Mick

Boy, is that an understatement, Don. From the first screw up, when they mailed our P3 to my stateside address, all the way until now, it has been an adventure. Still, we were together from Day One, living in China, so we didn't have to suffer the foul ups while at a great distance from one another. Thanks to all for your well wishes. For those in the pipeline, hang on, it does eventually end.

An exciting update.... Li received her new green card with conditions removed in the mail yesterday. It only took seven months or so...my how efficient these folks are...and this time, no errors on the card. We are thrilled to have finally passed this milestone. We began this visa process back in September 2001. Each step has been a bit of an adventure...but I guess we are through with USCIS...at least until she wants citizenship....

Dennis, I think Don makes a very good point here. Better be safe than sorry. I know she needs to go back to visit her elderly family members, but considering she has asylum, it might be best to wait for the green card. From my experience with this government agency, about the only thing you can expect is usually the worst.

After we filed for removal of conditions, our time frame was similar to yours, then things stalled out....haven't heard a peep in over five months now. We'll keep the faith...hope things go quicker for you.

Sorry to hear of the continuing delays, Dennis. I am always amazed by the expiring fingerprint thing. I can understand how a physical expires, but fingerprints are another thing entirely. If you have followed our case, you know how many times Li has been fingerprinted. As for asylum, I don't have a clue as to how to proceed on AP or if the process is any different. Maybe Don or Frank might have some idea. Best of luck with all this and please, keep us posted.

Thanks so much Patrick! Yes, she is a little doll for sure. I cannot imagine life without her now. She has become so much a part of our daily rounds... As for the topic of this thread, still not a peep from USCIS....been over five months...if it takes much longer, they are probably going to need that eighth set of fingerprints..

That's great Cheffy! At least he admitted their mistake. The only thing he said I disagree with is "we rarely have this happen."

Great news, indeed. Best wishes for a successful interview. When you get the Green Card, check closely to make sure all info is accurate.

Such great news, Tine. So wonderful to hear when an old timer crosses another shore. All the best to you and your family.

Wow, that was quick, Tine. Glad to hear things went smoothly for you guys. Also, it's good to hear from you. As for us, I am not surprised it is taking so long. After all, every step has taken forever. The visa took almost 18 months. AOS took 19 months. Green Card had mistake on it...then more mistakes...two trips to Memphis...oh, did I mention the many, many sets of fingerprints? I guess I am just a tad frustrated by now...

We filed to have the conditions removed on Li's stauts, as per instructions, back in September. We are now entering the fifth month without a peep from USCIS, other than their notification that they had received the petition (and the money ). That letter also said, "If you haven't heard from us in six months, please call....) I would be interested in hearing from those who have gone through this step. How long did it take?

Sorry to hear of this latest screw up, Cheffie. Oh, how I could tell stories about screw ups, from the get go of our case, there seems to have been mistakes made at every juncture. Hang in there, you can get it fixed.

Ah, a lesson in natural vs. unnaturnal thought... What is the sound of one debit card slapping?

I read the article Tornado posted--have not read the actual published regulations--but I see nothing wrong with it. The new regulations are not draconian in any sense. I'd support it. There is no sense of an outcry a country can impose any law it desires .Many countries have a great deal worse laws dealing with adoption. That said This would not be any backlash from what we have seen dealing with Rosie O'Donnell . I guess she can quit brushing up on her Chinese as she would not be allowed to adopt any chinese children with this new regulation.I guess she did get married . Maybe I am behind the times. Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying I am launching an outcry. Just reporting on what is already going on in our local community. I guess I have been working for newspapers too long. Reporting is in my blood. I wouldn't be surprised, in fact, if my editor doesn't call me to do a story on all this. That should prove interesting to say the least. My feelings on the issue are somewhat mixed and certainly clouded by the fact that I had the opportunity to visit more than a few orphanages when I lived in China. For the most part, the state-run facilities were a horror. They were filthy, disease-ridden and just about all of the children complained of being hungry. Living conditions in the private, church-run facilities were somewhat better. I guess, yes, a country can pass any law it wants. I know ours does. And China does have a law that legitimizes forced abortion, for example. I guess, in the final analysis, I cannot be objective as I have seen firsthand some of the suffering these kids go through. What is more disturbing is a 2003 study, done by the Chinese government, clearly stated that for every one child that is adopted, 26 are not adopted. Like I said, I can't be objective here. Still, I am not part of the outcry, but I do have concerns.

Also can't adopt if you are depressed or single. I will be interested to see how this all pans out. There are quite a number of couples in this area who have adopted children from China, all girls. Already, there is an outcry in opposition to this new law. I doubt that anything can change it, but at least people can let their opinions be known.

Dig that, I quit eating boogers when I was about 3 Yeah, I can relate. I grew up on the southwest coast of Florida, but never was much of a seafood lover. Hated fish and oysters made me want to heave.

Li lets me eat pretty much anything...except any kind of raw or cold shellfish. No shrimp cocktail for this boy anymore. Really, it is a small, small price to pay. And as for oysters on the half shell....forget it...

Yes, it is crazy, indeed. We drive on parkways and park on driveways...

The "soap" - " soup" mistake is one I often heard in China. When Li and I first met, she often did the same thing with these words.

Yeah...that fruit is great...much better than Durian...which smells like the bottom of a dumpster.

I lived in Guangdong for four years and down there they only have two seasons: summer and almost summer. To get on a crowded bus late in the afternoon was an olfactory adventure. As for my darling Lili, she only sweats at the right time....

Congrats to you and your wife Tony. It has been a long, long haul since the Black Hole days. Best wishes for the citizenship process.God bless you and yours.

I hear you loud and clear Patrick. So far, we have paid for seven sets of fingerprints and four physicals. I, too, am so sick of the constant stream of crapola at every step of the way. It took them three tries to get Li's green card right. We had to drive 550 miles round trip three times to get the whole mess straightened out, with the expense of gas and lodging. It's enough to make you puke. I am sick of it. We all deserve much better than this, much, much, better. We got sucked into the Black Hole back in the summer of 2002, and it has been one mistake after another ever since. Good luck and I hope it finally gets cleared up. 27 months is ludicrous.

Sorry to hear that this happened and I hope your Congressman can clear things up. It is just insane the way this agency goes about things. Seems each office has their own procedure and there is no real consistency of process from case to case. I agree with what someone above said when he referred to the fact that while they are busy checking out a 10 year old boy, some bad guy could be slipping through. Of course, if a 10 year old came across the border illegally with his parents, it would be no problem. Government would probably give him free health care and a scholarship to a private school of choice. Sorry, I'll stop before I start ranting about the injustice of this whole system. At what office did this occur?

Mick might have idea, but I think he's on another road trip for another biometrics. Oh, I have an idea alright. Welcome to the club, Ken. Li's original green card had the wrong birthdate. Took nine months and two trips to Memphis to correct. Finally received the second green card. Right birthdate, but wrong A number. Another trip to Memphs. Was told it would take 22 months to get it fixed. They did stamp her pasport. So, she has had no problems with travel and re-entry. It amazes me how these folks can make so many, many mistakes and we are the ones who have to bear the brunt of their incompetence. Oh, and BTW Don, yes, we did shlep up to Nashville for the seventh set of biometrics. Now, we are waiting to hear about the removal of conditions. The letter we received from USCIS gave no time frame. Just said, if you haven't heard from us in six months, call us. To give you some idea of how up to date these folks are, we checked Li's status on the national website. The last entry was: Application for AOS received! Er...they received that in June 2003. I think that was around the time of our third set of fingerprints. Har har. Anyway, Ken, just go and get that stamp. That's about all you can do. Best of luck to you.