Wednesday 12 November 2008

We're in the USA!!!!

By The Purple Banana on Wednesday 12 November 2008, 17:12

Finally!!!

After a long long wait, Gally and I we entered the U.S.A on October 30 2008.

It was a stressful journey.

First I had to prepare the move, you know packaging everything, closing different stuffs like cellphone account etc... It's not like moving from a city to another one... you have to think about all!

On October 28 evening, we was spending our last night in our apartment... not so easy to sleep well.

October 29, early in the morning i was finishing to pack our last stuffs. Luggages are ready, boxes for the movers too.

Movers came... it was pretty fast, i don't had so much. After that I cleaned completely the apartment. At 3 pm I gave back the keys to the landlord. And Gally and I we jumped in a cab with our 4 big luggages, 2 travel bags and my wedding dress.

OMG, how i will manage all of that!!!???

We spend our very last night in Paris in a hotel near the Airport.

I was worrying too much! everything went fine.

As soon we arrive to the airport, an airport employee was helping us with the luggages until the United Check-in line. There, A United employee told me that she will help us as soon the Chicago's check-in will be open.

And yes, Gally and I we don't had to do the long line for the check-in. The United employee helped us to reach the Business Class check-in, like that we don't had to wait.

The guy for the check-in was really nice also as he does not charged me for the luggages overweight.

And beside that Gally was really helpful. It's not easy for a 6 years old. But, she was nice all the time. The flight was good. We was tired... so we slept most of the time.

Then finally, we landed at Chicago O'Hare Airport!

The Immigration officer was really nice with us and Gally even received an U.S flag badge.

Richard was waiting us, Gally started to run when she saw him, screaming his name.

We are so happy!

Now start our new life in the USA with my Love Richard!

172 comments

Friday 1 August 2008

WE GOT IT!!!!

By The Purple Banana on Friday 1 August 2008, 10:28

After 162 days waiting we received finally our approval dated from July 23.

It took 156 days from our sending date to the approval!
I just feel so happy!

In some weeks now I will have the final interview at the embassy!

Soon Richard and I we will be together forever and longer!

92 comments

Thursday 17 July 2008

To be honnest

By The Purple Banana on Thursday 17 July 2008, 11:14

I'm going crazy!!!!!!!

We're waiting now since 150 days and still no news from the USCIS.

I gonna to repeat myself, but, I can tell I had to deal with a lot of hard things in my life but that wait is really the hardest.

I feel bas as its possible to feel. And I have to hide it a lot, 'cause I can't be sad and crying in front of my little one.

...

92 comments

Wednesday 25 June 2008

My horoscope of the day

By The Purple Banana on Wednesday 25 June 2008, 11:30

I know, its horoscope.... so nothin real...
But I would like that that one is true!!!

YOUR HOROSCOPE
25 June 2008

Mercure invite natives to be more open toward the outside. For some, it will travel questions or friends abroad. For others, it might be to accept a job abroad for a while longer or shorter. In fact, everything that relates abroad will likely factor.

77 comments

Monday 23 June 2008

Day 126... and still waiting

By The Purple Banana on Monday 23 June 2008, 21:25

Receipt Number: WACxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Application Type: I129F, PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Current Status: Case received and pending.

On February 19, 2008, we received this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E), and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case. Please follow any instructions on this notice. We will notify you by mail when we make a decision or if we need something from you. If you move while this case is pending, call customer service. We process cases in the order we receive them. You can use our processing dates to estimate when yours will be done. This case is at our CALIFORNIA SERVICE CENTER location. Follow the link below to check processing dates. You can also receive automatic e-mail updates as we process your case. Just follow the link below to register

And for now that's all. Every days... or i have to say a lot of time by days, each time I go to my USCIS account I see the same message...
It start to be so long without news.

I still try to make me busy as I can... but its not easy to get the process out of my mind. I know, i'm not blogging also... I'm sorry about that. But if I post it don't gonna to be silly or funny... and reading someone complaining will be not funny too...

So...

I'm still there, will do my best to still blogging a bit.

And I hope I'll be able to give you great news soon

66 comments

Wednesday 28 May 2008

Happy 100 days waiting Bday to us!

