Disease) and Emphysema about approx ten years ago. She had spontaneous Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in 1995 where she had to undergo surgery for a thorecotomy (lung reduction)
The USC Father who was the prime caregiver to the USC mother, suddenly passed away in September 1998 at the age of 69.
The USC then became her Mother’s health surrogate and power of attorney.
The USC Mother has deteriorated through the years to whereby she is now completely oxygen dependant.

The USC must maintain her mother’s household as well as her own home. USC mother is, in/out of hospital on the average of two/three times a year for pneumonia associated with her condition. The USC mother is now experiencing difficulties in her walking. She is currently under observation for her lower back. She is now losing the use of her legs and is now having to use a cane to help herself.

The USC must not only work for approx 60+ a wk, but also a to bring up her 2 children ages, 8 and 3yrs old, but also attend to her very sick USC mother.
So as stated the USC is the sole caretaker of her sick mother, in all aspects of her stressful day-to day schedule.
Just the simple things in life we all take for granted like i.e. going to the shops, post office, pharmacy, gardening, ect this is so not the case here for the USC sick mother as she is so dependant of the USC, to take her wherever she needs to go, on any one day.
USC has a very close relationship with her mother. Without a doubt, when her mother reaches a state of decline whereby she requires regular assistance, USC wants to be one of those people who will offer a high level of assistance. If she would be unable to respond to her mother's need when the time comes, this would be an extreme hardship on USC.

If there were a fine example of a severe/extreme hardship to the USC, this would be it as stated. (Please see attached medical history)

FINANCIAL

The USC has a huge FINANCIAL commitment within the USA. This includes, Home loan, student loan repayment, and credit card debts, car loan, total amount of over $150.000.

As the USC just had promotion where she works at xxxxxxxxx College as a medical programme chair, and just recently had a pay increase from $29.000 to $39.000. This was most welcomed and deserved. The USC still finds herself living hand to mouth every month with the monthly outgoings payments.

So much one of her several credit card debts was difficult to repay back with the high interest payment, her USC mother was kind to consolidate her credit card repayment to a lower rate. This was a constructive and financially good choice for the USC to do, as she was finding the $10.000 credit card dept, difficult to repay back every month. The USC now repays her mother $200.00 per month every month. This is one of many ongoing debts.

This cannot be possible if it wasn’t for her UKC husband who subsidises her financial needs, whenever possible. As he the (UKC) has also financial commitments of his own in the UK i.e. home loan, credit card ect.
The (UKC) feels at the very least, sends to the USA from $500.00/$1.000 per month to the USA, to help out payments for his USC son’s day care/clothes ect. This would be impossible financially for the USC, if it were not for her supportive (UKC) husband.
This is the reason it is so important for her (UKC) husband to be granted into the USA, so that he can be there with his family, to share not just only emotionally, but all financial aspects of his family within the USA.

If the UKC was granted the above, it will be a great weight off the USC & her family, where he (UKC) can then work, share the burdens of his USC wife & he then can help out whichever way he can to the USC sick mother whenever he is needed.
(Please see attached financial incomings/outgoings expenditures)

Employment/ Education

The USC has a bachelor’s degree in science and is currently working at xxxxxxxxx College as a medical programme chair and her duties are to supervise medical staff and look over all medical students and also to place students in work placement as part of there course in college.
This job is very demanding but at the same time very rewarding. One she loves to do. To face challenges of the medical students and to pass on her own experience to them, so that they (students) can also move on forward with their goals in their lives. At the same time the USC has her own goals to move forward and get back into her beloved studies of maybe into the science research. This she can only do if her UKC husband was granted to come back to the USA, so that she can focus on such a dream.

As stated the USC works at xxxxxxxxx College and her Knowledge of the science world is such a rare status for a single mother, would be such a loss to the USA. Her Employer Mr xxxxxxxxx is always singing her praise and he himself has always said that she is a fine asset to the USA, and it would be a crying shame to loose such a knowledgeable / Educational person as the USC.

(Please read letter from Employment)

Psychological

If USC was forced to make a devastating decision to live in the UK. It would be an extremely and immoral choice for her. She would suffer a lot of emotional turmoil choosing between her family, country, work and her (UKC Husband) her devastating/immoral choice will be, first and foremost her USC daughter xxxxxxxx xxxxx. Who her USC biological father, (former husband Mr xxxxx have already stated that he will not allow his USC daughter out of the state of Florida. (Please see letter from Mr x xxxxx)

When the USC lost her father suddenly in September 1998. The USC then shortly afterwards went into a state of depression, finding hard to have a good relationship with her (former husband) the USC sort medical advice from her doctor and diagnosed her with severe depression, her doctor prescribed a anti depression drug xxxxxx, of which she took for approx four months.

Although it can be expected that the average person, in an immigration USC psychological hardships have proven themselves to be particularly severe and have the potential of causing medical illness, hospitalisation, or even death. Thus, her psychological hardships warrant particularly in depth examination. Case of this nature would experience profound psychological difficulties,

Due to the extreme hardship USC has experienced as a result of the separation from her husband, and will experience if forced to move from her family and country, USC has suffered psychologically. She misses the emotional support her husband provides in regards to celebrating personal achievements, such as a recent promotion at work and celebrating national holidays with each other and with their family. Each holiday, birthdays, and anniversary they do not spend together as a family sends USC, into a state of depression and aloneness.

The majority of drawing cues indicate that USC is feeling inadequate and insecure. She is somewhat timid, dependent, and feels helpless and weak and tends to prefer to keep her feelings secret, for she does not trust easily. Her energy appears to be somewhat low at this time, perhaps because she is most likely to use her energy to over compensate for self-perceived weaknesses. She is also intensely feels the pressures and inhibitions of her environment. She clearly fears the future for herself and her children.

USC is already suffering from sleepless nights, has presented high levels of anxiety, her work performance has been hindered at the college she works at and she experiences profound feelings of worthlessness because she feels that she can not give 110% to her Employer/students at this time of her life. (Please read letter sent by her Employer)

Once a person, such as USC, has been exposed to the onset of major depression, that a person remains highly susceptible to re-occurrences. These re-occurrences are often triggered by extreme levels of stress or devastating events (such as the loss of her father) or moving to a foreign country in which one would become isolated or living away from a spouse and child). If forced to make such decision to move from her country, she would have to overcome tremendous anxiety problems as well as the possibility of developing a Full Major Depressive Disorder or an Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood. At the same time living without her (USC child xxxxxxxx xxxxx) would have equally devastating affects.

SUMMARY

It needs to be emphasized that by issuing an approval of an I-130 for a spousal visa, the United States government has formally and legally recognized the validity of the marriage between Mr xxxxxx (UKC) and Mrs. xxxxxx USC. It is well documented that “family unity” is an important value unpinning the raison deter of the United States of America and that actions to “assure family unity’ are part of the intent of the United States immigration law [for example see Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part II, section I, pp. 64 and 65]. Although, it is a function of law to provide legal definition and recognition to this marriage between USC and ALIEN, it is clearly the intent of law to support the complex nature of marriage.

In other words, in this and other genuine marriages there are multiple social psychological, familial, economic, cultural, spiritual, etc. bonds, which are presumed by the law to exist conjointly with the legal presence of marriage. Support for these complex interacting marital bonds is a fundamental value of the larger society and a function of the law.

Hardships are built upon the base of significant, although usual hardship. In other words, it is of note that USC misses her UKC husband painfully, she is anxious about their future and that of their children because it depends upon Mr xxxxxx of being granted his I-130 visa. However, these are considered herein to be “simply “ the backdrop of those other, previously listed hardships that, individually and when combined and interacting are severe. In other words, the enormous strain of being separated from her UKC husband constitutes a powerful hardship on USC. The other hardships on top of this one culminate in him being potentially and actually subjected to extreme and unusual hardship. These additional hardships include, but are not limited to USC elderly mother and fragile health, but the USC daughter; this will put the USC in an impossible and an immoral choice to choose her, USC 8 yr old baby girl, or her UKC husband in the UK.

CONCLUSION

Please Sir/Madam read this hardship letter several times if need be and come to the only right and just decision to approve this waiver. Because this marriage would not be full or complete and the impact on this separation is one of great emotional, social, familial, economical and spiritual influences, one must weigh heavily the consequences that would result if the ALIEN were not allowed to be reunited with US CITIZEN family in the United States. The US CITIZEN misses ALIEN painfully and is uncertain as well as frightened of her future as it is dependent upon the status of her husband. The enormous strain that this separation has and will continue to have constitutes a powerful hardship to the US CITIZEN. Due to the above stated subject matter we respectfully request the waiver to be approved and the ALIEN to be allowed to be reunited with his family in the United States.

Subject to extreme and unusual hardship. We respectfully request the waiver be approved.

xxxxxx x. xxxxxx (USC) Date
xxxxx x. xxxxxx (UKC)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aliens...(Me UKc) Hardship..letter

US Embassy
London
UK.

To whom this concerns.

RE: USC/UKC CASE NUMBER… xxxxxxxxxxxxx:

I. HARDSHIP TO THE U.S. CITIZEN (USC) Mrs xxxxxxx xxx xxxxxxx (UKC) MR xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

Introduction

The USC/UKC has been ask to file a waiver I-601 with a letter of any hardships the USC/UKC has accrued while waiting on I-130 approved visa.
The USC/UKC will show hardships from extreme, unusual and some instances severe hardships to the USC/UKC
If ALIEN were not admitted to the United States, USC really would suffer, extreme, unusual, severe hardships.
She would feel compelled by the powerful forces of her complete marital bond to do so.

There are several interacting hardships#

CHILDREN

The (USC) has a child from her pervious marriage, who is a (USC) and her name is xxxxxxxx xxx xxxxxx (D.O. Aug xx 19xx.and a son xxxxxx x xxxxxx born on the xx/xx/xx in xxxxxxxxx Florida USA. The (UKC) Mr x x xxxxxxx is the biological father of the USC son xxxxxxx x xxxxxxx.

Once the USC was divorced in September 20xx from her (previous) USC husband Mr xxxxx xxxxx. The Judge in his closing their case gave the USC Mrs xxxxx xxx xxxxxx, primary custody, to there child xxxxxx xxxx xxxxx USC. Also the judge stating that the (Former USC husband) Mr x xxxxx has visitation rights to his USC Daughter every 2nd wk-end of the month and they also must split the holidays with this, with odd/even years. The judge also mentions that the USC must not take the USC child out of the state of Florida, unless it is for the benefit of the child/USC for work/education reasons (only)
This was put in place so that the USC (former) husband Mr xxxxx xxxxx would have access to his USC child xxxxxxxx xxxxx, within the state of xxxxxxxxx Florida on them times stated above.

If the UKC were not allowed to be admitted to the USA, this would be nothing short of disastrous to the USC & the children xxxxxxx & xxxxxx. This then will not only be an immoral choice for the USC to make, but almost impossible, as the USC (Former) husband would sanction such a move. And he would then precede with court action forth wit. If this was to happen of which the USC (hope not) this would an Emotionally, Psychologically, and financially strain on all. This would be as no benefit to anybody concerned.

(Please see Letter From Former husband Mr x xxxxxx & Divorce degree attached)

As stated the USC has also a son from the (UKC) Mr x x xxxxxx who is the biological father of xxxxxx xxxxxx. (The USC son xxxxxx x xxxxxxx) has only seen his father for no more than 18 days in 22 months outside the USA. xxxxxx who is now almost 3 yrs of age, and he needs his (UKC dad) in his life as all children needs both parents, to share both each other as a family unit.
The USC has, had to do this all on her own for this last 22 months, of which it is so important that her (UKC) husband can be there for his USC son & his USC step daughter, xxxxxxx xxxxx and his wife. So that he the (UKC) can share the burdens of his USC family, every day.

Medical

Whilst the USC has no severe medical conditions; the same is not true for her 70 year old, USC mother. Her mother has a history of severe medical conditions spanning almost a decade.

