Certificate of Citizenship Woes!

According to the law, upon their adoptions our boys ARE automatic U.S. Citizens! The only problem with that is that they have no proof of that fact. In my humble opinion, upon completion of their adoptions an automatic certificate of citizenship should be generated since they ARE automatic U.S. citizens! But, guess what?? No one asked my opinion or the opinions of all of the other numerous parents of foreign born children! So, we, as their parents are forced to make a decision:

*Just let it slide....this was not a responsible option for us as parents.

*Apply for a U.S. passport for each of the boys.....more affordable, but these expire and the boys would have to stay on top of this for the rest of their lives.

*Apply for a Certificate of Citizenship with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services...costly, but has no expiration date...the boys would be set for life. They would never have to worry about any future possible snags that may arise.

We opted for the latter and on Feb. 12 we filed two N-600 applications with the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). Along with our application we were required to submit NUMEROUS documents that were already on file with the USCIS......after all each of our sons were granted a visa to enter the country!! Along with each N-600 and the mountain of documents that went with each we also were required to submit the $215 application fee....yes EACH! The reason that we finally got around to sending in our N-600 applications in Feb.?? Because the fee for the N-600 was soon to go up....and in July the fee rose to $460 EACH! Remember, all of this just to PROVE the fact that the boys are U.S. citizens.......a fact that is granted to them automatically by LAW! Can you tell I'm a little miffed by the entire necessity of this process?!

So, we file our applications and we wait. Finally in July we receive a letter from the USCIC with appointments for each boy in Detroit (a 3 hour drive for us). Each boy was to have an "interview" before receiving their Certificates of Citizenship (COC). Ok, that should be interesting?! ;) Oh, and yes.........make sure to bring copies of the mountain of documents that you already submitted with the N-600....and that they already have on file! (insert my huge Mama eyeroll here!). Oh and yes, THEY choose the appointment day and time for you....it's included in the letter! Our day and time just happened to be the exact day we were scheduled to leave the state for a family reunion. Luckily, a few days before our scheduled appointment we received a call from the immigration officer informing us that everything seemed to be in order and that all of this could be handled through the mail! YAY! (Tom is convinced that our officer must have wanted the day off because none of our adoptive parent friends received the luxary of not going to this appointment). We were told to expect our COC's in the mail within 30 days.

Guess what? Our COC's never arrived in the mail......big surprise huh?! Instead last week we receive another letter from the USCIS that we MUST report to the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids to receive our COC's.(1 1/2 hour drive) "Failure to keep this appointment or to bring the required documents will delay your case and may result in the DENIAL of your applicaion." Grrrr!

So, yesterday we pull Jacob out of school, Tom takes the day off of work and we are off to pick up the COC's FINALLY!! :) Many other folks have appointments at the same place at the same time. Overworked employees of the USCIS office in Detroit have trasported numerous files from their office in Detroit and set up a table in the lobby of the Museum. We form a line and file through each receiving our long awaited certificates!! When it is our turn we are asked for our letters that they sent to us about this appointment and each boys green card. The certificates are then placed on the table in front of us and we are asked to check the spelling of each name. Jacob's looks great, but Isaac's name is misspelled on the certificate....(ISSAC). She then informs us that she will have to take his back to the office in Detroit and mail it to us. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! I don't know why, but my confidence that this will ever happen is waning! Tom began to whisper in my ear scolding me for informing her his name was incorrect! lol!! I then said to her "Can't we just take it how it is?? Does the spelling matter that much?" Can you tell that we are two frazzled and desperate parents?! She imformed me that it MUST be correct....sigh! I KNOW it does need to be correct, but I wanted it so desperately! I then asked her if we could keep his green card since we were not receiving his COC?! Nope, she wouldn't give it back to me!! (insert my grouchy mean Mama face here!). So, we have no green card and no COC. What we do have is a promise that they will mail it to us. For some reason, I don't have any warm fuzzies running through me with this situation!! Praying that Isaac's file does not get lost in the shuffle!!! UGH! I DO have her name and number though!

Isaac doesn't have a clue what is going on? But, the look on his face in this photo portrays MY exact feelings about his empty envelope! She gave him the envelope so that he will have a place to keep his prized possession when he gets it!

Ok, end of Mama vent! Feels good to get that off my chest! Time to start my day. :) Just praying it all goes smoothly and we receive the COC in the mail as planned! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with the adoption paperwork!!! It's been 14 years of paperwork and I am one weary Mama!!!

Oh, btw just fyi...Gracie came into the country on a different type of visa than the boys did because her adoption was finalized in China Her COC was automatically generated and was sent to us in the mail....no problem and no extra cost (besided the cost of the adopion. ;) ) Korea is different because their adoptions were finalized six months after their arrival here.