Green card woes - what to do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you just need to be patient and wait. Yes, it absolutely sucks. But so does getting Covid and it's possible the office processing these permits or green cards has had a third to half of the staff out with Covid, in ADDITION to people quitting for all kinds of various reasons. Respect the backlog. Your desire for a vacation is not more important than other people's lives.

Uh, no. USCIS red tape just sucks.

OP - the true and honest answer here is that the US immigration system is not set up for people to navigate it successfully. Unfortunately you are experiencing that in spades.

I'd search out other forums for this discussion - maybe reddit or elsewhere. Maybe speak with another attorney.

But you should be prepared to make the choice that is currently before you - abandon the green card (and the money already spent) or abandon the trip. USCIS has about $700 off of me as we were waiting on a renewal for a nanny. There's literally nothing you can do.

Thanks. You've summed our choice up well. I have booked our flights for mid-July. At that stage, it will be 15 months from applying. I am quite prepared for the processing of the green card to possibly take years but, if the travel permit hasn't been issued then we will just cancel the application. I would be sad for my son but I'm personally ambivalent about it - I do worry for the future of this country and might be relieved if he had no choice but to eventually leave. However, that reflects my own thinking and I realise it should be his decision, not mine. Ultimately, I think it is important that my children see their grandparents. Perhaps this is coloured by the fact that my father died one week after being diagnosed with leukaemia and I was not able to see him before he died (and it had been three years since my last visit). DS has three other citizenships, all excellent options even if he is not as connected to them and they have not been his home. Certainly there are many people in very difficult or desperate circumstances who are suffering more with the backlogs.

You cannot be a citizen of the US with three other citizenships, FYI. Only 3 total.

I wasn’t aware of that and will look into it. Probably putting the cart before the horse though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so we are all clear, the OP and/or her spouse are likely well-paid employees of a prestigious international organization. They are applying for a green card for their child so their child can "double dip" and enjoy citizenship privileges and work authorization both in the United States and in a wealthy European country. And now OP is lamenting that her child's travel permit and green card are taking too long. I mean...come on OP. You are choosing to take advantage of a great opportunity to make your privileged child's life even more privileged. Not to mention, you chose a career that takes you far from family. USCIS right now is desperately trying to meet the needs of people who need travel permits for ACTUAL emergencies; humanitarian parole for people in urgent humanitarian circumstances, work permit for people who desperately need to work to support their families. I honestly cannot believe you bothered Raskin's office with this BS.

Sorry if you think I am came here to complain. I actually posted to seek advice from anybody about expediting the travel permit. Many posters made useful suggestions, shared their experiences or expressed their compassion. A few like you made assumptions about our situation. I gave up a career to accompany DH here and struggled to find work as chronic health problems have made things difficult. In fact, a recent work opportunity was withdrawn as it turns out that USCIS would take about 7 months to renew my work permit given the backlogs. However, I am not complaining about these things. We all bear the consequences of our decisions, foreseen and unforeseen, and many people have suffered during the pandemic much more than we have. I'm also not complaining the green card will take a long time to process - there's a long list of people who have a much greater need and clearly USCIS is struggling. You also imply it's wrong to apply for a green card for my child and we are just trying to increase his economic advantage. Are you aware that many Americans have more than one citizenship? The reality is he's effectively growing up as an American but isn't an American. I am just trying to give him that option.

The travel permit is a pointless bureaucratic hurdle which seems to serve no purpose (for those 'you hate us, go back to your own country' posters, it is possible to criticise a bureaucratic process without criticising a whole country). I am just trying to work out how to navigate that.

Just stop. You wanting to secure a FOURTH country of citizenship for your son is not a hardship/emergency. You wanting to take a VACATION is not a hardship/emergency.

[Anonymous]

She just wants her kid to have options, why is our country so messed up that we allow this cynical opportunism to continue?

