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An Immigration Story

Writer's picture: Dave Hickman IIDave Hickman II

Updated: May 26, 2021

Immigration is a topic that could fill volumes and is far too deep a subject for me to purport to be an expert on. I do have a tiny bit of first had experience though and I can tell you without a doubt that the United States government makes it incredibly hard and very expensive.

Liberty Island 2018

The New Colossus


"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,


The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.


Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,


I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"


Emma Lazarus

November 2, 1883




I met Ana in Romania in 2008 and it has led me on an epic ride spread over two continents that yielded the love of my life, adventure, cherished memories and a beautiful daughter. Since she first said "yes" we've been navigating the tangled web of red tape government bureaucracy known as US Immigration. When working out the K-1 fiancés Visa for Ana we hired an immigration lawyer to ensure we had all the right boxes checked, dotted all the i's and avoided all the right umlauts.

Family Trip to Ellis Island

That was more than a decade ago and since then we've had to travel thousands of miles to visit consultants and embassy's, fill out apostilles, Visa requests and countless other forms, Ana has been interviewed and undergone medical examinations, our relationship was put under a microscope to ensure it's validity and thousands of dollars have been paid for this honor. Through that more than decade of probing she hit a milestone today and finally reached the naturalization testing process. After lots of practice she knew the questions inside and out (do you) and not surprisingly aced it. In a month or two she will be able to take the oath to be a full fledge US citizen.

Romanian Consulate in Chicago

While I don't condone illegal activity I must say I understand why so many people come here the wrong way. They make it damn near impossible to do it on the up and up. Perhaps an overhaul of our system is in order? A previous administration made a mess even worse and I don't see it being fixed anytime soon. Despite all the hurdles though my one in a million amazing wife will soon be able to vote, serve on a jury and hold federal office (not that she want's to). I am very proud of her and all she's done to get this far. Hers truly is an American success story.

Romanian Embassy in Washington D.C.
Her approval letter from today's interview
Without even studying she passed years ago

5/24/2021

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