I was born in the 70’s and raised by a single mother with three daughters on her own. We moved frequently in search of hippie heaven and our “homes” included tents, busses, teepee’s, A-frames, shacks, bush cabins, you name it. I moved roughly 30 times before I turned 18 years old. Stability and a home to call my own weren’t in my vocabulary. A bad relationship at a young age found me homeless and living in a car during a cold Pacific Northwest winter with an infant daughter and an abusive partner. 

My husband grew up in rural Mexico with dirt floors where you could find chickens or scorpions running around the lot if you weren’t careful. He was born in the same house as his mother and the house was filled to the brim with multiple generations that included grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all their folk. You could easily see the sky while lying down in the bedroom. His mother was also single and raising three children. He could count the number of addresses he’d had on one hand.

Blending two families and two cultures is no easy feat and we’ve certainly had our ups and downs along the way but sixteen years later, we’re still here and every bit as much in love.

Now if you are one of the millions of Americans who believe that an American spouse is a direct line to a permanent residence card aka green card, don’t worry, you are not alone. Just read and follow along with our adventures as we navigated the turbulent waters of the US Immigration system.

January 18, 2007– We began dating
October 27, 2007– Mia Azul is born
August 19, 2009– We are married in Las Vegas, NV
May 6, 2010– Our attorney Nicole Nelson mails in our I-130 Petition for Alien Relative $355
October 29, 2010– Our I-130 is approved, the USCIS believes we have a valid marriage. Now we wait for some kind of immigration reform that never comes
March 15, 2013– Our attorney mails off our I-601A Provisional waiver to the USCIS Lockbox $585
June 14, 2013– USCIS denies our I-601A Provisional Waiver due to a newly announced “Reason to Believe” clause. José has a misdemeanor charge for using a fake SSN at the DMV in 2000. This does not qualify under CIMT and should not have been a denial for our case.
January 9, 2014– José attends the consular appointment in Ciudad Juarez and is found to be eligible to apply for the waiver of unlawful presence but he is charged with human smuggling for bringing his son across the US border with him. This is not a lifetime ban as it was his son and for the intent of family unity.
January 10, 2014-We move the whole family to Tlaxcala, Mexico to wait out the immigration nightmare.
March 17, 2014-USCIS officially receives our I-601 Waiver for Unlawful Presence $585
March 29, 2014– USCIS reopens our previously denied I-601A as review has determined it should not have been denied initially.
April 3, 2014-USCIS denies our I-601A waiver. We assume it’s based on the human trafficking charge from his interview as this waiver only addresses unlawful presence and nothing more.
June 24, 2014-USCIS approves our I-601 waiver, Jose will get to receive his permanent resident visa.
July 25, 2014-My husband crosses the US-Mexico border between Tijuana, BCN and San Ysidro, CA and officially becomes a Legal Permanent Resident.
April 26, 2017-Our new attorney, Callie Killebrew files the N-400 so José can become a United States citizen based on 3 years of marriage to a US Citizen
November 2, 2017-Jose attends his Naturalization interview and passes the civil test and exam. He is sworn in the same day and becomes a US Citizen
September 9, 2019-José files an I-130 Petition on behalf of his son Ian $535
April 29, 2020-Ian’s I-130 Petition is approved and we’re in the middle of a pandemic
June 8, 2020-Ian is granted an emergency consular interview in Ciudad Juarez because he is weeks away from turning 18 years old. He must enter the United States before his 18th birthday in order to receive US Citizenship through his father based on the Child Citizenship Act. He is approved and issued an immigrant visa the same day and enters the United States. We pay the ELIS fee for his green card $220 (not required but we felt it was a good thing to have in case)
October 5, 2020– Ian’s green card is finally received
January 14, 2021-Ian files his US Passport Application, the final step to be recognized as a US Citizen
April 8, 2021– Ian’s US passport application is finally approved after two Requests for Evidence from the Department of State and finally the assistance from Senator Wyden’s office due to complications in our particular case. Ian is a United States Citizen!
Our US Immigration Journey is Complete