Show US U.S. I I mm I ra I i and an toi Complicated m I. I I m a Ryan Poland Contributing Writer Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free exclaims the inscription on the Statue of Liberty Yet as inviting as this monumental monumental monumental mon mon- statement may be it does not remain true to current current current cur cur- rent United States Immigration policy In fact foreigners seeking residency or citizenship may maybe maybe maybe be in for an unexpected surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise as they trudge through the complicated paperwork excessive processing periods periods' and costly fees I being an ardent Patriot and combat Veteran in the Army Reserve was astonished astonished astonished aston aston- when starting the Naturalization process for my wife about three-and-a-half three years ago Shortly after our marriage in 2001 my wife a Brazilian National and I began the tedious and complicated process of gaining permanent residency Three months later after compiling all of the paperwork completing the medical and immunization tion screenings and acquiring the hundred four-hundred and ninety dollars in fees we finally filed Three weeks later we received received the work permit and anda a letter informing us that residency residency residency resi resi- resi- resi dency processing would take about a year after which we would be c called back for an interview with a worker case-worker at Immigration and Naturalization Services INS now called the US U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services CIS During the first year we returned to the INS building for unexpected fingerprinting In October 2002 we finally had our interview almost a year-and-a-half year after apply- apply ing The worker case-worker asked us a series of questions about our relationship in an interrogation tion- tion like manner Upon answering all o of th the questions and est establishing bl shing that we were in fact living together under normal marital conditions she was granted residency but on a temporary 10 T J basis because we had not yet been married for three years During our two year interim interim interim inter inter- im for permanent residency the INS WS made my wife feel really welcome by sending her not one but three letters welcoming her to the United States To this day I have yet to determine whether that was anything more than a clerical error Two years later in October 2004 we called back to schedule schedule schedule sched sched- ule a second interview as our worker case-worker instructed us todo to todo todo do at our previous interview However what the caseworker caseworker caseworker case case- worker failed to tell us was that that we yve needed to file a Petition to Remove T Temporary Conditions on Residence ninety days prior After a two-hundred two dollar f fee e and a late filing explanation tion letter we took care of our unexpected surprise We are now waiting the themi mi minimum six month processing processing processing process process- ing period before our second See Immigration continued on page 6 x O J 1 Immigration continued from page 5 interview If all goes well at the upcoming interview and my wife is finally granted permanent residency it willbe will willbe willbe be yet another year before she is eligible to apply for citizenship of course with accompanying three- three twenty hundred-and-twenty dollar fee and minimum processing after which another period 1 aim a test assessing English language skills as well as American History knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- knowledge edge become the determining determining determining ing factor I love America and the freedom and liberty that our great na nation on stands for and I Iam Iam Iam am grateful that my wife will also be able to enjoy the benefit benefit benefit ben ben- of these principles some some- day Yet looking back at our past experiences with CIS the whole process seems frustrating and discouraging I by no means question the security threats that we as a ana na nation on face today but there has to be a better and more efficient way to deal with the legitimate t Naturalization of Otherwise give me your tired your poor your huddled huddled huddled hud hud- masses yearning to breathe free may as well be replaced by we g give ve you a tired and poor huddled mass yearning to breathe free |