Pilgrimtozion
Sep 30th 2008, 08:52 AM
Some of you may know that I am getting married this upcoming October 17th to my friend of nine years, Ruth Classen. When we got engaged this past December 20th, we decided we would try to get me a visa for the States so we could live there together. You have to understand that while she is a US-citizen, I am a Dutch citizen.
We decided to go for a Fiance-visa, which usually take approximately 210 days to acquire from start to finish. Because my sweetheart was in her last year of college, we didn't get the papers out till May - we were cutting it close. To make matters worse, the payment didn't come through, which delayed the whole process by another month. In the end, the USCIS didn't start processing Ruth's petition for me until June.
By this time, I had given up hope. Approving that petition usually takes 110 days and we had only 130 days until the wedding. Even if it was approved, the papers still had to go to the American Consulate in Amsterdam with the whole administrative process there taking another average of 60 days. In short, our hopes were slim.
In the beginning of August, I realized there was really no hope left to move to the States. Because getting Ruth to Holland is also impossible, we decided to look at Belgium. I looked at jobs and apartments there but never felt completely 'right' about it...like God had something else, but I didn't know what it was. I believe God wants us to be practical though (after all, I AM Dutch) so I kept on looking around...until our petition was suddenly approved on the 20th of August! In less than 60 days, our petition had come through where the usual timeline is approximately 110 days!! Suddenly, we had hope again. Everything was going to be very tight and we still needed another miracle...but we had some hope.
That was miracle #1. The approved petition then needed to be sent to the consulate here in Holland, a process that usually takes 25 days (why it takes so long I do not know). Lo and behond, however, on the 29th of August - a mere TEN DAYS after the petition was approved - I received the information from the consulate that they had received the petition!! That was miracle #2.
Suddenly, America was wide open. I began collecting documents like crazy, sent the information back to the consulate, after which they sent me a letter saying my final interview appointment was scheduled for...October 9th. Talk about tight!! With the visa being sent in the mail after the interview, that meant I could come to the States no earlier than the 15th of Octber - 2 days before the wedding!! Still, this was miracle #3.
After having sent me that letter, they called me and informed me that I might still get an earlier date, but that can only be determined after I get my medical. So I had my medical the 24th of September and called them this morning (it takes a week for the papers to get from the doctor to the consulate, don't ask me why)...and they informed me that I can have my final interview on thursday, October 2nd!!!! MIRACLE #4!!
So this Thursday, we will attempt to take the final hurdle in this process that has lasted a mere 120 days instead of the usual 210. Praise God for the way this has progressed; He is truly a God of miracles!! I will be able to arrive in the States a week early - if the appointment had not been rescheduled, I would have arrived AFTER all the families arrive for the wedding.
And they tell me there is no God... :rofl:
We decided to go for a Fiance-visa, which usually take approximately 210 days to acquire from start to finish. Because my sweetheart was in her last year of college, we didn't get the papers out till May - we were cutting it close. To make matters worse, the payment didn't come through, which delayed the whole process by another month. In the end, the USCIS didn't start processing Ruth's petition for me until June.
By this time, I had given up hope. Approving that petition usually takes 110 days and we had only 130 days until the wedding. Even if it was approved, the papers still had to go to the American Consulate in Amsterdam with the whole administrative process there taking another average of 60 days. In short, our hopes were slim.
In the beginning of August, I realized there was really no hope left to move to the States. Because getting Ruth to Holland is also impossible, we decided to look at Belgium. I looked at jobs and apartments there but never felt completely 'right' about it...like God had something else, but I didn't know what it was. I believe God wants us to be practical though (after all, I AM Dutch) so I kept on looking around...until our petition was suddenly approved on the 20th of August! In less than 60 days, our petition had come through where the usual timeline is approximately 110 days!! Suddenly, we had hope again. Everything was going to be very tight and we still needed another miracle...but we had some hope.
That was miracle #1. The approved petition then needed to be sent to the consulate here in Holland, a process that usually takes 25 days (why it takes so long I do not know). Lo and behond, however, on the 29th of August - a mere TEN DAYS after the petition was approved - I received the information from the consulate that they had received the petition!! That was miracle #2.
Suddenly, America was wide open. I began collecting documents like crazy, sent the information back to the consulate, after which they sent me a letter saying my final interview appointment was scheduled for...October 9th. Talk about tight!! With the visa being sent in the mail after the interview, that meant I could come to the States no earlier than the 15th of Octber - 2 days before the wedding!! Still, this was miracle #3.
After having sent me that letter, they called me and informed me that I might still get an earlier date, but that can only be determined after I get my medical. So I had my medical the 24th of September and called them this morning (it takes a week for the papers to get from the doctor to the consulate, don't ask me why)...and they informed me that I can have my final interview on thursday, October 2nd!!!! MIRACLE #4!!
So this Thursday, we will attempt to take the final hurdle in this process that has lasted a mere 120 days instead of the usual 210. Praise God for the way this has progressed; He is truly a God of miracles!! I will be able to arrive in the States a week early - if the appointment had not been rescheduled, I would have arrived AFTER all the families arrive for the wedding.
And they tell me there is no God... :rofl: