What the ....

[kud 0]

Had our Citizenship Interview yesterday. My Wife passed the Interview, but we are on hold because a second A file that is missing. One of our Russian Friends had the same problem and it took 4 years to clean up. I sure hope we will be faster. Our Russian friend was here on his own (no American relation). I guess, I will give them a little time and then it will be time to sick my Senator on them.

[akdiver 3]

Had our Citizenship Interview yesterday. My Wife passed the Interview, but we are on hold because a second A file that is missing. One of our Russian Friends had the same problem and it took 4 years to clean up. I sure hope we will be faster. Our Russian friend was here on his own (no American relation). I guess, I will give them a little time and then it will be time to sick my Senator on them.

Huh? What do you mean "a second A file that is missing" ??

[peejay 327]

Sorry to hear the bad news Kud. I remember your wife's US citizenship timeline was similar to my wife's. My wife just had her successful interview on May 13 and we are now waiting for the letter to tell us when the next naturalization ceremony she will be scheduled for.

US-CIS lost my stepdaughter's medical file when she went in for the AoS interview a couple of years ago. We had to get her another medical exam (at our extra expense) even though it was their fault they lost it. They lost my wife's too, but her interviewer didn't RFE us on it. My stepdaughter's interviewer nailed her on it though and decided to make an issue out of it. It just shows how flakey and fickle the system is. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

Good luck to you. I hope it eventually gets straightened out for you and your wife.

[slim 1,530]

Yes, what is this second A file?

And peejay's story just goes to show the value of having a copy "packet" of everything you send in. While you're making your papers, make a copy of everything you submit. For something like the "sealed medical file" that you get from a civil surgeon, make sure they give you a copy of what's sealed inside. If worse comes to worst you can go back to the civil surgeon and have them "seal" it for you or you can seal it up yourself. (If a seal is even required.)

[peejay 327]

Yes, what is this second A file?

And peejay's story just goes to show the value of having a copy "packet" of everything you send in. While you're making your papers, make a copy of everything you submit. For something like the "sealed medical file" that you get from a civil surgeon, make sure they give you a copy of what's sealed inside. If worse comes to worst you can go back to the civil surgeon and have them "seal" it for you or you can seal it up yourself. (If a seal is even required.)

At the time I wondered whether to raise a stink about the RFE on my stepdaughter's AoS. My wife and stepdaughter dutifully handed the sealed envelopes to the immigration people at Houston Intercontinental Airport. The US-CIS office is about 2 miles from the airport and still the files managed to get lost.

I thought about it and decided it would be easier and quicker just to get another immigration physical done for my stepdaughter rather than risk a delay in her getting the 2 year Green Card. Not that I have money to burn, but I just decided it was better for her to get the Green Card quickly. Her EAD might have expired before US-CIS got the lost file straightened out. There is nothing worst than having a 19 year old kid without something constructive to do. And earning wages is constructive.

I'm not quite sure if Kud's problem is as easy to fix as ours was.

[slim 1,530]

There is nothing worst than having a 19 year old kid without something constructive to do.

How about a 28-year-old woman with no friends, nowhere to go, and no money to do anything?

[peejay 327]

There is nothing worst than having a 19 year old kid without something constructive to do.

How about a 28-year-old woman with no friends, nowhere to go, and no money to do anything?

I can sympathize. At one time I had 2 adult women on my hands and it was tough finding enough stuff to do to keep them both occupied. After 4+ years it has improved somewhat.

The stepdaughter lives with her 3rd USA boyfriend now. She mostly has her own life except when she wants something. That something is almost always money to supplement her meager wages. I stopped coughing up cash to her a long time ago, so her mom gives her money from her own savings (not mine). I tried to send her to college, but she partied that opportunity away along with other stuff I did to attempt get her established in the USA. Her only hope now is to find a guy to support her the rest of her life. So far that hasn't worked out either. So far she hasn't managed to make more than $6000 a year since she started working here in the USA. She doesn't have a car and rides the bus to work even though she has a drivers license. She can't afford another car after wrecking the one we bought her.

My wife worked at the Catholic school in our neighborhood, but school is out for the summer. Now I have her home all the time and am back to trying to keep her occupied. She has lots of American and Russian friends here, but hangs all the time with me while I'm home from work. That's great, but I have things I need to do and I would like to hang out with the guys every once in a while and do guy stuff. I see my old buddies rarely anymore. The Catholic school was jus a part time gig anyway. My wife says she wants a full time gig that makes more than the minimum wage she gets now with zero benefits. So far she hasn't made more than $12,000 a year yet. I bought her the car she drives.

So far their arrival and life here in the USA is an ongoing process. They do have friends and places to go, but not nearly enough money. It took them a while to get to this point. The whole story is too long to fit in one post.

Good luck with your wife. All you can do is to be supportive and try to get her moving forward. It ain't always easy.

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

There is nothing worst than having a 19 year old kid without something constructive to do.

How about a 28-year-old woman with no friends, nowhere to go, and no money to do anything?

