Recently in INS Category

Katherine blogged about the Claudio Nunez sob story ... here are my thoughts

[getting on soapbox]

Yes - its sad that she will be separated from her family. But she's had more than ample time to file papers with INS ... and would most likely have speedy service (say less than 4 years) since she has US citizen children. Yes its a lengthy process ... and yes it costs money ... but nothing in life is free.

We jumped through all the hoops, paid all the fees, and got to hang out in immigration offices for several years. It took over four years for Steve to get his greencard. We had to file for *advanced parole* during those years to allow Steve to leave the US and go to England to visit his family. But we filed the paperwork. We paid the fees. We did the interviews. And then we waited for the giant sloth that is INS to do their jobs. And eventually ... they did. Steve now has a shiny greencard.

Mrs. Nunez could have done the same thing ... and because she didn't ... now she expects our government (and the media is lapping this up - they love the sob stories) to bend the law for her. We shouldn't have to bend the law. She had FOUR AND A HALF YEARS to get her act together and file for her greencard. She would have gotten it faster than my husband did because she has children. They count for more than spouses!

There has to be a line ... where you say - ok - here is the law - and it's not unreasonable. All people have to do is their part. She would have *DEFINITELY* been given a greencard since she has children ... so its not like she even had to worry about being denied.

Why does someone deserve mercy for ignoring the law and crossing their fingers that they can get away with it? Although mercy isn't something that is *deserved* by its very nature ...

ARGH! Her poor children!

Perhaps everyone should have to go to an immigration office at least once. Seeing who is there ... and what goes on ... makes you understand why we need to have tougher immigration laws.

Perhaps Mrs. Nunez doesn't need to be deported ... maybe she just needs to pay a huge fine and have to start the greencard process at the very beginning ... and in four years she could have her very own greencard! In the meantime - they'll get her a work visa - and her life will get back to normal. That would be mercy.

Who should be given the right to decide who should and shouldn't be deported? Case by case basis isn't really feasible ... when you think of the hundreds of thousands of applications flowing through INS all the time. I don't know what the answer is. But I'm just not going to feel too sorry for a woman who knew exactly what she was NOT doing ...

[getting off soapbox. preparing to be tarred and feathered because I don't have a bleeding heart]

I even have a tag on my blog for my ins frustration entries over the past few years. Most of them to do with our frustration at how slow they are.

Four and a half years after starting this process -- Steve's greencard gets the final approval. I can't even begin to tell you how much this means to have this journey over with (for the next 10+ years anyway!) :hug:

He is already going to be in Memphis next week on business - so while he is there he's going to the INS office and getting his new greencard and the nice stamp in his British passport that says he's a lawful permanent resident of the United States of America! :bigthumb:

Wow - I've been blogging for THREE years now. I never thought I'd keep this up as long as I have.

Interesting that we are dealing with one of the same issues we were dealing with when I first started this blog three years ago! We got a letter in the mail this weekend from the Office of Homeland Security. (I know our postman must wonder who lives here. We're always getting stuff from that office!) It seems they have finally gotten to Steve's application to make his greencard permanent. We sent in the latest set of papers six months ago -- and they're just now saying - hey, yeah - we got these - can you send this and this and this and we'll get this finalized. Six months - not too bad. (If you're from the Phillippines, and in the 4th preference level, they're up to date on applications from November of 1982. Yes - 1982. That means if you submitted your application in 1983, it hasn't been processed yet. Oh yeah! We do the website for our immigration attorney - and every month she has us posting the Visa Bulletin - which shows how up to date they are with applications. It's pretty interesting! After September 11 - it was amazing how the numbers slowed down. They were already REALLY behind ... and then the terrorist attacks happened ... and they were being even more careful with applications. Now they're backlogged so much it's unbelievable. But that's good. If you've ever been in an INS office, you completely understand why they are so tough and require so much documentation.)

