After seeing The Proposal on Friday afternoon (Kellene and I played hooky in the middle of the work day to catch it — how cool is that!) I have to admit I had a moment of panic. After watching Sandra Bullock play a Canadian woman who is about to be deported, I thought about my current pending immigration status and got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.
What if they rejected my application to be a permanent resident?? What if they made me leave my husband and go back to Canada solo???
Needless to say, I started to worry. Considering after being summoned twice for my biometrics (a fancy, scary word for fingerprints) they both were rejected by the FBI. And what’s more, the evidence we had presented to them was not adequate to prove our situation. So we were asked to send in nothing less than the following:
- Notarized witness affidavits from people who have known Tim and I since before we were married, describing our state of marital bliss
- All the records possible (bank, car, credit cards, life insurance, health insurance, car insurance, phone records)
- A written statement in my own words about how we met, courted, etc. Who was at our wedding. Photos. Wedding invitations. (You’ll be happy to know I sent them a lovely little scrapbook with photos from our courtship and wedding. Be careful what you ask for, Department of Homeland Security…)
The picture from our wedding announcement, taken by Stephanie
Then Friday evening I got the letter from the Department of Homeland Security.
You are deemed to be a lawful permanent resident of the United States.
At long last! No strings attached! Conditions removed! No deportation! It’s been a long haul, baby. Phew!
Are you living in the country you were born in? Did you marry someone from another country? Have you jumped through the fiery hoops of immigration? Did you walk away unscathed? Do tell!
Sarah + Tim 
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