Pakora:
Thank goodness you know how to spell "beers." If you had written that you wanted to enjoy a ** cople ** of ** bears ** in the Pentagon, you would have ended up on the "Watch List."
Come to think of it, you ought to refrain from mentioning the Pentagon or NYC in any of your posts. Most assuredly, a ** cople ** of really ** brite ** fellows working in some basement office sans windows will ** pore ** over the rest of your message trying to decipher the code you are using. Much to your own surprise, they might even crack the code that you didn't even know you were using.
MV: , who said anything about pentagon , I meant Penrose in UTAH, we can meet there for drinks , Last I heard the word pentagon was in 6th grade , when a bully told me to shut up! Otherwise he will turn my round head into a pentagon.
Btw: MV stop intimidating me
JUGS: what is “waziristani” , is it close to Chicago?
I haven’t still received my interview date, a friend told me that If I pay a hefty bribe to Gerrys/Fed EX they can get me a date sooner.
In the mean time I have been doing a little research , Emirates is offering a good price PKR 98,000. Pakistan –Dubai-London-Chicago with a journey break in Dubai and London.
Irem, its because of the background check that they do... after the interview if the persons' name is similar to some wanted guy on their list, they can take upto 6 months to get that cleared. And when they are in doubt, they just refuse visas. I heard they are refusing most of the visit visas, but the fact that they are delaying/refusing student visas is really sad indeed.
After using my influence over the fed/ex ppl they have promised me a date:blush: with an American councillor next week, I am all excited.
Why do I revive this thread all the time, well there is a reason for that. This thread will serve as a Timeline.
A simple, hardworking, innocent guy wants to go for a vacation to the US with his Old parents, every day he dreams that he and his parents are sightseeing, going around, having a magnificent time away from the daily GRIND of Peshawar. He has his reservations …what if he does not get a visa. What will his parents do , They wont go abroad then ? What if he moves on in life, will he or his parents ever get an opportunity again to be together and enjoy a vacation? Will he be ever able to enjoy the highs and lows of group travel…Alas the decision lies in the hands of a 40 year old guy from ohio , who neither knows him nor his parents…tsk tsk tsk
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Pakora: *
He has his reservations …what if he does not get a visa.
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Hmm... even if they approve your visa, you and your father's name will be sent for background check that takes between 4-8 weeks. So, I hope you have factored that in while getting your reservations.
Good luck!
.. and spare the visa counseller all the lovely song and dance about the "simple, hardworking, innocent guy". The first thing s/he may ask you is if you have any job in Peshawar. If you don't, they might think you are going to US to settle as you have nothing to bring you back to Peshawar. Get my drift?
Its not 4 to 8 weeks faisal , Its 5 working days , go to their website.
secondly my parents have 5 years multiple entry visas , Its only me who has applied.
Thirdly I do get ur drift....but does that mean If I dont have a job I get a kick in my Ar$e ......
so they should publish it on their website, "All the ppl who dont have a job , dont bother applying and wasting $100". fair enough!
Well, you already know that section that says everyone is presumed to be an immigrant unless they can prove otherwise. So, you have to prove you have enough ties in Peshawar that will make you come back and not settle in the US. And having no job is a pretty bad mark on your application, cz if you had a job, you can put a case to say that you are well settled here, have a great job and are just going for vacation. So, if you don't have one, you need to come up with a convincing story to emphasize why you will come back to Peshawar.
There is something else I want to point out here Faisal…
A councillor should ponder a little; lets take Mr X for example…
MR X , well lets see his qualifications, humm…. he can be an economic migrant , but after fingerprinting and all the strict laws for Pakistani living in the US will he be able to get a LEGAL job in accordance with his qualifications? NO!…. will he be flipping burgers in a remote town in Texas and be caught and sent to camp X-Ray.Yes!…Will he forfeit his luxurious life in Pakistan to do something like this?
I think every councillor should make connections like these before reaching a conclusion.
[QUOTE] Originally posted by Pakora: *
I think every councillor **should* make connections like these before reaching a conclusion.
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There is a big difference between 'should' and 'would' here. :-)
So just be prepared and put your best foot forward and make a convincing case why you are not going to run away in the US and disappear and be flipping burgers in a remote town of Texas. Peshawar is where you want to spend your life, and its such a great town and family (mammoo and all) and friends and all that good stuff.
There are plenty of highly educated people who migrate to US and spend the rest of their life working in 7-11, driving taxis and working as security guards. So keep that in mind for Mr X.