Anyway - when we had our original interview with INS for Steve's greencard - 2 years ago - we were 3 months shy of being married two years. At the time, we were glad to be getting the interview over with - and excited they processed him so quickly (quickly = 21 months). But then at the interview we learned that since we hadn't reached our 2 year anniversary yet - he would only be getting a conditional green card. When we were married for 4 years - they would review the paperwork and then give him his permanent green card (which is then good for like 10-12 years). If our interview had been three months later, we wouldn't have to do anything with INS for another 10+ years. Soooo ... the 3 months early interview ended up being more of a hassle than it would have been had they been a bit slower processing his forms. Because now we're having to get more paperwork together, file more forms, and, of course, pay more money. Perhaps that's the reasoning behind it. They can pull in even more money by interviewing people before the 2-year anniversary.

Anyway - 3 years ago - Steve and I were battling with INS over some paperwork that they DIDN'T file quickly. This blog has been through it all. Now we're still dealing with INS - but we're both used to it now.

Anyway - back to the original reason for this post - Happy 3-Year Anniversary Blog!

We just got home from Memphis about an hour ago. Steve is now the proud owner of a greencard STAMP in his passport. He won't actually get the physical GREENCARD for about 3 months (it has to go off to some huge place in Texas to be processed & created) -- but for all intents and purposes, he has it. What a relief. The interview wasn't all that bad -- a lot less stressful than we had thought. We were at the office for about 3 hours -- and only 15 minutes of that was actually the interview. The other 2 hours and 45 minutes was waiting.

Not much blogging this week. Sorry. I just really haven't felt like it. There's a lot going on personally that I really don't feel comfortable blogging on here about (where everybody and their brother can read it). That's really about all I've been thinking about this week -- hence no blogging.

We did NOT get the house either -- a carpenter/contractor bid on the house several thousand more than we did -- and he got it. He waived all inspections too -- which most normal people wouldn't ever do. Sooooo, I guess it wasn't meant to be. We'll probably start looking again next week.

Thanks to Rob for letting me drop stuff on him this week. You and Jeff should open your own counseling service. Between Hillary, Addie and I -- we'd keep you in business.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Checked the mail this afternoon and Steve had a nice official envelope from the U.S. Department of Justice. That means something is up with Immigration -- which could be good or it could be bad. It was good. We FINALLY have our interview for his GREENCARD. This is a HUGE deal. We've been waiting for this interview for almost two years --- and now it's here and only THREE weeks away -- Sept 9. There's a huge long list of stuff we have to bring with us --- marriage licenses, birth certificates, tax returns, letters from employers and banks, photos, greeting cards (LOL), letters from our families stating that our marriage is genuine and not JUST for the greencard, apartment leases, car titles, passports, a bunch of those little passport photos of both of us, any correspondence between us before we got married (to prove we had a dating relationship), and of course all the legal forms that we've filed over the past two years (which is a nice big stack). Think we should take a sample of the toliet paper and toothpaste we use? LOL We'll have a suitcase full of stuff probably --- and everytime we've been at the INS office, you could always tell the people who were there for their actual interview because they had huge bags of stuff with them.

This is just such absolutely wonderful news. We're not nervous about the interview or anything -- because we know a few people who have gone through it and they say that as long as you aren't lying, you shouldn't have any problems. You'll know everything they ask -- and to not worry about it. They do videotape the interviews though --- that will be wierd.

Anyway -- so after this interview on September 9, Steve should have his GREENCARD (actually a greencard stamp in his passport -- the official greencard comes in the mail several weeks later). That means he can come and go as he pleases ... and eventually, if he decides to, apply for citizenship. I'm not sure he'll ever do that though -- he doesn't want to have to renounce his British citizenship -- and really the only benefits to American citizenship is the right to vote. We aren't sure if that is worth all the paperwork and hassle you have to go through for citizenship. But for the moment --- we are both SUPER excited about having the interview. We thought it would be AT LEAST March 2003 before the interview came through. Woooohoooo for the MEMPHIS INS Office! I think perhaps it is lucky that we moved from D.C. to Nashville -- because the Arlington INS office that our paperwork USED to be with is the busiest INS office in the United States. I'm almost positive that if we had kept our paperwork with the Arlington Office we wouldn't have our interview til late 2003 --- so it's a good thing we filed the extra forms and paid the extra $$ to have everything transferred to Memphis where it's a little less busy :)

OK. I just had to blog that because it's big news for us. Now I have to get back to work :) Later!!

