As most of you know, Leffen has been struggling with his visa application to the US for most of the past year. After a very long struggle, his visa application has finally been processed, with the next step being a screening by a US embassy. Leffen has already completed this screening, and we are waiting for their response which would allow him to be free to attend every tournament after that.
This news however is bittersweet, as the timing of the visa approval came just slightly late. We did everything as quickly as possible between the visa approval and scheduling the screening, and the literal final step in all this is getting an approval letter from the embassy.
However due to his deportation the last time he tried to enter the US, he is subjected to additional processing and background checks before official approval which can last for up to 60 days. This means that Leffen will not be able to attend EVO this year. This is extremely unfortunate, as Leffen has been training hard all year long to win EVO and follow up on his success at GoML and make his fans proud.
Despite this, we would like to reiterate that once Leffen receives a letter of approval from the embassy, he will be allowed to compete as much as he has previously. Once again, we want to thank all the fans for their continued support. It has been a very gruelling process for everyone involved, especially Leffen. In spite of all the misfortune, we are happy to be nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, and we will post a final update once Leffen has been fully cleared to enter the US.
“Hey guys.
I know this comes as a surprise to many, and it did to me as well.
Words can not describe how much competing means to me, and I’m still trying to process the fact that I’m going to be missing another tournament. I apologize to everyone who wanted to see me compete this weekend, and thanks for everyone who has continued to support me through these rough times.
I can’t wait to get back to competing once the visa is fully processed, and it feels good to know that once this is done, I’ll be set for over 2 years.”
William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte