90 Day Protest UK

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90 Day Protest UK

Online art protest highlighting the inactivity, lack of transparency and adaptability portrayed by the US Embassy, London, in visa issuance.

The outbreak of Covid-19 around the world has affected us all. During these uncertain and unprecedented times, we turn to those we care about most for support and guidance...

But for multi-national families this has been a particular struggle, not least because of the inactivity and seeming reluctance of the US Embassy, London, to continue issuing visas to reunite separated families during this t

ime. The objective of the 90 Day Protest UK online art movement is to highlight this uncooperative and at times, unlawful, behaviour. We acknowledge that there will be delays to the visa system - this is inevitable due to the effect of the pandemic on the immigration system, and the UK and US as countries as a whole. However, many visa applicants (both immigrant and non-immigrant) have continued to report a lack of cooperation, disclosure and movement from the US Embassy in London. Despite several successful litigation cases on the matter, and other government bodies adjusting and adapting to the 'new normal' to allow the US visa process to continue, visas are either not being issued at all, or at an undisclosed 'extremely limited' rate here in London. There are women giving birth without their partners. Parents are currently separated from their children. The choice of starting a family is being lost through time. Engaged couples can not plan their future. American businesses are loosing thousands of qualified and highly skilled employees from the UK. We don't expect the backlog to be suddenly rectified. And we expect Embassy workers to complete their mission(s) in a Covid-safe environment. But these delays are unacceptable. And we feel a need to voice our frustrations.

19/08/2021

DAY 90: This may be the end of my 90 Day art protest, but this isn't the end of my journey...

I created this project as a way to express the heartache, the frustrations, fears, doubts and uncertainty that me and my American fiance were dealing with as a result of embassy closure and the covid-19 pandemic.

Our plans to be married and to start our lives together were ripped away by the confusion surrounding visa processing throughout 2020. We began our visa journey in February 2020, and it should have ended before Xmas the same year. When I began to process the reality of what we were now facing, I wanted to express that through a creative platform.

This was a project just for me as a way to deal with my endless disappointment. I was not naive enough to think that my small emotional outlet would be enough to stir change from U.S. Embassy London U.S. Department of State President Joe Biden or Boris Johnson. I just wanted to say how I felt.

However I am ending this project with good news - my visa appointments are booked, and me and my fiance are now making tentative plans for the future. But there will be many more hurdles to overcome in the future - beginning a whole new process for an Adjustment of Status (green card), working in the USA and the restraints of Presidential Proclamation 9996 on the rest of my family.

I am grateful and humbled to those who have sent me messages of support and have shared their personal stores with me, and have allowed me to represent them during the project.

I am happy to see the efforts made by U.S. Embassy London in rectifying the visa backlog, but I am all too aware that for many still in the process the future remains uncertain.

If you are also feeling lost amidst the confusion, stress and anxiety of being separated from someone you love, pick up a pen, a paint brush, a notepad, an instrument, a microphone or just talk to someone...express it in a way that helps you to process the uncertainty. We are all waiting for better times...but the wait will end, and it'll all be worth it.

All the best.

18/08/2021

DAY 89: A long distance relationship is no fairy tale. And the current visa climate makes our story grimm...

Of course we wouldn't change a thing, and despite the stress and heartache of being apart, and the ongoing uncertainty caused by the pandemic and visa services, we will endeavor to be together.

This project was created to highlight the obstacles me and my fiance, British-American visa applicants, couples and families are having to overcome, and the lengths we will go to be reunited with our American loved ones. We are all chasing for our Happily Ever After...

Tomorrow will see the end of this art project, but our story won't end with it.

17/08/2021

DAY 88: When can I see my fiance again?

When can I get married? When can I start my new life in the USA? When can I begin to celebrate and enjoy the here and now?

There are many questions that remain about my future. Unfortunately without clear guidance from U.S. Embassy London U.S. Department of State Joe Biden Boris Johnson and a revised approach to Presidential Proclamation 9996 I am unlikely to get all the answers I need, and would like, any time soon.

16/08/2021

DAY 87: It's Sod's Law that U.S. Embassy London has now to begun to process my visa after I have paid out for two lawsuits to do just that...

