Wednesday, March 19, 2014

A new chapter begins...

After what seemed to be an eternity,  we finally received the green cards for Anna and the children. All three of them arrived at the same time. Each one was attached to a Form I-797D  from the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The Letter read as follows:
Your Application Has Been Approved.  Here is your new card. The expiration date is shown on the front.
Please Check Your Card To Verify That the Information Is Correct. If you find an error on it, please call us at the telephone number provided below.
Please Protect Your Card. Please Read This Notice.
It has important information. We also recommend that you keep this notice for your records.
If you ever have questions about immigration benefits and procedures, or wish to have an application mailed to you, please call our USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283, or Check our website at http://www.uscis.gov.
And it went on to say:
Additional Information About Your Card
USCIS issues several kinds of cards for different purposes. Please read how to use your card. Always carry your card in the United States and show it when you re-enter the United States. Please keep this information for your future reference.
Permanent Resident Card
Your card has an expiration date.
If you are a conditional resident, you should apply to remove the conditions 90 days before your card expires.
If you are a permanent resident, the expiration date does not affect your status, but you should use form 1-90 to apply for a new card 90 days before this card expires.
As a resident you should be aware of other immigration services:
If your card is lost, stolen, or becomes damaged, or your name or other information shown on your card changes, use Form 1-90 to apply for a new card.
If you are going to travel and believe you may be gone a year or more, you should apply for a reentry permit before you leave - see Form 1-131 for information.
You can sponsor the immigration of certain relatives - see Form 1-130 for information.
Permanent residents can become American citizens. Usually, you have to be a permanent resident for 5 years, but in some circumstances you can apply earlier - see Form N-400 for information.
Employment Authorization Card and Advance Parole Card
You are authorized to work consistent with any conditions shown on the card until it expires.
If you apply for a job, you may show your card to the employer to show you are authorized to work while the card is valid.
If you are already employed and this card extends your employment authorization, you may show this new card to your employer to show that your work authorization has been extended.
Your EAD card is also evidence of your status. Please see the enclosed important advisory.
Replacement Citizen Card
Use your card as evidence of your U.S. Citizenship.
(This replacement card is only issued to certain American Indians and persons from the Northern Mariana Islands who were previously issued this kind of card.) You do not need to carry your card while in the United States.
Student/Exchange Visitor Card
Use your card to show that you are a valid F, J, or M non immigrant student, exchange visitor, or dependent. This card does not grant employment authorization. To apply for employment authorization, use Form 1-765.
Upon receiving the green cards we immediately filed for Social Security cards for all of them and they arrived in the mail just this weekend.

We are both very happy to have this chapter of our lives come to a close. It was a long, complicated process but we finally made it through. Now a new chapter begins for us. Anna can start looking for work like she wants to and no longer needs to worry about returning to Russia. Anna and the children are now Proud Permanent Residents of the United States of America and our life together can officially begin.

Privet Anna! Welcome to America!!!


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