Monday, November 18, 2013

8518 Miles

As a naturalized American, one of the rights bestowed upon me is the ability to “sponsor” my parents.  I’ve always heard the term “sponsor” and it is probably the easiest term for what actually takes place. “Sponsorship” for my parents meant pouring over instructions on how to fill out several applications. These applications included an I-130, an I-485 and an I-765. The I-130 is a Petition for Alien Relative. This application proves my relationship to the individual being sponsored. The I-765 is an Application for Employment Authorization. This allows for a work permit to be issued prior the approval of the other two applications. The I-485 is the Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. This is the longer of the other two since it is for the “green card”. The I-485 cannot be progressed without the approval of the I-130. Within these 3 applications is an I-693, which is a medical examination that has to be filled out by a state authorized physician and submitted to USCIS sealed. This may require the applicant to obtain vaccines depending on the antibodies that show up in the blood test. There is another form called a G-325A, which collects biographical data for the applicant. There is also an I-864 which is an Affidavit of Support for the applicant. This ensures that the sponsor will be able to financially support the applicant. At the time we completed these documents I was a stay at home mom. We filled out an I-864A which is a Contract Between Sponsor and Household Member. Since I was putting “zero” as my household income on the I-864. I had to be able to list my husband’s income.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

In Their Desperation

In their desperation, they turned to a man they didn’t fully understand – Alfred, The Dark Knight 

I thought of this recently because I’ve been thinking about a couple of things with regard to immigration, the “why” and also the “how” of when the act of migration is actually completed.

This past summer I made contact and re-connected with my cousin while working on my parent's change of status applications. I referred to her in a previous entry as my Gemini twin. Our families have not connected in a long time for reasons I will not address in this blog. I was trying to be casual about asking if she knew anyone in Lagonoy, a province in the Philippines where we use to vacation. Lagonoy is also the province where my mother was born and my cousin’s grandmother was born. They are sisters and my cousin and I are actually a generation apart although we are close in age. Lagonoy is rural and is approximately 267 miles away from Metro Manila. Lagonoy is the place where I had to dig up information about the beginnings of my mother from 8,518 miles away (according to Google) from my home in the suburbs of Philadelphia.