Throughout the pandemic and resulting Embassy closures, visa plaintiffs and British families separated from their American loved ones have been kept in the dark as to what was happening.

For people like myself, joining a lawsuit appeared to be the only hope of being reunited with our American family and being able to continue with our lives abroad. Unfortunately they have come too late...

I am of course glad to see that U.S. Embassy London is now beginning to process cases, and that my own has made some significant progress. I only wish that this good news had come sooner for me and the hundreds of others who have paid out needless thousands when it appeared to be our only hope...

15/08/2021

DAY 86: Throughout the pandemic and resulting visa and travel chaos, applicants and families have been unable to commit to many elements that affect their lives; where they can work, how long they can work for, family events, social life, where they can live, when they can move...

But agencies such as U.S. Embassy London U.S. Department of State Joe Biden Boris Johnson also continue to fail to commit to any long term solutions, short term relief, or to release a strategy for assisting the lives of pending and future visa applicants.

We are thanked for our continued patience while no one commits to providing a solution.

We understand that these targets are forever moving, but for those unable to plan their lives more than a few weeks in advance, we need to see a real commitment to solving these issues that continue to separate families, and penalize those wanting to start life anew in the USA.

14/08/2021

DAY 85: With my visa appointments now booked, dare I think that better times are now approaching, and that hope is finally around the corner for me and my fiance?

Nineteen months after we started this journey, there appears to be some progress that will hopefully see us reunited soon.

This has not been the process we expected, and during these uncertain and unprecedented times, we are unsure as how the rest of the journey will progress...but we are hope that we are nearing the end...this all has to work out in the end, right?

13/08/2021

DAY 84: Being engaged should be an exciting time full of future promises and plans...but without knowing when we'll even see each other again, it is hard to make the most of this special time.

I am cautiously optimistic that I may be able to celebrate my engagement, and life, with my fiance in the coming months...but there is still so much that is unknown and unwritten that will ultimately decide how our futures are spent.

12/08/2021

DAY 83: Our lives have ground to a complete halt while we wait for visa issues to be addressed, Presidential Proclamations to be lifted or changed, and our own government's decisions on how life can continue in a pandemic world.

Life has stalled for many in the US visa system since March 2020, and will continue to do so as we wait for other people to decide when our lives can continue moving forward...

11/08/2021

DAY 82: The last update on U.S. Embassy London FAQ page was posted on 29th June - many visa applicants and those needing the Embassy's services are very much in the dark as to how they are operating.

In terms of my own case, there has been some sudden (but welcome) movement. However, I am aware that this doesn't reflect other visa categories, updates regarding the Presidential Proclamations or those needing consular services.

With better updates those needing the Embassy's help can build a better picture of where they stand in line, and when they might be able to move forward with business, travel and life as a whole.

10/08/2021

DAY 81: This is how it feels to constantly be apart from a significant other.

Even though I am confident in who I am and what I can achieve, I feel as if I could accomplish more with the support of my American fiance by my side.

Yet we remain separated indefinitely due to Presidential Proclamation 9996 which has broken apart many families since March 2020. My only hope is that U.S. Embassy London shows continued willingness to address the backlog of visas so that we might be reunited soon, and I'll have my other half back.

09/08/2021

DAY 80: This is a sentiment shared by separated families and friends across the globe...

How many opportunities have we missed out on? Events we were not there for? Lost memories and time together.

So long as countries like the USA continue to keep the rest of the world at arms length with measures such as the Travel Ban and limited visa services, we will continue to lose precious time...

08/08/2021

DAY 79: When the UK government talks about opening up boarders over the summer in order to travel, far too much emphasis is put on holidays and holidaymakers...

I have said it before, we don't want a damn holiday, we just want to be reunited with our family members abroad. But it feels as if we are being forgotten about.

Separated couples, young children, grandparents, family, friends and prospective employees don't care about sandy beaches and city breaks. The ability to travel safely is imperative to the continuation of our lives and mental wellbeing.

Travel doesn't automatically mean a holiday you need to realise that.

Address

London

Website

https://www.instagram.com/90dayprotest_uk/

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