[Anonymous]

You can apply for emergency travel authorization on humanitarian grounds if you have a sick family member. Call the 1800 USCIS number and ask for an info pass appointment. Also, I’m not sure what your sons PD is but I know an April 2021 G4 filer that just got the travel authorization I’m December. So…it’s likely that he may get it by summer.

[Anonymous]

This is 16:47…your lawyer should know this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just so we are all clear, the OP and/or her spouse are likely well-paid employees of a prestigious international organization. They are applying for a green card for their child so their child can "double dip" and enjoy citizenship privileges and work authorization both in the United States and in a wealthy European country. And now OP is lamenting that her child's travel permit and green card are taking too long. I mean...come on OP. You are choosing to take advantage of a great opportunity to make your privileged child's life even more privileged. Not to mention, you chose a career that takes you far from family. USCIS right now is desperately trying to meet the needs of people who need travel permits for ACTUAL emergencies; humanitarian parole for people in urgent humanitarian circumstances, work permit for people who desperately need to work to support their families. I honestly cannot believe you bothered Raskin's office with this BS.

Shame on you, PP. You're a horrible human being. My children have two citizenships. It reflects their identity. It is not a frivolous act. It is who they are.

USCIS told them it would take 3-5 months at the time they sent their application!!! We have always received a response within the time frame given by USCIS, even during the pandemic. OP is right to worry, and should continue trying to contact USCIS, because obviously something has fallen through the cracks here. The application may have gotten lost. It happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just so we are all clear, the OP and/or her spouse are likely well-paid employees of a prestigious international organization. They are applying for a green card for their child so their child can "double dip" and enjoy citizenship privileges and work authorization both in the United States and in a wealthy European country. And now OP is lamenting that her child's travel permit and green card are taking too long. I mean...come on OP. You are choosing to take advantage of a great opportunity to make your privileged child's life even more privileged. Not to mention, you chose a career that takes you far from family. USCIS right now is desperately trying to meet the needs of people who need travel permits for ACTUAL emergencies; humanitarian parole for people in urgent humanitarian circumstances, work permit for people who desperately need to work to support their families. I honestly cannot believe you bothered Raskin's office with this BS.

So what to every word of this.

Her kid has legally been in the US for a long time (long enough to be eligible for a green card) and she wants him to have that option. I wish my kids or I were eligible for another passport other than the US. I'd do the absolute same. Some people in this thread are are bitter, jealous, or just dicks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so we are all clear, the OP and/or her spouse are likely well-paid employees of a prestigious international organization. They are applying for a green card for their child so their child can "double dip" and enjoy citizenship privileges and work authorization both in the United States and in a wealthy European country. And now OP is lamenting that her child's travel permit and green card are taking too long. I mean...come on OP. You are choosing to take advantage of a great opportunity to make your privileged child's life even more privileged. Not to mention, you chose a career that takes you far from family. USCIS right now is desperately trying to meet the needs of people who need travel permits for ACTUAL emergencies; humanitarian parole for people in urgent humanitarian circumstances, work permit for people who desperately need to work to support their families. I honestly cannot believe you bothered Raskin's office with this BS.

So what to every word of this.

Her kid has legally been in the US for a long time (long enough to be eligible for a green card) and she wants him to have that option. I wish my kids or I were eligible for another passport other than the US. I'd do the absolute same. Some people in this thread are are bitter, jealous, or just dicks.

I wrote this and the point is that nothing in her situation qualifies as an emergency. People are advising her to contact her Congress person, go to the CIS ombudsman, etc. and my point is nothing about this is an emergency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you just need to be patient and wait. Yes, it absolutely sucks. But so does getting Covid and it's possible the office processing these permits or green cards has had a third to half of the staff out with Covid, in ADDITION to people quitting for all kinds of various reasons. Respect the backlog. Your desire for a vacation is not more important than other people's lives.

Uh, no. USCIS red tape just sucks.

OP - the true and honest answer here is that the US immigration system is not set up for people to navigate it successfully. Unfortunately you are experiencing that in spades.

I'd search out other forums for this discussion - maybe reddit or elsewhere. Maybe speak with another attorney.