The USC mother Mrs x xxxxxxxxx was diagnosed with C.O.P.D. (Coronary (Obstructed Disease) and Emphysema about approx ten years ago. She had spontaneous Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in 1995 where she had to undergo surgery for a thorecotomy (lung reduction)
The USC Father who was the prime caregiver to the USC mother, suddenly passed away in September 1998 at the age of 69.
The USC then became her Mother’s health surrogate and power of attorney.
The USC Mother has deteriorated through the years to whereby she is now completely oxygen dependant.

The USC must maintain her mother’s household as well as her own home. USC mother is, in/out of hospital on the average of two/three times a year for pneumonia associated with her condition. The USC mother is now experiencing difficulties in her walking. She is currently under observation for her lower back. She is now losing the use of her legs and is now having to use a cane to help herself.

The USC must not only work for approx 60+ a wk, but also a to bring up her 2 children ages, 8 and 3yrs old, but also attend to her very sick USC mother.
So as stated the USC is the sole caretaker of her sick mother, in all aspects of her stressful day-to day schedule.
Just the simple things in life we all take for granted like i.e. going to the shops, post office, pharmacy, gardening, ect this is so not the case here for the USC sick mother as she is so dependant of the USC, to take her wherever she needs to go, on any one day.
USC has a very close relationship with her mother. Without a doubt, when her mother reaches a state of decline whereby she requires regular assistance, USC wants to be one of those people who will offer a high level of assistance. If she would be unable to respond to her mother's need when the time comes, this would be an extreme hardship on USC.

If there were a fine example of a severe/extreme hardship to the USC, this would be it as stated. (Please see attached medical history)

FINANCIAL

The USC has a huge FINANCIAL commitment within the USA. This includes, Home loan, student loan repayment, and credit card debts, car loan, total amount of over $150.000.

As the USC just had promotion where she works at xxxxxxxx College as a medical programme chair, and just recently had a pay increase from $29.000 to $39.000. This was most welcomed and deserved. The USC still finds herself living hand to mouth every month with the monthly outgoings payments.

So much one of her several credit card debts was difficult to repay back with the high interest payment, her USC mother was kind to consolidate her credit card repayment to a lower rate. This was a constructive and financially good choice for the USC to do, as she was finding the $10.000 credit card dept, difficult to repay back every month. The USC now repays her mother $200.00 per month every month. This is one of many ongoing debts.

This cannot be possible if it wasn’t for her UKC husband who subsidises her financial needs, whenever possible. As he the (UKC) has also financial commitments of his own in the UK i.e. home loan, credit card ect.
The (UKC) feels at the very least, sends to the USA from $500.00/$1.000 per month to the USA, to help out payments for his USC son’s day care/clothes ect. This would be impossible financially for the USC, if it were not for her supportive (UKC) husband.
This is the reason it is so important for her (UKC) husband to be granted into the USA, so that he can be there with his family, to share not just only emotionally, but all financial aspects of his family within the USA.

If the UKC was granted the above, it will be a great weight off the USC & her family, where he (UKC) can then work, share the burdens of his USC wife & he then can help out whichever way he can to the USC sick mother whenever he is needed.
(Please see attached financial incomings/outgoings expenditures)

Employment/ Education

The USC has a bachelor’s degree in science and is currently working at xxxxxxxx College as a medical programme chair and her duties are to supervise medical staff and look over all medical students and also to place students in work placement as part of there course in college.
This job is very demanding but at the same time very rewarding. One she loves to do. To face challenges of the medical students and to pass on her own experience to them, so that they (students) can also move on forward with their goals in their lives. At the same time the USC has her own goals to move forward and get back into her beloved studies of maybe into the science research. This she can only do if her UKC husband was granted to come back to the USA, so that she can focus on such a dream.

As stated the USC works at xxxxxxxx College and her Knowledge of the science world is such a rare status for a single mother, would be such a loss to the USA. Her Employer Mr xxxxxxxxx is always singing her praise and he himself has always said that she is a fine asset to the USA, and it would be a crying shame to loose such a knowledgeable / Educational person as the USC.

(Please read letter from Employment)

Psychological

If USC was forced to make a devastating decision to live in the UK. It would be an extremely and immoral choice for her. She would suffer a lot of emotional turmoil choosing between her family, country, work and her (UKC Husband) her devastating/immoral choice will be, first and foremost her USC daughter xxxxxxx xxxxxx. Who her USC biological father, (former husband Mr x xxxxx have already stated that he will not allow his USC daughter out of the state of Florida. (Please see letter from Mr x xxxxx)

When the USC lost her father suddenly in September 1998. The USC then shortly afterwards went into a state of depression, finding hard to have a good relationship with her (former husband) the USC sort medical advice from her doctor and diagnosed her with severe depression, her doctor prescribed a anti depression drug xxxxx, of which she took for approx four months.

Although it can be expected that the average person, in an immigration USC psychological hardships have proven themselves to be particularly severe and have the potential of causing medical illness, hospitalisation, or even death. Thus, her psychological hardships warrant particularly in depth examination. Case of this nature would experience profound psychological difficulties,

Due to the extreme hardship USC has experienced as a result of the separation from her husband, and will experience if forced to move from her family and country, USC has suffered psychologically. She misses the emotional support her husband provides in regards to celebrating personal achievements, such as a recent promotion at work and celebrating national holidays with each other and with their family. Each holiday, birthdays, and anniversary they do not spend together as a family sends USC, into a state of depression and aloneness.

The majority of drawing cues indicate that USC is feeling inadequate and insecure. She is somewhat timid, dependent, and feels helpless and weak and tends to prefer to keep her feelings secret, for she does not trust easily. Her energy appears to be somewhat low at this time, perhaps because she is most likely to use her energy to over compensate for self-perceived weaknesses. She is also intensely feels the pressures and inhibitions of her environment. She clearly fears the future for herself and her children.

USC is already suffering from sleepless nights, has presented high levels of anxiety, her work performance has been hindered at the college she works at and she experiences profound feelings of worthlessness because she feels that she can not give 110% to her Employer/students at this time of her life. (Please read letter sent by her Employer)

Once a person, such as USC, has been exposed to the onset of major depression, that a person remains highly susceptible to re-occurrences. These re-occurrences are often triggered by extreme levels of stress or devastating events (such as the loss of her father) or moving to a foreign country in which one would become isolated or living away from a spouse and child). If forced to make such decision to move from her country, she would have to overcome tremendous anxiety problems as well as the possibility of developing a Full Major Depressive Disorder or an Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood. At the same time living without her (USC child xxxxxxx xxxxx) would have equally devastating affects.

SUMMARY

It needs to be emphasized that by issuing an approval of an I-130 for a spousal visa, the United States government has formally and legally recognized the validity of the marriage between Mr xxxxxx (UKC) and Mrs. xxxxxx USC. It is well documented that “family unity” is an important value unpinning the raison deter of the United States of America and that actions to “assure family unity’ are part of the intent of the United States immigration law [for example see Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part II, section I, pp. 64 and 65]. Although, it is a function of law to provide legal definition and recognition to this marriage between USC and ALIEN, it is clearly the intent of law to support the complex nature of marriage.

In other words, in this and other genuine marriages there are multiple social psychological, familial, economic, cultural, spiritual, etc. bonds, which are presumed by the law to exist conjointly with the legal presence of marriage. Support for these complex interacting marital bonds is a fundamental value of the larger society and a function of the law.

Hardships are built upon the base of significant, although usual hardship. In other words, it is of note that USC misses her UKC husband painfully, she is anxious about their future and that of their children because it depends upon Mr xxxxxx of being granted his I-130 visa. However, these are considered herein to be “simply “ the backdrop of those other, previously listed hardships that, individually and when combined and interacting are severe. In other words, the enormous strain of being separated from her UKC husband constitutes a powerful hardship on USC. The other hardships on top of this one culminate in him being potentially and actually subjected to extreme and unusual hardship. These additional hardships include, but are not limited to USC elderly mother and fragile health, but the USC daughter; this will put the USC in an impossible and an immoral choice to choose her, USC 8 yr old baby girl, or her UKC husband in the UK.

CONCLUSION

Please Sir/Madam read this hardship letter several times if need be and come to the only right and just decision to approve this waiver. Because this marriage would not be full or complete and the impact on this separation is one of great emotional, social, familial, economical and spiritual influences, one must weigh heavily the consequences that would result if the ALIEN were not allowed to be reunited with US CITIZEN family in the United States. The US CITIZEN misses ALIEN painfully and is uncertain as well as frightened of her future as it is dependent upon the status of her husband. The enormous strain that this separation has and will continue to have constitutes a powerful hardship to the US CITIZEN. Due to the above stated subject matter we respectfully request the waiver to be approved and the ALIEN to be allowed to be reunited with his family in the United States.

Subject to extreme and unusual hardship. We respectfully request the waiver be approved.

xxxxxxx x. xxxxxx (USC) Date
xxxxx x. xxxxxxx (UKC)

[Cynthia]

This is a letter Courtesy of Member MistyB ~ SWEDEN/LONDON


Here is MistyB's hardship letter for CIMT, submitted in Sweden, adjudicated in London.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Torgny XXXXX
St. XXXXXXXXX 6
211 46 XXXXX Sweden
d/o/b: December x, xxxx
Case Number: STKxxxxxxxxxxx

September 12, 2005

Hardship letter on behalf of United States citizen spouse Misty XXXXX BXXXX

We attest the following stated information is true and correct to the best of our knowledge.

Torgny B has been denied a visa under section 212(a)(2)A(ii)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for having been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude. He is seeking relief under the discretionary waiver I-601. Torgny B, a native and citizen of Sweden, states the following hardships to his United States citizen spouse Misty B and their three children, ages ten, five, and three years old.

Background Information
Misty met her husband Torgny in September 1997. They fell in love and became engaged in January 1998. They married on February 14, 1999 in North Carolina. She re-located to Sweden with her then four year old daughter, A, in December, 1999. She believed this to be the only feasible option. She consulted with two immigration attorneys in North Carolina prior to her move, and they both advised her Torgny would suffer difficulties obtaining a permanent residence visa.

Since the re-location to Sweden, Misty has been forced to endure several interacting extreme hardships. The depletion of Misty’s finances have rendered her exiled in Sweden away from her family and country. Sweden’s poor job market and high cost of living has made it impossible for Misty to support herself or her children. Misty’s difficulty in obtaining psychological care for her depression has severely impacted her mental health. Misty’s survival in Sweden has become an impossibility due to her suffering from a barrage of extreme hardships. These extreme hardships will become more dire if Torgny’s waiver is denied.

Psychological
Misty suffers from clinical depression combined with adjustment disorder. She was diagnosed in 1997 after seeking treatment from her local health department in North Carolina. “Depression is a "whole-body" illness, involving your body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things.

Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years and in worst case scenarios develop into a major depressive disorder.”
(http://www.psychologyinfo.com/depression/description.html)

Interracting with Misty’s diagnosed depression is the occurrence of a condition called Adjustment Disorder. This condition deeply intensified upon her arrival in Sweden. Adjustment disorder is a psychological condition where one cannot adjust easily to new surroundings or events and appears after certain identifiable stressors have triggered it. This condition alone causes a moderately depressed mood for up to six months.

Upon incurring one stressing event after another with no recovery period between them, however, could extend the depression for a longer period. This, in turn, leads to a major depressive disorder. Misty has been besieged by stressing events since her move to Sweden, (see Stressing Events).

In the United States, Misty will be able to acquire help for her depression at her local health department and pay a fee based on her income. She will have access to her former therapists and medication there. This care is crucial to her mental health. She has been unable to find adequate psychological care in Sweden due to being continually unemployed and not being able to afford private care. Her inability to speak the swedish language adds an additional complication and it increases her feelings of hopelessness. (Appendix A; medical reports & definitions)

A. Stressing Events
In the past few years, Misty has moved to a foreign country, has felt ongoing torment and grief by the death of her father, added two more children to her family, and is now constantly facing eviction threats due to her continuing financial difficulties. She suffers continual stress and anxiety over her inability to support herself and her children. She also feels profoundly worried regarding her mother Mary, who currently resides in the United States.

