"What should I do when the State Department sends me an email?" Hi, I'm Jim Hacking, immigration lawyer practicing law throughout the United States out of our office here in St. Louis, Missouri. I am reporting live from my backyard. This is day three of quarantine. And in this video we're going to talk about what happens when the State Department tells you to do something. So these are cases involving consular processing, where someone has applied for an immigration benefit and their case has been stalled at the embassy, and then the embassy reaches out and ask you to do something.
Here's the brilliant advice from Jim: do what the embassy asks you to do. I know that sounds revolutionary, I know that sounds surprising, but it's not that surprising if you follow along with what I say. And what I mean by that is that I talk on these videos all the time about how people try to be too clever or too smart, and it does you no good to get upset or angry if the State Department asked for another police certificate, or if they asked for an updated medical. The important thing is that you have a case that's moving. This is good news when they ask for more evidence, this is good news when they tell you they need additional information in order to finish processing your case.
Now, certainly sometimes they come up with BS reasons to ask for stuff. But in most situations, when you get a request from the State Department, from the embassy to do something, or send something, or obtain something, you should do it and you should do it with a smile on your face.
Here's the thing: when you apply for an immigrant visa and you have to go through the USDA and then the state department, you have to be prepared for anything. You have to be prepared for whatever they ask, you get it to them as fast as you can so that all delay is on their end. And it does you no good to get upset, to get angry, or to get frustrated. It's just a game.
And I think about when, if you've ever been to one of these really big banks and seen a safe in there, sometimes there's like 16 things that have to click right in order for the safe to open or to lock. And that's really what you're talking about, there are 16 little locks that are going to prevent your spouse or employee from getting that immigrant visa, or your other family member. Your job is to unlock each lock and to do it as quickly as possible. So don't get bent out of shape, don't get upset, don't get sad when they ask for something, even if you feel like they've asked you for that before, it's a good sign, it just shows that there's movement. Just like when you get these crazy alerts on [inaudible 00:02:41 CIAC] or by email, and you're confused, don't be confused. Don't be angry. Just be glad that somebody is working on your damn case. It means that you're getting one step closer to being finished.
So when the State Department asks you to do something, my revolutionary advice that I spent all that money to go to law school to learn is do what they ask you to do, get them what they want. Get it to them quickly. Don't waste time. If they tell you you need a co-sponsor, go find a damn co-sponsor. Don't just say, "Oh, I make enough money." Or don't say, "Oh, I have a house with this much equity." Just give them what they want, and then they'll give you what you want, and that's that visa. That's the ultimate game. So don't get lost in the details, don't get frustrated with the ups and downs of your particular case. Just get it done.
I hope you found this video helpful. If you have questions about the visa process, give us a call at (314) 961-8200. You can email us at info@`hackinglawpractice.com. Be sure to join us in our Facebook group, which is called Immigrant Home. And if you like this video, we ask that you please share it out on social and that you subscribe to our YouTube channel so that you get updates whenever we make videos just like this one. Thanks a lot, have a great day.
