August 2008 AOS Filers

[fendergirl 1]

Woot!!! Jeremy, congrats!!!

Thanks

For the record, my GC was approved without interview, with:

- A twenty year 'younger-man' age gap.

- No I-693C sent

- An incomplete DS-3025 vaccination supplement (no varicella entry, form sheet marked as 'incomplete').

- A USC spouse who makes only 36 dollars a year over 125% of the poverty line and who had only been in that position a short time.

- Only a letter of employment and a (woefully inadequate) 2007 tax return/W-2 as evidence of income.

Cool and for the record we have things in common..

no I693C sealed enveloped sent

an incomplete DS-3025, lacking the varicella, hpv, and there is one i forgot.

a good age gap difference

my husband earned just enough to be little above the poverty level

we do have employment letter and W2's though..

CONGRATSZ...

today i just received an email from CRIS it says card production ordered.

[Mo_Mati 2]

Hey Guys

So, not to hijac the thread---cause seriously, my heart goes out to those w/o their much deserved greencards.....and for those who have just gotten theirs CONGRATS

But seriously, yesterday was just one of those days where the "this sux" feelings came flooding in. Although the hubby has been looking for a job every freaking day since...well...months ago.....he still has not been able to land one. And it is not like he is too proud to apply for ANY job that he might be remotely qualified for. Tons of applications, emails, phone calls, working with Temp Agency, working with an employment specialist from his country, working as a volunteer to gain some skills and references, going to ESL class almost every day for the last 10 months, going to a good 10-15 interviews later....still has not been able to actually land a paying job. And this last one, I really was pretty hopefully that it was going to come through for him. But it just didn't. His priority has been to get working for a long time, and I know how important it is to him to contribute to the household, to feel like he is really estabilishing himself here in the US, and simply to feel produtive as a man, and it for some reason just broke my heart yesterday to think of how darn hard this has been. To be in limbo like this has made it hard for him to even think of going back to his country to visit family and friends, or to think of returning to school to finish the degree he left uncompleted to come here. He so wants to work. Why aren't the pieces falling into place!?? (rhetorical)

Sorry for the debbie downer moment....maybe someone else has had a similar experience??

[JeremyR 8]

jeremy actually this is my job iam a tarot card reader...did that in germany in tv...so iam a little bit famous ho ho

I'm impressed - I just checked back and you said I'd get the letter in two weeks.... 13 days ago

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Mo Mati, this economy is really not so good to be looking for work in. My husband is retired and might like to become "semiretired" but is not making it a priority for that reason. Two things you may be able to encourage him with: first of all, he IS contributing to the household! Money isn't the only way to do that and marriage is a partnership. Second, it is really difficult all around---it's the economy, not him, that is doing something wrong.

Also, I don't know what field he is in or was in before moving. Some things that can help is looking into agencies that do kind of temp to perm placements. Not sure if it's an option, but going back to school--even if it is just to a community college for some kind of certification--can often help. Employers will look at you differently if you can present yourself as a "recent graduate" rather than someone who has simply been out of work for a long time, even though that isn't really very fair. If there is something he is interested in learning more about---and it's feasible---that plus doing volunteer work could help him feel a bit less frustrated too. If nothing else, he can meet people on his own.

When I was out of work for a long time (I had quit my job to move with my former partner because of his job), I tried having a baby and then went back to school when that didn't work. But my former partner was able to support us both pretty easily, and I realize that is not an option for everyone.

Another thought---is there anything he can do as a home based business? Maybe translation work or gardening or lawn care? Pet sitting? That might not be a permanent solution, but at least he could bring in a bit of extra cash.

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

Hey Guys

So, not to hijac the thread---cause seriously, my heart goes out to those w/o their much deserved greencards.....and for those who have just gotten theirs CONGRATS

But seriously, yesterday was just one of those days where the "this sux" feelings came flooding in. Although the hubby has been looking for a job every freaking day since...well...months ago.....he still has not been able to land one. And it is not like he is too proud to apply for ANY job that he might be remotely qualified for. Tons of applications, emails, phone calls, working with Temp Agency, working with an employment specialist from his country, working as a volunteer to gain some skills and references, going to ESL class almost every day for the last 10 months, going to a good 10-15 interviews later....still has not been able to actually land a paying job. And this last one, I really was pretty hopefully that it was going to come through for him. But it just didn't. His priority has been to get working for a long time, and I know how important it is to him to contribute to the household, to feel like he is really estabilishing himself here in the US, and simply to feel produtive as a man, and it for some reason just broke my heart yesterday to think of how darn hard this has been. To be in limbo like this has made it hard for him to even think of going back to his country to visit family and friends, or to think of returning to school to finish the degree he left uncompleted to come here. He so wants to work. Why aren't the pieces falling into place!?? (rhetorical)

Sorry for the debbie downer moment....maybe someone else has had a similar experience??

