Why Lawyers Exist
This is why lawyers exist.The time had come for me to apply for my green card. In preparation, Craig and I downloaded piles of documents from the INS website, gathered together every original document to prove our individual existences and our state of matrimony, and made an appointment at the regional office in Boston. What they don't tell you includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Your 'appointment' is an appointment with the numbered ticket machine, not with a person. It means you are allowed in at a certain time to take a number, and then wait. When we got our ticket yesterday, our estimated waiting time, as printed on the ticket, was 3 hours and 7 minutes.
- It is illegal for a person to carry a blade over 2.5 inches in length on their person. Apparently this makes Craig a dangerous criminal. The security person kindly allowed us to stow his Leatherman tool in my purse. Apparently it is OK for it to be in my leather handbag, but not in his jeans pocket.
- Take a good book if you don't want to watch CNN. They won't change the channel, not even for an afternoon Red Sox game.
- INS personnel are not required to demonstrate any customer service skills bordering on patience, pleasantness, or helpfulness. In fact, I think such behaviour is strongly discouraged. After all, would any hopeful immigrant dare complain?
For the record, one is not automatically granted citizenship upon marriage to an American. You aren't even granted permanent residency (aka a green card, which is not the same as being a citizen). There are a lot of forms, and a lot of waiting. Frankly, I don't know how anyone who doesn't speak English manages this on their own, if two reasonably intelligent native English speakers cannot even be certain that they are filling them out and submitting them properly. I guess they hire lawyers. After yesterday, I was tempted to get a business card from any of the cheaply-suited guys with bulging file folders sitting next to families from halfway around the earth.
Issue number one for yours truly: I need to change my name. My name on all my current documentation is my ex-husband's name. I've returned to my maiden name now. It seems that trying to do this while trying to apply for the green card is far too complicated for the INS. The impression we got from the person we spoke to was that he couldn't be bothered to give us any useful or accurate information because we were just standing between him and the end of his shift. Worst of all, he told us that once I handed over my current work visa and applied for a green card, that I would not be eligible to work until I had that green card - around 2 months, minimum. This was pretty much the exact opposite of everything I had read at their online site, which suggested that once I had filed that application, I was authorized to work. I'm sure now that the truth is somewhat greyer, and that the goalposts are changing hourly.
We left the office with few answers and less direction. While walking to the nearest pub, we determined that the best thing to do would be to handle all my name change documentation first, since any confusion about my name on my green card forms was bound to cause delays and possibly worse.
This morning I spent an hour on the phone with a few other INS folks, who seemed surprised by what we were told yesterday, and told me NOT to file in person in Boston - as the instructions on our sheet say - but to mail everything in instead. Registered mail - and be sure to keep a good copy of everything you send - and do NOT send in any originals.
I tried to keep notes of all this, but for me to explain them to anyone right now just makes me sound like I'm spouting gibberish negating more gibberish. I'm confused, frustrated, and a little disheartened, but I have this much going for me - I know it will all get done, it's just going to take a lot more time.
If any Boston INS officials are reading (which I seriously doubt since apparently they can't even read the label on a box of corn flakes never mind keep up with their own documentation), consider this a giant, wet raspberry in your general direction. As for the rest of the INS, we'll see if you live up to all that your promised me this morning. I have a feeling we're going to be in touch again very soon.
posted by Maquinna @ 11:43 a.m.
2 Comments:
It could be worse.
A coworker of mine was here on an asylum visa. She had an appointment with INS to re-take her fingerprints (presumably because fingerprints suddenly change every two years!).
The INS rep starts saying things to her like, "We know it was tough when your husband left you, so we understand if you had to become a prostitute." She had to tell them twenty times that she went on welfare and never had to become a prostitute. Very bizarre.
The whole incident left a bad taste in my mouth, but I am calmer today. Enough that I'm returning my passport/green card documentation photos and insisting they be re-done for free because these ones have red-eye. Somehow I'm certain the INS will consider red-eye photos enough of a reason to reject any petition I make.
Thanks for the love!
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