My Other News

Remember when I was all happy and "praise God" about finally sending away my paperwork? To get my greencard, which grants me Lawful Permanent Residency in the US? That happened the week before Christmas.

And then we didn't hear anything.

Normally, when they get something, they send you a Notice of Action. And they tell you what's up with the papers. We waited and waited for one, and we didn't get one. I wondered if maybe it was just taking a long time, because we did send it just before Christmas. I tried not to worry.

Then, last Friday, we got a large envelope in the mail. It felt rather thick. And I knew, before I even opened it, that it was every piece of paper I had sent them.

Sure enough, we opened it, and there on top of all my paperwork was the Notice of Action we were waiting for, and it said Rejected in nice, big, bold letters. Believe me, seeing that word elicits all sorts of warm fuzzy feelings. Like.........rage. Or maybe just very strong exasperation.

We read through it, found out what they wanted, and thankfully, the problem is easily fixed. Art thinks I'm being a drama queen about it, but it's my paperwork, so I have a right to be dramatically annoyed.

When we sent out the very first piece of paperwork for my visa, we got a Notice of Action for that one as well, only it said "approved" on it. So now, for this new process, they want that original Notice, along with everything we already sent them. They want it as proof that a visa petition made on my behalf was approved. Which it was. Because I have a visa. And I sent them a photocopy of the visa that I have. You would think a photocopy of my visa would be proof enough. But it's not. Because they're picky. Or thorough.

I actually understand the reason they need that one extra piece of paper (and don't worry, I won't attempt to explain it to you. It's complicated). However, it's just a bit disappointing. It's a setback of another month. Another month where I'm stuck at home, not working, not contributing to our already paltry income (not for lack of effort on Art's part. I think he's applied for every available job within 50 miles).

Of course, with the recent crash of the economy, it looks like having a greencard wouldn't help me anyway. So it's just as well. Oh, and they sent back the money too, which is a huge relief. If we had to come up with another thousand dollars, my adjustment of status would never happen.

I had Sozan photocopy the Notice for me (since they want us to keep the original for our records), and she'll be bringing it over tonight. I'll add it to the stack, and we'll try sending it out again tomorrow.

It's a comfort to know that in a year and a half, I'll be done with all of this. Of course, that's when I plan on starting the "fun" process of changing my name....