Contact your congressman and senators.
Well, here is the good news and the bad news.
The bad news first. Due to the name match, she will ALWAYS be on the list from now till eternity.
The good news is that this is fairly common. The DHS actually have a process for this.
Once, she is cleared she will be given a “Redress Control Number” that she can use when making her reservations.
I believe, she will have to apply for it. It is not automatic but once she is cleared, it is a routine process.
Think of it that your SIL now has a manageable non curable disease. Like Diabetes. Sucks to be her but assuming she follows strict protocol, she will have a healthy life
Is your SIL Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or Christian? Her name in the case of #2 could sound a bit “Paki”, if you know what I mean, and all of the above and more (Parsi / Zoroastrian?) are all possibilities for an Indian citizen.
I have often wondered about the name similarities in names. It is seemingly unfair to your sister in law, but it is also true that the United States has been besieged by terrorists whose names are on a list. People hailing from the same region or country must know that despite the apathetic attitude that has infected the American people about Muslim terrorism, they will be looked at more closely than someone with a more familiar last name. Perhaps those with suspicious sounding names should contact the embassy before traveling to get some kind of clearance.
She had been given a 10-year visa, because one of her other sisters is married to an American, and she was there visiting them.
The 10 year visa was granted solely on the basis of a relative's marriage to an American citizen?
My BIL is also on a no fly list. He is always accessing nuclear sites on the internet and does lots of international flying. Considering he is a consultant to nuclear plants, that is probably a good thing, but they make his flying life more difficult.
Thanks for all your thoughts. My SIL is Hindi, and her visa is a tourist; she got 10 years because our family has a bit of pull in India, and they were able to put in a semi-official request to get the long visa. I should know something soon on how things went.
Ok, update: My SIL finally got in to see someone at the embassy. They pulled a bait-and-switch on her, and really wanted to talk to her about why she stayed for 5 months instead of the 1 month she said she would, even though they gave her a 6-month entry (which she obeyed, leaving 3 weeks before it expired). The diplomat who talked to her yelled at her, and accused her of being a liar, especially about lying that her eldest bro-in-law was an Indian member of Parliament (he is). They cancelled her visa, and the diplomat told her she was forbidden to ever visit the US again.
Needless to say, eldest bro-in-law is writing several stern letters to the embassy on Indian government letterhead demanding explanations. I have made the recommendation that the diplomat involved be declared persona non grata for his rudeness and abusiveness, and sent packing. The US doesn’t need that kind of person representing it in foreign countries. Overstaying a visa or entry permit is one thing, but overstaying an estimate is hardly grounds for visa cancellation, much less permanent exclusion from the US.