90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days couple Rachel Bear and Jon Walters have given fans an update on their spousal-visa process, as the long-distance couple has been hoping to move Jon to the United States for years now.
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Rachel began the video by sharing, "You guys know that we filed for the visa three years ago and we had upwards of three years to wait for an interview. So, as of May 5 of this year, Jon did get his interview."
"And, as we knew would happen, and let me emphasize that -- we knew this was going to happen -- his initial application for a visa was denied because on black and white, it looks bad. It looks bad on paper."
Jon, who lives in Weston-Super-Mare, England, reiterated how the issue is that he has a criminal conviction on his record, which was brought up during his interview at the embassy.
"When I went to the embassy, I took a load of paperwork, I took everything I thought I would need and I thought I would have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness. However, the lovely guy who was working at the embassy said, 'Unfortunately, I don't have the authority to give a visa to anyone with a criminal conviction,'" Jon recalled.
Although Jon was not granted a visa, he said there is a process in which a couple can apply for a waiver.
"You ask for forgiveness and you explain your whole story, and they, in the State Department, have a look at your application," Jon explained, adding that the man who conducted his interview had no discretion or choice in the matter.
"So basically, it was a hard 'no' from the embassy, but it's not a hard 'no' as far as our application -- because they never saw our application and he didn't look at the details. He didn't look at anything."
Jon shared, however, "At that point, we had already saved and paid the lawyer and prepared our waiver application. So as soon as they said 'no,' then we started the ball rolling on our waiver."
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Rachel from Albuquerque, New Mexico reiterated how she and Jon were well aware that the chances of Jon's initial application being denied were "very high" and so they "prepaid" their lawyer for the waiver knowing that the waiver would be needed.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW"The waiver is basically not just asking for forgiveness, but asking for the initial denial to get gone because he's not that person, do you know what I mean? [We can] explain our story," Rachel said.
Rachel said she and Jon immediately got working on the waiver application, which consisted of 200 pages and cost the couple $930 in filing fees, following the visa rejection.
It apparently took a couple of months of paperwork and gathering information.
"I finally got everything in, and as of last week, we officially filed for this waiver," Rachel revealed.
"So now, we definitely have the final stretch between now and six to nine months," Jon added.
Rachel said she and Jon were told they wouldn't get a receipt for the waiver for three or four weeks, but then "weirdly," they received a letter of receipt in the mail this past weekend.
"They got it... so that's exciting that that happened quickly!" Rachel gushed, confirming the process is going faster than she and Jon had anticipated.
Jon said he and Rachel have nothing else to do and they can just sit back and wait for the "yes" or "no" verdict.
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Jon's criminal conviction apparently took place 11 years ago, and so Jon is hoping the U.S. government will look past his mistakes and view him as the man -- husband and father -- he has become.
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"We're hoping somebody is going to have a kind heart and they're just going to look at our application and be like, 'Jon's a good guy. He messed up when he was younger. He loves his family.' I hope they're going to give me a chance," Jon said.
Although the United States has a law that prohibits issuing visas to foreigners "who have committed crimes of moral turpitude," according to Jon, he and Rachel believe their chances are good because Jon never actually went to prison.
"I was given a conditional discharge. My actual offense on paper doesn't illustrate what actually happened and it was one punch. I wasn't in a gang, it wasn't a crime, I didn't beat people up," Jon explained.
"It's just something that happened, and the U.S. is very good at forgiving people -- they expunge crimes, punishments all the time. And I think that if somebody actually looked at what happened and what my punishment was, they're going to see that it's not even a big deal. So that's what we're aiming for."
Rachel and Jon first starred on 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days' second season. The couple has been together for about five years and married for three of those years.
In September 2020, Rachel shared in a YouTube video how she had secured a job and was doing fine financially and so Jon's visa was no longer in jeopardy. (Rachel had lost her job earlier in the year and worried she would need a co-sponsor due to financial constraints).
Jon went on to clarify in the video, "Basically our visa is back on track and we don't need [an outside] sponsor, and that it amazing."
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The couple said at the time their visa process was moving along "rapidly," although Jon's interview at the U.S. embassy in the U.K. would probably be delayed a while due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jon and Rachel were planning a reunion in May 2021 after last seeing each other in January 2020.
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Jon and Rachel were first introduced to fans on Season 2 of 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days, but the pair had already established a relationship through video chatting and phone calls.
Rachel was pregnant at the time and never disclosed the biological father's identity, but Jon couldn't wait to become a part of the child's life and serve as the father figure.
The pair met for the first time in England in late 2017 after getting to know each other from different countries for a year-and-a-half.
90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days' second season documented Rachel and Jon meeting, getting engaged, and tying the knot in Spring 2018, but Jon couldn't relocate to the U.S. due to numerous assault charges under his belt and five convictions from when he was younger and would get into physical fights with people.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