Mary is Misty's only surviving parent. These factors and events have contributed heavily to Misty's depression. All these factors combined with the stress that accompanies them, could mean Misty will incur extreme health problems during the course of the next two years, according to the Holmes-Rahe scale.

B. The Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale
In 1967 Thomas H. Holmes, M.D. and Richard H. Rahe, M.D., published in the prestigious Journal of Psychosomatic Research, "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale". This scale is now famous. Its efficacy is well established. For instance, in December 2000 in Educational and Psychological Measurement, Judith A. Scully, Henry Tosi, and Kevin Banning re-evaluated the use of this instrument. The abstract of their article states:


"The authors conclude that, in sum, life change events remain useful predictors of stress-related symptom scores and that the SRRS is a robust instrument for identifying the potential occurrence of stress-related outcomes and is, therefore a useful tool..."

The scale uses the weighting of Life Changes Units (LCU's) as a means of being able to predict vulnerability to medical illness. For instance, a marital separation would accrue 65 LCU's, and an outstanding personal achievement would accrue 28 LCU's.

In other words, significant life changes, positive and negative, which occur with frequency and intensity, are significant variables in the development of medical illness. It is not possible to predict exactly which illness might occur. However, degree of vulnerability can be predicted. (Pre-existing conditions are presumed to be highly
vulnerable to exacerbation).

The following are the predictive ranges of the Holmes-Rahe Social Readjustment Rating Scale:

• LCU <150: No significant risk of illness
• LCU 150-199: 35% chance of illness or injury in two year period
• LCU 200-299: 51% chance of illness or injury in two year period
• LCU>300: 80% chance of illness or injury in two year period

This scale was applied to Misty (on the assumed basis that she remains in Sweden with her husband Torgny). Misty's score on this instrument was "514". On the other hand, if she and Torgny were to move to the United States, her score drops dramatically to “171”. (Appendix B-both scores)

Medical
Misty chronically suffers from a severe knee problem called Chondromalacia. Chondromalacia (also called chondromalacia patellae), refers to softening of the articular cartilage of the kneecap, and if left untreated results in arthritis of the knee.

She first became diagnosed with this problem at age twelve, and was re-diagnosed in 1993, at age eighteen, by a physician with the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Misty underwent further treatment for this injury by her family practitioner Dr. Thomas Axxxxx in 1997. She received a second opinion in 1998 by Dr. T. Sxxxxx at Winston X and X Surgical. The conclusion is Misty's knee is deteriorating and will eventually need arthroscopic surgery to repair. In the worst case scenario, she will need knee replacement surgery.

At present, Misty is not under the care of an orthopedic doctor in Sweden. The waiting lists for orthopedic specialists in Sweden are extremely long due to the aging swedish population. Misty, being unemployed, can not afford specialist care.

She has a doctor retained in the United States through a prior established relationship who is familiar with her medical history and could detect changes in her condition. She could receive an appointment with ease.

An additional serious medical condition plaguing Misty is kidney stones. She became inflicted at age fifteen with the first stone. Since 1990, she has suffered from four stones, with one stone requiring surgery to remove it. This is a hereditary condition that must be monitored by a urologist to have any future stones detected and treated. It should be stated kidney stones can form by various causes. Stress definitely plays a major factor. It is not unusual for a stone to take years to develop or be “silent” causing major kidney damage.

Currently Misty is not under the care of a urologist in Sweden. The waiting lists for specialists in Sweden are extremely long. Since Misty has been continually unemployed, she has been unable to afford private medical care. There remains a high probability Misty will suffer another kidney stone in her future due to both hereditary and stress factors. If untreated, it can cause kidney infections (pyelonephritis). Large stones can cause scarring leading to kidney failure. This in turn, would lead to chronic dialysis use. Misty already has an established relationship with Lxxxxxx Urological Associates in the United States dating back to 1990. (Appendix C-medical reports & descriptions)

Financial Hardships
A. Unemployment
Misty was employed part time prior to her move to Sweden. She was paying off her student loans and her credit card debt during this time. Misty's decision to move to Sweden has become a life altering mistake. Due to unemployment, she has been unable to continue eliminating her debt while residing in Sweden.

She currently carries an outstanding balance on her student loans of $X. The non-payment of these student loans has destroyed Misty's credit rating in the United States and if she continues to remain in Sweden, she will incur severe financial reprocussions. Misty would have no difficulty in finding employment in the United States to aid in the elimination of her debt.

Residing in Sweden and being unemployed makes Misty's financial situation impossible to improve. Sweden’s unofficial unemployment figure for immigrants of around 25% means extreme difficulty in trying to find work. Another factor is Sweden’s high cost of living index. In June 2005, Stockholm ranked as the 18th most expensive city globally to live while Winston-Salem, NC sustained a ranking of 119th place. Copenhagen, across the sound from M ranked 8th. This is according to Mercer Consulting. (http://www.finfacts.com/costofliving3.htm)

Continual unemployment jeopardizes Misty’s retirement plans as she can not contribute to her future, thusly increasing her chances of using welfare.

Moreover, the sooner Misty and her husband are allowed to return to the United States, the quicker they can rebuild their finances. Her dismal financial situation has heavily contributed to her depressed mood. (Appendix D-loan & bank statements, employment figures, cost of living index)

B. Language Barriers
Contributing to Misty's unemployment, is her inability to speak the nordic languages. Her knowledge of the swedish language consists only of the basics. This inability to speak the native language has hindered her from finding adequate employment and becoming a productive member of the swedish society. English speaking jobs in Sweden are rare and heavily vied for.

Contrary to this, in North Carolina, Misty never sustained difficulties in finding employment. Misty's husband Torgny is exceptionally fluent in the english language. He has vast knowledge and expertise in the computer field which will aid him finding employment quickly. They will have excellent opportunities to better their standard of living and that of their children's in the United States.

C. Greater career opportunities in the United States
Torgny already has established business contacts in the United States, freelance consulting for a firm in Florida named Midxxx Associates (www.midxxx-associates.com), which could lead to full time employment. In addition to this, Misty has several close contacts through her former employers Mxxxx-Axxxx, Inc.(www.mxxx-axxxx.com) and Axxx Nxxxx, Inc. (www.axxxxnxxxx.com), which will undoubtedly aid her employment search. She has no such contacts in Sweden and remains confined to her apartment due to the language barrier issue and her escalating battle with depression.

As Torgny’s occupation is a computer programmer, his yearly earnings will be substantially larger in the United States. Computer programmers are in high demand, with the average salary around $51,500 dollars per year. With their combined incomes, in their respective fields, Torgny and Misty will be able to provide a stable living environment while being able to secure their children’s wellbeings and futures. (salary info: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos110.htm; US Department of Labor)

D. Childcare
Adding to the problem of Misty finding employment in Sweden is the length of time in receiving a daycare place. In Sweden, you cannot place your child in a county daycare facility (dagis) until they reach the age of one year old. It took five months for Misty's son S to receive a place in 2002. Misty's youngest child, E, has been waiting eight months and currently sits twenty-fourth in line. The lines are expected to be even longer this year than in previous ones. This difficulty in receiving childcare interferes with Misty’s ability to find employment in Sweden and support her family.

In the United States, Misty would place her two oldest children in the YMCA's after school program since they will both be attending primary school. With Misty and Torgny’s combined incomes, the afterschool program fees will be easily managed.

Misty's mother Mary, has offered to babysit Misty's youngest daughter E (3), since she is too young to attend school or the program thusly freeing Misty's daytime hours. This will increase her chances of finding employment.

Housing
Due to their huge financial burdens Misty and Torgny and their three children, live in a one bedroom apartment in M. They have resided in this apartment since they first came to M in March 2000.

The two oldest children, A (10), and S (5), share the only bedroom, while the youngest E (3), sleeps with Misty and Torgny in the living room on a fold-out sofabed. The small space and lack of privacy has begun to interfere with Misty and Torgny's intimate relationship. Moving into a larger apartment remains unattainable since Misty is unemployed and has substantial debt. Torgny only works part time so therefore can not afford a higher rent. (Appendix E-Floorplan)

Misty and Torgny are having major problems paying their current rent as it amounts to the equivalent of nearly $685.00 dollars per month. (exchange rate: http://www.oanda.com/). Currently, Torgny works only twenty hours a week and his meager salary insufficiently meets all their financial needs.

At present, Misty and family’s standard of living situation has become quite desperate. There have been several occasions recently where Misty had no food in her cupboards. Misty's mother Mary claims she mailed her daughter boxes containing food on several occasions in the past. (Appendix F-Excerpt from Mary’s letter)

The threat of eviction is a constant source of anxiety and stress for Misty. Misty feels that if she continues to reside in Sweden with her family, they will eventually become homeless. If evicted from their apartment, Misty and her family would be forced to return to rural L to live with Torgny's mother Rose-Marie and his stepfather, Uno. This would cause extreme hardship to Misty.

L lies many miles outside Lxxxxx, population 14,000, which is the next closest town of size. Job prospects in L are meager at best and not much better in Lxxxxx. Rose-Marie and Uno live in a deeply forrested area with no public transportation nearby. Misty has no driver's license nor does she own a car. Therefore, she would be heavily reliant on Torgny's mother for transportation needs, and since Rose-Marie works full time in town located thirty miles away, this option is not feasible.

Moreover, Uno does not speak english, is disabled and there are no neighboring children close by for Misty's children to play with, thusly forcing the family into an even further involuntary exile. (Appendix G-map, and house photo)

Single Parent Issues
If Misty returns to the United States without Torgny, accompanied by her three children, she will then be forced to become a single parent. She would certainly struggle to afford daycare and basic needs for herself and the children on one income. She would not be able to visit Torgny and take her children with her due to her inability to afford air fare for all four of them.

However, leaving the children behind and separating her family is not a viable option for her. Torgny's presence in the United States with Misty, can be deemed as extremely crucial and necessary.

Since Misty’s finances have been decimated by living in Sweden, Torgny’s income is crucial in providing the necessary stability and comfort for their large family. Their standard of living will vastly improve. Computer programmers in the United States earn considerably more than their swedish colleagues.

Misty already has first hand knowledge of trying to raise her children within a one income family in Sweden. Before Torgny became laid off from his full time job in 2003, his monthly income hovered around $1,000.00 dollars per month. This insufficiently provided for his family. Torgny only works part time hours now and they have two additional children. The strife caused by Torgny losing his job, has succeded to greatly exacerbate Misty's depression and feelings of hopelessness.

Emotional Issues
If Misty returns to the United States without Torgny, a devastating emotional separation would occur between father and children, not to mention, husband and wife. Misty and Torgny have been married for six years and during that time period have never been separated. She is already being subjected to severe, deep, emotional hardship and further hardship would occur if separated from her husband by a subsequent return to the United States without him.

The children have a deep bond with their father and will suffer extreme emotional upset at being separated from him. Their son S, needs a strong male role model in his life. His siblings are females and S would suffer emotional hardship at the lack of male contact. The oldest child A, has an extremely strong bond as Torgny is the only father she has ever known. (See section: A's bond with Torgny)

A's bond with Torgny
Misty became pregnant with her oldest daughter, A (10) when she was nineteen years old. A’s biological father has never had any contact with her. He told Misty before she was born, he wanted no contact with her whatsoever. Since that phone conversation in 1994, he has been true to his word. He has never talked to her, sent her presents, asked about her welfare, etc. A was three and a half years old when Torgny first came to visit Misty. She immediately bonded with him.

Torgny has been the only father A has ever known. She has spent more than half of her life with him now. If Misty returns to the United States without Torgny, A would be devastated. It would be extreme psychological hardship for her to lose a father a second time in her young life.

She is an extremely easily influenced girl and needs a strong male role model in her life. She needs for her family to remain together. A has expressed a deep desire for her family to be able to immigrate back to North Carolina. (see A’s letter)

Family Ties
Misty has no immediate family in Sweden. Misty is extremely close to her family in the United States. She is an only child. Misty and her mother are very close and try to keep in contact as much as possible since Misty's father died in 2000. Misty was unable to attend his funeral.