But you should be prepared to make the choice that is currently before you - abandon the green card (and the money already spent) or abandon the trip. USCIS has about $700 off of me as we were waiting on a renewal for a nanny. There's literally nothing you can do.

Thanks. You've summed our choice up well. I have booked our flights for mid-July. At that stage, it will be 15 months from applying. I am quite prepared for the processing of the green card to possibly take years but, if the travel permit hasn't been issued then we will just cancel the application. I would be sad for my son but I'm personally ambivalent about it - I do worry for the future of this country and might be relieved if he had no choice but to eventually leave. However, that reflects my own thinking and I realise it should be his decision, not mine. Ultimately, I think it is important that my children see their grandparents. Perhaps this is coloured by the fact that my father died one week after being diagnosed with leukaemia and I was not able to see him before he died (and it had been three years since my last visit). DS has three other citizenships, all excellent options even if he is not as connected to them and they have not been his home. Certainly there are many people in very difficult or desperate circumstances who are suffering more with the backlogs.

You cannot be a citizen of the US with three other citizenships, FYI. Only 3 total.

I had three citizenships before becoming an American. Play the system, fool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can apply for emergency travel authorization on humanitarian grounds if you have a sick family member. Call the 1800 USCIS number and ask for an info pass appointment. Also, I’m not sure what your sons PD is but I know an April 2021 G4 filer that just got the travel authorization I’m December. So…it’s likely that he may get it by summer.

Do you know if they got the combo card which combines the advance parole and EAD or just the advance parole?

[Anonymous]

Got the advance parole and EAD separately because asked for an expedited AP to visit sick family member. In the end, they came two week apart - although the AP was approved 5 weeks before the EAD. We suspect they would have issued a combo card, if it weren’t for the expedite request (for which we did an infopass appointment in Fairfax).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so we are all clear, the OP and/or her spouse are likely well-paid employees of a prestigious international organization. They are applying for a green card for their child so their child can "double dip" and enjoy citizenship privileges and work authorization both in the United States and in a wealthy European country. And now OP is lamenting that her child's travel permit and green card are taking too long. I mean...come on OP. You are choosing to take advantage of a great opportunity to make your privileged child's life even more privileged. Not to mention, you chose a career that takes you far from family. USCIS right now is desperately trying to meet the needs of people who need travel permits for ACTUAL emergencies; humanitarian parole for people in urgent humanitarian circumstances, work permit for people who desperately need to work to support their families. I honestly cannot believe you bothered Raskin's office with this BS.

So what to every word of this.

Her kid has legally been in the US for a long time (long enough to be eligible for a green card) and she wants him to have that option. I wish my kids or I were eligible for another passport other than the US. I'd do the absolute same. Some people in this thread are are bitter, jealous, or just dicks.

I wrote this and the point is that nothing in her situation qualifies as an emergency. People are advising her to contact her Congress person, go to the CIS ombudsman, etc. and my point is nothing about this is an emergency.

OP never said it was an emergency. She is literally trying to get a form that says her minor child can leave the US to go visit relatives and then return to the US without forfeiting thousands of dollars in fees for a previous USCIS filing. OP may be privileged, but she's still dealing with our completely broken USCIS system. I think contacting one's Congress person and everything else is the exact remedy here.

[Anonymous]

OP, you should have applied right after your son became eligible at the age of 12. We applied for our 12 y.o. DD several years ago, and she received a green card in 4 months.

The process is crazy these days. They took forever to renew our G4 visas last year and didn’t rush even when my mother got very sick and went into a coma. Only when she died and we presented a funeral home agreement for her burial, they got kind enough to issue our visas promptly, and I was able to come there in time for her funeral.

[Anonymous]

Any news OP? In similar situation…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would push harder at Raskins' office and email the senators as well. Call, email, etc. Can't hurt.

This. When I was in this spot for my DH years ago, only my representative’s office was able to help. Keep pestering them. Find out the name of the person who provides these constituent services.