And The Votes Are in. Yeah Baby!!

[jtaylo69]

Hello Everyone.

 

Yuppers, Yeah Daddy, Our AOS Case was Approved. Boy, talk about sitting on pins & needles, and on the edge of our seats, Boy were we.

 

Here is how the day went:

 

After a much restless night of tossing & turning, waking up every 45 min anticipating the alarm clock going off, we finally got up around 8am and going about the usual morning routine, in OVER DRIVE! . And if that weren't enough, our extended family (her dog that we brough from china, my little fiest & her 3 week old pups) decided to play, the chinese version of puppy fire drill , it was enough to drive us both insane. Here we were, trying our best to do all that we could as to not forget the Huge box of evidence that we had prepared ahead of time, chugging down scalding hot coffee, gulping down chinese dumplings, eggs and juice, and here we are being forced to have to play catch me if you can - ha ha, oh boy, lets try and steal some bacon off the plate. Get down, damn dog, Oh god, not the turttle tank. Damn pups, No the turtles do not find you interesting, Ok, who changed the tv channel? Come back with that remote. --No Hone, I have not seen your blue Tooth for your cell phone. Have you checked the table---Honey, puppy run with the blue tooth, he grrrrr at me when I try to get it from it. Can you come & help me? Yes dear, on my way---Oh Honey, I didn't know you were shaving---On & On it went.

 

By the time we were walking out the door, I was ready for bed, LOL

 

Ok, we start out of the drive and we are on our way by 9:45am. every thing to be going ok, until she taps me on the arm & says "Where are we going? I no see the direction papers.----Screeeeeech, 180* turn, 20 mile return to the house to get the directions. Get on the internet, and did a map quest. Boy what a mistake that was, as we will soon find out.

 

Back on the road, 10:30am. Following the directions, we end up just south of the Airport, close to the Colloseum. We go into the building & find out, there is not any form of government offices in any of the complexes. Why would that not surprise me. , So I get on the phone & call their 800 # & of course, the nut job that answered the phone didn't know any more than I did. So after many go arounds & telling the idiot that if we miss our appointment, my next call was going to be to my senator, (Mrs. Dole) of which I had he personal cell phone #. & Of course, this stupid woman had the gull to say, well, do what you have to do, just do not miss your appointment. Thanks you for calling USCIS. & Hangs up.

 

OH HELL NO!! No she did not!. So I make the call to Mrs Dole & I explain the situation & ask her to PLEASE PLEASE have some one call us so that we could make this appoitment, especially since it was alread a 2 1/2 hr drive. She puts me on hold & then comes back on with a 3 way conversation with none other, than the Idiot I just spoke to. After Mrs Dole gives her a bit of a refresher of manerisim, The Idiot then manage to give me a set of directions to the place, in which it was actually located about 20 miles away, On the other side of the City. A totally different location from the last interview that we had.

 

So we finally get back on the road, fight mid morning traffic & arrive at the Homeland Security Bldg. grab our things & proceed to go inside. Being stoped at the securty check point, we are shown to be 2 1/2 hrs early & would have to wait until 45min before our appointment. So out to the truck we go & wait. Oh look honey, is that snow? That's cute, little Ice bouncing on the truck. They are happy for us.--- Oh God, Please Tell me it gets better, as everyone knows, that these people in the south just can not drive on anything that's not dry.

 

1:45pm > In we go. We end up in a large waiting area and shortly after, we are called in. The lady seemed plesant enough, so here I am thinking that maybe the worst is over. God was I wrong.

 

I do not have the slightest clue as to what cralled up this woman's butt, but was damn sure of one thing, I wasn't going to be the one to yank it out.

 

VO: Raise your right hand - Does she understand English?

Me: Well, I don't speak Chinese & we've been married for over a year, & I have yet to see another person in our bed or our home to translate emotions or anything else, so, yeah, I guess she does.

VO: Well if she doesn't we will have to reschedule.

Me: I---Don't think so ma'am. As long as you keep in mind that if you think of what it might be like to talk to a 4 year old's english, you will do find. Any big words & you can forget it.

VO: Please, do not tell me how to do this interview.

Me: Please, have a look at the last # on my Cell phone of the person that I called. Does it look familiar?

VO: Do I look like Ma-Bell?

Me: Ma'm with all do respect, for your benifit, Please, check the #.

 

She takes the Cell phone, looks at the #, calls someone & asks them to research the #. Then directs us back to the interview, with a nasty attitude. Asking the Mrs all sorts of things like if she is here to over throw the Gov, here to kill any one, was ever kicked out of the USA, where I interjected and said:

 

Me: Do you have her complete FBI, NSA, & all other checks there in your hands?

VO: Yes

Me: Then you should not have any problems reading that she has NEVER EVER BEEN TO THE USA, right?

VO: Well, I still have to ask & hear it from her.

 

Phone Rings:

VO: Hello, It's What? Are you sure?. Oh, No Problem. Thanks.

 

VO: (Change of tone) How long have you been married?

Us together: 1 year,2 weeks

 

VO: Would you by chance have copies of your past divorce papers?

Me. Sure do. Would you like a copy of my past 3 years tax & w2s?

 

Oh No, no need.

 

She thumbles through a few things, stops at one point, looks at me, & her eyes got big.

 

VO: Seems like you have a few important friends and family members, sir. How are you related to Senator John Taylor?

 

Me: Oh, he;s just an Uncle. Haven't seen him in about 10 years, but dad seems to chat with him often.

