My fiance's father is a US citizen, as are 4 brothers and 2 sisters. She is 40, never married, no children. She applied for a resident visa in 11/99, and has just been "approved". It will still be a tear to 18 months before she will actually get the paper. We will not get married before she gets her visa because the application is for an "unmarried female over 21, daughter of a citizen". It would change her status, and void the residency application.
It's rediculous, IMO. She can't even travel here.[/QUOTE
Ridiculous or not, that's the way the original application reads! And that is her status. Accept it. You don't have to like it, but that's the way the INS thinks. Just remember that you're dealing with a typical "closed" bureaucratic mind. They're not interested in whether or not something is "fair" and equitable, just interested in satisfying the letter of the law.
I'm married to a Dominican and she was denied a visa based on the premise that she (nor I ) had an imperitive reason to return to the DR. IE., no real property ownership, no ownership of vehicles, etc., etc., we must spend the time and money AGAIN to re-apply furnishing that documentation in order for a VISITORS VISA to be approved and issued. Even then, there is no guarantee that they will approve the application! I'm as frustrated as you, my friend, but we're fighting a pre-conceived notion that a Dominican, once in the USA, will "get lost in the shuffle" of the population and submerge into the "underground society" that exists. THAT's the reason for all the difficulty. Too many have done just that in the past. Not just Dominicans, all nationalities. With the paranoia that exists in the US today, I don't see how the poor souls there can manage to go to work each day without fear of getting blown up.
Texas Bill