Friday, March 20, 2009

Waxman = No Help

(PICTURE: Huyen's rejection letter.)

Last week I talked with a staffer at Congressman Waxman's office regarding Huyen's visa. The staffer sent me a form to fill out and told me to email him Huyen's documents. He also told me to call or email if I had any questions. I immediately emailed him a question and he didn't write back. I then filled out all the information and sent him the forms/documents...and he didn't write back. I then called the office and left a message. That was two days ago. No word back. So much for my congressman helping me out.

My anger has subsided a little over the last week but to be honest, I'm still pissed. It seems that nearly every day someone asks me about Huyen's visa and then tells me their own frustrating visa story. On my desk is Huyen's rejection letter which is a reminder of how impersonal the application process is. Having been brushed aside by my congressman after emailing me a standard form to fill out, I now feel like I've been given my own rejection letter. The government seems pretty good at saying, "Hey, we listened to you for a second and gave you a piece of paper. What more do you want?"