Rollercoaster status

As you know I am originally from Scotland, and for the last five years I have been in the process of becoming a permanent resident (not a citizen).

Let me start from the beginning; I moved out here when I was 21 years old holding a 10 year visa not sure whether I would live in California for that long or move back home to Edinburgh. I unexpectedly was offered a job at my church to be the general office manager assistant, moved in with a family, who are now my American family and before I knew it had started to put down roots and make California my home.

About four years ago I started researching what it would look like to be eligible to file for a green card otherwise known as permanent residency here in the united states. A year of on and off research I hesitatingly decided that I would hire a lawyer and with their help try to get a green card.  Never having a peaceful feeling about moving forward but with much encouragement and support from friends and family I decided to go for it. So I filled out the paperwork, signed the check, waited...and waited...and waited...and waited...two months later I still had not heard a word back from the government. I thought,"This is strange, surely I would have received something by now," so I checked in with my lawyer who had been terrible at communicating. I spent the next four months getting his full mailbox, out of office sick or on vacation messages, vague email responses that were far and few between or unanswered, a few text message responses, then finally he fell off the grid. I was a victim of fraud! Still now when I think about it I am in disbelief, he had come highly recommended and been a former member of my church. So surely I had thought he was trustworthy but instead he abused it and taken my money never submitting any of my applications. Now looking back, having forgiven and let go, I realized that the turmoil that I had had in making the decision to go for it was a little red flag from God that I had proceeded to ignore. Piece of advice, always trust your gut, that is usually were God directs me. My spirits were down and hopes of staying in the states had dwindled. On a happier note I had three years left to enjoy life in California, then I planned to move home and be with my family (hey, it was a great conciliation).

A year had passed all the while planning to move home at the end of 2014, little did I know what was to come, God had a different plan. Over the next two years my friendship with Carl shifted from friends to best friends then we began dating (there is a lot of history with us, anyone who knows us and our story knows it was not fairy tale material potential, perhaps Rom-com though, but I will keep our romance story for another day). I had forgotten about the fact that I had to leave in Jan 2015 as I was completely enveloped in my love bubble with Carl, nothing else mattered at the time. On March 17th 2013 in the middle of Tuolumne Meadows, Carl asked me to marry him, elated, excited and so in love I obviously said, "YES!" There it was, problem solved, we were getting married which means I can automatically stay in America right? Wrong! After we had the wedding of our dreams on April 5th, 2014 so forth began the paper work, gathering evidence, medical screenings, vaccinations, and check writing once again. This stuff stresses me out to the max, any small mistake like misspelling a word or accidentally checking the wrong box means having to re-do the entire form. I had warned Carl that I get overwhelmed and frustrated with it all, bless him he stuck in there with me with all my bad words, snippy remarks and hissy fits. Over the course of a week or so we had filled out all the forms, done lots of photocopying, been to doctor appointments and had blood taken we were ready to submit.

Only having to wait two weeks before we got notice that I had to go have my finger prints taken and retinas scanned, it was all happening so quick I was shocked this was all actually happening. Then about a month and half later we got our second notice for the final in person interview. I gathered and organized all of our documents and copies in to two file folders, dressed nicely and off we went to the UCIS building. We sat in the waiting room for just over an hour in complete peace acting like children; giggling, annoying each other, using the bathroom too many times and showing public affection whilst everyone else sat in silence looking forward waiting for their names to be called. I made a bet with Carl that they would mispronounce my name because apparently no one knows that GE makes a J sound instead of a G. The door opened "Sarah Hanson" it took us a minute to register that she was calling me, she completely bypassed my first name because she didn't know how to pronounce it (ha I won). Forty five minutes later after verifying dates, times, looking at photos and personal questions, I was approved!!!

 I was happy and relieved but felt confused, like shouldn't that have been a little bit harder? Having had a few days to process it over the weekend I came to a conclusion that for the last three years I have lived in a state of uncertainty. I was bound to the US for the last three years and now I am free. I have a choice. I have freedom. I have control over my life again. It all sounds a bit extreme and dramatic but we couldn't travel outside of America which meant our honeymoon had to be in one the 50 states, if I had moved home I was no longer able to come back into America, if I had not been approved we were forced to move back to Scotland but now Carl and I have freedom to choose. It feels liberating yet feels the same all at once. 

We had booked flights to go home over Christmas, I haven't been able to return there for the past three years, Carl has never been and there a few relatives still to meet. Our officer said that it may be cutting it close as the process of getting your actual card may take a month or more. Exactly a week later low and behold my green-card arrived in the mail and it is actually green!!

Thank you to my loving & supportive husband, family, dear friends and above all God!

If anyone is reading this and is in a similar relationship and status but not sure of what is needed or stressed out on the process please feel free to email me at followingthearrows@gmail.com. I'd love to help in any way I can or just to chat.