8-08-01 Went to Attorney to fill out Application for Permanent
residence based on marriage to US citizen (this is the only time we
used an attorney, it was a Public Assistane Attorney, cost less than
$100 and was worth it to make sure we got things started off on the
right foot)
8-10-01 Received receipt of application having been sent, from
Attorney
8-16-01 Received letter re EAD appointment for 9-26-01
8-29-01 Received Advance Parole
9-27-01 Received EAD card at EAD appointment
10-16-01 Went to SSA office to apply for social security card
11-15-01 Went to DMV, ordered ID card as she does not drive)(they say
it won't arrive until maybe March)
12-12-02 Received appointment letter for Jan 12 fingerprinting
01-12-02 fingerprint appointment
03-29-02 Received appointment for final AOS interview Appointment on
5/29/02
5-29-02 (about 10 months after applying) We had the "Final Interview"
for AOS "Should get green card in "2 weeks to 10 months" "Don't worry
until March 2003".
06/08/02 Received Welcome Letter from INS - says green card should
arrive within 3 weeks!
07/??/02 -Green card (first, with conditions) arrived with all info
correct on it!
So far, things have gone really smoothly...
* **********
04/01?/05 - Applied for Removal of Conditions
04/09/04 - received I-751 Notice of Action - Removal of Conditions
notice - alien card extended 1 year
11/01/04 Received Permanent Green Card BUT with first name wrong; also
birthdate was backwards (ie; 07-11 instead of 11-07)
11/24/04 Went to fix green card with wrong first name and wrong
birthdate - waited 4 hours after our appointed time, then they told us
we had to come back with birth certificate even though I had been told
on the phone previously that was not necessary (anyway, they already
HAD been given a copy of it with official translation)
IMPORTANT LESSON HERE: ANY TIME YOU GO TO AN INS/USCIS appointment,
TAKE ALL - I MEAN ALL!! - YOUR DOCUMENTS WITH YOU. ASSUME THEY HAVE
NOTHING BECAUSE THEY HAVE SUCH A DISORGANIZED "SYSTEM" THE FACT IS
THEY DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE DOCUMENTS YOU HAVE GIVEN THEM!!!
3/31/05 Applied for Citizenship
4/21/2005 Put this off for a long time becuase the last appointment
was such a bad experience. So anyway, this day we tried again to fix
green card clerical error. Took the birth certificate (and all other
docs) as told. We were told this is all we would need to do; but when
we finally got up to the appointment window, they told us we'd have to
pay another $70 or so to re- apply in order to fix the clerical error;
I told them to shove it, that it was ridiculous that we should have to
pay for THEIR mistake! We asked her Citizenship class teacher about
what to do re this problem, she said forget it, just go for
citizenship and to hell with the green card problem.
07/06/05 Letter arrived confirming receipt of Citizenship application
- had wrong birthdate, of course (month and date mixed up; ie 07-11
instead of 11-07); so this is the 2nd time they got the info wrong,
even though this was based on a new application in which we know it
was entered correctly by us (we have a copy) At least they got the
name right, this time!
08/10/05 Sent certified letter to them re wrong birthdate - never
received confirmation from them, but got proof of their receiving it
from the Post Office.
07-15-05 Rec'd letter with fingerprint appointment date for
citizenship application processing
8/19/05 Citizenship fingerprints appointment
11/03/05 (FOUR YEARS AND THREE MONTHS SINCE STARTING OUT DOWN THIS
LONG ROAD!) Citizenship test
Appointment was at 12pm but she was shuffled into a room with other
applicants, where she waited for hours while I waited outside with the
rest of the families and loved ones. The test itself was only about
10 minutes, but we didn't get out of there until FOUR HOURS later. SO
much for USCIS efficiency.
She passed, even though the man giving the test was very unfriendly
and gave her the hardest questions. (We know this because in her
citizenship class she hears of everyone else's experiences with their
interviews, and most were much easier than her's.) Anyway, she
passed.
We were told the Oath appointment would be within a few weeks from
now.
We can hardly wait for her to get her passport, make sure it is
printed with the right name and date and such, and be DONE with the
USCIS which is THE single most incompetent, inefficient, disorganized
and moronic bureaucracy I have ever had the displeasure to have to
deal with, bar none.
Hallelujah! |