 

VO: Well, Ok then. I would like to be the first to congradulate you, your case is approved. Here is your temp Green card, (Stamp in her Passport). Be sure to remember to file for your perm card in Nov 2008. And please forgive me, it's been a very eventful morning.

 

US: Thanks, & You try & have e better day.

 

We walk out side & the moment we were out the doors, we both dropped everything, & jumped for joy & big hugs. That's when we noticed a black couple off to the side crying, n& we assesed them that they did not get what they had came here for.

 

So needless to say, all of the way home, she called everyone on her list, while I battled late evening 5:00 rush hour in the Pouring rain,

 

& There you have it. Add another successfull Couple to the CFL'ers Hall of Fame, LOL

 

Thanks to all of you that has helped us in out quest. We couldn't have doen it with out you.

[tonado]

Wow. You did a lot of work for this green card. Congrats.

[pkfops]

2 years from the start.

 

Great!

[jtaylo69]

Well, I had never though about being the one to pull that burr out. I'd like to think that maybe that they had done a confirmation of the phone number that I had given her that did the trick, LOL. I'd love to have been a bug on her wall later, LOL

 

Any way....

 

Correct me if I am wrong:

 

I am thinking that once she recieves the actual card, she should be able to go to & from her home in China with out any issues right? No other documentation need, right?

 

Also, once she has the green card, (although a temp) we should be able to get her SSN changed over to her married name, right? as long as we also provide them a copy of the marraige lisence as well.

[jtaylo69]

The stamp in her passport is as good as a green card. It's good for year or until the physical green card arrives. With the stamp, she can leave and reenter the US. It;s also good for an unrestricted SSN card, driver's license, bank account, etc. She's good to go.

 

 

SWEEEEEEET! AWESOME.

 

Now in 2008, we will have to file for the removal of the conditions, right? What kind of head aches can we begin to look for?

 

Thanks

[warpedbored]

You can probably expect a typo of some sort. They seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Our NOA came back with her first name and then her middle name twice. I called and they said they would correct it but we haven't received anything yet.

[ameriken]

We not only got the typo on her GC, but at the end of her interview (two weeks before yours), I asked the IO if she would get the stamp in her passport, and he said "No, we dont do that anymore".

 

Guess what, she got the typo, and does not have the stamp.....thus we have an infopass appointment Dec 1 to try and get the stamp.

 

I love to see the consistency in our govt.

[Carl]

Congratulations on the approval. Sometimes it is good to have friends and family in high places. I think that it is sometimes necessary to remind the various bureaucrats in the various government departments who they really work for and who better to do so than our elected representatives who may in some cases control their paycheck.

 

But if I remember right, didn't you say that you are a direct descendant of a US president (i.e. Zachary Taylor)?

[izus]

congrats to both of you...

alot of hard work finally has paid off..

 

seems your case went pretty smoothly for the most part

[jtaylo69]

Congratulations on the approval. Sometimes it is good to have friends and family in high places. I think that it is sometimes necessary to remind the various bureaucrats in the various government departments who they really work for and who better to do so than our elected representatives who may in some cases control their paycheck.

 

But if I remember right, didn't you say that you are a direct descendant of a US president (i.e. Zachary Taylor)?

 

 

Yuppers! although the family really hates to admit to it mainly because he was a real Jerk (to put it lightly) And futher investigation into out family tree, we are somehow related to Thomas Jefferson, How that Is I have yet to understand.

 

What's been so cool into all of this process, is that (& I have yet to fully understand it all) that when ever I felt we were running into a brick wall oor being stonewalled, After speaking with my dad, the various issues just seemed to disapear.

 

Example: After the Mrs got her Aproval of her P4, when we were going through the motion at the Guangzhou airport, the Guards there were bound & determined not to let her through the international security point that lead to the concorse, even though her tickets & everything elase were in place. We had already checked all of our luggage, but that didn't seem to matter. So I made two calls. One to the US Embassy, & One to my dad. About an hour later, we were paged to the Customer Service Desk just outside of the International Departure, and was greeted by 4 US Marines, some Chinese guy in a real nice suite, and some other guy, all of which they said they were from the embassy & was there ot assist us.

 

The Chinese guy flashed some kind of ID at the Entrance of the international entrance & the guards parted like the red sea. One of the guards walked in front, then the Chinese guy, two Marines in front of us & two in the rear. We walked all the way to the entrance of the plane without ever being screened or asked any questions. (Which was really cool, LOL) The Chinese guy handed me a sealed envelope & told me to hand it to the person at the US immigration check point & we should be ok. I thanked them all, & we got on the plane with out any issues.

 

When we got to LAX, when it was our turn to be checked in, I handed the officer the envelope, explained to him how I came about it, he read it, looked at the Mrs & I, asked for our ID's, her paperwork, & then he had two other officers escort us upstairs to catch our connecting flight.(But but before we caught up with her dog & our luggage, which none of it was ever checked or questioned. If they had only knew of the pearls, gem stones, gold, currentcy, moon cakes, fruits & veggies etc, they probably would have had a fit )

 

We never had any further issues.

 

ANd what's really weird, is that when although we passed our interview, the Mrs had pointed out that because I took a far lesser paying job (so that I could assist her in getting quainted with our way of life here) that if we go by only my income, we fall about $1,500 anually below the required 125% poverty level. Yet I was never requested to have a co-signer etc.

 

I do not know to what extent that either my dad has ties or if it was the call to the Embassy, but either way, I thank our lucky stars to the fullest.

[MikeandRong]

The force is strong with this one.