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Topic: Mixed feeling
Finally, today my and my wife's I485 got approved, after 2 RFEs and a wait of almost 3 years. I did not receive any RFE on I140 but was stuck in NC for almost 1.5 years and then received 2 RFEs on I485 (details in my profile). Deadline for my 2nd RFE was Aug 7th, and I replied on Aug 1. It was received by NSC on Aug 4th but there was no update for a week. Then I contacted my Representative's office, who in turn contacted NSC and were told to wait for 2 weeks. Exactly 2 weeks later, finally received the approvals!
I am happy that the uncertainty has ended but at the same time I feel beaurocratic mess has sucked all joy out of the process. So often did I feel bitter and helpless while waiting unfairly that now it doesn't feel like any accomplishment at all. I know many of you would find it odd and almost all those waiting would be happy to trade places with me (:)) but I guess I expected better after serving US for over 10 years (I came here exactly 10 years and 4 days ago, spent 6 years in PhD, 3 years in Academia, and last year in a research lab). Humans can never be happy, can they?:)
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Congrats. Forget the past and enjoy the green.
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Congratulations immipassion!!!.
Enjoy your happiness at present moment. Forget the past.
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Trying to... :) First thing I am going to do is plan a weekend in lovely Montreal which is not too far from where I live.
Btw, I would strongly recommend pursuing all venues to follow up on your case, except USCIS outlets. Neither infopass not customer service was of any help to me but my house representative and cogressman's office proved to be of great help. I am not saying all of them are helpful (God no, many a times I received standard letters from some) but even if one of them decides to stick together with you, it can really help. Good luck to all.
I will hang around for a while to help in any way I can.
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Congrats man, appreciate your willingness to help. Enjoy your new phase of life
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I understand how you feel. I've been here for 12 years now. 10 of them working as a physician, paying humungous taxes, working in places where no American would wanna even interview there. Still waiting for my GC. It gets old, and becomes old news when it happens, but I have a suggestion that can refresh your emotions. Close your eyes and imagine that they send you another RFE, they claim that it was a premature approval by mistake and they want a background check cause your name never really cleared. Now open your eyes, shake your head, read the approval notice again, release a big sigh, feel better??
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Congrats Immipassion!!!!!!
Enjoy your green.
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While I congratulate you on your Green Card and understand your frusturation, I totally do not accept that you "served the US" for 10 years. 6 years of PhD is a choice you made to go to school. It means diddly from an immigration standpoint.
I wish the process didn't take so long but when people count time when they weren't in the immigration process and act as if that somehow should grant them some preferred status when there is no law that exists to do that, I just don't think it makes sense.
Should we get some credit for F or H1 time? Perhaps. But the law isn't written that way and we all know that.
Again, you have your freedom to move about and pursue your dreams. I wish you good luck with it.
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in my case, i just waited 9 months -since labor certification until having the physical card with me-. at the beginning it was a big out loud YEEEEESSSS!!!!!, after 2 minutes it was a NOW WHAT????
anyway, enjoy permanent residency and do not look back... be visionary and futuristic!!!
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While I congratulate you on your Green Card and understand your frusturation, I totally do not accept that you "served the US" for 10 years. 6 years of PhD is a choice you made to go to school. It means diddly from an immigration standpoint.
I wish the process didn't take so long but when people count time when they weren't in the immigration process and act as if that somehow should grant them some preferred status when there is no law that exists to do that, I just don't think it makes sense.
Should we get some credit for F or H1 time? Perhaps. But the law isn't written that way and we all know that.
Again, you have your freedom to move about and pursue your dreams. I wish you good luck with it.
Good point. I wish people would put actual time lines, i.e. time it took from the submission of the LCA or PERM towards their I-140 as the starting point in their wait. People constantly say I waited for 8yrs, 10 yrs but actual processing time only starts when you physically apply for LPR not the moment you step into the country.
Having said that, congratulations to immipassion. Its true, the journey seems more emotional than the destination. Its the uncertainty that keeps your emotions occupied, once the uncertainty goes, the mind takes it for granted and the excitement dies out when you realise its still life as usual. I dont think apart from a very few cases, anyone has any plans that are truly hinged on the GC, just peace of mind of executing the plans without any risk. And ironically the risk is what keeps it, for the lack of a better term, exciting.
Ask anyone who is courting a partner, what is more exciting, the chase or the stability of being together. But then also ask, would you rather have stability or excitement in the long run. |
I beg to differ. I would have applied for GC much earlier (during PhD) if I was eligible to do so. I don't have family here, so my only option was employment. In order to get employment of my choice I needed good education. And I served US in that time period by conducting research and teaching courses in my university for approximately 1.3k USD/month. Or, if you prefer to look from someone of H1's point of view, s/he needs to convince her/his employer to file for GC, which in turn requires time investment of several years. If you don't get it, thats fine. Apparently, US govt doesn't either:) But, absence of appropriate law at present shouldn't prevent us from cirtizing the system. No redress is possible without acknowledging the shortcoming first. And, please.. you can make your point without trivilaize someone else's lived-experience by using loaded-terms like 'diddly' or 'preferred status'. I am not seeking personal favor, but just fair opportunity.