The guilt and grief over his death deeply compels Misty to be with her only remaining living parent. The health of Misty's mother Mary has continued to deteriorate. She has been unable to visit Misty and her children in Sweden since September 2003 due to ongoing illnesses.

Misty has not seen most of her immediate family since her move in December, 1999.
If her husband's visa is denied and she remains in Sweden to be with him, she would be unable to visit her family in the United States.

Airline ticket prices remain unaffordable to Misty due to the factors of her being unemployed and her being forced to pay for herself and ticket costs of 75% of the adult fare for each of her three children. This amounts to paying a total anywhere from an estimated $1,600.00 in low season to $3,000.00+ in high season. The burden of visitation in this instance would fall on Misty's mother Mary, an arduous task given Mary's declining health issues. In the United States Misty, therefore, would be unable to visit her husband due to the aforementioned inability to pay airfare and Torgny B would not be allowed to visit his family due to the inadmissibility issue. This would cause extreme hardship to Misty.

Misty's children barely know their american family. They have never seen their cousins around the same age. Misty vehemently desires for her children to get to know the american side of her family. If she remains in Sweden this will become an impossibility and feels the children will suffer from that lack of contact.

Misty's family also wishes her to return with her children. Misty's grandfather H states in his letter: "I share a birthday with E, my youngest great grandchild. I am eighty-three and want to spend my remaining years with my great-grandchildren!" (Appendix H-airfare comparison, excerpt from H’s letter)

Future Caregiver
Misty’s mother, Mary, currently suffers from numerous health afflictions. Among them, are high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), debilitating migraine headaches, underwent cholecystectomy (gall bladder surgery) in 2004, and recently has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

“Rheumatoid Arthritis is one of the most serious and disabling types.”, according to the http://www.arthritis.org/ website. The arthritis is already becoming so severe, Mary is having trouble walking. The arthritis is expected to worsen eventually forcing Mary into a wheelchair. Since Mary is Misty’s only surviving parent, Misty feels duty bound to provide the necessary care Mary will inevitably need. Mary’s health problems have alienated her from visiting Misty in Sweden since 2003. Due to Misty’s decimated finances, she can not visit her mother. This causes extreme hardship to Misty. (Appendix I-Mary’s medical records)

Education
There are several interacting hardships concerning Misty's educational objectives in Sweden. While Misty's financial situation continues to worsen, the daycare fees for Misty's son S are becoming increasingly difficult to pay. S is therefore in extreme danger of losing his current place. Since Misty's younger daughter E is not attending daycare, she currently has to provide the care for E herself. This situation prevents Misty from being able to advance her education. Neither child is old enough to attend regular primary school in Sweden, which begins at age seven.

Barring the financial hardship issues, there are also time issues. If Misty wanted to attend M University she would first have to take the Swedish A & B beginner courses, encompassing a time span of one year. After that she would be forced to pay the equivalent of $300.00 dollars in order to be able to take a college entrance exam called the TISUS test. This particular test is very difficult for foreigners to pass.

It is completely written in swedish and only offered at certain times of the year. Misty's swedish language knowledge insufficiently meets the standard to attend a swedish university. She would not be able to comprehend the class lectures and homework.
This would severely impede her learning, therefore, resulting in her falling significantly behind the other students. (Appendix J-Tisus paper)

Swedish universities offer courses taught in the english language, however, these classes are enrichment classes and do not lead to a degree in a specialized field. Therefore, Misty is unable to fulfill her life-long dream of receiving her bachelor’s degree, and eventually becoming a teacher. Upon returning to the United States, Misty has plans to enroll in evening classes at S College and pursue her bachelor's degree. She has been welcomed again with open arms by the Dean. Incidentally teachers earn 150% more in the United States as opposed to teachers in Sweden. (Appendix K-3 University curriculums, email from S College)

Need for children to be educated in the United States

Adding to her distress regarding swedish education, Misty currently feels her oldest daughter A, is being deprived of her english language education and her american heritage. A is significantly behind in writing the english language, which is her native tongue. Misty devoutly desires for all of her children to be educated in the United States.

Good Character and Admissibility
For the sake of understanding Torgny B as a person and whole entity, his life can be best understood if taken in phases.

A. Prior to his offense
Torgny was raised in L, Sweden. A small, rural community in southern Sweden. He has one sister. He grew up in a two parent household and even had a dog. He lived a normal, happy existence until one day in late July in 1984. Torgny’s father passed away unexpectedly at age thirty-four of a heart attack caused by an unidentified heart problem. This extraordinary event sent Torgny’s life into a tailspin.

B. His offenses
The death of Torgny’s father helped to begin a cornerstone of anger and depression. He lacked a proper male role model to guide him through his early childhood. By the time Torgny reached middle school, he lacked self-confidence.

He went through high school dealing with bullies every day and his fellow peers constantly putting him down. He received no positive encouragement or understanding from his mother. This led to Torgny being easily influenced. He fell into the wrong crowd due to his need for a family. He took out the anger he felt from being bullied and hurt on damaging property and stealing from others. At the time of the offenses, Torgny was consumed by anger, depression and had little motivation to be a better person. He admitted his culpability and made retribution for his acts. These events took place when he was barely out of his teen years.

He does not make excuses for the wrongdoings of his past but he is extremely remorseful and has turned his life around since then. Since at the time he was a first time offender, he received one year’s probation and paid substantially heavy fines to the people he wronged.

C. From the time of his offenses
In the ten years since Torgny committed his offenses, he has been a law abiding citizen of Sweden. He lives by a set of morals and values. In the last ten years, Torgny begun to build his business acumen. He has been an exemplary neighbor, friend, and co-worker. He is a hard worker and has not been in trouble with the law. He met and married a wonderful woman, became a devoted stepfather to her oldest child, and created two beautiful children of his own. He is goal oriented and wishes to start up his own web design firm in the near future.

He will be a tremendous asset to the United States with his skills and language knowledge, and can continue to improve himself overall. He can definitely show his children that someone can make a stupid mistake and go on to make something out of themselves with hard work. He is fully reformed and has consistently shown that in the past ten years since his offenses were committed by marrying, starting his family and building up his business. He has dealt with the issues surrounding his offenses and fully understands his wrongdoings.

He harbors no wish to jeopardize the life he has striven to create for himself now by reverting to past criminal behavior. He presents no danger whatsoever to the citizens of the United States.

Conclusion
Misty and Torgny have full plans to spend their lives together. It is imperative they do so in the United States in order to provide Misty with access to proper medical care, the psychological help she requires, the ability to continue her education and that of her children’s and to vastly improve her standard of living of that she had obtained in the United States.

It needs to be emphasized that by issuing an approval of the I-130 the United States government has formally and legally recognized the validity of the marriage between Misty and Torgny B.

It is well documented that “family unity” is an important value underpinning the raison d’etre of the United States of America and that actions to “assure family unity’ is part of the intent of U.S. immigration law [for example see Title 8, Chapter 12, Subchapter II, Part II, section I, pp. 64 and 65]. It is a function of United States law to provide legal definition and recognition to this marriage between Misty and Torgny.

The current enormous strain of living in Sweden with her husband, and possibly living in the United States without him, constitutes a powerful hardship to Misty B. The difficulty of Misty to obtain the medical care she needs, the looming threat of eviction, the continual alienation from her family and country pose extreme hardships to Misty. All of these listed hardships culminate in Misty being cruelly and unnecessarily subjected to extreme and unusual hardship.

In short, if Torgny B is not admitted to the United States, Misty B would be placed in an impossible dilemma. Because the marriage has occurred in its full sense, profound devotion and loyalty will move her to remain in Sweden with her husband while striving to undermine the hardships that are inundating her life at present.

Yet, if she returns to the United States without her husband, she will be placed in a dire situation. She will become a single parent trying to be both mother and father to her three children, while supporting them on one income. She will be solely responsible for their mental and physical wellbeings. She will be involuntarily separated from her husband of six years and her children will be torn away from their father. The fact Torgny B would be inadmissible to visit the United States as well as the inability of Misty B to afford the high cost of airfare to visit her husband means the family will be ripped apart never knowing when they will see each other again, if ever.

The Holmes-Rahe scale score overwhelmingly indicates Misty has an 80%+ chance of developing a major illness over the next two year period due to the monumental stress, anxiety, and depression currently influencing her life in Sweden. Torgny B is a decent, honest, hardworking individual, who has shown over the past ten years of good behavior, abiding by the law, and raising his children to be capable of making responsible life choices.

To his wife and children he has been loving and caring. He has been supportive in many ways. His friends trust him to house sit while they are away and to feed their pets. His co-workers have valued his opinions and work ethic. In the United States he was welcomed by Misty’s family and showed he is a kind, courteous, and respectful man.

He has exhibited repentant behavior and shown he is capable of turning his life in a positive direction. He loves his wife and his children and wants desperately to keep his family together (see Torgny’s letter). Their quality of life will vastly improve in the United States. Torgny B’ waiver must be approved. Thank you.

Sincerely,


Torgny B Misty B

[Cynthia]

HSL Courtesy of member KAM1 – Italy

Hi all, here is our approved hardship letter. The letter was 21 pages long with over 500 pages of supporting documents, including letters from different doctors. I hope it helps.

United States Department of Homeland Security,
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
United States Embassy. Rome, Italy.

09/01/2006
In, Re Matter of:
XXXXX.
A# 0000000.

Dear Officer,

The applicant, Mr. ALIEN is a citizen of Morocco. Mr. ALIEN was found to be inadmissible to the United States under section (212)(a)(9)(B)(i)(II) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as an alien who was unlawfully present in the U.S. for one year or more, prior to his Voluntary Departure from the U.S on June 14th, 2004.
Mrs. USC and Mr. ALIEN met in 2001, remained close friends until 2003 when they took their relationship to the next level and became more intimate. In Christmas of 2003, they became engaged and on January 1, 2004 they moved in together and commenced their wedding and future plans together. On May 28th, 2004 ALIEN and U.S.C, vowed to spend the rest of their lives together, married and became husband and wife (Exhibit A-Birth Certificate & Certificate of U.S Citizenship), (Exhibit B-Copy of Marriage Certificate). The record shows that Mrs.USC had been legally separated from her Ex-Husband since early 2003 and initiated divorce proceeding in 2003 prior to Mr. ALIEN’s removal proceedings in 2004.
Despite her fear of flying Mrs. USC visited her Husband on two occasions in Morocco (Exhibit C- Airplane tickets), the last one being September of 2005 during which she became pregnant. Mrs. USC and Mr. ALIEN love each other deeply, despite having been forced to live apart for more than two years and having been deprived of the ability to begin a life together, they remained and will always remain pillars of support for each-other. Mrs. USC has already suffered "extreme hardship", in so many different levels, and if a Sec. 212(a)(9)(B)(v) waiver is denied, Mrs. USC will continue to suffer "extreme hardship" in numerous ways. These hardships will occur if Mrs. USC must move to Morocco to live with her Husband or if they continue to be forced to live apart because Mr. ALIEN is denied permission to enter the U.S.
As the beneficiary of an approved I-130 Petition (Exhibit E-I-130 approval), Mr. ALIEN is applying for an I-601 Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility pursuant to section 212(a)(9)(B)(v) of the Act. Favorable consideration of such application requires a finding that the refusal of admission to the United States of such immigrant alien would result in “extreme hardship” to the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent of such alien. Approval also requires a favorable exercise of discretion from the Attorney General.
Although construed by courts differently, “extreme hardship” has been described as hardship that is unusual or goes beyond the hardship normally expected to arise from particular circumstances. Because of its amorphous nature, courts have found that the term “extreme hardship” does not have a fixed and inflexible meaning but depends upon the facts and circumstances of each case. Urban v. INS, 123 F.3d 644 (7th Cir. 1997). The term appears throughout the Immigration and Nationality Act, and has been articulated by courts interpreting INA Sec. 212(c), 212(h), 212(i), suspension of deportation, 212(e) waivers and waivers of deportation under Sec. 241(a)(1)(H). All of these cases require “extreme hardship,” or a variation of that term and an exercise of discretion before a waiver will be granted.
According to Matter of Cervantes-Gonzalez, 22 I&N Dec. 560 (BIA 1999), the factors deemed relevant in determining extreme hardship to a qualifying relative include, but are not limited to, the following: the presence of U.S. citizen family ties to this country, the qualifying relative’s family ties outside the U.S, the conditions in the country to which the qualifying relatives would relocate and the extent of his/her ties to this country, and significant conditions of health, particularly when tied to an unavailability of suitable medical care in the country to which the qualifying relative would relocate. Courts have also considered numerous other factors such as the age of the subject, length of residence in the United States, health, the economic and political conditions of the country, financial status--business and occupation, immigration history, the possibility of other means of adjustment of status and position in the community. Matter of Anderson, 16 I. & N. Dec. 596, 597 (BIA 1978). In addition, courts have found that "extreme hardship" exists even if none of the factors cited in Cervantes-Gonzalez individually rise to the level of "extreme hardship" but reach that level in the aggregate. Hernandez-Patino v. INS, 831 F.2d. 750, 752 (7th Cir. 1987).
Common results of the bar, such as separation, financial difficulties, etc., in themselves are insufficient to warrant approval of an application unless combined with much more extreme impacts. Matter of Ngai, 19 I & N Dec. 245(BIA 1984). With this qualification in mind, Mr. ALIEN is furnishing documentary evidence proving that failure to receive the waiver requested would result in extreme hardship to his U.S. citizen spouse, Mrs. USC.
Mr. ALIEN meets the grounds for the discretionary waiver of inadmissibility because: (i) the statutory threshold, that the U.S.-citizen spouse of the applicant will suffer extreme hardship if the waiver of inadmissibility application is denied, is met; and (ii) the combination of said hardships with the applicant's other favorable factors outweigh the applicant's past immigration violation and so, Mrs.USC, respectfully asks that you grant her husband Mr. ALIEN a waiver of inadmissibility.

