Last Saturday, we signed documents to send in Jose’s application for his inadmissibility waiver for his visa. In order to send in his final application for his visa, we need to actually be approved to apply—how insane is that?
Once we receive the waiver, it allows people like Jose who are technically here unlawfully (even though they have DACA), eligible to apply for a visa. As his spouse, I am applying for this waiver for him before he has his interview in Mexico.
This is where it gets confusing with DACA–
According to the government, when Jose turned 18, he became an adult and Jose made the decision to stay in the US. He is currently protected by DACA, BUT since he has accrued more than 180 days of unlawful presence (because he did not leave the US before his 18th birthday) we must obtain this inadmissibility waiver. We should receive the waiver within the next 4-6 months. Our lawyer is pretty confident that Jose should not have a problem getting it.
The waiver is just another wonderful step in this gloriously expensive process…can you sense my sarcasm?
One of my main frustrations with this whole journey is that Jose and I’s brains work SO differently. If anyone knows me, they know that I love organization, and I like things done in a prompt manner, and in a certain way. Jose is way more laid back about things. When they say opposites attract—that’s us.
For example, our lawyer will give us lists of things we need to gather in a certain amount of time. I swear to god that I have had to remind Jose at least 10 million different times for certain things. DUDE! I kid you not it was like pulling teeth to get a copy of his business taxes…
At times, I think this whole process is more important to me than it is to him…if that makes sense. Of course, it’s important to Jose, but he has lived his entire life undocumented. He’s used to living in the shadows. If we weren’t going through this process, things just wouldn’t change for him, and I think that if I wasn’t pushing him to find a better way of living he wouldn’t do it. I’m not in anyway giving myself a pat on the back, but I want to shed to light that people are living in ways they shouldn’t have to because they’re just used to it. If they have the proper resources, they may have the opportunity to live their lives normally. There are so many people out there who deserve this—just like Jose.
Since we started this whole thing, I have created a filing system of everything Jose. In fact, all of Jose’s immigration documents take up one cabinet in our office. One entire cabinet. When it comes down to it, we have to put our trust in our lawyer, in the photos we are providing, in the stories we have shared, and in the letters people have written for us. When I get intense about gathering documents, it’s because I’m passionate about Jose’s life. I love him more than anything, and I work so hard to get everything just right. I pray every day that the 7-inch stack of papers we send into the government holds a positive outcome for us because there’s sweat, blood and tears on those pages. It’s scary to think that a stack of papers determines our future.
Thanks again for reading,
Haley
Love, Hope and Borders 