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
There is a big difference between 'should' and 'would' here. :-)
and its such a great town and family (mammoo and all) and friends and all that good stuff.
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That’s the first time u made me laugh Faisal , Hahahahahh…Acha. There are certain things that I haven’t revealed on GS(due to personal reasons and modesty included) that would make a convincing case .I hope so.
Regarding the mammoo, Look Faisal dear you will be facing family trouble where ever u are in the world , chalo!!! not family trouble but other small things that would disturb you , but that doesn’t mean you will run away from home. Ok! U might not like the city you live in , but that does not mean u will abandon the country.If you haven’t run off to UK why would u run off to USA.
Working in 7/11 ..humm well to be honest , u r wrong! That might be the case before September 11. Now they will not only deport the illegal Pakistani caught in 7/11 but his manager too.
Bhai, not that we don't care about your family troubles, cz as you said every family has them... but lets focus on your upcoming interview at the US Consulate. If you go tell the interviewing officer that Peshawar is a GRIND and you have a 0.32 CALIBRE mamoon who is about to kill you with his bare hands, do you seriously think she will give you a visa so you can go to the US for vacation? :)
Remember, that all these visa officers get a black mark in THEIR records when they approve a visa and the person disappears in the US. There are plenty of illegal immigrants in the US who slipped in on a visit visa the first time. So the job of visa officer is also pretty tough. Its their jobs that are on the line too every day during each interview, so they would obviously want to play it safe, even if it means they refuse visas to some deserving cases.
Just keep a little perspective and think from the visa officer's viewpoint. Why should he trust you. Give her/him a good case so s/he can approve your visa.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Pakora: *
Its not 4 to 8 weeks faisal , Its 5 working days , go to their website.
secondly my parents have 5 years multiple entry visas , Its only me who has applied.
Thirdly I do get ur drift....but does that mean If I dont have a job I get a kick in my Ar$e ......
so they should publish it on their website, "All the ppl who dont have a job , dont bother applying and wasting $100". fair enough!
[/QUOTE]
i might be wrong here but i think if an application is sent for a background check then it goes to the US (state dept, and then to FBI) and that process may take any length of time. They clearly say they dont know how long it would take and they dont have any tracking mechanism. Caveat: different process may apply in different countries. I had applied in London.
Also one question they are likely to ask: have you ever attended a religious school? And St Patrick's High School (or any church related) would qualify as one, although quite clearly the right sort of religion;)
Look how sleepy I was last night I meant > desperately pathetic<*
Faisal bhai, You have assumed that the councilor is a member of GS, or that I will tell him that I am facing trouble with my mamoo, In both cases I think it does not give him any reason to say that I will become an economic migrant.
These are domestic issues , every one faces them , from time to time, that does not mean that a person will abandon his property , parents and become an absconder in a land where the term illegal is synonym to terrorist.
I will tell u which sort of “highly educated “ ppl become security guards, taxi drivers etc in USA.
These are ppl who have nothing back home. By nothing I mean zilch. They come from lower middle class homes. Parents are living in a small rented house, they have sisters and have to get them married, He is the only bread winner, There is family pressure, every day he sees the diverse gulf between his class and the affluent class, ppl moving in Mercedes and BMW’s where as his father has an old Vespa etc…. Now this will push the guy to any extreme, after doing a masters in economics he will gladly flip burgers in MacDonald’s to help his family with extra cash.(sorry for sounding like a toffee nosed idiot but its necessary))
On the other hand, a guy who is jobless, nonetheless he has property over a crore in his name, has got a car, a house in his name, his sister is a legal permanent resident of USA, He has returned from UK after losing his job even though his visa was valid for another year or so , is taking care of his dads property , his father is not left with any other responsibility…Now this sort of a person has a pretty good chance of returning after a visit. Don’t u think so?
I know the above two paragraphs are full of conceit and arrogance but I sincerely hope that the councilor does pick up on such issues and considers them before forming an opinion.
OK friends and foes;
I am leaving for Islamabad in an hours time. I have been detailed for an interview 7:30 in the morning at the Islamabad US consulate on June 24, 2004.
From tomorrow till one week I will be absent from GS, as I will be picking up the pieces of my ruined vacation …(I remain depressed nearly for a week) …after that I will be back on GS. But once I am back “We” shall never mention US visa again …Thanks.
I wont be here, but if you all miss me u can always look at this…
I am sleepy tonite .I will post an answer tomorrow. Please do read it ( That sounds pathetically desperate:hehe: )