In the instant case, the U.S. citizen spouse, Mrs.USC, is documenting each of the above factors to show that she has suffered "extreme hardship" and will continue to suffer "extreme hardship" if her spouse, Mr. ALIEN, is not granted a waiver of inadmissibility. Moreover, when aggregating the factors facing Mrs.USC, the evidence of "extreme hardship" is even more compelling.
Extreme Hardship to Mrs. USC,
If the waiver of inadmissibility application is denied, and Mr. ALIEN is not admitted to the United States, Mrs. USC will suffer extreme hardship. Her psychological health, family responsibilities, professional career, religious beliefs and medical needs would prevent her from living in Morocco with her husband, Mr. ALIEN. At the same time, she would feel compelled by the powerful forces of her complete marital bond, and her love for her husband, to move to Morocco in order to maintain her marriage with Mr. ALIEN.
Mrs. USC is faced with many interacting “extreme hardships”:

A - MEDICAL.
1- Psychological.
Mrs. USC suffers from a Major Depressive Disorder, which would be exacerbated if she is continually separated from her husband or if she were to move to Morocco. Although it can be expected that the average person enmeshed in an immigration case of this nature would experience profound psychological difficulties, USC’s psychological hardships have proven themselves to be particularly severe and have the potential of causing medical illness, hospitalization, or even death. Thus, her psychological hardships warrant particularly in depth examination.
Attached is a letter by Therapist who has been treating Mrs. USC for over three years and has personal knowledge of her mental condition (Exhibit F-Therapist Psychological evaluation). The letter states that Mrs. USC is suffering from Major Depressive Disorder, and she was prescribed an antidepressant due to the symptoms of depression she is experiencing, such as poor sleep, decreased appetite, frequent crying, loss of interest and feelings of hopelessness and anger. Mrs. USC has been devastated emotionally by the current situation in which she and her husband find themselves. Mrs. USC finds it very hard to cope with the thousands of miles that separate her from her husband, and the uncertainty of their situation and future. As stated in her Psychological Evaluation “it is in my opinion that USC is suffering from a Major Depressive Disorder, due to her situation”. (Exhibit F-Therapist Psychological evaluation)
A Major Depression is a severe psychological disorder in which a persons normal functioning becomes impaired and the person is unable to escape from a fog of devastating sadness and negative thoughts. (Exhibit G- Article on Major Depressive Disorder) “A person who suffers from a major depressive disorder must represent a change from the person’s normal mood. Social, occupational, educational or other important functioning must also be negatively impaired by the change in mood”. As a result of her condition her work capabilities have been hindered and performance is suffering. Please refer to website: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx22.htm). (Exhibit G- Medical Definition on Major Depressive Disorder). In addition, she is also suffering at her workplace and may be at risk financially. As Mrs. USC states in her affidavit:
“I’ve become Anti social. My physical appearance has suffered. Mostly I don’t care what I look like and don’t bother even taking care of myself anymore. I feel drained and cry all the time. I’ve become very sensitive, and I become angered easily. Mostly I just find myself lying in bed with no desire to accomplish any of my life goals. At one point I wanted to finish obtaining my broker credits in further studies to open our own firm as we planned, but I haven’t completed those courses. My performance level has declined. I went from Top Grossing Agent to newly licensed agents doing more business than me. I feel worthless and so alone. My career has always been very important to me. I have put a lot of time and energy into it.” (Mrs. USC Affidavit)
Courts have determined that the psychological detriment resulting from a separation of a spouse is a factor to consider in assessing hardship. In matter of Mansour, 11 I & N DEC306, 307(BIA1965), The alien, an exchange visitor from Egypt was granted a waiver because it was concluded that his wife a United State Citizen would experience “exceptional hardship”, since due to an existing emotional problem, and according to medical opinion she would suffer undue mental anguish at this time if deprived of the companionship of her husband. This establishes that the United State Citizen wife would experience exceptional hardship if she were to remain in the United States without her husband or if she were forced to follow her husband abroad and leave her immediate family behind.
Mrs. USC is suffering extreme hardship due to the separation from her husband and she will continue to suffer extreme hardship if she were to remain in the United States without her husband or if she were forced to move to Morocco. Her separation from her husband has affected her psychologically and physically; she has been diagnosed with severe major depression due to this separation. Mrs. USC is also suffering from sleepless nights, high levels of anxiety, and her work performance has been hindered. She experiences profound feelings of worthlessness, anger and excessive guilt every day. Studies show that once a person has been exposed to the onset of major depression, that person remains highly susceptible to re-occurrences. (Exhibit H- Consequences of Depression) These re-occurrences are often triggered by extreme levels of stress or devastating events such as moving to a foreign country in which one would become isolated or living away from a spouse. If forced to leave her country, her family and her ill grand mother for whom she cares, she would have to overcome tremendous anxiety problems as well as the possibility of worsening her condition of Major Depressive Disorder or also obtain an Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood. (Exhibit I- Goldberg’s Depression Test Result) At the same time living in the United States without her husband is having equally devastating effects.
The consequences of developing a Full Major Depressive Disorder are extreme in nature and often include suicidal thoughts. (Exhibit G- Article on Major Depressive Disorder) Thoughts of this nature could result in hospitalization or even death. Dr. XXXXX, M.D., Mrs. USC’s family doctor, states in his letter that “she is depressed, sad and anxious. She had suicidal thoughts at one point without a definite plan” (Exhibit J-Letter from Dr. XXX). Dr.XXXXX, M.D. prescribed Mrs. USC with Lexapro to treat her depression (Exhibit K – Lexapro prescription info). If Mrs. USC were forced to move to Morocco she would be at serious risk due to the unavailability of this medication in Morocco. This is verified by “Pharmacie Lekbira” in Casablanca Morocco, stating the medication Lexapro is not available in Morocco. (Exhibit L- Letter from Pharmacy and information on medication) This suggests that Mrs. USC is at danger for developing suicidal thoughts if the situation in which she currently finds herself does not improve dramatically. Therefore, if Mr. ALIEN is not allowed prompt readmission into the United States, there is the potential that his wife would become overwhelmingly depressed and would not be able to find proper treatment in Morocco if forced to move there. In addition, she may attempt to take her own life.
An affidavit from XXXXXX, parents of ALIEN, recounting there personal opinion of the hardship that USC continues to experience as a result of her separation from her husband. (Exhibit M- Mr. XXXX Letter) The affidavit explains their concern for USC’s emotional and physical health based on what they have witnessed the couple go through over the past year. The letter states “watching your child crying hysterically because his wife is falling apart and wanting to commit suicide is the most painful experience of all.”

Courts have determined that the emotional and psychological impact of readjustment to another country must be considered in assessing hardship. Santana-Figueroa v. INS, 644 F.2d 1354, 1357 (9th Cir. 1981), court have found that “extreme hardship” results from the combined effect of depriving the petitioner of his livelihood and uprooting him from a community to which he belonged and contributed for a long time.
In the instant case, Mrs. USC is suffering emotionally, psychologically and has been deprived of her livelihood due to her ongoing separation from her husband for more than two years now. Mrs. USC is undoubtedly suffering extreme hardship due to her separation from her husband and she will continue to suffer extreme hardship if she were to remain in the United States without her husband or if she were forced to move to Morocco to join him.

2- Medical condition.
Mrs. USC suffers from medical conditions which include peripheral neurological disorders, spinal degeneration with disc herniation, migraine headaches, dizziness, irritable bowel syndrome, cervical disc bulge, knee patella tendonitis, and depression. (Exhibit N- Letter from Dr. Mitchell) As a result, she has been under the care of Dr. XXXXXX for her migraines, dizziness, cervical and lumbar neurological conditions. According to the letter submitted by Dr, Mitchell, his investigation for chiropractic treatment in Morocco resulted in finding no chiropractors or any equivalent treatment in Morocco or the surrounding areas. (Exhibit N-Dr Mitchell letter) The letter also states: “Mrs. USC needs to maintain the level of care she requires and moving out of the United States would not be in her health’s best interest. I believe some of her conditions and symptoms are stress related due to the separation from her husband. It is my professional opinion that by moving out of the United States her health would deteriorate at an increased rate”. Mrs. USC has also been diagnosed with Scoliosis (Exhibit N-Mrs. Pons-Amir diagnosis and medical report). As a result she has been under the care of Dr. XXXXX. Scoliosis is a complicated deformity that is characterized by both lateral curvature and vertebral rotation. As the disease progresses it may causes major complications. Discontinuing the treatment now or in the future may lead Mrs. USC to suffer a severe Scoliosis; the curve could become greater than 70 degrees and the rib cage will start pressing against the lungs and heart, making it harder to breathe and harder for the heart to pump, causing damage to the heart and to the lungs (Exhibit N-Articles on Scoliosis). Mrs.USC inability to receive the proper care as a result of the unavailability of such care in Morocco poses a serious health risk and would result in extreme hardship to her if her husband were unable to join her in the U.S.