We can totally relate to your experience. When Adriano first came to the USA, we were in NYC and because of this, he was able to find a job with surprising ease (only after about two weeks of search). The trouble came last June (about three months after his arrival in the USA) when we moved to Indiana because I am pursuing a PhD at the Univ of Notre Dame. The school is in a much smaller city, and not to mention, the millions of difference between living in a place like NYC and living in a medium-sized city in the Midwest.

After months of searching for work in South Bend with no success, he decided that he couldn't do it anymore, and that he was going back to NY to stay with my family and try to get his old job back. By the time he went back to NY, the economy had taken a steep decline and he was unable to get his old job back. The company was forced to lay off some of its workers, because the construction industry is in horrible shape right now, so hiring someone new was simply out of the question. He has been searching high and low since then, and even in a place like NYC he can't find work right now. The situation is pretty bad in my eyes. Some days are better than others, but he does get really down sometimes, and so do I. I just really hope that the economy changes soon, or that we can find a bit of luck in all of this, because I honestly don't know how much longer he can do it. He feels extremely unproductive, and like he is 'nessuno', a nobody. His English has gotten so much better because he is living with my family (who do not speak any other language), and it really is a shame that this is the situation at hand.

You are not alone, Mo Mati.

[Goldfee111 3]

here the same...i dont find a job here..i tried to work for target as a stocker...for me really a way down....in germany i made 5000$ a month and here no one will do card readings..i had some readings here and that what i said was right and it really happend in the way i said..but that was it..the people have no money to spend it for card readings thats luxus...its really hard when u had a lifestyle and gave it up and live now from hand in the mouth....i mean its not that we are in need..but for me its terrible not to have my own money

[Mo_Mati 2]

Thanks guys for the support and for concuring how hard this is. It seems like some people have great luck and find work very quickly (and I keep hoping that one day it will work out for all of us just like that). But, for others, it is clearly a much longer journey. And it is true, Songbird, that he contributes in SO many other ways (least of doing all of our house cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc), and he also understands that it isn't him but the economy. And yet...it is still hard to swallow every day.

We still try to answer the question of What More Can I Do?? He has been taking ESL daily for 10 months, has gotten volunteer jobs, has been working with a temp agency, has working with employment specialist (who is also chilean), today went to a training course for people looking for work, has built a group of friends who he really enjoys being with....but none of it replaces the feeling and experience of actually having a job. I know he still feels unsatisfied....Although we knew he would not be working when he immediately arrive here, he never really thought it was going to take THIS long.

And Susie, I can totally understand as I live in SB for 4 years (am also an ND grad) and cannot imagine trying to find work out there right now! Knowing that Obama has been out in Elkhart talking about unemployment rates and all, not good!

I figured that there were more people going through this than just ourselves. I will keep you all in my prayers, too, as we try to make it through THIS step of the immigration process....

[Zee Bee 61]

Any news from those of you still waiting?

[Dave_Thao 0]

Any news from those of you still waiting?

No new information a on our front. Just waiting. I can't figure out why we are waitng. So many others are getting approved when they filed months after us. Maybe it has somehting to do with our first K1 visa being denied and sent back. Our second attempt was successful.

It took over 2 years to get Thao's visa so I am used to waiting and obtaining no information from anyone in the government.

[TRELAWNY PARISH 10]

Any news from those of you still waiting?

I'm still waiting and praying...that's all I can do right now.

[EricC 0]

It has been stressful lately for me. My wife's interview on the 14th, and I haven't gotten much prepared yet (too busy preparing for the baby that is due April 24). I am also in the beginnings of starting my own business which is also taking up a lot of time. So little time so much to do!

[1507love 0]

Welcome letter arrived in the mailbox today out of the blue, no email, no updates...

[Dave_Thao 0]

Welcome letter arrived in the mailbox today out of the blue, no email, no updates...

Congrats! We both had touches on 1-12-09 so maybe things will start moving for us too.

[SonoranSongbird 3]

Yes, congratulations!

Good luck with the interview, Eric---and the baby!

[fendergirl 1]

As of April 6 2009 no GC yet. Hmmmmpfff don't know when it should arrived. got my welcome letter a week ago.