I detest our immigration process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you! My DH is finally a citizen, after YEARS and THOUSANDS of dollars. We had to make so many changes and live in such a contorted way for so long (like you said, finances are messed up by this stuff, travel home to see his family was insanely stressful with advance parole docs, took over a year to get his conditional green card and he remained legal the whole time, his work permit took forever, so we had to go to one job while we waited for that).

Because of all this, I have ZERO COMPASSION for illegal immigrants. Basically, they make it so the system is punitive and terrible for those who follow the rules. I can't believe that they want to break the law and not follow the rules, and then get all the benefits my DH and I worked so hard for. Flame away, everyone. Unless you have been in our shoes (aka if you're married to a US citizen) you can't possibly understand.

Did you husband get his green card and citizenship through marriage to you (a US citizen)?

Yes, this is the PP, and I am a born-in-the-USA US citizen (and have lived in the area all my life, even! Made the prior address portions easy...). And even then it was a ridiculous process. I pity people who don't get this "priority" (HA!) immigration path.

You asked for the flame, so here it is-

Your husband is not any more deserving of a green card than the people who come here illegally. He just happens to be married to an US citizen and they're not. That's not hard work. Of course immigration should be done the legal way, but it's not a ridiculous process. Just be grateful your husband was able to become legal through marriage (/not hard work!).

xoxo,
Someone who like you (natural-born US citizen married to a formerly-legal immmigrant/now citizen

Ha! Like marriage isn't hard work! I'd rather work 80 hours a week at my job than deal with DH sometimes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Ha! Like marriage isn't hard work! I'd rather work 80 hours a week at my job than deal with DH sometimes

Teehee. I wasn't saying marriage isn't hard work, but in the context of marriage for a greencard, it's pretty easy.

When we were going through the process, I was a member of an online community of people going through the process, and there were many people who were only married for a few months before starting the application.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You assume risks when you marry a foreigner. How hard is that to understand?

Go screw yourself, you worthless troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Ha! Like marriage isn't hard work! I'd rather work 80 hours a week at my job than deal with DH sometimes

Teehee. I wasn't saying marriage isn't hard work, but in the context of marriage for a greencard, it's pretty easy.

When we were going through the process, I was a member of an online community of people going through the process, and there were many people who were only married for a few months before starting the application.

Yes, that is like us. However, it's because we'd been dating for college, got engaged about 6 months after graduating, and probably would have preferred to wait a few more years before getting married and applying...but then DH would have been our of status. So add having to decide to marry your future spouse or not in a compressed time frame (to avoid the K3 process and living apart for months)! I envied my sis, who got to have a nice long engagement and plan her wedding for 2 years

[Anonymous]

^^ "out of status" sorry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You assume risks when you marry a foreigner. How hard is that to understand?

Go screw yourself, you worthless troll.

I don't see that person as a troll, nor their point as worthless. (Unless they were purposely being rude, but it's hard to read intent on an internet posting.)

I went through the immigration process with my spouse. When you marry a non-US citizen, there's a process you have to go through. It is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Ha! Like marriage isn't hard work! I'd rather work 80 hours a week at my job than deal with DH sometimes

Teehee. I wasn't saying marriage isn't hard work, but in the context of marriage for a greencard, it's pretty easy.

When we were going through the process, I was a member of an online community of people going through the process, and there were many people who were only married for a few months before starting the application.

Yes, that is like us. However, it's because we'd been dating for college, got engaged about 6 months after graduating, and probably would have preferred to wait a few more years before getting married and applying...but then DH would have been out of status. So add having to decide to marry your future spouse or not in a compressed time frame (to avoid the K3 process and living apart for months)! I envied my sis, who got to have a nice long engagement and plan her wedding for 2 years

I'm the poster you quoted. I never think about it, so I just counted in my head. I was actually in college then, and we married in the spring and applied in the fall, so we applied just a few months after, too.