By The Purple Banana on Wednesday 28 May 2008, 14:56

And so... yes 100 days waiting today since we sent our petition to the U.S.C.I.S...

It's not really something I wanted to celebrate but... it's like that.

For sure I will prefer to shout : WE GET APPROVED!!!

But not right now.

We still have to wait.

Hopefully it will be soon now.

74 comments

Friday 16 May 2008

work, eat and sleep...

By The Purple Banana on Friday 16 May 2008, 10:45

In French we say "Metro, boulot, dodo"... that can be translate by : Transportation, Work, Night Night...

OR

Like that

84 comments

Monday 5 May 2008

The K1 and the K2

By The Purple Banana on Monday 5 May 2008, 12:39

Let's talk a bit about immigration today.

Nope..., unfortunately no news from the U.S.C.I.S.

Just today I'm doing another big step about my case.
I already told you almost all my knowledge about the K1 (fiancé) visa process. But at this time I didn't told you about the K2.

K2?

What is she talking about?

As you maybe know, I have 2 daughters. A big one, Natacha, she's 20 and a little one, Gally, she's 5 and half (I have to say the half, 'cause if not she'll yell at me). Natacha will not follow me to the U.S.A or maybe later when she'll have finished her studies.
But Gally, yes! So, she is on the K2 visa process. The K2 is "The visa category for the minor children of a K-1 visa holder". OK, 'till there nothing too complicated.

But!

Do you think really that you can immigrate with your child just, like that?

No, not really!

You'll have to prove that the other parent allows you to do that.

When we was preparing the petition, I searched all the informations I was able to find about that.
Like, what kind of paperworks will be efficient as a proof.
I didn't found officials informations... I have to say... again... that U.S.C.I.S's website and embassy's websites are badly incomplete...
I read that an authenticated letter from the other parent would be sufficient.
But, as I didn't want to take the risk to be denied. I decided to do it in the most official way.

So right now, I'm writing the draft of that post on a notepad sitting in the bus. I'm on the way to the family court.

Gally's dad and I we hired a lawyer to write our agreement. Today, after almost 3 months waiting, we have our appointment with the "Juge Aux Affaires Familiales", the family judge, to legalize our agreement. Like that I'll have a court order that allows me to immigrate with my little sweetheart.
My guess is that I can't have a better proof than that.

...

Now, I'm in the court waiting room. I feel good even if I'm a little bit stressed. I'm pretty sure all will be OK, but 'till all of that will be done, there's still a risk that Gally's dad change his mind.

It's right now 10:20, the appointment is at 10:30...

OK, keep cool, all will be good.

Lawyer arrive, Gally's dad arrive...

...

After a while the clerk calls us.

We enter in a simple office, the judge was waiting us with a nice smile on her face. After we greeted ourselves all and named. She read the agreement and said that it seems that we both agree with everything. With our positive answer, she informed us whereas she will ratify the request on May 19.
And we left the office.

DONE!

Now I just have to wait the lawyer call to have the final order.

I feel better now, i can breathe. I'm completely able to immigrate in the U.S.A with my little love.

132 comments

Sunday 13 April 2008

Processing time

By The Purple Banana on Sunday 13 April 2008, 12:33

The worse part

Oh yes, let me tell you,how it works exactly, each step and estimated processing time.

Preparing your petition (for us it was around 2 weeks)
Sending the petition to the Service Center.
Receiving the Notice Of Action 1 (1 week)
Receiving the Notice Of Approval 2* (between 2 months and 6 months)
It's the longest and the worse part.
Why?
'cause as soon the Service Center will receive your petition, they will just put your file on a rack. And then your petition will be not processed before all the petitions received before yours are processed. During that time you'll hear nothing from the Service Center. It means that you'll not know if all is good with you petition or not.
And by the way, there is 2 Service Centers they're in charge of processing that kind of Visa :
- Vermont Service Center (VSC), it look like they process petitions pretty fast, within 2 months.
- California Service Center (CSC), the slowest one, not less than 4 months.
And you know what... (cry), our center is the CSC...
Service Center send your file to NVC (National Visa Center) (1 week)
NVC send your file to the U.S Embassy in your country (between 1 and 2 weeks)
Embassy send to you (the foreign fiancé(e) what they call : packet 3 (between 1 and 2 weeks)
Packet 3 is the list of :
- all the paperworks you'll need for your Visa interview
- all the new forms you have to fill for your Visa interview
When you'll have all done for packet 3, you have to tell the Embassy by sending them the checklist.
Sending the packet 3 checklist to the Embassy (if you prepared all before receiving packet 3 (all forms and instructions may be download in advance) 1 day, more if you're not ready)
Embassy send to you (the foreign fiancé(e) what they call : packet 4 (instructions how to process the medical exams) (1 week)
Embassy give you your Interview date. (it use to be sent at the same than the packet 4)
Interview. (between 1 or 4 weeks after the packet 4)
Visa in hand. (around 1 week after the interview).