Another wonderful experience dealing with the United States agency known as INS. Incompetence and Self-Importance are the two adjectives that come to mind when I think of INS. Steve was there about 2 hours before the doors opened (as anyone who has ever dealt with INS knows ... you HAVE to be there early or you'll be at the end of a line of a few hundred people). 5 1/2 hours later he emerged from the building. I'm sorry but that is just absolutely ridiculous. He was the fourteenth person in line. Every time we deal with INS the waits get longer and longer. The last time we were there we were SECOND in line and it took us 4 1/2 hours to get out.

Arghhhh. I am trying to not think about it and concentrate on the fact that the next time we see them should be for our interview. It's just frustrating because it's not like you can do anything about their incompetence. Grrrrr!!!

I've been working on the new layout for the site today. I absolutely LOVE icebergs ... they're just so "mysterious" and beautiful. I've had the navigation picture for ages now ... and just decided to do a layout with it.

I'm pretty much dead on my feet. But we are GOING to England tomorrow! Woohoo! We drove to Memphis last night -- and then got up this morning at 5:00 to get to the INS office and get in line. We were at the office for about 4hours total -- 1 1/2 hours before it opened - - and then about 2 1/2 hours when we finally got in and talked with them. I'm too pooped to explain the whole day -- but basically they decided to be "nice" and actually do what they're paid to do .. LOL

So Steve and I drove back to Nashville and have been in a busied rush trying to get everything ready to leave tomorrow. We still can't believe we're actually getting to go ... we hugged the INS officer when she said they approved his forms. Unbelievable. Argh. What a huge relief though -- so glad that is over with.

Well before I fall asleep at the keyboard - I'm signing off. Thanks to all of you who sent us well-wishes :)

Well it looks like we'll be driving to Memphis tonight and getting in the INS line early tomorrow morning. We're hoping to get to talk with a nice person at INS and show them all our documents and cashed checks and such. I've had both my state senators on the phone with them today -- but I don't know if they've really made any headway. It seems like the INS pretty much runs outside of normal government channels -- they aren't held accountable by anybody?! They don't have public phone numbers?! They don't have to stick to what they say on their official website. They get paid to NOT do their job.

$#&%!*

In the meantime I am still trying to get all my work caught up so that IF we are actually able to GO to England -- I won't have to worry about clients going into a panic while I'm gone. I can totally handle work -- but having to deal with these INS people all day long and still trying to get some work done is driving me insane. I hope I don't go POSTAL on those INS people tomorrow when we get in ... haha. I'm surpised more people don't go insane while going through the greencard process though -- INS and this country treats immigrants like a piece of crap stuck to the bottom of their shoe. Um hello -- yes that's right -- my husband is from the country that stepped up to help you fight the war against terrorism. ENGLAND. Treat him with a little bit of respect!

$#%&!*

ARGHHH. SO FRUSTRATED. I am really beginning to wonder why ANYONE would want to immigrate to America. I've been up since 7 AM this morning trying to get through to an INS office. Of course they don't have phone numbers listed -- so you have to search and see if maybe someone posted a number on a website somewhere. Officially, INS offices don't have public phone numbers. HOW IS THAT LEGAL? They are a government agency?! WHY can I not speak to the person who is screwing with my life?!?!?

ARGH. Finally just called the 1-800 National Customer Service Center number and they suggested that Steve and I go to Arlington and speak to them in person. They said the Arlington office had no excuse for not approving Steve's paperwork -- especially since they've had the stuff for almost 70 days now. Argh. AGAIN -- why are we having to ASK them to do their JOB?!?!

I think talking about this just makes me more upset.

We bought our niece Charlotte (who lives in England) a little necklace yesterday. I guess we were feeling optimistic that we might actually be able to give it to her in person. Anyway -- the necklace is so cute! We got it at a little kiosk in the mall -- a guy wrote her name on a piece of RICE. Then they put the rice inside this tiny glass globe and it's attached to a necklace. Anyway -- you can actually see her name on the rice and it's just unusual. I think she'll like it -- when I was 9 years old I always loved unusual things with my name on them. We hope she likes it AND of course that we are able to give it to her IN PERSON.

Just got off the phone with Steve's sister in England. Had to tell her that we MIGHT not be coming over. Hard phone call. We haven't seen them in a year and a half (since our wedding). So depressing.

Argh. I hate the INS.