Ramez Alghazzouli

Ramez is a 30-year-old U.S. permanent resident who has been separated from his childhood friend, Asmaa Khadem Al Arbaiin, for the three years they have been married. Ramez married Asmaa in 2015 and petitioned for Asmaa to join him in the United States the following year. In October 2018, Asmaa appeared for her interview at the Embassy in Ankara. At the interview, the consular officer refused the immigrant visa application because of the Muslim Ban proclamation but allowed her to be considered for a waiver. Since October 2018, Asmaa’s waiver has been in the administrative process. 

Ramez has contacted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, his Arizona senators, the White House, the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, the National Visa Center and the Department of Homeland Security, all to no avail. After three years of separation, Ramez and Asmaa have been enduring an incredibly challenging time that has negatively impacted his life here in the United States. His story has also been covered in HuffPo.

Update: Asmaa finally received her visa and came to the United States in September, 2019