Just get her pregnant slim worked for me

[Neonred 3,642]

There is nothing worst than having a 19 year old kid without something constructive to do.

How about a 28-year-old woman with no friends, nowhere to go, and no money to do anything?

Just get her pregnant slim worked for me

Get a dog. She will be happy, and you won't go to jail for leaving it locked up inside your home in a cage. Worked for me

Edited May 26, 2008 by Neonred

[akdiver 3]

Man....threads like this make me so thankful. Last week, my wife had two interviews for 50K+/year jobs. Second interview for one of them this week. You guys make me feel lucky.

Slim - I dunno what to tell ya man. If the work ethic ain't there to begin with, gonna he hard to help her do something useful with herself. I'm sure you've had these conversations with her already though.

Good luck!

td

[slim 1,530]

I can sympathize. At one time I had 2 adult women on my hands and it was tough finding enough stuff to do to keep them both occupied. After 4+ years it has improved somewhat.....

........My wife says she wants a full time gig that makes more than the minimum wage she gets now with zero benefits. So far she hasn't made more than $12,000 a year yet. I bought her the car she drives.

So far their arrival and life here in the USA is an ongoing process. They do have friends and places to go, but not nearly enough money. It took them a while to get to this point. The whole story is too long to fit in one post.

Good luck with your wife. All you can do is to be supportive and try to get her moving forward. It ain't always easy.

Peejay, this post scares the daylights outta me. I don't know if we can survive two-and-a-half more years of her working "part-time" and just doing basically whatever she wants to do. And man, I feel for you, you've got it times 2.

So even having friends here doesn't help? I was kind of hoping once she found some friends here they'd get her butt in gear explaining how it takes two people working, HARD, to be able to take vacations and travel the world and have diamonds and all that stuff. Not just a husband.

I guess we're going to have to find a different approach.

Just get her pregnant slim worked for me

So now that she's had a kid she's "pulling her weight" when it comes to bills or she's dropped the expectations of the "fabulous life?" I have a feeling my wife would only "upgrade" her expectations to include the kid(s). "We must have more big house because now we have children. And husband must be work extra more hard because he must pay for nice stuff."

I have no problem with a wife filling that role, but that's a role that we can't afford right now and that we've not planned on. As far as I know, there's still something about the Caribbean and diamonds and a big house and without her working a "real" job, none of that is going to be possible.

Man....threads like this make me so thankful. Last week, my wife had two interviews for 50K+/year jobs. Second interview for one of them this week. You guys make me feel lucky.

Slim - I dunno what to tell ya man. If the work ethic ain't there to begin with, gonna he hard to help her do something useful with herself. I'm sure you've had these conversations with her already though.

I'm glad you now realize how lucky you are. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if my wife stopped being a financial burden on me and not only contributed something, but competed with me monetarily. No matter how many times I explain the budget or show her how spending/earning works, it just doesn't matter. She's going to do what she wants to do. It seems it's OK for a wife to be selfish because she's beautiful and no matter what she does (or fails to do) it's still my privelige to be married to her.

For some reason, she's unable to grasp the concept of two people making $50,000+ = $100,000+. She seems to be under the impression that if she makes whatever she wants to make (under $10,000) that eventually, her husband will just magically make more because eventually he'll get it through his thick head that he should be working a second and third job to get her whatever she wants. It must be so nice to have a woman who is self-sufficient and doesn't rely on her husband for 100% of her happiness.

And neonred, I've already bought her two cats. They worked for about a week. Then it was back to being my fault for not having enough money for her to go out and do what she wants to do to find "real" friends.

How did you guys get your "unmotivated" wives to get out and do something useful? Or are you still working through the process?

[eekee 182]

How did you guys get your "unmotivated" wives to get out and do something useful? Or are you still working through the process?

I don't think it's possibile.

Edited May 26, 2008 by eekee

[Satellite 1]

How did you guys get your "unmotivated" wives to get out and do something useful? Or are you still working through the process?

Have you tried the education route yet? My wife for example has yet to bring in $10k a year but she has always been going to school full time (for free I must add) and working part time, granted those jobs don't pay much. However, she will have her BA next year and if all is well should rap up a masters program the following year. And with any luck she should be making as much if not more as AK's wife in two years time.

[eekee 182]

How did you guys get your "unmotivated" wives to get out and do something useful? Or are you still working through the process?

Have you tried the education route yet? My wife for example has yet to bring in $10k a year but she has always been going to school full time (for free I must add) and working part time, granted those jobs don't pay much. However, she will have her BA next year and if all is well should rap up a masters program the following year. And with any luck she should be making as much if not more as AK's wife in two years time.

If someone doesn't really think they should have to work, I don't see how education would help.

[Satellite 1]

If someone doesn't really think they should have to work, I don't see how education would help.

I agree in part, in our case my wife doesn't find being a sales associate, front desk, kitchen help, babysitter, etc., for $10/h or less to be very rewarding. Maybe a job that applies an acquired education and has more responsibility and of course pays well will be a motivation for others. Of course someone who has no motivation to work, will unlikely find a motivation to go to school.