3- Pregnancy and Medical Facilities.
Upon her return from visiting her husband in Morocco on October 2005, Mrs. USC found out she was pregnant (Exhibit O- Letter from Stanley Skozylas, M.D. Gynecologist), she was very happy and felt blessed but she was also very worried that her ongoing stress and depression could harm the fetus or result in pre-term delivery. Her stress level had also increased thinking that her husband Mr. ALIEN might not be present to accompany her through the challenging stages of her first pregnancy, labor and delivery. Her desire to resolve her current separation from her husband became desperate; first, because of her extreme love for her husband, second because she needs him to accompany her, and support her through the pregnancy, labor, delivery, emotionally and physically. The ongoing thoughts of remaining alone and struggling through her first pregnancy without her husband was detrimental to her. Unfortunately and sadly enough, 11 weeks into their first pregnancy Mr. And Mrs. XXXX lost their baby. This has effected Mrs. USC enormously yet adding to her already fragile emotional and psychological state. Mrs. USC strongly believes that her miscarriage was due to her current situation of major depression and the enormous amount of stress she is experiencing. (Exhibit-Mrs. USC affidavit)
This separation has caused Mrs. USC tremendous grief, and has put an enormous amount of strain on her life. Compounding this has been the great loss of her baby, which has further pushed her into a greater depressive state. Mrs. USC has had to cope with the departure of her husband and the ongoing immigration issues, her depression, and now the loss of her first baby, without her husband’s guidance and support by her side. This has been and still is an extreme hardship that she has had to and still endures everyday.
Mrs. and Mr. XXXX desperately want to have the opportunity to have another baby or two. But the current distance in between them, her age and her condition with Oligmenorrhea, (Exhibit O- Letter from Dr. XXXXX, M.D. Gynecologist) it would be impossible to accomplish this without another miracle. Obviously, living apart would make it more difficult to have children, since they would see each other infrequently. Moreover, both Mrs. USC and Mr. ALIEN strongly believe that a child should live and be raised in a two-parent home during the formative stages of his/her life. Like any future mother, Mrs. USC wants her child to have all of the choices and possibilities that she had while growing up. She also wants her future child to have those things that she did not have.
Mrs. USC and her Husband love each other deeply and want to provide their future child with a strong and positive upbringing. Mrs. USC wants to provide her future child with the best education, the best medical care, the safest surroundings, and the love and support of her family. For Mrs. USC, all of this is possible only while living in the United States of America. If Mrs. USC were forced to re-locate to Morocco at some point in the future, her future child will be deprived of knowing his/her American family. This would be particularly difficult, as Mrs. USC family is an integral part of her life and she could not imagine them not being closely connected to her child and to herself. Mrs. USC’s future child, a future American citizen, would also be denied the possibility of living and growing up in the country that his/her mother loves so much. As a result forcing Mr. and Mrs. XXXX to live apart would effectively undermine their plans to have and raise a family, dealing a devastating blow to Mrs. USC’s future plans. Mrs. USC would undoubtedly suffer “extreme hardship” if Mr. ALIEN’s waiver application is not granted and she and her Husband are forced to live apart.
Noteworthy is that Mrs. USC is 38 years old, and suffers from Oligomenorrhea, a medical condition that results in the reduction of menstrual cycles throughout the year (Exhibit O). Mr. ALIEN and Mrs. USC want to start a family in the immediate future. If she is forced to continue to wait to start a family, the wait will reduce her chances of getting pregnant. Experts from http://www.parenting.com/ state:
“Fertility continues to decline after age 35. The decline is due mostly to the fact that the woman’s eggs are aging and they become more difficult to fertilize. The risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy is about double to women over 35 compared with younger ones. In addition, the risks of having a baby with Down syndrome or another type of chromosomal disorder begin to rise significantly.”

More so, present practices and conditions in Moroccan hospitals are extremely disconcerting to Mrs. USC. Hospitals suffer a shortage of medical doctors and supplies, leading to poor care and lack of proper medical treatment. (Exhibit P –Article on Morocco hospitals) At times patients are left in care of medical students, with no supervision from qualified medical doctors and a poor nursing staff. Unfortunately, in some cases, this has been known to result in death (Exhibit Q – Certified Translated Articles On Medical Facilities in Morocco). Not only would any treatment of her medical condition be impossible but there would be serious risks to both her health and the health of any unborn or newborn child of hers in Morocco. (Exhibit R- Articles on reproductive health of in the Middle East and North Africa)
Furthermore, Mrs. USC has a greater chance of a high risk pregnancy due to her age, and if not properly monitored could leave her with a greater chance of death. The mortality rates for newborns and new mothers in Morocco are significantly higher than that of the United States. Per the CIA World Factbook, the infant mortality rate in Morocco is almost 7 times higher than in the United States. (40.24 Per 1000 births in Morocco compared to 6.63 per 1,000 births in the U.S.) (Exhibit S-Infant Mortality rate CIA World fact book 2006).
The U.S. State Department’s website (www.state.gov.travel/morocco.html (http://www.state.gov.travel/morocco.html)) states the following regarding Morocco: “MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION”: Adequate medical care is available in Morocco’s largest cities, particularly in Rabat and Casablanca, although not all facilities meet high-quality standards. Specialized care or treatment may not be available. Medical facilities are adequate for non-emergency matters, particularly in the urban areas, but most medical staff will have limited or no English skills. Most ordinary prescription and over the counter medicines are widely available. However, specialized prescriptions may be difficult to fill and availability of all medicines in rural areas is unreliable. The medicine also may be presented under a different brand name and may contain a different dosage than in the U.S. Please be aware that some newer medications may not yet be available in Morocco. Emergency and specialized care outside the major cities is far below U.S. standards, and in many instances may not be available at all.” There is also a scarcity of MRI facilities, well-trained surgeons and in general medical care. States the U.S. State Dept Website (www.state.gov.travel/morocco.html (http://www.state.gov.travel/morocco.html)). (Exhibit R – Article on Morocco/ Middle East / Medical Facilities / Child Birth)

B- Safety and ongoing threats against U.S. Citizens in Morocco.

On October 5th, 2005 while in Morocco visiting her husband (Exhibit C- Plane Ticket), Mrs.USC was assaulted by 2 Moroccan men while walking with her husband in Casablanca (Exhibit T- Receipt of complaint filed with Moroccan Authority). The men approached Mrs. USC aggressively shouting that they hate Americans and that she should leave the country. Mrs. USC was then shielded by her husband who was in fear for her safety as these two men attempted to attack her. Mrs. USC scared for her own life and that of her husband, began shouting and screaming for help, causing the attackers to run away. Immediately Mrs. USC and her husband rushed to the Moroccan Police to report the incident.
Mrs. USC and her husband then went to the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca to report the incident who in turn advised her to consult with the local police for any and all assistance. Fearing a re-occurrence, and for the safety of her well being, she became frightful of going outdoors and stayed confined indoors which gave her a greater feeling of isolation. If forced to move to Morocco, Mrs. USC will live in fear for her life, she would never feel free and safe and will live in a constant state of fear for her safety and well being. This would be an extreme and unusual hardship for her. Noteworthy is that on February 2005 a Moroccan man stubbed a French National to death in Morocco, causing the U.S. Consulate in Casablanca to issue a warden message on February 25, 2005 reminding U.S. Citizens to adhere to security guidance while in Morocco (Exhibit U-U.S. Consular sheet February 2005). In addition, a U.S. Department of State Public announcement for Morocco dated March 14, 2005 alerting Americans to ongoing security concerns in the region States the following: “The Department of State continues to warn of the possibility for violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests in the region” (Exhibit U). Again on December 15, 2005 the U.S. Department of state warned against Anti-American violence which could include possible terrorist actions, the department was also concerned that extremists may be planning attacks against westerners. (Exhibit U-U.S. Department of State)
This Anti-Western feeling that exists in Morocco is all due to the growing ties Morocco has with the West, there are numerous informal groups who are working against the Moroccan government because of these perceived and real ties. (Exhibit V-Professor XXXXX Analysis on Morocco) According to Professor XXXXX (Expert on the Middle East and North Africa), an American citizen would be a natural and easy target for such fundamentalists sentiments. Mrs. Pons-Amir would be most likely the victim of such hostile context toward Americans, and there will be very little that a local administration could do to prevent such, because of the growing fundamentalists Islamists popularity as well as the limited control Moroccan security forces have against the tribal structure that exists in Morocco (Exhibit V-Professor XXXXX Analysis on Morocco).
There have been numerous reports of violence in Morocco in the recent months and scores of people tortured are among hundreds of Islamists or presumed Islamists whom the authorities have arrested since 2002 on suspicion of belonging to "criminal gangs" or involvement in violent acts, like the bombings in Casablanca in May 2003 (Exhibit W -Current article on terrorism in Morocco). The turning point for Morocco’s relationship with Islamists came on May 16, 2003, when suicide bombings against Jewish and Western targets in Casablanca left 45 dead (Exhibit X- Terrorist Attack in Morocco). Moroccan authorities arrested scores of Islamic militants in Morocco that revealed substantially greater pockets of Islamic radicalism in the country than had previously been assumed. The bombings significantly heightened tensions and security concerns for Americans in Morocco. Those concerns remain today.
A U.S. State Department Consular Information Sheet dated January 10, 2006, states the following: "The potential for violence against American interests and citizens and other Western targets remains high in Morocco. Establishments which are readily identifiable with the United States are potential targets for attacks. These may include facilities where US citizens and other foreigners congregate, including clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, hotels, movie theaters and other public areas. Such targets may also include establishments where activities occur that may offend religious sensitivities, such as casinos or places where alcoholic beverages are sold or consumed. Due to varying degrees of security at all such locations, Americans should be particularly vigilant when visiting these establishments"(Exhibit U-U.S. Department of State Public announcement Jan 2006).
Recent events have further exposed the danger to Westerners living in Morocco. The March 11, 2004 bombing of the train station in Spain, which killed almost 200 people (Exhibit Y-Article on the Madrid train Bombing), demonstrated a continuing threat to Western countries and individuals. Noteworthy is that most of those arrested in the attack were Moroccan citizens. Also, the Madrid train bombing investigation is focusing on a Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, which have been designated as a terrorist group by the U.S Department of State; (Refer To Website) http://usinfo.state.gov/is/Archive/2005/Oct/11-915892.html; ADAM ERELI, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN Stated the following: "As part of ongoing U.S. efforts against terrorism, the Department of State has designated the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act.....".(Exhibit Z-U.S. State Dept statement, Oct 2005)
One of the biggest threats to westerners living in Morocco today is the presence of few Radical Islamic groups; among them is the Salafia Jihadia group. This group is composed of a network of loosely-affiliated Moroccan Islamists fundamentalist groups (Exhibit AA-Article on terrorist group in Morocco). The group poses a serious threat to regional stability due to its flattened organizational structure and substantial base of contacts with other fundamentalist groups in the region. In November of 2005, Security forces in Morocco arrested 17 radical Islamists on suspicion of belonging to a "terrorist structure" linked to al Qaeda, (Exhibit W-Article on terrorist arrest Nov 2005). Also, more recently in August 2006, Moroccan security forces have dismantled a terrorist network arresting 56 people, including five former soldiers with explosives expertise. (Exhibit W-Article on terrorist arrest in Morocco Aug 2006)
Other recent events have further exposed the danger to Americans living in Morocco, for example, the protest against the U.S. Military presence in Iraq which drew over one hundred thousands demonstrators in January 2003 during which the demonstrators chanted anti-American slogans and expressed negative remarks about the U.S. (Exhibit BB-Article on Protest against Iraq war). Also, on August 2nd and again on August 6th 2006 thousands of Moroccans gathered in Casablanca and Rabat to protest the Israeli/Lebanese war. Once Again the demonstrators were expressing negative remarks about the U.S. and were chanting, quote: “Enough is enough of war America is the Enemy of people” (Exhibit BB-Article on Protest against Israeli/Lebanese war). When questioned his opinion, one demonstrator said: “We are here to support the Palestinian and Lebanese people and denounce the Zionist and American aggression against them, which is killing children, women and the elderly,” the demonstrator told Morocco Times (exhibit BB), causing the U.S. Department of State to show more security concern on August 2, 2006 stating the following: “American citizens are urged to avoid these areas of Rabat and Casablanca well before and after the planned demonstrations. As a reminder, even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and anti-American in nature. American Citizens are urged to exercise caution if within the vicinity of any demonstrations” (exhibit U-U.S Dept of State warden message Aug 2006).
All this underscores the threat of Moroccan Islamic radicals to Westerners living in Morocco causing the U.S. Department of State to issue additional travel warnings to the Middle East and North Africa on June 14th 2006, expressing “deep concern” about the heightened threat of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and interests in the Middle East and North Africa. (Quote: From State Dept) "Credible information has indicated terrorist groups seek to continue attacks against U.S. interests in the Middle East and North Africa. Terrorist actions may include bombings, hijackings, hostage taking, kidnappings and assassinations". (Exhibit U-U.S. State Dept Public announcement June 2006).
Mrs. USC has already experienced the fear and the threat of traveling in Morocco first-hand. In addition, while visiting in Morocco, Mrs. USC has been stared at menacingly for no apparent reason; a clear evidence of the hostility that exists against westerners in Morocco. By moving to Morocco, Mrs. USC will have exchanged a safe, culturally diverse environment in the U.S, for one in which 99.99% of the country differs from her religiously and culturally. Her very presence would likely cause deep resentment among a growing segment of the population hostile to the U.S. More so, the fact that she is married to a Moroccan man, residing in Morocco will likely subject her to even greater suspicion and make her a likelier target for Islamic radicals. The assault she has experienced while visiting Morocco combined with the numerous State Department warnings issued expressing “Deep Concern” about the heightened terrorist attacks against U.S Citizens in the Middle East and North Africa, would make a move to Morocco a real threat to her life and well-being and would subject her to “extreme hardship”.
U.S. case law supports the view that an increased possibility of violence to American citizens living in a foreign country amounts to “extreme hardship.” Matter of Cruikshank, 11 I.&N.Dec.558 (BIA 1966), involved a U.S. citizen non-Muslim husband who married a Muslim exchange visitor from Afghanistan. Because it was likely that the husband and the couple’s child would be subject to persecution resulting from their nationality and religion, the Court found that there would be exceptional hardship to the husband and child if they were forced to follow their wife and mother abroad.

