Just sent waiver from Albania to Vienna

[GeniAna]

hi everyone!

My husband just had his interview this week in Tirana, Albania and was told to file the I-601 waiver- which we did.
I've taken the route of spending these 3-8 months in Albania with my husband as there is no way I could ever stay in the U.S. without him. Anyone have an idea if this is a good/bad thing? Or no impact?
I wrote a very strong HSL and a follow-up letter after coming to Albania explaining all the hardship I have experienced in this country. We also have a doctor's letter in regards to a medical condition I have, letters from my family and his, and other evidence, and supporting documents written by the U.S. government itself warning Americans of the hazards of living in Albania. It was a pretty thick waiver.
So now it's just waiting. Does anyone know what Vienna is working on now? Any advice/comments are appreciated! :-)

[missy]

Vienna is on January 2008 waivers, what part of albania are you in? i will be comming there in a few weeks

[Pooh79]

Geni I don't know too much about the waiver process in Albania but it sounds like you were very well prepared and submitted a great HSL. I hope your wait is short. Luck.

[REDaja05]

I lived in Albania with my husband for a year and two months and it has made more problems for his case. They have denied him two times, and in the denial they stated that i have lived there so it really must not be a problem for me. So just be careful and make sure your HSL is very stronge. That is not the reason why my husband keeps getting denied,but i don't think it helps his case ether.

Good Luck to you and everyone

[GeniAna]

Thanks everyone! I'm staying in the south. I actually thought staying here would be a help, because when I actually got here, conditions were much worse than I expected and gave me more grounds for hardship. Redaja, was your husband deported? What's his situation?
Edit:
Either way, as much as I don't like it here, I'm staying with my husband. There is no way I could go back without him

[olie2oo6]

Geni I was also in Albania for a few months and my lawyer made me come back :( he said this will not be able to help my case. :( . I wish you the best of luck... he also told me that the way they can see if you went out of the US is by checking when you entered the US (everytime you enter the US there is a card you fill out with information that goes in the system) so I will recomend you stay until you get the descision. Our Lawyer made me come back in case we need to refile or apply again. Like redaja said they can use this against you. Good luck

[cindy101]

The legal definition of extreme hardship as defined by legal precedent for this immigration benefit is that you cannot live there with or live in the US without him because of reasons X,Y,Z.

I agree w/ Ollie and Redaja, they can and will use it against you. I went one time to visit my hubby and only stayed 5 days based on legal advice from our attorney.

Best of luck!

[kozi]

Vienna is processing month of February

[samantha]

I agree with other members I think your presence in Albania colud effect the decision.
Kozi that's a great news it looks like Vienna is speeding up a little:)
Good luck to all Vienna folks!!!!!!!!!

[gazi lu]

geni this is your cousin, give me a call *********

[mosaic]

Hi everyone... I to have been to Albania to visit my husband.. I stayed for 2 months but I could not stay any longer I missed my son as much as I missed my husband.. My son is from a previous marriage and he wasnt able to go with me.. I wish you all the luck...

[REDaja05]

Kozi, That is great. Vienna is moving along quickly yahoo.

Good Luck to Everyone.

[missy]

Redaja we should be hearing something around the same time. I will be leaving august
4th to go stay with my husband in albania until after he hears something which should be around the beginging of october.

[REDaja05]

missy, Hope you have a good time with your husband, and hope we can share good news in October. Good Luck

[wombystar]

Good luck on your 601 waiver! I am still at the NVC stage and waiting for our interview in Tirana, but I am visiting my husband for a month in Tirana right now. I am also worried about how visiting my husband might affect my case - one lawyer says it will hurt and another says it will help.
I am not sure if I should be present with my husband at his interview in Albania? I think I have to be to support him emotionally - I don't care what it might look this, this is the most important thing!

[GeniAna]

i completely understand you. The only this is that the American Embassy will not let you in. You will have to wait outside for him. I wanted to be with my husband at the interview as well, but they told me no.
As for your presence, it could go both ways. If you have a good HSL and a strong case, it will not hurt. If you have a weak case, then yes, they could choose to use it against you. however, i have spoken with several women who lived with their husband's the entire time (some for over a year!) and they were all approved. Do what your heart tells you. Good luck! :-)

[mosaic]

Hi everyone... Seems you guys are further alone than I am... Good luck to you all and I hope to hear some good news for those of us fighting for our men and women in Albania.. I just wondered after the interview how long did they give you to submit your 601? Take care all Sherry

[Sandy Rivers]

Hello everyone. I didn't know there were so many of us with Albanian connections. It's good to know. My guy is currently detained in US and will hopefully be deported to Albania soon. Once he's back there - we plan to get married and I'll file the I-130 to start the process. We also expect he will receive a lifetime ban but I'm told that's not a "show stopper" and I'm talking to people about how to go about getting him approved to return and I'll keep people posted on the progress we make or hurdles we encounter. If anyone has advice to share, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you! This is a great site.

[GeniAna]

Yeh, when I first got here I didn't realize there would be so many Albanians either. :-) Good luck with everything! I can't really give you any advice because I don't know your story, but I hope it works out for the best.

[Optimistic]

When my husband had his appointment in Tirana I went with him and didnt know that they didnt let us in. I waited outside for him and then he came to the gate to tell me that they let citizens in from 2-4. They let me go in with him after they explained it to him so they could re-explain it to me, Im not sure if they usually let you do that but we were the only people still there at the end of the day. As for this hurting or helping your case to be there...when they did let me in and explained it to me that I would have to be away from him for at least six months I burst into tears and couldnt stop crying, and being the last one there, all eyes were on me from the people doing the interviews, they all had the same look on their face as if they had never seen a girl cry before. You could see the sympathy in their eyes and as far as it hurting or helping my case I couldnt see that sincerity having a negative effect?

[GeniAna]

It won't have a negative effect, it probably won't have much of an effect at all. The people who make the decision on your waiver are in Vienna so they won't get to see the sincere emotion. In Tirana all they can do is maybe make a recommendation for or against the waiver. But it's all about the hardship...and unfortunatly, emotional hardship is not considered "extreme" since we all cry and miss our husbands.

[Optimistic]

we could get 5 minutes alone with them. Im sure we all think that at one point or another. Just 5 minutes to show them our hearts and they would never deny any of us.