Round 2!

Here we go again. I am not giving up our fight to live together as a married couple, and I have written a second appeal letter to UNE. This will be the final round before we either get another "no" or a notice that they've changed their decision in light of new information.

I can't change the requirement for previous income, but I can argue that the decision is unfair. We even got a statement from one of our politicians saying if he had the power to personally undo the decision, he would. So there!

I also think that the government is being counter-intuitive in their quest to better our economy. First, I went to America with financial aid from the government in order to come back with an education and work experience to use here! I even had to ASK Norway to postpone my coming home and the two year foreign residency requirement that is on the J-1 visa so I could stay in America a little longer. In other words I said "please, Norway, I wanna come home, but can't I just stay here a little while and work so I have more to offer when I come home?" My waiver was granted.

Let me just quote what the J-1 visa is supposed to do...

‎"The J-1 visa was administered by the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) to strengthen relations between the US and other countries. It fell under the purview of the USIA and not the Immigration and Naturalization Service because it’s main purpose is to disseminate information; its goal is to give people training and experience in the U....S. that they can use to benefit their home countries. The J-1 visa was administered by the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) to strengthen relations between the US and other countries. It fell under the purview of the USIA and not the Immigration and Naturalization Service because it’s main purpose is to disseminate information; its goal is to give people training and experience in the U.S. that they can use to benefit their home countries. "


But here is the funny thing... now that I *have* come back, they just look at my poor income in Oregon and decide that I am too poor to support Jamie. Hello! I make enough money now to support the both of us! But by sending Jamie back to a country where he has no job, place to stay or money saved up - they are putting financial hardship on *me* because I now have to provide for both of us in two different countries! Where is the common sense?

Let Jamie come home to me, and he can work and pay taxes!