Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me…

My turn first.

My wife and I have been stuck in FBI Name Check for 3 years for our Green Card application. And you know the rest. Thousands and thousands dollars on EAD and AP applications/renewals. Cheap labor. No promotion opportunity. No job change. Career advancement? How about toilet?

Ironically, the initial reason we came to the U.S. IS for career advancement. Between my wife and me, we only have two doctoral degrees and three master-level degrees. And our only experience with law is being lawful.

My personal feeling is that the Name Check delay is like a murderous stalker. It always reminds you that you will never see the light at the end of the tunnel. If you understand the process of the Name Check, (which I bet nobody really do, including FBI themselves) it’s very likely that your file has never been opened.

We made inquiries; we asked for help; we wrote to the First Lady; we wrote to the Senator, the Congressman; we sent love letters to the FBI; we bent on knees before the USCIS, in person and over the phone. Our persistent quest does pay off, as evidence by the fact that we are still stuck.

We both have made career sacrifice but still, we worked in two cities 120 miles apart and only get together at weekends, thanks to the pending immigration status. Our daughter, just turning 4, already learned to recite “green card” and “name check cleared” whenever she blows out a candle.