Chapter 3: Did I say enough...

Chapter's 1 & 2 can be found before this post.

So last Tuesday was the big day- the interview.
I get all my "evidence" together, joint bank statements, marriage documents, Utility bills that sort of thing, to basically prove we do actually live in the same house.

Now they do request on the appointment notice that you also take photographs as proof of a relationship- However if you could see my photograph on my work permit you would understand whenever any camera or recording device enters a room, I exit the room.

So I have all I need except my i-94 arrival/departure record.

Its a little green card that looks like this:

Holy Flipping Crap!! I cannot find it anywhere ( and I am usually careful about stuff like passports etc and I tend to keep them all in the same place safe & sound)
Not only that but I cannot for the life of me remember when and where I last had it, I know I scanned it and sent off a copy of it when I sent off my immigration forms, then I thought I had put it in the file with the extra passport photos, USCIS notices, letters and forms etc.

Maybe it slipped out of the file?
Maybe I lost it at the medical exam ?- I took the file with me to that.
Maybe I lost it in the move from the apartment to the house?

I have no clue and its really rather worrying because that along with the stamp in my passport are the only 2 things that prove I entered the United States legally.


Both got dressed up drove into the city, paid a fortune for parking and went into the USCIS

* insert suspense music*

We go in , I set off the metal detector as usual and have to have the little portable thingy waved up and down over my body.

Go to the waiting room which has quite a few other people in it ( mostly dressed up too- I knew it wasn't a jeans kind of thing)

No reception desk/ window at all, instead there is a door and a hole in the wall in witch you place your interview appointment letter ( probably so the staff don't have to listen to bitching?)

Now we wait, we are about 20 mins early. People come out of "the door" they don't seem to be smiling, just blank expressions, wonder if this a bad sign or a good sign.

People who came in after us get called in before us.

Then its our turn * Shudder*
A very severe looking woman ( Immigration Officer) shows us into her office- all glass walls, huge American flag ( with the yellow fringing ) on a stand, a desk, her chair and 3 chairs the other side of the desk. A webcam on the desk!

Before we sit down she has us swear an oath to tell the truth, WP bless his heart has to pipe up and say he cannot swear to God because he is an Atheist. Severe woman looks a little put out and I want to fall into a hole in the floor.
She looks up the non God believing oath and he agrees to tell the truth...

We sit down and she begins asking me a whole load of questions ( which I had already answered on the form)

Am I a communist
Am I a terrorist
Am I a felon
Am I a smuggler
Do I intend to practice polygamy

That sort of thing.

Then she moves onto how we met, looks at our joint bills, bank statements etc.
She asked why I did not leave the country when I was mean to, I (we) told her that was when WP first started getting ill and we could no longer afford to pay for more flights to and from the UK.

I took along the HUGE folder of medical bill records which I opened to show my point, she did not make any effort to take them to look at or whatever.

Then it was when and how did we decide to marry. I told her it was a whim.

She then said" so when you came back into the country in *insert month* you came planning to stay for good.*

Hmm sneaky trick question?

I said that no I had not and that I had intended at the time to return to the Uk again and come back at a later date ( which was the truth) but because we no longer could afford to do that I ended up just staying.


* Its seen as an act of fraud to come into the United States on the Visa Waiver Program with the intent to marry or not leave the country again after the 90 days.


So thats about it pretty much.....Now you all know me, I like to scare myself about every possible scenario by reading other peoples illnesses/ stories on the internet.

So of course I had googled many many times looking up what happens at immigration interviews.

According to the general consensus on the many internet forums out there. You go /you convince the IO that you did not intend to stay and break the law/ they are satisfied with your story and immediately stamp your passport- ( the stamp is so you can leave the country and re-enter etc while you are waiting for your green card- That and I guess would allow you a bloody drivers license right away!)

Did she stamp mine? NO.

She took it and Wp's DL to photocopy, looked at my work permit ( which I also ready they then take it away from you when you get approval for a green card), I still have mine.

She said IF I were to get approved then they would more then likely hold off the green card date until mid feb.
The reason for this is if you have been married less then 2 years you get a 2 year conditional green card ( which I think is meant to put a stop to people marrying just for a green card and then splitting up)
One you are nearing your second wedding anniversary you then become eligible for the proper 10 yr green card- The card lasts 10 years but once that permanent resident status is issued you get it for life (unless you commit a serious crime or something)

So they would hold off on our case and just grant the 10 yr card once we have been married 2 yrs. where as if they gave me one before it would be another 2 yrs before I could swap it to the 10 yr one.

Which makes sense I guess.

WP being the little ray of sunshine he is then started asking what would happen if my case was not approved, how long would it be before I had to leave the country, could I stay here and just not work, him take care of me that sort of thing.

She said if the case was not approved I would get a trial (cripes) and even felons who go to trial sometimes get granted approval.


So on the whole I think its looking ok, I just wish she would have been a bit more "forthcoming" and more "human"

One thing she never mentioned the 1-94 card ( which is still playing on my mind being lost n all)
So that was a positive.

