Rockgurl

Owen, I for one admire your determination. If you want it badly enough then you will make it happen. A lot of people here have got into America fairly easily through marriage, while others have had to work harder to get jobs and qualifications to entitle them to get a visa. It took me 3 years to get to the States, but I had total blind ambition and determination and it worked out in the end through sheer hard work. It's easy for people to knock you down when they had an easy road over here. Maybe if they went through a little more hardship they might appreciate how difficult and challenging it is for others who are not so fortunate to be able to marry a USC. My advice is to go to nursing school and secure yourself a future if you want to come to America, and forget relying on a lottery.

CalgaryAMC

Couldn't agree more. OwenF: you're naive because you're young, but never give up. Real Americans will tell you that "where there's a will there's a way."

NC Penguin

Surely you mean "Where's there money there's a way"? That's more American really...

NC Penguin

You're welcome to try and emigrate to the US. As long as you do it legally, there's no problems.

Please just prepare yourself for this:
if and when you do get to the US, do not expect to be happier there. In fact, you may find yourself less than happy than your present circumstances.

You lash out at those who make unflattering comments about the US but those are people who live in the US and have immigrated to the US. Kind of like what you're planning yourself.

So, you hear stuff you don't like. It's not what you expect.
Don't believe the hype about what you see and hear about the US! That's the power of the media....

Manc

I just want people to think.

No country is paved with gold.
There is no good life. I still go to work from 8am - 5pm and my shit stinks no different.

CalgaryAMC

My NC (from Cary) wife must be the exception then. The more I think about it I suppose we are, since we choose to live in the great white north - and who'd do that for the money?

Pimpbot

Yes it did take you 3 years to get your visa. But on the plus side, you now have your green card, you are working and you can leave America to return home to see your family and then come back into the country whenever you please. I on the other hand have no green card and probably will not have one for another two years. I have no means to earn money, as I am still waiting for the INS to issue me an EAD after 7 months of being in the country. I will then have to re apply every year that I don't have my green card, upwards of 4 months before my previous one expires, because the INS takes so long to get anything done. The EAD isnt free either. Every year that I dont have my green card, It will cost me at the moment $120 dollars. I also cannot leave the country whenever I please to see my family. If I want to go back to England, I have to apply for advanced parole, which like the EAD takes months to be approved and once again, fattens the pockets of the INS. Of course, seeing that since I have been involved in the fiance visa process, the INS has changed names 3 times and also changed countless procedures that have contributed to the whole process now taking longer. So I don't doubt that in the future, more things will change that could keep me in the system for a lot longer still. I was lucky that when we sent in our petition for the fiance vise, the Californian service center was approving petitions in around 70 to 90 days. Now from what I read in the marriage based visa forum, its taking closer to 200 days just to get the petition approved and thats still months away from the fiance receiving their visa. My wife and I applied on jan 26th last year and I had my visa by june and was in America by the middle of july. But now I sit in limbo stuck in the INS system over one year from the day when we first applied. Am I fortunate? yes, I believe so, because I am with my wife. But while I havent had to take a test to get here, I've worked just as hard as the next person to make this dream a reality. I did take a little offense to your comments about... "It's easy for people to knock you down when they had an easy road over here. Maybe if they went through a little more hardship they might appreciate how difficult and challenging it is for others who are not so fortunate to be able to marry a USC." ..after the current hardships I face as stated above.

I'm not trying to pick a fight Rockgurl, but sometimes you need to look at your situation a little more closely to see how lucky you are.

CalgaryAMC

Don't waste another minute. Take the first NOA for the EAD to your local office and get an interim EAD. You are entitled to this if 90 days have passed since the date on your first NOA.

Rockgurl

Seeing as my comments were not directed at you, I find it unfortunate that you took offence to what I said. I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who moan about waiting a few short months to get their married partners visa, when mostly it's an inevitability...a priviledge that I am not able to subscribe to. I am not lucky at all...luck has nothing to do with it. I worked damn hard for everything I have, and I earned that visa through blood, sweat and tears. At least you got to be with your wife. I'm still waiting...

I'm not trying to determine who has it worst off, as that wasn't my point. I was trying to support someone who wanted badly to move to America when he didn't have the options that we have. Marrying someone is a sure-fire way of getting over, whereas a work visa is much, much harder. No, I really don't think that someone who gets a visa through marriage can really understand what it's like to push yourself to the max to get a visa through employment. It's a completely different experience. The difficulties you are experiencing now are a fraction of the difficulties and insurmountabilities that I have endured over the last few years, and I would gladly put up with that just to be with my partner.

The main thing is that we all have experienced hardship in different ways, and we have to try and unerstand and support each other, not pit ourselves against each other. I meant no offence and I'm sorry you perceived it that way. We've all had different experiences and frustrations and I suppose it's inevitable that they come to the surface sometimes. I suppose I am jealous of anyone that has ever been able to marry their partner and get a visa to come and live with them. It's the cross I have to bear.

Ray

Completely OT ..but RockGurl ...a mesage from SUE IP she passed her Nylex or whatever its called ...

Pimpbot

Like I said, I didnt mean to pick a fight. Just the current position I find myself in, is getting me rather pissed off with the INS and their incompetence. The dickhead who started this thread has no idea how to get here and when given the plain facts of his situation, became pissed off and obnoxious. I could blow smoke up his ass all night long, but what would be the point when his chances are slim and none of getting a visa.

Pimpbot

Yep, that would be a plan, if the INS hadnt sent me an RFE requesting a piece of evidence that I had already sent them. This suspended my AOS application and my EAD while I re sent the paperwork and also added another 90 days to my wait time before I could request a temporary EAD.

Rockgurl

She passed her NCLEX?! That's wonderful news! Congrats Sue!

CalgaryAMC

grrr. Sorry to hear that. Buggers!