All right, everybody. You're back on the Immigration Answers Show. It is the 27th of April. We have a guest to start off our show today. I'm going to bring him on here in just a minute. We haven't had a guest on in a while and I'm excited. It's a client of ours and we were able to help him out and have some fun, so we're really glad that he's here with us. Let me go ahead and bring him on camera. Hi, Nazar.
Hello. Hello, Mr. Jim.
How you doing, buddy?
I'm doing good, doing good. Thank you.
Well, let's go ahead and tell everybody a little bit about your story. Why don't you tell everybody sort of where you were immigration-wise when you decided to hire us?
Okay. So the story is back to 2018 when I applied for citizenship. And I literally thought everything will go smoothly from my background and being like... work with the Americans in Iraq and then being a part of a lot of... I've been really supportive for a lot of US reporters and news platform and everything. So I applied 2018 in June. Six months later, I was notified that I will have an interview, and it was early January, 2019. I got prepared for an interview and I went to the interview and it was in Tampa office. Up to there, I really... In my head, everything is okay and I'm supposed to have no problems in everything. But soon I get to the office, soon I get with the officer... And I'm not judgemental person. things flipped 180 degree.
She wasn't really welcome and she also mentioned a lot of things that I really don't like about... One of them about my English. She said probably you don't speak good English. I said, "No, ma'am. I am in my third year of [inaudible 00:02:03] engineering at USF. This is impossible, if my English is not good, that I will be there." That was one of them. And the second one, she tried to trick with my travel dates. And she said one of the days, it's not there. I said, "Well, I'm pretty much sure I have listed all of this accurately." And she was doing this during the interview, I swear, up to one minute. I said that's it, I'm not going to win the case. It was like this is really difficult. They made it really difficult. And the same time I can hear other people in the next rooms, they laughing and having a good time with the officer. And she kept me for over an hour. [crosstalk 00:02:53]...
You passed the test no problem?
Yeah, exactly. I passed the test no problem and he mentioned that. Eventually she said, "Well, you will receive a decision from us." And then I'm in trouble because they not really welcome. It don't matter what I have done before or something. So I was waiting and waiting and waiting until June 2019. I was emailing using the ombudsman, emailing ombudsman, emailing the Congress member in here, trying to help me out and everything. Then I had to hire a local lawyer and... Because I really don't know what to do. I was lost. Then I start following your videos and was looking at YouTube, looking online for another resource, try to find out what's going on and why it takes so long. Then from there... But your videos actually educate me about my situation. Don't get offended. At the beginning, I did not believe what you were saying at some point. And I thought, well maybe, maybe not. I'm not really sure.
Anyhow, the thing carry on until November 2019, they sent to me for a second interview. This time, it was a different officer. And I went with my local lawyer. We get together with the officer and then she said, "We have an issue with your name." And I said okay. She said, "You have Nazar Jazeem and what's going on with the Nizalatif?" I said, "Well, ma'am, Nizalatif, I use it in media platform, any social media, but it's not my formal name. My passport, I have property in Iraq in my name, I have Nazar Jazeem and whatever name I gave you. This is my official name.
So they had to write everything down and my lawyer had to look at it, and then they had to sign it with a witness. Man, it was like big thing going in there. Although I explained for them everything accurately and with details and with the proof, but they had to take it that way. So we finish, everything went okay, and she did not say anything as well. Two days later, I got a notice that I have oath ceremony on the 12th of December, I believe.
You're good. Yep.
Okay.
I got to switch cameras.
Okay. Then, a week later was, I told, you 6th June. Sorry, 6th November was my interview. Two days later, I received a notice that I have oath ceremony on the 12th of December. A week later from the notice I receive another notice, they de-schedule. And I try to find out what's going on. I emailed the ombudsman, my lawyer, the Congress representative. They responded to... For me they said for unforeseen circumstances. That's all they told me, yeah. For ombudsman, they said they [inaudible 00:06:38] detail. And I think I gave it to my paralegal in your office, that email where they specifically said they had to reschedule because I file [inaudible 00:06:52].That's weird. When I filed [inaudible 00:06:55], why it has to be like interrupted with my oath ceremony?
Right.
It doesn't make sense. So they de-scheduled, that was the reason. And then I kept emailing, kept contact him, and also watching your videos, try to educate myself even more.
Then the pandemic hits. And they said they not dealing with cases in a time manner and stuff like this. At that point, I thought about heading to you, to your office, and have help, proper help, because I knew there was really something going on that is not right in my case. Then, I think in July, I emailed again. July 2020. They respond to me and they said, "Oh, your case now back to the...a line to be rescheduled for oath ceremony."
And it's carry on til October, another email, another phone. Trust me, I call them, they said it's in the line. You will be rescheduled. I forgot the detail. The oath ceremony, we have to reserve a slot for you and stuff like this, you have to wait, blah, blah, blah. Until I was like... The frustration built up, built up, built up into high level. Over two years and not really an accurate respond and not an honest thing about my case. January I said that's it. This is the peak. Let me email him. Let me call him. I call and email, the respond was your case back to the security check.