Once we had left though I wondered if I should have showed her:

My return ticket to the UK- just to show I had intended to return.

I also had a letter from work agreeing to my career break ( a formal word for unpaid time off)- To show that I had not given up my job to come to the US.

But its too late now.

Another positive thing is WP received a letter from them yesterday stating that his application I-130 Petition for Alien Relative had been approved. I was happy for a while until again I had to go and get on the internet and read about cases where I-130's but I-485's Application To Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status ( which is what the interview was about) were not approved....


So I just need to sit it out, stay calm and stay off emigration forums for the next few weeks and hope for the best.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

And if you kept up with 3 posts worth of drivel and still managed to get the general gist of things as they now stand, you are a better person then I !!!!


Oh and just one more thing: I have an interview on Friday at one of the larger companies in the area, don't want to say too much more at this point other then its one of the jobs I applied for back in early December ( and they just called yesterday) and that I don't think I am probably qualified enough for the job so I am not holding out much hope but will give it a shot.

Chapter 2 : I said too much...

...or be careful who you get irate with on the phone.


Edit: Chapter 1 below this post.

So last Thursday I thought it was time to bite the bullet and go and take my written drivers test.
After a bit of digging around I discovered where the St Charles test station was, mapped it out and got ready to set out.

I thought it best to call them first to make absolutely sure I was not going to be turned away for not taking something I needed to show them.
I had my Passport, my work permit, marriage certificate, a utility bill, SS# and birth certificate.

I call the office and explain I am not a US citizen, but I have a work permit and a SS#, what else do I need to show them to get a learner permit?
The lady on the other end of the line asked what my visa status was, I don't know? I said I did not know but I had been for my immigration interview on Tuesday ( more about that in chapter 3) and I was just waiting now to hear the outcome.

Apparently the state of Missouri do not issue Driver licenses or permits without knowing the visa status of the applicant.

What ? I have a work permit but I cannot get a DL to be able to drive to a job?
In total she asked me 4 times if I had a work permit- Umm Did I not just say I had one when I first spoke to you ?

By this time I was getting a little irate ( not rude but certainly irate)
She said she would put me on hold ( note the word hold) and get her supervisor to speak to me.
A few seconds later another lady came on the line and asked if she could help me.

I was not sure if it was just another staff member who had picked up the call ( seeing it on hold or something) so I said I had been speaking to a lady and she was putting me on hold for the supervisor.
She said ( quite cuttingly I thought) That she was the supervisor and first lady had just handed her the phone to speak to me.

Okay so I am dumb, but she did not say she was handing the phone over she said she was putting me on bloody hold.

So anyway I start from the beginning again, she said the best thing I could do would be take all my documents and all my immigration notices down there with me so they could see them.

By this time I was totally stressed out and starting to see the whole thing as another waste of time.
We left the house with me ranting about what was the point of having a stupid work permit if I could not drive to a job. I have still not seen a single bus around here.

We arrive and I walk in , only to see ALL the staff are State Highway patrol women S%#t!
I want to turn around and go home, but being as WP is with me and is not known for his patience at the best of times I bite the bullet and walk up to the counter....

Of course they are going to know its me, how many English people do they get in there in a day!
So using my most pleasant voice I hand over all my many papers and documents...
She looks in my passport and asks where my visa is ( I think it not a good idea to tell her I have no clue- More in chapter 3) instead I tell her they took it from me at my immigration interview on Tuesday.

She seems to buy that and starts taking all my information, points to the computers and says I am on number 5.

So I sit down and begin the test. Question 1 - correct.
Question 2- incorrect. Damn I totally misread the question, got too blasé and checked I was sure.
I began to panic- its going to be all down hill from here...

But as it was that was the only question I got wrong and I passed with 95%!

So then they test my eyes, road signs-Bit of a sticky moment when I cannot remember the STOP sign- (I thought it was a trick question because the word "stop" was not on the picture they showed me) It eventually dawned on me though....

Ask me if I want to take the actual test today ( no -I haven't parallel parked in like 8 yrs and the tiny space between the orange cones has freaked me out!) send me next door to the license bureau....

I wait my turn and then go up to the desk.
She explains to me that they can only give me a paper permit today as they have to send the original off to Immigration for them to check that I am eligible for a license.

Fine.

BUT it usually takes them around 60 days to process the request and then send me the actual license direct through the mail!

ALSO I can take the drivers test before I get the actual license back BUT because I wont have the actual license I cannot upgrade it to the real drivers license... I hope you are keeping up with me here?
So I can pass my test but I still cannot drive unaccompanied until I get the actual first license to swap it in for the actual real driver license.

Grrrrrr

So I have driven WP's bro to the gym a few times and he and I went to Walmart over the weekend (none highway).
I haven't done the dreaded parallel park yet though....

So look out people.

hee.


I have just realised that I should have started with chapter 3 because now chapter 2 will be above chapter 1- oh well you will have to read upwards if you want to read it in order.

Now I have to rest before chapter 3.

;)