Regarding importance of GC: it is of much use to me. I don't have to worry about random visa-granting process of US consulate in my home country. My wife can finally work freely and we can afford to work in same geographical location, rather than in two different states. We can travel to neighboring countires without a custom officer demanding to see our 10 year old I20s. I can finally work on export-control related projects at work (my research lab works with virtually all federal and state agencies). If GC is not so important to someone, I will never understand why s/he wasted time, money, and resources in the first place.
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Immipassion, my hearty congrats to you and your family.
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thanks ashwin80, appreciate it. wish you good luck too!
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Congrats Immipassion !!
I perfectly understand your view. Even those who haven't taken the long path (US education) and are here directly working as consultants have to undergo the 'prior to filing GC' wait. In fact many top IT companies in India do not sponsor the GC. And big blue too begins it after minimum of two years.
The importance of GC cannot be stressed enough. I personally find the 'GC worthiness' threads amusing. If a person is not interested in a GC he/she need not undergo the long wait periods. Just complete the 6 year H1 tenure and return. I'd worked with a consultant recently who literally threw away a GC opportunity by returning to India. He had an EB3 early 2002 Priority date. He applied for I-485 in June 2007 and in a few months sold off his car, belongings and went back to India simply because his wife wanted to. And his son is an American Citizen. So years later, if his son returns back to the US, he'll have to spend time and money to get his parents here. A golden opportunity lost !!
On the other hand, I've met 'double-minded' unhappy folks. When in the US, they'll crib and wish to return back. When in India, they'll crib and want to return here. Unfortunately, they spend their entire life with the same quandary.
Anyways, enough of this endless debate. Enjoy your green and the sweet aroma of Freedom.
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Finally, today my and my wife's I485 got approved, after 2 RFEs and a wait of almost 3 years. I did not receive any RFE on I140 but was stuck in NC for almost 1.5 years and then received 2 RFEs on I485 (details in my profile). Deadline for my 2nd RFE was Aug 7th, and I replied on Aug 1. It was received by NSC on Aug 4th but there was no update for a week. Then I contacted my Representative's office, who in turn contacted NSC and were told to wait for 2 weeks. Exactly 2 weeks later, finally received the approvals!
I am happy that the uncertainty has ended but at the same time I feel beaurocratic mess has sucked all joy out of the process. So often did I feel bitter and helpless while waiting unfairly that now it doesn't feel like any accomplishment at all. I know many of you would find it odd and almost all those waiting would be happy to trade places with me (:)) but I guess I expected better after serving US for over 10 years (I came here exactly 10 years and 4 days ago, spent 6 years in PhD, 3 years in Academia, and last year in a research lab). Humans can never be happy, can they?:)
Congratulations to you and your family!!! It's always joyful if you accomplish something in your life, like your new status. Everybody has their own perspective after achiveing/ or while waiting for it. Myself, I've been waiting patiently to achieve freedom to work and get released from 'Employer' GC process.
Enjoy your freedom. |
Hey there immipassion. I do get it believe me. When I used the words "doesn't mean diddly from an immigration standpoint", I didn't mean from your standpoint, but rather from the perspective of the law as it stands. Your journey is truly a long and emotional one and I am delighted that you persevered and can now move forward with your own plans.
However, I do also state that even if you wanted to apply for a green card during your studies, you couldn't and that really isn't part of the immigration process, but rather your own emotional journey. That's not to be trivialized but I feel that people saying it took 12 years to get one's green card when one started the process 4 years ago for example (not you - just an example), it doesn't really reflect on the actual green card process. Just on one's on hopes.
If people come here as, for example students, with NO immigration intent (as is clearly the prerequisite for a NON-DUEL INTENT, NON-IMMIGRANT VISA), then one can, in my opinion, not cry foul that that time was not accredited.
I strongly believe that the law SHOULD allow credit for time under non-immigrant visas, and in particular towards citizenship (I believe Canada has such a scheme), but as it stands, that is not what we signed on for.
I also agree with you that criticism is fair. Absolutely. I'm just stating my opinions and I certainly think you have every right to state yours. And even agree in part with your sentiments.
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how do you find contact details for your congressman?? I live in California... mine went to black hole (local office) as soon as my dates become current in Aug..
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I hear you and yes the prcoess can drian life and motivation out of you. However, the objective has been accomplshed and you just just enjoy it. count your blessings and move on.
Things could always be worse.
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immipassion did you graduate from RPI ?
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DoItLegally: It seems we are in full agreement then:) You are right in stating that it is unfair to count the time spent prior to starting the immigration process but thanks for acknowledging that, once started, that period should count for something. Anyway, all this will be moot if the entire immgration process was more streamlined and time-bound.
ajju: you can search for them by putting your zip code at http://www.house.gov/
pattadeyyaar: I have moved on. Actually I changed job early this year after waiting for my GC for over 2 years.
willcrack: Nop, I graduated from Polytech, Brooklyn.