Checked.
Background check, that's it. Go Jim. Jim Hacking. Yeah, and then...
So it was really that you were just so frustrated that you finally decided to believe me because you were just so mad.
I am not mad, really.
No, not at me. At them. You're mad at them. Yeah.
Yeah. It's unbelievable the way they treated my case. You call and they said it's... Oh, it's been approved. You will be rescheduled. And it's unbelievable. The level of the way how they can lie. I mean, I'm not real sure [inaudible 00:09:20] trouble if I say that, but why would you say that? Why don't you say, "Hey, we have a problem with you"? Come in, come into our office. Let's talk. Put them in the table. When I read your lawsuit, I liked it. I loved it because you were specific. They do not tell him what is the problem and they not want to put on the table. I like it. This is what it is. And then-
So after we sued them, tell everybody what happened after we sued them.
Okay. So after we sue them, that was in the mid of February, I believe. And they sent to me in a quick notice on March to attend the third interview. I remember you called me three days ago. Sorry, three days before, and you apologize from showing because he was short notice, you said. You cannot...
Yeah.
Yeah. But I ask you and I said, "Mr. Jim, what you think going on with my case?" And you specifically said it could be any question back to your history, it could be anything they want to clarify. Back then, it hit in my head that I have really to go prepare. There is nothing that I ever lied about it, it just like I have to put the information in the right place. And I go there, prepare, then I spent the three days, trust me, translating, put my information all together in the right spot so when I go there, I was prepared. And when I went to the interview in March and... I think it was. Yeah, it was in March. And then they literally asked me about everything. They went back to my... Asked me the same question they asked me before I came to the US when I applied for refugee, the same questions, the same. I don't want to go in detail because some of them really like... Yeah. All the questions, all of them, trust me, all of them, one by one she went through them. And the interview...
You were in there for a long time, weren't you?
Yeah.
Yeah, you were in there-
Seven years.
No, you were in the interview for a long time, right?
Two hours and a half to three hours. Yeah. And she was nice. The officer was nice and professional. She really handle it. She understood all the situations and she said I have a rich history and stuff like this. No. It's not just... I don't know what's going on, why they went back to ask me the same questions seven years ago when I applied. And I answer with honest and with accurate information, just like I gave to them seven years ago. And this is the thing I think one of your video you talk about, you talk about this one and you talk about if they tell you your case approved and you don't have the thing in your hand. No, it's not. Yes. It's not approved. It happened with me. They told me I'm approved. They told me I'm in a line for oath ceremony. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's not. Yeah. And then I think after the [inaudible 00:12:38] interview in March, 10 days later they approved me and I went to a oath ceremony just last week and it's over.
What was it like to find out that you were going to be a US citizen?
It's all honored and I'm overwhelmed and happy. I felt like it's a victory. That's the way how I see it. And eventually it was like paid off for my years that I spent in here. I have none. I don't have one single problem. I came here, worked first couple of years, and then I went to school and I finished. I will graduate next week as structural engineer and...
Good for you.
Thank you. And I'm like having them all in my plate now, it's really... I'm happy and overwhelmed in a way you really don't know and it gave me peace, it gave my family peace.
But I have for you a few questions.
Go for it.
Yeah, they really intimidate me with the way they treated my case.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah. And the thing is, Mr. Jim, when I went to the oath ceremony, we were like 40. Maybe I'm the only one Arab, Muslim. And I ask some of them, the ones who attend there, how long it takes you. And most of them said six to eight months after the interview. I was really sad. I was really deeply, deeply overwhelmed because this is not the way we have to be treated. For me, that's how I feel.
Yeah, I think you're right. Yep.
Yeah. So yeah. Go ahead if you have any questions.
No, that's it. That was it. I just wanted you to tell your story. Thanks for coming on. That was great. I think people got a lot out of it. I think a lot of people are going to resonate with all the headaches that you had and all the delays that you had.
Oh yeah.
I think you're going to give people a lot of hope. So thanks for coming on.
My advice to everyone, if your case, it tastes over a year, go hire a lawyer. Yeah. Honestly, there's something wrong going on. It should not take that long. My question, just a few question if you don't mind, Mr. Jim.
Yeah, go for it.
Am I going to have a problem if I travel, I come back, if I go up visit my family although I'm now a citizen?
Yeah. I mean, obviously you'll have your US passport. You could still get pulled into secondary inspection. I don't know if you will or not, but you should... When you get your connecting flights booked, make sure you give yourself enough time in case they pull you out and delay you somewhere. But it depends which country you're coming from. They might do that overseas before you get there, but give yourself plenty of time for each connecting flight.
But nothing will threat my status anymore, right?
No. Nope, you're a US citizen. Yeah.
Okay. That will be it.
Bye, buddy.
Thank you so much for handling my case. I have...
All right, good luck with graduation.
Thank you. Appreciate you. Have a good day.
See you buddy.