C- RELIGION.

One obvious major difference between Morocco and the U.S. is religion. Morocco is an Arab country that is subject to Islamic law. Of the 33.2 million inhabitants, 99.99% are Muslims. Although the Moroccan Constitution guarantees religious freedom, the guarantee is often violated in practice (Exhibit CC- Dept of State, International Religious Freedom Report). In part, this is because religious discrimination still exists and is inherent in Moroccan law. As an American, Mrs. USC would face discrimination and would be at greater risk of anti-Christian bias. Due to this, Mrs. USC was assaulted and threatened in Morocco in 2005. (Exhibit T)
Morocco is a Muslim country that profoundly differs from the United States in its attitudes toward religion, culture and gender relations that would make living there extremely onerous for Mrs. Pons-Amir. Especially when viewed from the standpoint of Western culture, Islamic criminal and civil law are often characterized as discriminatory against women in marriage and other civil institutions. Such institutional discrimination, might be more tolerable if Mrs. USC were a Moroccan national being returned to Morocco. However, the fact that Mrs. USC is a U.S. citizen and lifelong U.S. resident will make an unbearable situation for her if she is forced to live in Morocco. She would be put in an impossible situation of survival.
As a Catholic, Mrs. USC would be at greater risk of anti-Christian bias. A recent survey conducted by Pew Global Attitudes Project dated July 7th, 2005 on Islamic Extremism in the Muslim world, and Muslims attitude toward Westerners showed that 73% of Moroccans agreed that Islamic Extremism is a threat to the country (Exhibit DD). The same report found that 61% of Moroccans express negative opinions of Christians.
Furthermore, Morocco is openly critical of any type of proselytizing of religion other than Islam. (Exhibit EE- Article on persecution of Christians in Morocco) There have been many instances of American citizens being detained and deported for being accused of distributing literature or importing bibles or any type of Christian doctrine. (Exhibit FF- Article on Bible) Professor XXXXX, an expert on the Middle East states in his affidavit: “An American citizen would be a natural and easy target for such fundamentalist’s sentiments. Mrs. USC would be most likely the victim of such hostile context towards Americans and there will be very little that a local administration could do to prevent such, because of the growing fundamentalists Islamists popularity as well as the limited control Moroccan security forces have against the tribal structure” (Exhibit V- Professor XXXXX Report).
In addition, the personal status code, part of Morocco’s civil law, establishes a system of inequality based on sex, and relegates women to a subordinate status in society (Exhibit V- Affidavit by Prof. XXXXX). The unfortunate situation that exists for women in Morocco would create an even greater hardship for Mrs. Pons-Amir due to the fact she is a Western woman from the United States. Government officials have condoned attacks on women’s human rights workers while open stating that according to Islamic law, thus universal standards in their minds, women are subclass citizens. (Exhibit V -The Price on Anti-Americanism)
In his affidavit, Professor XXXXX states: In relation to woman rights again the current situation described above would work against the welfare of Mrs. USC. The discriminatory practices described above would hinder any possibility of educate livelihood, adequate employment and or possibility for living the life that a woman in her level of education and abilities socialized in the West, deserves.” (Exhibit GG – Women Rights in Morocco).
If Mr. ALIEN is not granted a waiver and Mrs. USC is forced to move to Morocco, she will face “extreme and unusual hardship” due to the growing anti-Christians sentiment in Morocco, the growing Islamic extremism and all the negative feelings and opinions expressed toward Christians in Morocco.

D- Mrs. USC will suffer “Extreme Hardship” due to Loss of profession, disruption of career and the Depressed Economy in Morocco.

Mrs. USC financial status although stable at the moment, has been impacted severely by this hardship. If she is forced to move to Morocco it would be impossible for her to support herself because of the lack of employment in Morocco, her inability to speak the given language and communicate in either Arabic or French and the current state of the economy in the country. While in the U.S. Mrs. USC never relied on her husband Mr. ALIEN for financial support, while this is true, it should be noted that due to her severe depression caused by this ongoing separation from her husband, Mrs. USC’s work performance has significantly declined therefore effecting her income. Moreover, in her attempt to reunite with her husband this past two years, Mrs. USC has already suffered economic hardship; this includes Attorney fees in the sum of $17,000.00, plus thousands of dollars more on Immigration filing fees and expenses, travel expenses to and from Morocco, phone calls, postage and financial support for her husband (Exhibit HH-Financial statements). Mr. ALIEN is a licensed Real Estate agent in the state of Pennsylvania (Exhibit II- Real Estate License), if he is permitted to return to the United States, he would be able to re-instate his Realtor’s license which is in escrow and return to work, therefore sharing the financial responsibilities with his wife; Mrs. USC.
Mrs. USC is a licensed Real Estate Professional in the state of Pennsylvania with many professional achievements and satisfied clients (Exhibit JJ-Real Estate license and Recommendation letters); she manages government owned properties for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, she also handles various corporate accounts for her company. Mrs. USC is a member of the Pocono Mountains Board of Realtors, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals; she also serves her community by serving on the Delaware Water Gap Chamber of Commerce and the Pocono Mountains MLS Board Committee (Exhibit KK). Her lifelong goals have been to open her own real estate brokerage firm, for which she put herself through Real estate school, and dedicated all her time and much effort in order to realize them (See Affidavit). Not granting Mr. ALIEN a Waiver and forcing Mrs.USC to move to Morocco would interfere with Mrs. USC's life goals just as she began to achieve them, it will mean the end of her real estate professional career. Furthermore, if she is forced to move to Morocco, Mrs. USC professional career will be disrupted as the real estate practice and laws are totally different in Morocco than in the United States, combining this with the language barrier Mrs. USC would face, and the depressed Economy in the country, it will be fair to say that Mrs. USC will be unemployable in Morocco.
Various cases support the view that lack of ability to practice a profession amounts to extreme or “exceptional hardship.” Yu v. Marshall, 312 F. Supp. 229 (S.D. Tex. 1970) involved a permanent resident structural design engineer whose wife faced deportation for two years in accordance with INA Sec. 212(e). Although a hearing examiner found that the two-year foreign residency requirement would not impose exceptional hardship upon the resident spouse, the Court disagreed, “Regardless of whether Shu-Yin Yu returned to China with his wife or remained here, it is plain error to say that no exceptional hardship would be incurred,” the Court said. “If Mr. Yu returns to China, not only would he have to leave his specialized position with Brown & Root, but also he would have to give up the practice of structural engineering, a skill for which there is represented by plaintiff to be no demand in China” Yu at 233. In addition, the Court noted that upon Yu’s return to the U.S., he would experience even greater hardship because he would have lost two years of structural engineering knowledge that he could have gained had he remained in the U.S.
It is fair to say there is no demand in Morocco for U.S. Real Estate professionals such as Mrs. USC. In this case, if forced to move to Morocco, Mrs. USC would have to leave her specialized career as a Professional Realtor and would be unable to apply her expertise in Morocco. Furthermore, because Mr. ALIEN is potentially barred from returning to the U.S. for 10 years and Mrs. USC is forced to move to Morocco, she would find herself many years behind in knowledge and developments in the field of Real Estate. The state of Pennsylvania requires Real Estate Professionals to undergo continuing education courses every Two years to maintain an active licensure (Exhibit LL) more so, she risks losing her Real Estate License after five years of non practice, and would find herself completely unemployable upon her return to the United States after the 10 years has elapsed. In effect, denial of a waiver to Mr. ALIEN would deny Mrs. USC the ability to fulfill her lifelong professional goals. Clearly, this denial amounts to “extreme hardship” for Mrs. USC.
Noteworthy, also is that the economy in Morocco is depressed. In 2004 Morocco joined a list of countries eligible for a U.S. Aid program headed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which is a U.S. Governmental corporation designed to help and work with some of the poorest countries in the world (Exhibit MM-U.S. Department of state 2004 report). Noteworthy also is that one of the major problems in Morocco is unemployment with a very high rate of 20% in urban areas (as per CIA World fact book 2006) (Exhibit NN-Article on Moroccan Economy). The average salary in Morocco is $200.00 a month. According to a 2004 Arab Maghreb Union Country Analysis Brief, unemployment is the principal socioeconomic problem in the country. An estimated 300,000 young workers enter the Moroccan job market every year, while only 200,000 new jobs are created annually (Exhibit NN). Also, unemployment disproportionately impacts women, the young and the college educated. Given these statistics as well as the country’s attitude towards foreigners and women, Mrs. USC would not likely be able to find a job if she moved to Morocco. Please refer to the website http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/maghreb.html#mor which states the following about the current Economic situation in Morocco: “Morocco’s 2004 per capita income of $1,621 was roughly 64% of the AMU average. The country suffers from several socioeconomic problems including poverty, urban overcrowding, inadequate housing infrastructure, and illiteracy, which reaches 83% for women in rural areas. Still, unemployment and underemployment remain the principal socioeconomic problem. While the unemployment rate was estimated to be 10.4% at the end of 2004, this masks higher rates in urban areas (18%) and among college graduates (24%).” (Exhibit NN)
If Mrs. USC is forced to move to Morocco, she will find herself unemployable, her standard of living would undoubtedly plummet and her hopes for a financially secured future would be shattered. Unemployment will have a big impact on Mrs. USC because not only will she be unable to provide for her-self, but she will lose her stable income and her profession as well, therefore affecting her self-esteem and feelings of self worth. Considering the state of the Moroccan Economy, even if Mrs. USC was not faced with the language barrier, she would still have great difficulty finding a job. In fact, Mr. ALIEN was unable to find employment in Morocco over the past 2 years. Mr. ALIEN graduated high school in the U.S. and does not hold a College degree in Morocco which makes it more difficult for him to secure a job at this time and would most certainly disable him to provide for his wife and support her if she is forced to move to Morocco. The first time Mr. ALIEN held a job in Morocco was with the Moroccan Airlines back in 1992 (roughly making $175.00 a month). Noteworthy is that the economic situation back in 1992 was much different than the present economy. Morocco’s population in 1992 was 26,181,900 with an unemployment rate of 16% (Exhibit OO-CIA World Fact book 1992), compared to a present population of 33,241,259 (July 2006 est.) and an unemployment rate of 20% in urban areas, disabling Mr. ALIEN to secure a job in Morocco. Even if Mr. ALIEN were able to find employment in Morocco, he would not be making enough money to support his wife and provide her with the quality of health care she needs and housing nor would the couple ever be able to have children. It is well settled that economic detriment is a factor for consideration when determining extreme hardship. Marquez- Medina v. INS, 765 F. 2d 673, 676 (7th Cir. 1985).
In addition, if Mrs. USC is forced to move to Morocco, she would be denied the ability to fulfill her lifelong professional goals and would suffer “extreme hardship” this alone would impact numerous segments of her life: psychological, physical, financial and her future family life. Not only would this provoke her severe depression due to loss of ability to provide income, but financial difficulties would also affect the possibility of Mrs. USC and her husband to provide for their future child. This would be an extreme hardship to her because she desperately wants to provide the best care and the best education for their future child.
Unemployment results in many different factors that greatly concern Mrs. USC, not the least of which is the ability to provide high levels of medical care for her-self and maintain the treatments she greatly needs to insure a good health, including the treatment for her major depression. More so, she would become even more isolated from her own family and friends as she would be unable to purchase plane tickets to go home to visit (tickets cost approximately US$1000.00 round trip), or even pay for the international calls that would be necessary to stay in touch with her family. Thus, the almost certain unemployment that she would face in Morocco would cause her extreme hardship. Additionally due to these economic and financial issues, Mrs. USC and her husband would be forced to live with her husband’s family, it would mean five people living in a two bedrooms apartment. This would constitute and extreme change in Mrs. USC’s living conditions and would further increase her level of hardship.
Various cases support the view that lack of ability to find employment amounts to “extreme hardship” Matter of Gee, 11 I&N Dec. 639 (BIA 1966). The respondent met his “extreme hardship” burden requirement for stay of deportation when the court found that it would be “Very Difficult” for him to obtain employment in his country and that he had accustomed to the way of life in the United States, therefore relief was granted. Courts have also found that “exceptional hardship” exists where alien’s spouse would be required to interrupt professional career and suffer unemployment. Slyper v. Attorney Gen.(1983,DC Dist col) 576 F Supp 559, affd (1987, App DC) 264 US App DC 170, 827 F2d 821, cert den (1988) 485 US 941, 99 L Ed 2d 281, 108 S Ct 1121.
Also As stated in Matter of Anderson, position in the community is a factor that courts look to in determining if “extreme hardship” exists. Matter of Anderson, 16 I. & N. Dec. 596, 597 (BIA 1978). Mrs. USC contributes everyday to her community, as cited previously she serves on many Boards and Associations and she is well respected among her colleagues and neighbors. Clearly, losing this status in her community and having to relinquish her Real Estate career would be an “extreme hardship” to Mrs. USC.
In sum, Mrs. USC’s inability to transfer her professional skills to Morocco, her inability to speak, write or understand the languages spoken, and her unfamiliarity with Moroccan culture and the current state of unemployment in Morocco all support the view that she would be unemployable. Courts have held that an inability to find work in a foreign country can amount to extreme hardship. In Urban v. INS, 123 F.3d 644,648-9 (7th Cir. 1997), the Court held that the applicant had demonstrated extreme hardship because she would be totally unable to find work, resulting in more than economic injury.

