Razor Oye

Well ladies and germs - the day that Martha and I have been waiting - rather impatiently - has arrived! We returned from Spring Break in Louisiana to find that the INS had granted Martha PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS as of March 7, 2002. I think, from all that I have read and posted, that we were fortunate the day we spent at Houston INS office, considering all that went our way - even though it started out badly. I won't recount our adventures that day since I typed a lengthy post back on the 1st of October. But this is such an amazing RELIEF! She is legal for ten years when next we have to renew her current card.

Thanks to everyone on this site for your help! So many of you were instrumental in helping me and Martha through this crazy mess. Alveena, Rete, Jonathan, Grinch, etc. . . all deserve our thanks!

If anyone has any questions, I will be happy to respond - and I will be back hanging around here (back from a lengthy hiatus) to offer what limited help I can. It is the least I owe for all the help I was given on this site - and perhaps will need in the future (typed with crossed fingers, while knocking on wood) -

Our timeline is posted below:

Timeline:
Date Sent: January 21, 2001
First NOA: January 30, 2001
Second NOA: May 24, 2001 (123 days)
Approval reaches Montreal Consulate: May 30, 2001
Packet #3 Mailed to Martha: June 1, 2001
Martha receives packet #3: June 5, 2001
Martha faxes checklist back to Montreal: June 5, 2001
K-1 Interview in Montreal: July 5 (ONLY after faxing a copy of the wedding invitation to get her date bumped up from early August! WHEW!)
Martha crosses border: July 6, 2001
Wedding: July 14, 2001
AOS application: September 30, 2001 (same day filing!)
I-89 interview: September 30, 2001 (conditional acceptance)
Fingerprinting: November 2001
I-551 approval: March 7, 2002
I-551 received: March 14, 2002

Total time elapsed: 410 days!!!!!!!!

Rete

That's great ... but

How do you figure ten year green card. You've only been married under two years. It should be a two year green card.

Rita a/k/a Rete

Razor Oye

Rete -

I know about the 2 year card - and that is what we were expecting. In the letter we received, however, it reads:

"Please read the notice that comes with your card. It will have important information about your card, about your status and responsibilities, and about permanent resident services available to you. Your new card will expire in ten years. While card expiration will not directly affect your status, you will need to apply to renew your card several months before it expires. When the time comes and you need filing information, or an application, or if you ever have other questions about permanent resident services available to you, just call. . ."

Can you make either heads or tails of it?

Rete

Well now you will have to wait and see what the card says. Her status should be written near the I-55 stamp. What does it say exactly? This is telling.

She is only entitled to a two year card and I have seen it happen once before where a mistake was made and a ten year card given. The person reported it to the INS office and it was corrected.

Get back to us and let us know what is written in her passport.

Rita

Alvena Ferreira

Razor Oye wrote:
    > I know about the 2 year card - and that is what we were expecting. In the letter we
    > received, however, it reads: "Please read the notice that comes with your card. It
    > will have important information about your card, about your status and
    > responsibilities, and about permanent resident services available to you. Your new
    > card will expire in ten years. While card expiration will not directly affect your
    > status, you will need to apply to renew your card several months before it expires.
    > When the time comes and you need filing information, or an application, or if you
    > ever have other questions about permanent resident services available to you, just
    > call. . ." Can you make either heads or tails of it?
    >
I think INS has made yet another error, and if you go to the local INS office and ask
them about it, they will undoubtedly confirm that for you. She should be able to file
for a replacement card free of charge, since it was INS's error and not yours. Alvena

See the Doc Steen site here:
http://www.mindspring.com/~docsteen/...o/visainfo.htm I am not a lawyer, and this
is not immigration advice. The information I provide is mostly gleaned from old
newsgroup posts and visa links on the internet. If you want or need a lawyer, go to:
http://www.aila.org

Razor Oye

I will let the both of you - as well as everyone else - know. Still, I think it is cause for Martha and I to celebrate. Even with the two year condition, we are at a spot that sometimes takes couples much longer to get to. I know friends of ours who were here in Houston (since moved to Chicago) who lived here for just over three years and had not received this acceptance. If I am missing something and should be worried, you'd tell me, right?

- 'night

Razor Oye

Where would the I-55 stamp be? We looked in her passport and the latest stamp in her passport was given when she officially crossed the border under K-1 status. When we filed and interviewed at Houston, they never asked for her passport except to verify dates and status. They made no new stamp.

As for the Permanent Resident Card, though, it has the following expiration date on it:

03/07/12

With her residency official as of 02/06/02


Now, I figure this may be something INS should know about since we've only been married nine months, but I don't enjoy the thought of going back to the Houston office to wait in the wee hours of the morning. Is that our only option? What a hassle - but it could be worse, I know! At least she is approved and legal.

Jonathan