"Oh yeah, it can definitely be done but the State Department has seemed to make it a lot more difficult than it needs to be."
I hate the state department.
Their attempts to "tighten up on abuses" always have the effect of inconveniencing the innocent, while doing nothing to actually prevent abuses.
Which is pretty much true of everything government does, come to think of it.
Tell me about it. I'm a born and bred American citizen serving my country in the Navy and I have to jump through hoops to bring my wife over here. Meanwhile, Mohommed, who wants to take "flying lessons" gets to waltz right through.
I can go on and on.