So between the date you sent your petition 'till you'll have your Visa it can be 4 or 8 months... or more
So now you'll have to find how you can kill time.

* Notice Of Approval 2 : It mean that your case is approved by the U.S.C.I.S

35 comments

Saturday 12 April 2008

Starting the journey

By The Purple Banana on Saturday 12 April 2008, 20:20

Now that we know all about U.S immigration we can start the journey.

In our case we spent something like 2 weeks to collect all paperworks, filling the forms, collecting our relationship evidence that we need regarding the Fiancé Visa (K1) guides on Visa Journey.

February 18 2008 we sent our petition to the California Service Center (Our U.S.C.I.S center), some days after we received the Notice of Action 1 (It mean just that they received the petition).
Ok now, Immigration Services has our file.

What we have to do now?

About immigration, almost nothing but already checking forms and paperworks for the next step.
Beside that, we just can wait as our file will just take the dust for 3 or 4 months or more if we're unlucky.

And also we can start to prepare the move and thinking about the wedding. I will tell you about that, you'll see its also not easy.

58 comments

Visa journey

By The Purple Banana on Saturday 12 April 2008, 12:37

So, after reading the immigration forms and starting being scary.
You want to have more informations, 'cause you really don't want to make mistakes

Back to do again some search online with best friend. The best thing you'll find is the Visa Journey Forum.
Its the best place to have a lot information, to find a lot of peoples in the same boat than you.

There you'll have a lot of advice, guides and tips about how to do in the best way your visa petition.
'Cause i have to say, the U.S.C.I.S website is incomplete and it does not tell exactly what you have to do.

Without Visa Journey, you'll miss things in your petition.

BUT!

In the same time, Visa Journey is a scaring place.

WHY?

Because you'll figure out that it will be months before you'll get your visa! :((

125 comments

How to immigrate in the U.S.A when you're engaged with an US Citizen?

By The Purple Banana on Saturday 12 April 2008, 10:31

That's a big question.

Now, we're lucky. With Internet we can find all the informations we need very easy.
Some keywords in our best friend and there we are.

Huh, there we are.... almost.

Look what you can find on the U.S.C.I.S (U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services) website :

Application Procedures: Bringing a Fiancé(e) to Live in the United States

Only a U.S. citizen may file USCIS Form I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)) on behalf of a fiancé(e).

The U.S. citizen filing the petition must provide the following items to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (more complete instructions are on USCIS Form I-129F):

Form I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) (if your fiancé(e) has unmarried children who are under 21, they are eligible to accompany your fiancé(e), but only if they are listed on this form.)

Evidence of your U.S. citizenship - your original U.S. birth certificate, your U.S. passport, your Certificate of Naturalization, or your Certificate of Citizenship. (Please see USCIS Form I-129F for information on the use of copies.)

2 Form G-325A Biographic Data Sheets (one for you and one for your fiancé(e))

One color photo of you and one of your fiancé(e) taken within 30 days of filing (please see Form I-129F for more instructions on photos).

A copy of any divorce decrees, death certificates, or annulment decrees if either you or your fiancé(e) have been previously married.

Proof of permission to marry if you or your fiancé(e) are subject to any age restrictions. (For instance, in some U.S. states, you must receive special permission to marry if you are under the age of 16.)

Looks pretty easy... not really.
At that step you're highly excited, you start to download all the forms they talk about.
You read them, you read again and again and again.

And then your realized that you gonna to put your love story in the hand of the administration.

AND NOW YOU START TO BE REALLY SCARY!

37 comments

Let's go to the USA with Miss Yoko

Immigration