By Penelope Griffiths
It’s been almost three months since I sold up and moved over the pond to reside in North Carolina. It had taken almost a year and a couple of thousand dollars to get my “Green Card,” and it was not without a few bumps in the road. My daughter sent the original forms and fee in April 2017, and then we had to wait a nerve-wracking more-than-three months to have the documents sent to the department that would actually look at them, and then another three months to have them delivered to the reading/checking department, and then yet another three months and many phone calls to, and emails from the State Representative before we had the email that said the application had been read, the forms were in order, and everything was being sent to London, England, for an appointment!
I’d like to say that was the end of it, but appointments could take another three months and involved gathering even more documents (a police check, and medical and vaccination histories) and fitting in a full medical examination prior to the appointment. As it happened, I had a date for March 2018 for an interview and had to schedule the medical exam very quickly, even though – shock, horror! – they book up months in advance. Still, I managed to get a Saturday date a week before my interview, and the doctors’ office assured me it was enough time.
But the weather in the UK turned snowy and as I lived three hours from London (in Cardiff, Wales), I rang the Knightsbridge-assigned doctors and begged for another appointment earlier in the week. I struck it lucky: they had a cancellation for the Tuesday before! Feeling more confident now that I’d have time to get there and have the report sent in before my all-important interview, I relaxed.
My easy state was short-lived. The snow was shutting all transport down across the south of the UK, so I booked a hotel for the night before the medical exam and rebooked my train tickets. It was a good job I did, because I only just made it to London, and the day of the medical the snow was falling thick and fast and heading towards Wales. I had the medical exam but now it was hit or miss whether I’d make it home.
Picture the Steve Martin movie Trains, Planes and Automobiles – but without the planes, which were all grounded – and you have my journey. Outrunning Nature is not easy! And then picture it again as I returned to London for the interview, for Nature had not relented.
At last it was done, and I was accepted for permanent residency. They said my UK passport and a sealed package would be sent to me to present to US border security. These items soon arrived (and do you think I didn’t peak into that sealed package?), my belongings were packed – those not coming with me were sold or donated or put into auction – my flight was booked, and I was off!
There was one last hurdle that they omitted to tell me, at both London interview and US entry, and that was that there was another fee for me to pay before they actually mailed the Green Card! Luckily I was told to call if it hadn’t arrived after a month, and when I called they told me about the fee. My daughter quickly went online and paid and within a week it arrived!
So here I am, with my Green Card, a Social Security Number, and also (after rigorous testing) a North Carolina driver’s license! All I have to do now is live and enjoy my twin grandsons, the main reason I’m here!
| Copyright © 2018 by Penelope Griffiths |
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