Green Card Fun

I was planning on writing a little about the next stage of the green card journey in the near future, but due to recent developments I figured now would be as good a time as any.

For those that don’t know, my technical status within the US is as a Lawful Permanent Resident. I have many of the same rights as a citizen, however whilst it is classed as “permanent” there are some restrictions. The main one being that, due to my residency being granted through marriage, this status is classed as “conditional” and initially only granted to me for two years.

Green cards – the unofficial name for what shows my residence – are no longer truly permanent. I can apply to have the conditions removed, which would extend it to being valid for 10 years, and then it has to be renewed on that basis forever more (unless I take the citizenship path.)

Seeing as I am fast approaching the two-year deadline (technically I have been in the country for over two years, but my residency was granted in November) we had to get my application sent in back in September. This involved more paperwork and more forms, although nothing terribly taxing. It also involved sending proof of our relationship.

It is an odd situation to be in, after two years of settling down, buying property, being employed, to suddenly be compelled to have to prove that the life you are living is in fact genuine, and not some complicated ruse concocted to mislead the government. Even more odd – and a little frightening – is the fact that technically it could all be taken away.

As with the initial application and interview, we needed to supply photographic evidence of our relationship: photos of family events both here and in the UK, snaps of us with friends, that sort of thing. We also had to show proof of joint ownership: copies of mortgage documents, car loans, utility bills. We were sure to mention the beantoes.

As well as documentation and photographs, we needed further affidavits of support. These letters, which are sworn testimony and signed under penalty of perjury, were written by awesome friends who knew the two of us both before and after we were married and were invaluable in the application.

Once we had packaged everything together, triple checked everything was there, and written further checks for more money (both for the application itself and another set of biometrics), we sent the package off under registered mail.

Then we waited.

We were a little nervous at not hearing anything back, until eventually we saw our check had been cashed. Hurrah! This didn’t mean I was on my way to getting the extended green card as they are so backed up that can take months. However, USCIS sends out a “Notice of Action” – a letter that basically says that my application is being processed. This means that even if my green card expires, I am still allowed to stay here (and leave and re-enter the country) although I have to keep it with me at all times.

But that hasn’t arrived.

It’s been nearly a month with no NOA, and we are due to fly to the UK at the end of next month, so understandably we are a little nervous. Not only would no NOA mean no leaving the country, but I also feel a little uncomfortable walking around with only an expired green card and no other proof I should be here.

So we called the national USCIS number for an update, and were told that unfortunately they are backlogged. Severely backlogged. In fact we “should” hear something within 45 days, but if we don’t we can call them for a further update.

45 days takes us past the expiry of my green card, and that seems like a rather fragile situation to be in, as well as getting even closer to our flight. So our second option is to make an appointment at a USCIS office and get them to stamp my passport. “Well, that’s easy, problem solved!” I hear you say. But alas, if only it were.

Our nearest office is in the Twin Cities, but they have no appointments showing for the next two weeks (the longest you can view.) Sioux Falls is a fair distance away, but upon checking also has no appointments. Fargo? Nope.

So, as it stands, we’ll be driving the 240 miles to Duluth on October 31st – thankfully just after the rush at work has died down – to get a stamp that confirms my residency.

On the bright side, I have always wanted to go to Duluth, and we found a hotel on the same site as a micro brewery.