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I come from Scotland in the north of the UK. I married an American woman whom I love dearly and we are about to have a baby boy together. We agreed it would be easier for me to move across the Atlantic than for her to leave behind all her family and friends. All we want is to be together as a normal, law-abiding, loving, married couple and raise a family together. No great aspirations but not too much to expect either, is it?
We knew I would have to go through the whole immigration procedure and that it would take a while to get through all the red tape, as is the way of all governements and their various departments. So, we began to check out all the facts and figures we'd need. As a natural UK citizen, who has never been in trouble with the law, who is a citizen of a county which is Americas ally, who has worked and paid taxes all his life and has nothing to fear from authority, I did (foollishly) think that things would go smoothly. I should have known better!
First of all we were told, by the immigration service, that my wife could put in a form for an 'alien fiancee' and that would alow me to come to the US and get married withing 90 days of arriving here. Thereafter, I could stay, as a married person and apply for a change of status. Then we were told that it could take up to a year or more for the alien fiancee petition to be approved, during which time, I would have to remain in the UK, waiting and hoping the immigration service would get in touch. In addition to that, Danielle initially planned on sending the form in under the fee waiver scheme but we were later told that such forms were automatically rejected. It seems strange to even have a fee waiver scheme though if it really means nothing. Also points out how 'money talks'. It took about five months for them to get back to us to tell us that too!
A year apart was not something either of us wanted to consider though so I travelled back and forth a few times, under the UK/USA visa waiver scheme, which was costly and tiresome, not least because I was questioned by homeland security on each arrival into the USA.
The line of questioning was subtle but it was obvious that either the homeland security 'boys' are trained to suspect everyone and make their entry to the country as inhopistable as possible, or they suspected me because I had travelled back and forth to the US which marked me as more than just a tourist. Of course, I told them exactly why I was here but I was marked for 'secondary screening' on two occasions, which is a euphemism for being suspected of something but they had no idea what. In pracice, it means that your passport and travel documents are placed in a bright red or yellow folder and you are instructed to enter a nearby office which has opaque windows. Ominous indeed but then inside the office you are asked the same questions again. Why? Well, I suppose it keeps them in a job.
On one occasion, when I informed the homeland security guy that I had married an American, he asked, "What? Is there no good looking women in Scotland?". I kid you not! Needless to say, I treated that question with the contempt it deserved - and said nothing.
I returned to the USA again and, this time, we put in all the forms that would allow us to be together and let me stay in the US with Danielle, where I wanted to be. The full 'processing fees' of $1500 were paid at that time also. Within four weeks of putting the forms in, I received acknowledgement from the Immigration service. Money talks! I had to go and give my fingerprints, palm prints, eye scan and photographs for FBI screening. That cost us more money because the office was so far away and we had to fill up with gas for the vehicle.
That done, we returned home and that very day, the next letter from the immigration was waiting for me. Now I had to get a medical screening to make sure I was 'clean' and not bringing in any nasty bugs with me. The medical screening included STDs, HIV, TB, Hepatitis, Influenza and various childhod illnesses. That cost another $450 all told as you can only go to a doctor appointed by the immigration service. There is no consideration given, apparently, to my being potentially infected by any of the nasty bugs being carried around by Americans!!
I had to go to the local hospital to give blood and get a chest X ray for this and thats when I found out that the local hospital is only set up to deal with people who have a Social Security number and are being sent by their medicaid provider. If you are going privately and paying cash, they have no idea how to deal with you. Of course, all the tests came back fine and clear, as I knew they would (having been a health care professional in the UK for years) and now I am waiting for the immigration service to get back to me again.
One anecdotal thing was that, prior to my return to the US and starting the whole immigration thing, Danielle was doing her taxes and had to figure out what to do about me. The IRS's response was that I could file from the UK. In other words: they would'nt let me into the country, nor work there, before going through the whole red tape BS but I could pay taxes!? I'll leave my response up to your imagination!!
Suffice to say that on one hand I am extremely happy because I am with my wife and we're about to have a baby. On the other hand, I am um 'less than satisfied' with the bureaucracy, although that should come as no surprise as I was never enamoured by UK bureacracy either! :)
More later........
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Posted by scotslad60 on 2008-07-07 12:40:37 | Rating: | Views: 69
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Hope you are now safely ensconced in the US and congrats on impending fatherhood - take it from me, if you've the option of having both parents around in the weeks after your son arrives you really need it!
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Posted by rose22
on 2008-07-08 17:53:13
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Hope all goes well and that you can finally put all this behind you soon hun.
Hope danielle is doing ok too.
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Posted by misselusive
on 2008-07-10 06:55:47
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