We were young, poor, and did it ourselves, but I'm just grateful that there was such an "easy" way (even if it took lots of time and money) to have my husband with me. I guess that's why it bothers me to hear other people who are lucky enough to have "easy" solution as an option complain, complain, complain.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I don't expect them to make it easy. Never did. But 8+ years to wait is unnecessary. UCSIS needs to do something to fix their overly bureaucratic process.

[Anonymous]

I am sorry OP but your case sounds terrible...8 years???

and you are a US citizen...so why don't you guys just apply through marriage? $1500 and green card in 2 months...so easy! Can't understand why you din't do this before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry OP but your case sounds terrible...8 years???

and you are a US citizen...so why don't you guys just apply through marriage? $1500 and green card in 2 months...so easy! Can't understand why you din't do this before.

I am a US citizen. DH talked to the lawyer about switching when we got married. She said not to because he would be getting his green card any month now and switching would start him over in the process. Every 6-8 months I would say something to DH about switching. He would call his lawyer and she would say you're getting close, don't waste your money. At the time we first asked she told us his employment application one would be cancelled (she's since told us the oposite). So I finally reached my breaking point a few months ago and told him we were switching because Useless Bitch was obviously running some racket with the government just to keep getting fees everytime he had to file paperwork to extend his parole documents or some other form. Pregnancy hormones might have played some part in that little tirade.

We filled out all the paperwork, got the photos, bank statements, etc. But then I checked the immigration newsletter and noticed that they are finally very close to processing his month. Right now they're processing people who have a priority date just 3 months before him. So, now I figure we've waited this long a few more months won't kill us.

He's been very reluctant to rock the boat with the lawyer because she's the lawyer his company has used for years and they are paying the bulk of the fees associated.

I can vividly remember sitting at the bar with him one night years ago, joking that we would probably be married with kids before he got his green card. Little did I know...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care.

And yet you took the time to post. Perhaps you should think about getting a life.

Like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Ha! Like marriage isn't hard work! I'd rather work 80 hours a week at my job than deal with DH sometimes

Teehee. I wasn't saying marriage isn't hard work, but in the context of marriage for a greencard, it's pretty easy.

When we were going through the process, I was a member of an online community of people going through the process, and there were many people who were only married for a few months before starting the application.

VisaJourney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry OP but your case sounds terrible...8 years???

and you are a US citizen...so why don't you guys just apply through marriage? $1500 and green card in 2 months...so easy! Can't understand why you din't do this before.

I am a US citizen. DH talked to the lawyer about switching when we got married. She said not to because he would be getting his green card any month now and switching would start him over in the process. Every 6-8 months I would say something to DH about switching. He would call his lawyer and she would say you're getting close, don't waste your money. At the time we first asked she told us his employment application one would be cancelled (she's since told us the oposite). So I finally reached my breaking point a few months ago and told him we were switching because Useless Bitch was obviously running some racket with the government just to keep getting fees everytime he had to file paperwork to extend his parole documents or some other form. Pregnancy hormones might have played some part in that little tirade.

We filled out all the paperwork, got the photos, bank statements, etc. But then I checked the immigration newsletter and noticed that they are finally very close to processing his month. Right now they're processing people who have a priority date just 3 months before him. So, now I figure we've waited this long a few more months won't kill us.

He's been very reluctant to rock the boat with the lawyer because she's the lawyer his company has used for years and they are paying the bulk of the fees associated.

I can vividly remember sitting at the bar with him one night years ago, joking that we would probably be married with kids before he got his green card. Little did I know...

OMG, horrible! A good immigration attorney is worth their weight in gold. A bad one can mess up your whole life.

Even though DH doesn't want to rock the boat, you may consider filing an anonymous complaint against her (with the ABA? Or is there an immigration attorney association?).

[Anonymous]

^No, I2us.

[Anonymous]

The illegal immigrants really mess up the system for everyone else. It really is unfair, especially when those coming over legally tend to have skills that we actually need here and are educated, so they are less likely to be a burden on our public assistance programs.

I really wish we could do something about illegal immigration. As a legal immigrant whose family had to be separated internationally because of Visa issues, I think it's just ridiculous.