Immigration

On the 23rd September '99, I arrived in the US on a "visa waiver". This waiver allows a traveller to stay in the US for up to 3 months, the only requirement being is a return ticket to one's own country.
   Our plans were that, at Christmas, Mike would take a 3 week vacation and accompany me back to New Zealand. This would give him a chance to meet my family and to also have a look around the country. We had also, via phone and before my departure, made the arrangements to marry while in NZ. We would then return to the US and live there until Mike's retirement, which would be early 2001. Mike's ticket was purchased and we would depart on the 20th December, just inside the 3 month expiration of my waiver. Well, you all know about best laid plans............
   Fortunately, before we filed any papers, we discovered a rather large glitch in our plans. We learned that to follow through with our arrangements would mean that Mike would have to return to the US alone! He would then have to file an application to bring me in as his spouse while I remained in NZ and waited for approval to join Mike. The time expected for this to be processed? About a year or more! As we had just got together, there was no way we were taking that course of action.
   What a predicament! Thank heavens for the internet, we found a wealth of immigration advice and warnings. Plan #2 was devised. We would marry in the US and then file for an "Adjustment of Status". So, on the 4th November, 99 we married, a very small ceremony in the local mayor's home with Mike's parents being the witnesses. A very different ceremony to what we had planned, but, time and place were immaterial. The changes didn't affect our happiness.
   Shortly after, we sat and attempted to fill the copious amount of details required on the various forms. One piece of information requested sent Mike on a chase, trying to find out the exact date that his mother passed away. As Mike had been very young, he didn't know, and of those who did know, there was agreement on the month and year, but not the day.
A visit to the cemetery was productive, the graves registrar knew the name of the funeral home concerned and contact with them was made. Luckily, the business had kept up with the times and all records had been put on computer and, within a short time, the exact date had been located.
   The required medical examination was arranged and at the completion of this, I was asked to come back in 20 min, at which time I was given a sealed report. It was stressed that the report had to be submited with our application and must be unopened. If open, or tampered with in any way, it would be invalidated. How frustrating to be holding an envelope stating the condition of one's health, yet not be permitted to read it. No chance to question the Dr as the report was handed to me by the office woman.

   Finally, we had everything in order. Our folder was bulging with copies of all the certificates�..birth, death, marriage, divorce, (from previous marriages, obviously), passport, tax forms, sponsorship form, medical reports and, of course, the necessary cheques for the fees to accompany the the Adjustment of Status, Employment Authorisation, Petition for Alien Relative, and Residency applications.
   Hearing many stories about Immigration, we took no chances that we might have missed something. Mid November saw us paying a visit to an Immigration lawyer. Laying out all the papers, we requested that he check the applications and file them after ensuring they were all filled out properly. Our luck(?) had us finding a very friendly and talkative lawyer, and, after glancing at the papers, he started to relate stories about different traffic incidents he had experienced, and the police officers actions. He was also keen to discuss NZ, but as his questions were met with very short answers, he didn't persue that discussion for long. All I could think was that, at around $250 an hour, I didn't want to talk about my country, nor hear how many tickets he might have collected for driving infringements!
   The lawyer informed us that once the papers were filed, I could not leave the country without applying for, and being granted, "Advance Parole". Without this valuable piece of paper, I would not get back into the US after our planned holiday in NZ. He advised that we make this application in about 2 weeks time, cutting it close to our trip, but we accepted his advice, after all, we were paying dearly for it.