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I totall agree DoItLegally. I spent 9 years (2 on F1) before finally getting my GC. I didnt feel 'Now what'. I went crazy when I received it. Although several things could have been done differently including by USCIS who could have cleaned their process, the SEVEN years of wait is no reason to be disillusioned about the whole process. I could say I should have gotten my GC in 4 or 5 years but what the heck.
And you are absolutely right. Someone spent 5-6 years on a PhD out of choice. For such people, CIS did open up a special category (EB1) did they not? So what's to complain about?
But getting your greencard is no accomplishment because it's like draw of lots. You just hope that you are lucky. There are 100s of thousands that are waiting for the elusive green which puts things in perspective.
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catatemyhw: you are missing the point that all that was in our control - preparing for gre, getting scholarship. and yes, graduating:) and there is a timeline for each step. only uncertainty there was again in getting the F1 visa. same thing applies to job and h1b scenario. getting h1 is straightforward but wondering whether us consulate will stamp it without hassle is another story. I am relieved, yes, but not greatful. I am not a follower of thinking-line that its a privilege to get GC, especially after all this hassle. A process as random and unfair as this doesn't deserve my gratitude. I am much more grateful to my graduate school which offered me scholarship to study here and the federal system which enables thousands of students like me to do so. I am also grateful to the society which, most of the time, welcomes us and allows us to grow. And I try to return the favor in whatever way I can.
gcdedoyaar: I am planning for the coming Labor day weekend but I have to keep it short since I have already booked tickets for US Opens for one of the days. But then, now I can hop over to Quebec any other weekend :) I see you are from canada? may I ask where from? Also, when you contact your representative, they like it if you provide them with detailed information. I had submitetd a 1-page letter detailing the chnronological order of my case's progress which she forwarded to NSC after they failed to reply to her on time.
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enduring: I have started to think of ways in which I can put GC to good use. I think thats the best way to clain our happiness back:) Visiting beautiful places which was tougher earlier: canada, mexico, carribeans. avoiding paying for transit fee. working on restricted projects at work...
bonzer: allow me to point out that EB1 requires 3 years of work experience and substantial professional track record besides just the PhD degree. Now add 3 years of wait and tell me if you still think the same...
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There have been a lot of lucky folks that got their GCs in ridiculously short periods of time. But the majority have waited like you and I. Forget the technicalities of EB1 or EB3 etc. Or even the fact that you spent a lot of time/effort/money on the RFE. I spent 1400 bucks renewing EADs and APs for self and wife and 2 days later AOS was approved. Now, is there a redressal? No. The system is like that and needs a major overhaul. But by focussing on the negatives you are forcing yourself to not feel any joy on what should be one of the happiest moments of your life. Just live in the moment. I do see in later posts that you have been thinking about putting your GC to good use like travelling without the hassles of VISA etc. I say that's the way to go instead of focussing on the negatives.
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catatemyhw, its a tired argument. would you say the same for any competition? how about an athlete participating in Olympics: No one asked him/her to train so hard, no one asked him/her to participate, no one asked him/her to deny another athlete from a medal? or, to a student preparing for entrace exams? then applying for jobs?
I guess the difference lies in one's approach to life. May be its because some of see life as a challenge (hence the 'accomplishment' part:)) with rewards for playing fairly and well. For example, contrary to what you said; I didn't replace a more deserving, or even as deserving, candidate. I applied myself fair and square and I earned everything I got (even that petty monthly graduate stipend is withdrawn the moment a student loses track). No, US govt is under no obligation to grant us anything, except a just hand. My complaint is not about waiting for 3 years or spending 10 years. heck, i am not even complaining about broken immigration process since its well documented and establsihed. my complaint is about this thinking that we should be greatful. you are certinatly entitled to feel that way, but i am greateful for only things which i haven't earned 'entirely' by myself. to further dig into the sematics of words, i object to term 'privilege' since i believe it is a right i have earned, and not granted by someone's magnanimity.
ii wonder how many of us truly believe GC is a privilge?
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bonzer, let me ask you this: if each of us complain until we get our GC and then just forget and move on willt hings ever change? I am talking about the mindset, rather than process (see my previous post)
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actually, its more open, transparent, and fair in education and employment than immigration. you didn't hear me complaining about those two, did you?:) i don't even like the term 'complaining' since that gets us only so far. anyway, i guess its a discussion to be had in a more conducive chai-samosa setting! i am afraid my dreams are like lennon's :)
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I'm not saying just move on. Infact one of the reasons why this system is so broken is because a mjority of the people that have suffered chose to move on. We just feel this confinement during the process - cannot change jobs easily, cannot travel without a lot of hassles, spend money at every step of the way and so on.. it' very easy to confuse these perceived issues with the system (or lack of it) that causes these.
But the protest can be made after the first bout of euphoria.
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