Hellobee

Our interview had been scheduled and it was time to prove to the government that we were really in love. If you missed how we got to this place, check out part one.

The morning of our interview Mr. Cookie and I were feeling lots of different emotions. We had given ourselves over an hour to make the 30 minute drive to the facility but still almost ended up being late due to an accident on the highway. We had no idea what to expect and had only heard one first-hand account from another couple who had been through a green card interview of their own. Mr. Cookie and I were confident in our love and our marriage, but who doesn’t get nervous before a big test?? Would they ask us what color toothbrush our spouse uses? Would they inquire about towels on the floor or our last two birthday presents to each other? Would they be kind and easy-going or stern and scrutinizing? So many thoughts.

Despite being a Wednesday the facility was very busy and we had to park on the street. The building looked dingy and old. We passed our personal effects through a metal detector as the guards at the door greeted us with big smiles. We headed back to the waiting area and placed our letter in the interview box to signal we had arrived. Due to the no cell phone policy I was forced to be with my thoughts instead of browsing Facebook. It was calming and overwhelming at the same time. The reality of the situation was that if my husband didn’t get a green card he would have no guarantees of staying in this country permanently. With our future jobs, home, and children on my mind, the thought was sobering. After about 35 minutes of waiting we were called in to meet with our detective. She was really nice and told us to stay standing as she swore us in and we promised to tell only the truth.

The questions began right away and were very straight-forward and extremely fast-paced. She looked down at her paperwork and keeping up a steady flow of inquiries while we sat on the edges of our seats. Mr. Cookie and I were asked our SSN’s, our birth dates, each other’s birth dates, and our address (which was more difficult than you’d imagine considering we had just moved and were still memorizing it). She asked Mr. Cookie what his mother-in-law’s name was and he replied with his own mother’s name until I said, “No, your mother-in-law.” Poor guy, he was very nervous.

At one point the detective completely changed topics and abruptly said, “Who is the man sitting to your left?”  It caught me off-guard because it was such a bizarre way to ask about Mr. Cookie, but I quickly replied, “My husband.” She asked to hear our how we met story, our proposal story, and after that we offered up the story of when Mr. Cookie met my family for the first time. Who else gets to meet their new girlfriend’s family while sitting in the audience watching her make-out on stage with another dude? You can’t make this stuff up.

Something funny happened after she asked Mr. Cookie about my favorite color (easy, purple). She asked him what my hobbies were and he faltered. “Umm, well she likes shows and theatre and stuff.”  “Yea, hunny, but that’s more of a career than a hobby,” I chimed in. I figured my snippy wife voice was appropriate and would only help us in this situation. “And, she watches a lot of TLC, or she did when we used to have cable.” Is watching TLC a hobby? I threw him a bone, and asked him what I do at my computer and he said, “OH YEA, she’s a blogger.” On a related note, I think I need more hobbies!

In the middle of yet another story, the detective interrupted us to say our interview was complete and we’d hear something in 3-5 weeks. We passed her a few more documents we’d brought in, she made a copy of our Kansas apartment lease and we were on our way. Driving home we replayed every silly mistake and confusing comment from the interview. The whole experience felt weird but there was nothing we could do but wait.  ater that night, we checked our status online, and miraculously we’d already been accepted!  They acknowledged our marriage as being real and granted Mr. Cookie his conditional permanent resident status. YAY!  We were so happy and relieved.

To clarify, being a permanent resident does not make Mr. Cookie a US Citizen. That’s a process called naturalization and he’s not eligible until he’s had his green card for five years. He has not decided whether or not he will pursue citizenship. It’s a very personal choice, and something he has plenty of time to figure out, but since having kids I think he might be leaning towards becoming a citizen.

Two days later Mr. Cookie received his beautiful green card (yes, it’s really green!) in the mail. All the months of waiting, the months of acquiring paperwork, and the worry was over; it was official. Mr. Cookie was able to apply for a new job in Minnesota (!) and after our six month lease was up in Kansas we moved north and have been here since early 2014. Overall the entire process went really quickly for us which us and we are incredibly grateful for that.

Since his initial card was provisional, this past year Mr. Cookie had to re-apply to get the conditions removed. Again, we had to send in more paperwork, and more money. We sent in the mortgage to our house, and Crumb’s birth certificate (because Chip had not yet arrived). It took many months for them to get back to us but in the end we didn’t even need an interview. Mr. Cookie was given an updated green card based on our paperwork alone. We were told buying a house and having children were easy ways to show the government that you are in a real marriage. We just happened to do both before his two-year mark was up! It feels great to not have to worry about this anymore, or at least not until 2026 when his card expires again…