Immigration Frustrations

When I went to the Philippines I handed over the large stack of papers to Arnold so that he can take them to the U.S. Embassy in Qatar in preparation for his interview.  There were a couple of things he needed to complete prior to taking his paperwork to the Embassy.

 

 

After obtaining his Qatari police clearance, completing his biometric testing and paying the visa fees at a local bank, Arnold was finally ready to take his paperwork to the Embassy.  On his first attempt to submit his paperwork, he was met with locked doors and a sign indicating that Embassy was closed for an American Memorial Day Holiday, even though it was Sunday and Memorial is celebrated on Monday. So it was very frustrating.  We had to wait two more days for his second attempt. Luckily, on his second attempt his paperwork was accepted; but we would need to wait for a call from the Embassy to determine the date of his interview.

Earlier today Arnold received a call from the Embassy indicating that he would need to obtain an National Bureau of Investigation clearance from the Republic of the Philippines. This is apparently different from a police clearance which is what we obtained when we were in the Philippines in March.  Due to the fact that Arnold will need time to obtain the NBI clearance the U.S. Embassy set his appointment date for July 23.  This means that it will be approximately September 1 before he is able to come to America as Arnold needs to provide his employer with a 30 day notice.

 

 

This has me thoroughly frustrated; but, unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it. Our hands are tied and we must continue to be strong while we wait for our time to come. I must admit that the wait is becoming challenging as I am very anxious to start life with Arnold by my side.  All of the hopes I had for spending a great summer with Arnold have been taken from me and I am powerless to change it. So for now I will wish the summer away and hope for an early fall.