At Last!

After over a year of "exile", Lorraine is finally recognised as an official resident of the US. Originally she was only granted a 6 month visitor visa, which meant that after that 6 months, she had to either go home and re-enter, or apply officially (costing approx $200). We opted for the going home route. When she re-entered, the lady on the desk behaved like she was granting a favour to allow her back in the country and for only another 6 months, which she seemed to intimate was generous. This took her through the wedding and up to the end of April.

Immediately after the wedding, we completed the necessary paperwork for the change in visa status, but because her old visa had now expired, she was not allowed to leave the country until it was all sorted out. They had predicted 5 months or more, but actually delivered in just over 3 months.

This new visa, the L2 partner to my L1 is the same length, and allows her full alien status. She can get a social security number, get a job, pay taxes, get a US drivers license, etc. All of which will make life so much simpler!