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Brian & I are submitting the paperwork for Brian (a Canadian citizen) to become a Permanent Resident of the US. Because
he's the spouse of a US Citizen (me!) we have some special paperwork (plus fees!) to submit:
I-130, Petition for
Alien Relative
I-485, Application for Permanent Resident
*(both of these require supporting documents including
a certified copy of my US Birth Certificate, Brian's "long form" Canadian Birth Certificate, certified copies of
both of our divorce decrees, and a certified copy of our marriage certificate, plus Biographical Data sheets (G-325A), including
Immigration Photos (which are NOT the same as passport photos) of both of us)
I-131, Request for Travel Documentation
*(required so that Brian can freely leave and re-enter the US while waiting for his Green Card, requires photos)
I-102,
Request for Initial/Replacement Arrival/Departure Record
*(required because Brian is a Canadian citizen & under "visa
waiver" so they didn't stamp his passport at the Point of Entry to the US)
Affidavit of Support
*(whereby I
declare that I am financially capable of Sponsoring Brian for the next 10 years - once this process is complete, I am responsible
for keeping him off of Welfare for that period, whether we remain married or not. supporting documentation includes my current
paystub, plus my US Tax Returns for the past 3 years)
IRS-9003, Declaration of US Income
*(stating that Brian had
no income from US sources nor was required to submit US Tax Returns for the past 3 years)
I-785, Employment Authorization
Document
*(requesting authorization for Brian to get a job in the States, requires photos)
>>WHEW!<<
I called the INS National Customer Service Center late last week to confirm the following:
1. The Cleveland
INS office only accepts EADs on Tuesdays between 8am and 1pm; and
2. Since we're submitting the EAD as part of a 485/130
package, that we need to submit the whole package together with the EAD in person on a Tuesday between 8am and 1pm.
They
confirmed this information.
So, after finally getting all of the supporting documentation together this past Sunday,
we made plans to go to the local Cleveland INS office today.
We got there at about 7:45. There was already a line
down the hallway. At 8:00 am, they opened the door & said that if you're here for EAD, to just wait in line here and
if you're here for Anything Else, to take a number, and come in to the waiting room & wait. Leaving Brian in line, I
went up to the desk and said, "We are filing the EAD as part of a 485/130 package. Do we need to take a number or wait
in the EAD line?" The lady at the desk told me that we needed to wait in the EAD line, so we did.
When our
turn came (30-35 minutes later), we went up to the desk and spoke to the VERY SAME LADY I SPOKE TO BEFORE (!!) and gave her
our 485/130 package. She said, "You haven't filed the 485 already?" I said, "No." She said, "Well
you need to submit it by mail to this address." I said, "But I called the National Customer Service Center and
they said to do it all in person." She said, "Yeah, sometimes they tell people the wrong information. You need
to submit it by mail to this address, then when you get the INS receipt, come back on a Tuesday with the EAD application."
ARGH!!
We proceeded to the Post Office to mail the applications in. We decided to send it via Priority
Mail, Certified, Return Receipt Requested. Cost us about $7.55. This way, we will have confirmation that the mail was received
in their mail room. After that, we wait for the Receipt from the INS itself, which will (I think) assign an Alien Number
to Brian, which will need to be used on the EAD application. Fortunately, Cleveland does "same day" EAD processing,
so that Tuesday when we go back to the INS, he'll get the EAD that day.
Now we wait....
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