Immigration Woes

Yay - I have a visa!!!

Hubs and I are in the throes of what I hope to be one of our last immigration battles for a long time.  Yes, we still have to battle with immigration, even after all this time.  Bringing hubs over from Honduras was not an easy feat - and NOT a cheap feat either.  It took forever, resulted in the death of many trees, and emptied my bank account (again and again and again).  Here is what we have accomplished so far:

1. Filed for a K-1 Fiance Visa (took six months and cost almost $500).
2. Had an interview at the Honduran embassy (cost $136 for the interview plus my airfare to and from Honduras and a hotel).
3. Received the visa.
4. Flew to the U.S. and had another interview at Customs at the airport (this was free minus the airfare).
5. Got married (this was great, not free, but costs cannot be blamed on immigration).
6. Adjusted hubs's status from Fiance visa to Permanent Resident with Conditions (this cost over $1000 and took 3 months and required fingerprints).
7. Removed Conditions from Residency (cost $600, required fingerprints again, may require an interview, and seems to be taking FOREVER) <-- This is where we are now...waiting for his new residency card which should be good for ten years.

So, as you can see it's been a long and expensive process (and we still aren't finished).  Of course I love my hubs and would do it all over again if need be, but I want to complain right now. 

And I want to complain even more because in February hubs finally went and got his driver's permit (since he had never had a real license he has to have a permit for nine months, take driver's ed, and then pass his driving test).  Well, MVA/DMV (whatever your state calls it) made his permit expire on the day his residency card expired which was in June.  So, he only had his permit for four months.  And now they insist that he can't have another permit until his new card comes in the mail.

Well, immigration already sent a letter extending his residency card for a year because it takes SO LONG for them to process the new cards and for some reason MVA/DMV won't accept the letter.  So his permit is in limbo.  And when I looked at the immigration website they say they are just now processing applications from AUGUST 2011!!!  Umm, hello, that is almost a year.  This could take forever....

And, HELLO, he is suppose to drive me to the hospital when I go into labor in September!!!

So, I have decided to take action and request to see the law that states he can't get a new permit and then write to my trusty congress person.

I'm sure I will lose, but I'll feel better.

And I'll feel even better when his card comes in and we don't have to deal with immigration for another ten years!!!


P.S. When I look back at photos of my husband he looks SO YOUNG and SO SKINNY!  I sure have fattened that boy up (and he sure has fattened me up too :-)).  I must have been younger back then too because he didn't look so young to me then...although I feel like I look the same.  Funny stuff!