Our journey to see the wizard!

[ibbarry 12]

I feel a bit like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz!

Our green card journey has been long and, at times, tiring. So, how long have I been waiting?? Seventeen years! That may seem like a long time but we didn't always have the option to file for a green card. I met my spouse while on a working holiday in Taiwan in 1998. Although we always considered ourselves 'married', same sex relationships were not recognized by the US government for purposes of immigration until the Supreme Court ruling of 2013. We travelled to San Francisco and were married at City Hall on October 6, 2014. We started collecting our paperwork for the application process and filed our I-130 just after the first of the year (2015). After four months of waiting for USCIS processing, we received an RFE for evidence of a bona fide marriage. Done, submitted. Another few weeks of waiting for an approval. Finally, approval came on June 3. Next stop ... NVC.

Our case arrived at the NVC within a few weeks and we began a lightning round of processing. Thanks to the members on VisaJourney, I was ready for almost everything and completed the steps as quickly as possible. We were assigned a case number on June 29th and our case complete was August 19th. I was jumping for joy.

Now (this is where Dorothy and wizard come into the picture), we are waiting for an interview. When Dorothy came out of the forest she could see The Emerald City gleaming in the distance. She was nearly home! However, her journey was nowhere near complete. In the past few days I've seen several people post about their upcoming interview appointments. Although I'm happy for them, I can't help feeling a tinge of jealousy controlling the back of my mind. WHY can't WE have an interview?? When is OUR date going to be assigned??

I'm totally aware of how whiny I can allow myself to become, but I'm sooooo ready to go home. On one hand, I'm lucky ... I'm completing this process with my spouse by my side. I'm not sure if the journey would be nearly as tolerable if there were an ocean to separate us. The option is always available for me to travel to the US first, but I want to be next to my spouse when the CBP agent says those words, "Welcome to the United States!"

And so ... we wait ... we hope ... and we continue on this journey together. I'm genuinely happy for all those who have received their interview appointments and will soon be headed for their new lives in America. For those of you, like us, who are near the end and still waiting ... persevere and continue the journey. I'm hopeful we will be scheduled for an interview soon!

[bowens44 214]

Good luck to you and as we all know, in the Wizard of Oz everyone except the wicked witch of the west gets their hearts desire....it will come soon.

[SM & EF 41]

Congratulations on your marriage. Reading your post brought back memories of waiting for my husband's AOS process to be finalized. And just like you, waiting for the interview date sticks out in my mind. Of course once that happened, I was on to obsessing over the actual interview which is an even more tempting look at the finish line.

This all came back to me recently as we applied to remove conditions. Nearly two years have passed and the time we waited seems like nothing, but that's easy to say on the other side. Here's hoping the last few miles of your journey are filled with excitement and anticipation until you finally hear "You're approved" and "Welcome to the United States".

[ibbarry 12]

Thanks for sharing your inspirations and your stories!! The Wizard has indeed heard our request and given us our heart's desire!! Our interview has been scheduled for October 5th!! I'm literally jumping for joy!!

The Emerald City looks brighter and closer than ever!!

[Pitaya 2,577]

Welcome to the forum.

[ibbarry 12]

We had our interview this morning in Taipei and all is well. We passed with no problems. Very few questions from the clerk who prepared our documents and even less from the officer who did the actual interview. Questions were about my spouses current employment, when was the last time we visited the U.S., and then some questions about the AOS. I had a new AOS (current form) prepared with new asset figures. We have no income in the U.S. so we qualified based on the asset rules. No problem. There was a lot of waiting and waiting, but when our turn came it was very quick and easy! Thanks to all the members for all your help along the way!

[FabtheFab 67]

That's such a beautiful story. Sometimes I get upset for thinking this long immigration process is unjust, but you've waited for 17 years(!)...

I'm glad the world is changing its view on love, and that you finally have a chance to live with your spouse in your home country.

I wish you all the best, congratulations!

[SM & EF 41]

Congratulations! Hopefully now you get to enjoy an extended period of time without USCIS as a daily part of your life. Have fun!