Amanda Gillespie Rules OK!

I spent a large chunk of the day today waiting in various rooms in a large

office building in Garden City, Long Island. It was all worth it in the end,

though, because I left said building with a green card. (Or at least a stamp

in my passport which says that I’m getting a conditional green card.) Oh happy

day!

To my enormous surprise, the entire process, from application to approval,

took only a little over six months – everybody else I know who’s gone

through it spent years, and my good friends Alex and Amy still don’t

have their green card, despite applying in 2002! So something, somewhere, has

become much more efficient than it used to be.

My friends Mimi and Elliott were incredibly helpful in this process, as were

various other people including the Lawyer Crowd: Alison, Rosalind, Seda, Lucy

– thank you all very, very much for your help, advice and guidance along

the way. But for anybody else who’s thinking of applying for a green card or

any other visa (especially O visas), I just have two words for you: Amanda

Gillespie. Amanda is some kind of immigration genius, and she’s also an

incredibly friendly and helpful person who deserves an enormous amount of credit

for the successful outcome of my case. Amanda, you’re the best, and I can’t

recommend you highly enough!

I also have a request for readers of this blog. It turns out I only have a

conditional green card, and that I have to file something called an

I-751 90 days before my conditional green card expires in 2 years’ time. Says

the piece of paper I got given today:

If the petition to remove the conditional basis of your status is not filed

within 90 day period, your Conditional permanent residence status will be

terminated automatically and you will be subject to Deportation from the United

States.

NOTE: The Service will not contact you in regard to the above, and It will

be your sole responsibility to comply with the above Regulation.

What that all means is that on or after July 4, 2008, I have

to remember to file an I-751. So I’d appreciate an email on July 3, 2008, reminding

me to do that! Thanks!