European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 05, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday february 1990 the stars and stripes Page 3 need immigrant visas for the family soldiers who act Early avoid Pitfalls b Gary Pomeroy soft writer Frankfurt. West Germany sol. Curtis Huddleston was avoiding the Price of procrastination As he sat in the lobby of the . Consulate. It was a not so fun but necessary Way for him and his German wife. Chris Liana. To spend a Day of his leave tilling out forms. They had driven from Mannheim to begin the paperwork for an immigrant visa for her before the army sends him to California in i99i. They weren t pressed for Lime. But they had put it off since their wedding in 1985. I really Don t like to mess with he said. But i put it off Long he hunched Over a table full of forms outside the immigration and naturalization service office and wrote away. There Are so Many he said holding up one that was rejected be cause of his handwriting. It the handwriting is pretty acknowledged the administrative clerk with the criminal investigation come. Poor handwriting is Small Beans for people such As the huddle Stone who began their visa paperwork Long before they need it. It could be much worse. The chief of the immigrant visa Sec Tion tells horror stories about Ameri cans married to foreigners who wait until the last minute to apply for visas for their spouses and stepchildren. We try to be flexible Lucy unc said but when the person comes in at the last minute and cannot submit documents we really need then they have to Wail. Even if the Soldier has to go Back to the states alone. It can get some people who come in can t eve Start because they can t prove they re americans. All they need is a passport or an original birth certificate with raised Seal showing they were born in the United she said. Many people Don t have them Here and it can take two months to get aside from Berlin the . Consul ale in Frankfurt is the Only place in West Germany for an american Loob Tain an immigrant visa for a foreign spouse or stepchild. in other countries should Check with their local consulates or embassies for information. The majority of the work can Bedone by mail uncut said. In fact Only the person needing the visa must come to the consulate. The required visit entails a physical examination including a blood lest and an interview with the immigrant visa people. The rest of the process whether in person or by mail begins with the jus Tice department and ends with the state department. Any american whose foreign born spouse needs a visa can Start the pro Cess after the wedding with a form i 130. A key requirement of the stale department s immigrant visa Section is a police record Check from Ever country where the foreigner has lived for six months. At least one person has been waiting for a police record Check to return from Ghana since september uncut said. In addition to missing or erroneous documents the time of year can Ham per the process. If you come in the Winter two weeks of Lead time can be enough uncut said. But in the summer when Many people Are transferring we repacked up at least a uncut s worst Nightmare is breaking the news that no immigration visa willbe forthcoming. Ever. Any drug related crime above 30 Grams of marijuana or marijuana re lated substances can t be Way Rcd she said. The person is not eligible for a visa under any circumstances. Any amount of a More serious drug usually disqualifies an individual and a history of mental illness can also cause problems. People in the military arc usually required to apply for permission to marry she said. Many avoid the Chain of command and get married i Denmark. They be never been coun seed on the possibility thai the spouse May not be Able to get a visa. It s said uncut. Who Breaks such heartbreaking news to people occasionally. They can t and Don t be Lieve her advice Don t Trust any information Learned from co workers or friends. We have the meanwhile the huddle Stone received their approved 1-130 from theirs office and were finding out paper work requirements for the immigrant / s4s Gary Pomero sri. Curtis i Huddleston and his German wife christians sit before a table of forms needed for her to obtain an immigrant visa to i lit United states. Visa Section. Even though they were armed with a folder full of documents they lacked several. Asked How he d feel if he were scheduled to leave next week Huddleston had a Quick answer. I d be any questions about immigrant visas lot spouses and stepchildren can be answered by calling 069 7535 p206 or 2204. Between 0am and 4 30 p m monday through Friday s. Africa took step in right direction Jackson says London a Jesse Jackson said sunday that he saw Hope and caution in South african president . De Klerk s pledge to release Black Leader Nelso Mandela from prison after 26 years. Do Klerk s speech was a step in the right direction a combination of Hope and the american civil rights Leader said As he arrived at St. James Church to speak at the morning service. The Hope is that political organizations in South Africa have been unbanned and they can now Start to gel organized and that certain political prisoners will be freed. The caution is that the structures of apartheid arc still in place Jackson said. A related Story Page 6. In a 40-Minuie speech from the anglican Church pulpit. Jackson said if Mandela was freed tomorrow he soil could not vote nor hold office nor live where he wanted nor Send his grandchildren to the school of their Choice. Nelson Mandela symbolizes the highest and the Best of the human said Jackson a Baptist min ister. With no weapons no swords no missiles no bomber planes no chemical weapons no standing army no Money no vote no title no office and yet in jail he is the Mosi free and most powerful Man in South Africa although he has no weapon stronger than moral authority in quest of Jackson praised do Klerk for making a great stride to bringing Down the but said much unfinished business remained. After recounting Black civil rights struggles in the United states. Jackson spoke of the upheaval in East Ern Europe. The Walls Are coming Down everywhere but the structures of East West fear and mistrust re main Jackson received a standing ovation from the congregation of 400. Four choristers Black african National Congress members based in London Sang their own people s songs Mandela says fight for free Dom and the people arc Jackson later visited a statue of Mandela outside the Royal festival Hall. He was to Eccl with prime min ister Margaret Thatcher on monday. Jackson was in London on his Way to South Africa for a visit arranged before de Klerk on Friday prom ised Mandela s imminent release legalized the Africa National Congress and lifted restrictions on 60 opposition groups and 374 individuals. Jackson a candidate for the democratic presiden tial nomination in 1988, had asked to speak at a Church. His visit to St. James among London s most fashionable and a Center for left Wing causes was arranged by archbishop Trevor Huddleston a Veteran campaigner against South Africa s apartheid system of racial segregation. A Board on the railings of the 300-year-old Church built by sir Christopher Wren proclaims the ministry at St. James reflects a commitment to the search for truth peace and social on a Wall behind the pulpit is a Quill in the african National Congress colors of Black Green and Gold made by Lilian n Chang of the Zamani Soweto Sisters Council in South Africa. In do pics a Black woman grieving Over her son Kij cd by the Security forces against the backdrop of a rising Sun. Jackson first preached at the Church in 1985, the Day after he took part in a London demonstration against apartheid at which police arrested 114 people. Jackson and his entourage were scheduled to Fly to Lusaka. Zambia on monday to meet with president Kenneth Kaunda and to arrive in Johannesburg on wednesday for his first visit since 1979. The anti apartheid movement in London said Jackson was invited to South Africa by Black rights Leader Walter Sisulu recently freed in South Africa from life imprisonment and the South african coun cil of churches
