We did it! We got through the biometrics appointment! It was really quite simple, painless and fast! The worst part is getting up so early in the morning. It is one hours drive to Syracuse, New York so we had to be up at 6AM at the latest!
Well... we actually got up at 6:20PM. Basically, it was every man...and woman for himself as we zipped around the apartment getting ready.
Thank goodness for GPS! We found our way to the federal building on Warren street and amazingly, got there on time.
Of course, the building was closed when we got there yet there were people waiting in line. At least the doors did not have bolts on them. It's amazing how the absence of one little detail can make you feel at ease!
I would have posted a picture of the building but it is "forbidden" (i.e. illegal) to take any pictures of the outside or inside of any Homeland Security office. Interesting....
Bioimetrics is such a curious term. Khalid joked that they probably were going to inject him with a little microchip underneath his skin with GPS and surveillance capabilities. One wonders how long it will be before the government actually implements this. Apparently, "they have the technology." (insert cheesy Bionic Man music here.)
Actually, the appointment consisted of having his fingerprints taken, a photograph and his signature validated. His fingerprints will be scanned into a police database. They will compare his fingerprints to any found during unsolved investigations. This has already been done twice before, once when he was convicted of reckless endangerment in 1993-1994, and when he was detained in 2003.
While this was going on I was watching the various people come and go. There were at least three couples, all consisting of an American citizen and an immigrant. One couple was having an extremely hard time because the immigrant didn't have his birth certificate. Apparently, while coming over the border, an immigration official had confiscated it for some unknown reason. Now, the adjustment of status was put on hold waiting for a duplicate copy of the birth certificate and the official translation. There was no telling how long the duplicates would take! The couple was visibly and understandably frustrated and disheartened.
Immigration has most undoubtedly become a nightmare for all of us!
7 comments:
Well done !
Hi, I just went to my biometrics last Tuesday and would like to ask you a question. How long does it take for them to reach back to you to see if you passed and after that how long did it take your husband to get his EAD card?
Thanks, Natalia (Boston)
Hi Natalia!
Khal got his approval in the mail within about a month and received his EAD card in the mail about 10 later. I hope this is useful information.
Good luck to you and I wish you the best. Keep in touch!
All the best,
Beth
My wife has her biometrics appointment in 2 weeks. I was wondering if you knew the answer to my question. Can she be deported while in the immigration process? She has never been convicted of any crime. She is here illegally though.
Hi Juan,
It's always difficult to answer questions like yours because the immigration system in this country never follows consistent guidelines when implementing immigration laws. Each case is unique.
Having said that, in my limited experience I have known people who have been detained and deported while trying to legalize their status. In fact, just recently a whole family was deported while trying to navigate the immigration judicial system.
If you are a citizen or legal resident that might lend some "protection" for your wife, although even that is hardly a guarantee.
I wish I had some definitive information for you. Unfortunately, the immigration judicial system is designed to be overly complex, inconsistent and oftentimes contradictory.
I recommend getting a good, ethical immigration lawyer who has several referrals from immigrants with successful outcomes. Be extremely careful in securing a lawyer. A bad immigration lawyer can severely damage your wife's case. I cannot stress this enough. There are a substantial number of unscrupulous lawyers who are only interested in grabbing money and have no intention or ability to actually help immigrants with their cases.
Good luck to you and your wife. I wish you both the best. If you need anything please let me know. And keep in touch!
Brightest Blessings,
Beth
I have been trying to go through the process for my father(i am now 23 and he is around 56 and is a canadian citizen who came to MA and now resides in NJ) and it has been extremely difficult because when he came here he was about 13 years old and they didn't require him to have any papers. Before 9/11 he had a NJ drivers license and SS card. He works and has paid tax records in NJ actually qualifies for Social Security and old age benefits. His nj drivers license biometrics said they would have taken had he had his photo on it but at the time he opted for no photo (dumb haha). Since NJ now has new rules I have been trying to get him any form of id that will be ok for biometrics apt. Any suggestions, info would be greatly appreciated.
I to am Canadian. I came to Texas when I was 1 year 2 months old. I recently went to renew my drivers license and they said no, due to my green card being expired. I am now 29 years old and my green card says PERMEANT. Not expires when we decide to change it. So here I am now 2 months in the waiting. Just got my biometrics appointment paper today so I hope the process speeds up. I hate walking in the 110 Texas heat!
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