E- Family Ties and Mrs. USC’s Role in her family.

One of the central purposes of granting an I-601 waiver is to provide for the unification of families that would undergo “extreme hardship” if separated or forced to live in a foreign country where they have had little or no contact. On that basis, there is little question that Mrs. USC would suffer “extreme hardship” if she had to leave the U.S. and live in Morocco.
Various cases have emphasized the importance of keeping families together in the wake of a possible separation if an I-601 waiver is not granted or if a foreign national faces deportation. The Court in re Ariadna Angelica Gonzalez Recinas et al., 23 I. & N. Dec. 467 (BIA 2002), for example, found that strong ties to the U.S. is a significant basis for finding “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship,” a standard even stricter than one of “extreme hardship” required under Sec. 212 (a)(9)(B)(v) of the INA-- the applicable standard in this case. In Recinas, the Court found the respondent should not be deported to Mexico because she had met her hardship burden by establishing that her U.S. citizen children had spent their entire lives in the United States, had never traveled to Mexico, and lived close to their grandmother, with whom they had a close relationship. The Court emphasized also that the respondent had raised her family in the United States since1988 that her four United States citizen children did not know any other way of life, and the children did not speak Spanish well nor were able to read or write Spanish.
Like the children in Recinas, Mrs. USC has never been separated from her immediate family members. Mrs. USC has resided in the U.S her entire life. She has traveled to Morocco twice to visit her husband (Exhibit C-Plane ticket), and does not speak Arabic or French. Mrs. USC is very close to her immediate family on a daily basis. (Exhibit Mrs. USC affidavit)
Mrs. USC comes from an extremely close-knit family and keeps in close contact with her parents, Sister and her ill Grand Mother for whom she cares. When she was born she lived with not only her parents but with her grand parents as well. Mrs. USC’s grandmother assisted USC’s mother with her upbringing and that of her older sister. Her immediate family members include her parents, sister, nephew, niece and grandmother. Forcing Mrs. USC to move to Morocco will not only be detrimental to her, but to her family as a whole. The evidence in the record shows how this situation is having a negative impact on Mrs. USC’s sister and her nephew as well, as stated in their Psychological evaluation by Dr. XXXXXXX, MD, Psychiatrist: “SISTER and NEPHEW are both under treatment for depression and anxious episodes, as well as family discord. Their clinical status requires a supportive family network that is currently being provided by her sister” (Exhibit PP- Affidavit from Mrs. USC’s sister and letter from their Dr. Showing the need for a support network).
Since her grandfather’s death more than ten years ago and because her older sister is unavailable to assist in the care of her grand mother due to her full time job as a teacher and as a parent, Mrs. USC has been and still is the only one assisting her mother in the care of her 87 years old grandmother who requires constant care; she has Dementia, Alzheimer, Paralysis, Hypertension, COPD and Parkinson Disease, as a result of her severe medical condition, she is under the care of Dr. XXXXXX, M.D., who states in his letter: “Patient is cared for by USC and he mother, patient condition is very poor and can not be left alone” (Exhibit QQ- Dr. XXXXXX, M.D. Letter from Grand mother’s Physician and picture). She has also lost all bodily functions now, and requires constant interaction and supervision. Mrs. USC takes care of her grand mother at least three times a week where she spends countless hours by her side catering to her needs, her affidavit explains how she is experiencing extreme anxiety over her possible inability to care for her grandmother if she has to move to Morocco and the inability to ensure she is receiving the medical care she greatly needs. Mrs. USC’s mother with whom she has a very close relationship has been diagnosed with Hepatitis-B, and heart problems. (Exhibit RR- Parents Medical Records). Mrs. XXXXX is extremely pained over this immigration situation and is worried that her daughter might be forced to move to Morocco. This has become a constant worry for XXXXX, Mrs. USC’s parents (Exhibit RR - Letter From USC`S PARENTS ) As tormenting as these thoughts are to her, as it would be to any mother, it is having a negative impact on her, and could possibly affect her medical conditions by the continued added stress she is undergoing. Consequently, if Mr. ALIEN were not permitted to return to the United States, Mrs. USC would be forced to move to Morocco. Mrs. usc is suffering extreme hardship because of this situation, and she will continue to suffer extreme hardship if she were to remain separated from her husband or if she were forced to move to Morocco and be separated from her family. Mrs. USC’s parents concerns are legitimate in nature, as the worries of their daughter having to move to a country that has proven to be unsafe for her as an American, and the possibilities of attacks or injuries, or even death to their daughter is detrimental to them.
While it is true that Mrs. USC’s mothers heart condition has nothing to do with Mr. ALIEN’s absence, it should be noted that if Mr. ALIEN is allowed back in the U.S., the stress that the entire family including Mrs. USC’s mother would diminish, as the worries of being separated from and her daughter moving thousands of miles away to a country that has proven to be unsafe for her would not apply, therefore the added stress on her heart would resolve. Also Mrs. USC’s father has been undergoing medical treatment, including biopsies for high PSA levels in his prostate, and recently in September of 2005, he had to undergo surgery for removal of a large mass in his colon. (Exhibit RR)
Also, Mrs. USC has many close friends in the U.S. with whom she visits and talks frequently. The record reflects the close relationships that Mrs. USC has formed over her lifetime with her family and friends in the United States. Forcing Mrs.USC to move to Morocco would unquestionably create an “extreme hardship” for her by separating her from her family members and many friends in the U.S.
Mrs. USC has lived almost all her life in the United States, since she was 2 years old. Her entire family including her parents resides in the United States. Beside Mr. ALIEN, Mrs. USC does not have family or friends outside of the United States. Although she has interacted while in Morocco with Mr. ALIEN’s family, interaction has been limited due to the language barrier. Noteworthy also is that while in Morocco, Mrs. USC has always been alienated because she does not speak the language. Being alienated is extremely difficult for her, as she is very friendly and outgoing, and she is used to being constantly surrounded by family and friends. The separation from her family and friends combined with feelings of isolation and alienation would worsen her current psychological symptoms. Mrs. USC does not speak nor understand Arabic or French. Therefore, she would be severely limited in any interaction with Moroccans, and from making any friends. In sum, separating Mrs. USC from her family and forcing her to move to Morocco would unquestionably create an “extreme and unusual hardship”.


F – Culture, Language barrier and Women Rights in Morocco

For a foreigner, especially an American Woman, Moroccan culture can be intolerable. Millions of women throughout Morocco live in conditions of abject deprivation of, and attacks against, their fundamental human rights for no other reason than that they are women. The personal status code, part of Morocco’s civil law, establishes a system of inequality based on sex, and relegates women to a subordinate status in society. The code stipulates that the family is under the direction of the husband, and that the wife’s main marital duty is to obey her husband in all matters (Exhibit V- Professor XXXX’s report).
As an independent-minded American woman, Mrs. USC would be subject to a form of discrimination totally foreign to her lifestyle and way of thinking—one that could more subtly although no less directly, cause her “extreme hardship.” According to the 2003 International Religious Freedom Report, women suffer various forms of legal and cultural discrimination in Morocco, in part because of the codification of Islamic tenets in the country’s criminal and civil laws (Exhibit CC). For example, under Moroccan Islamic laws, women are always regarded as legal minors and under civil laws the father’s right to control his minor children’s travel outside of Morocco is inviolable. Even if the children of a Moroccan father bear a U.S. Passports and they are with their mother, the Moroccan father still must approve of the children’s departure from Morocco and immigration officials may require proof that the father approves of the departure. (Exhibit SS- Travel.State.gov, International Parental child abduction, Morocco September 2006) Moreover, American women are also subject to harassment that is non-political in Morocco. The U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheet dated March 10, 2006 notes that: “unescorted women in any area of Morocco may experience verbal abuse, and that some women who have responded have come under physical attack”. (Exhibit SS-U.S. Consular sheet, Morocco)
The World Organisation against Torture (OMCT) in its reports, dated July 18th, 2003, expressed its deep concern regarding violence against women in Morocco at the Twenty-Ninth Session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The report states: “Discrimination against women persists in Morocco in both de jure and de facto forms. The government of Morocco has registered numerous reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, thus seriously hampering the potential effectiveness of the treaty. Further, Moroccan legislation discriminates against women with regard to the minimum marriageable age, ability to contract a marriage, polygamy, and divorce, among other areas. Women in Morocco also display lower literacy levels than men and low levels of participation in higher segments of the labour market”. (Exhibit TT)

The U.S. Department of State Morocco country report on Human rights for the year 2005 states the following in regards to women in Morocco: “The law does not specifically prohibit
domestic violence against women, but the general prohibitions of the criminal code address such violence”-“The law is lenient toward men with respect to crimes committed against their wives. Police are reluctant to become involved in what are considered private matters between husband and wife”. (Exhibit UU-U.S. State dept Morocco country report 2005)
The Moroccan government was hoping to put women on a more equal footing as Men, however, a massive demonstration by conservative Islamists took place to protest against the Moroccan government plan to give women more rights which put the government plans back on the shelf. In a statement to the local media Islamist spokeswoman Nadia Yassine stated: "They want to let the West impose its ideas on our culture. We are all for the emancipation of women, b