Immigration Madness

The wait to be together is becoming increasingly difficult.  We miss each other terribly and I'm starting to lose my mind over the whole situation.  I can openly admit that I am not the easiest person to deal with and I am afraid that soon I will drive my dear darling crazy.  The process to get a foreign national into America, permanently and legally, is long and arduous at best.  As a natural born American, I will admit that I am accustomed to having most things readily available and convenient to me.  I am struggling with the complexity and length of this process. We have been working on this process for over a year now and we are still waiting to get him here with me.

 

 

 

 

So the American Embassy in Doha called to say that they were able to move Arnold's Visa interview to June 9, 2012!  Exciting news! But, you knew there had to be a but, he needs to have a copy of his NBI (National Beareau of Investigation) from the Philippines to present at his interview.  We have not yet obtained this and we are now in the process of scrambling.  Luckily, his sister, who lives in the Philippines, has agreed to help us by doing the leg work there for us.   Good news is that the NBI clearance can be obtained the same day it is requested.  The bad news is that it must be authenticated through the Department of Foreign Affairs. Apparently this process takes ten days, which is far too long for an interview this Sunday.  The really bad news is that if he doesn't interview this Sunday they will push his interview date even further back than our originally scheduled July 23 date.  They told him it would be moved to July 30.  So as of now, his interview is scheduled for July 30; that is if we can obtain his authenticated NBI clearance from the Philippines in time for it to be sent to him in Qatar.

 

At this time we do need to say a very big thank you to Arnold's family.  They are instrumental in helping us with Arnold's visa.  Without their assistance, I am certain that we would not be able to get him to America in 2012.  I can't imagine how much more difficult this process would be without them.  They have been such a blessing to us and I am grateful to be considered a member of the family.

 

 

Interesting tidbits:

If Arnold decides to become naturalized citizen rather than a permanent resident, then after three years of residency then he can become a citizen once he passes the difficult test.  He can maintain his Filipino citizenship; therefore, becoming a dual citizen of both the Philippines and America.  Now, if I decided to become a citizen of the Philippines it would require ten years of residency, rather than three, and I would be required to renounce my American citizenship.  I would not be allowed to hold dual citizenship.  I would be more than willing to do whatever it took to hold dual citizenship; unfortunately, it is not a possibility for me. :(