Three years after wedding, Palmer Township man finally gets to live with wife

by Kate Johnson 2015 Fashion

ven months ago, Amrit Singh sat alone on a sofa at his brother's home in Palmer Township.

He was frustrated, unsure what he could do to convince immigration authorities that his marriage to a woman in his native India was legitimate so they would grant her a visa to join him in the states.

Nearly two years already had passed, Singh lamented in the column I wrote about his plight, and the process didn't seem to have an end in sight.

Maybe it was the publicity that did it. Maybe it was pressure from Singh's representatives in Washington. Or maybe the process finally just played out. But last week, Singh sat on that same sofa with his wife, Manpreet Kaur, finally by his side.

"It feels good," he told me. "We've been married for three years but we've never lived together."

Kaur arrived in the U.S. last month.

"I'm really happy that she's finally here now," Singh said.

PICTURES: Immigration impasse resolved Palmer Twp. couple is together at last

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It's still unclear why it took her so long to get here. They repeatedly had been asked to submit the same documents. They had to send a lot of evidence, such as photos of them together and with family members and a letter from her parents, to prove their marriage wasn't just for immigration purposes.

Easton immigration attorney Ray Lahoud told me they may never know what held up the application, as Department of State records are classified and don't have to be shared with applicants.

"It could have been the smallest of things," he said.

Visa applications such as Kaur's typically take up to nine months, Lahoud said, but the time can vary based on the circumstances. It's especially frustrating when an application gets stuck in "administrative processing," where Kaur's sat for months.

"You're kind of at their mercy," Lahoud said. "They won't tell you how long it's going to take. They won't tell you what's holding it up."

Singh, who is from India and is a U.S. citizen, met Kaur in August 2013 on an Indian website used strictly for arranging marriages. They married two months later, which Singh said isn't unusual in India.

He believes family issues complicated the visa application. Both were divorced and Kaur was leaving children from her first marriage behind in India. Singh told me federal agents came to his brother's home, where he lives, to see if his ex-wife lived there.

"I think it's a little harder when you're married and divorced, both parties," Singh said.

A relative of Kaur in New Jersey signed on as a financial co-sponsor of her visa application, something authorities also may have taken a close look at because they want visa holders to be supported when they get here.

Singh told me he understands authorities need to verify everything, because some people try to cheat the system. Indeed, federal authorities in Mississippi recently charged 11 people with fraud related to marriages solely for immigration purposes.

Kaur's application, which had been in "administrative processing" for months, got moving not long after I wrote about the delay around Thanksgiving. Singh and Lahoud don't believe that's a coincidence.

Department of Homeland Security agents showed up in his neighborhood unannounced in early January. They went to a neighbor's home, asking about Singh's ex-wife. Then they came to his brother's home and spoke with Singh.

He said he told them how he'd met Kaur and answered questions about her children. The agents checked his bedroom, where he has a photo of him and Kaur. He showed them their wedding video and said they seemed satisfied when they left.

A visit from Homeland Security so late in the process was unusual, Lahoud said, as that typically happens early on.

In March, Singh traveled to India to see Kaur, his third trip there since their marriage. They updated her paperwork with the U.S. embassy and were told to expect an answer in three or four weeks. Her visa was approved not long after that.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey's and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright's staffs also had intervened to try and get the case moving. Toomey's office declined to provide details about what it did. Cartwright's spokesman did not return my call.

Hiring an attorney to fill out paperwork and guide applicants through the interview process makes a difference, Lahoud said. Attorneys sometimes can obtain information from authorities about what is holding up the process, he said.

When seeking professional help, though, don't fall for "notario publico" fraud.

The literal translation of "notario publico" is "notary public," which can cause confusion for those not familiar with the legal system in America. In the U.S., a notary public is an official authorized to witness the signing of forms. In many Latin American and European countries, a notary public refers to someone who has the equivalent of a law license and can represent others before the government.

Cheats exploit that nuance and misrepresent themselves as being qualified to offer legal advice or immigration consulting services, such as help obtaining green cards or work visas. They charge fees and often don't deliver results, possibly leaving an applicant in a worse position than when they started.

Last month, an Allentown woman settled allegations that she practiced law without a license by assisting clients with immigration matters before the Department of Homeland Security.