dandv in San Jose is doing 41 things including…

get a green card

13 cheers

 

dandv has written 5 entries about this goal

Ever lived somewhere but didn't know where? 2 years ago

At this stage of the Green Card application, I’m asked where I lived while I worked in satellite communications in Belgium.

Hell if I know.

Really.

I did not officially exist in Belgium.

I didn’t pay any bills, I didn’t have a cell phone, car, credit card or Internet access at home.

I lived in a hotel in Sint-Niklaas for the first month, then at some Bed&Breakfast afterwards for a few months, then at an extended stay hotel (a remodeled monastery near a church with some IDIOTIC tower clock that BANGED my brains out at 6am every morning for some IMBECILE call to some sort of mass since ancient times).

I was chauffeured to work and back by my boss or his wife. I received mail at the company I worked for. As such, I have no idea what the address was at any of those places.

Nevertheless, my experience in Belgium was the most enjoyable in my life. I did not have to worry about ANY of the usual quotidian annoyances. I was transported back and forth from work at precise times and did not take any work home. I could focus on work at work. At home, I could focus on reading, discussing philosophy with my pair-programming coworker, or watching movies. No errands to run, ever. Nothing to arrange or setup. No women. No Internet.

It was in Belgium where I read most of the books that changed my life. It was there where I watched most of the top-rated movies on my IDMB list. It was there where I shaped my philosophy, absorbing it from and debating it with my amazing co-worker.

I loved living in an ivory tower in Belgium.



Final stage: filing for the Adjustment of Status 2 years ago

To tell you the truth, I don’t know very well what the AOS is; my lawyers take care of that. But here’s the funny part of every immigration process: the Application Questions!

Q: Have you ever knowingly committed any crime of moral turpitude or a drug-related offense for which you have not been arrested?
A: Yay for the weed, and I promise to turn myself in as soon as finish this application, peace man

Q: Have you ever been arrested, cited, charged, indicted, fined, or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance, excluding traffic violations?
A: All of the above, but the guard let me out for an ounce of weed

Q: Have you ever been a beneficiary of a pardon, amnesty, rehabilitation decree, other act of clemency or similar action?
A: See above. Money talks. Weed is just plain persuasive.

Q: Have you ever exercised diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution for a criminal offense in the U.S.?
A: Yes. Eye m aye rezident of Weedisthan en protekted bye mae stayts dyeplomeytik imuneyti

Q: Have you ever received public assistance in the U.S. from any source, including the U.S. government or any state, county, city, or municipality (other than emergency medical treatment), or are you likely to receive public assistance in the future?
A: I am likely to bum on my butt all day at the expense of the U.S. of A, and puff weed incessantly.

Q: Have you, within the past 10 years, been a prostitute or procured anyone for prostitution, or intend to engage in such activities in the future?
A: Why, sure thing, cutie!!! My, intelligent questions are such a turn-on!!!

Q: Have you ever knowingly encouraged, induced, assisted, abetted or aided any alien to try to enter the U.S. illegally?
A: Duh. Who do you think I get my weed from?!

Q: Have you ever engaged in any unlawful commercialized vice, including, but not limited to illegal gambling?
A: Weed, prostitution, gambling – I have my own sin citizen ZIP code

Q: Have you ever illicitly trafficked in any controlled substance, or knowingly assisted, abetted or colluded in the illicit trafficking of any controlled substance?
A: Nah, a few good joints and the police declared it legal in my ZIP code

Q: Have you ever engaged in, conspired to engage in, or do you intend to engage in, or have you ever solicited membership or funds for, or have you through any means ever assisted or provided any type of material support to, any person or organization that has ever engaged or conspired to engage, in sabotage, kidnapping, political assassination, hijacking or any other form of terrorist activity?
A: ‘course. Remember that shipment of weed to Anytown, US? One’s gotta keep backwater America clean and feed the hungry folks in San Francisco.

Q: Have you ever been a member of, or in any way affiliated with, the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party?
A: Phew! This was really close. Romania was a communist country until ‘89, but I wasn’t 18 yet back then :-)

Q: Have you, during the period March 23, 1933 to May 8, 1945, in association with either the Nazi Government of Germany or any organization or government associated or allied with the Nazi Government of Germany, ever ordered, incited, assisted or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person because of race, religion, national origin or political opinion?
A: Hell, in a previous life, I might as well have BEEN Hitler.

Q: Have you ever engaged in genocide, or otherwise ordered, incited, assisted or otherwise participated in the killing of any person because of race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, or political opinion?
A: When I came to my senses after all the bad deeds above, I genocided all my previous partners in crime, dreaming I won’t be caught and deported.

Q: Have you ever been deported from the U.S. or removed from the U.S. at government expense, excluded within the past year, or are you now in exclusion or deportation proceedings?
A: My dream didn’t come true :-(

From the Siberian deportation camp,
Dandv



Sent PERM draft forms for review 2 years ago

Form ETA 9089. The priority dates for all green card applications have moved forward a lot in June, and optimistic Wikipedians speculate that I can get my green card in less than 4 months!



Sent revised draft reference letters to lawyer firm 2 years ago

I really hope I won’t have to dig work references and tax records from Romania…



Applied today 2 years ago

10-page Labor Certification questionnaire… tedious to fill out in a rather ugly Word document form. Fortunately, no silly “Are you involved with terrorist organizations” questions.



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