Thank you my friend. All of your wishes, moral support, and prayers are very helpful and most welcome. Thank you.
You know it's hard for me to think or focus about anything else but this ordeal with USCIS. I wasn't like this before. Basically what happened to me is that I listened to the wrong people. I seeked the wrong kind of advice. Many people do poor things in life because of the poor advice they receive. And if you've noticed, everybody in the World is ready to tell you what to do. Words are the cheapest thing in life, and you will get plenty of it. But be careful, it will cost you a lot if you follow the wrong words. And unfortunately there are plenty of them around. You see I don't advise people about issues unless I've been in their shoes or had a similar experience. You will never see me answering somebody asking questions about Adjustment of Status or H-1 Visas. But regarding Naturalization and how to deal with USCIS delays, I've been through a lot of that and can confidently speak about it. If you want to succeed in your immigration matters, you MUST seek the correct advice from knowledgeable people. And there are no more knowledgeable people that those who have experienced it.
In the past, I asked my co-workers and friends for advice. The only thing I was told is
wait. And I did. My girlfriend even convinced me to forget about my case and focus on something else. And indeed, I did. For about eight months I've done nothing and didn't even think about my citizenship. It was funny, because when I received my Interview Notice, I wasn't even excited. It was like I was in a process of denial. What started all of my current action was the day I received a notice cancelling my interview for unforseen reasons. Did I care about the notice? Of course NOT. I went to the interview as asked and got it done. It was truly a good feeling to score a point against USCIS.
But I have to thank my friend Rahul Kumar for his encouragement. I was confused about what to do, and it was his advice to me to show up at the interview that got me encouraged.
It was about that time when I did join this forum. After the receipt of that insipid notice, I finally understood that I had to do something about my case. I had to complete it or it will haunt me and its troubles follow me around whereever I went. The months following my interview were the most active months in my immigration life ever. I sent hundreds of letters, made numerous Infopass visits, read a lot, and conducted countless amount of research. I could do this because finally I was armed with a secret weapon:
INFORMATION. I knew what to do, I knew my rights, and only had to take action.
When I speak about lawyers, I am always careful in my advice. I had had bad experiences in the past. One of my previous lawyers advised me to
wait. When I asked him about other routes, his answer was NONE. He never told me about the Writ of Mandamus that applicants could file if their interview has been postponed for a long period of time. He never advised me of anything. All he said is
wait! Like I said, the wrong advice is costly. My lawyer used to say: It's a waiting game. And what did I do with waiting: Nothing. So Do not listen to the Waiting Game Cheerleaders. There are many of them around. And the funny thing is that most of these Cheerleaders are themselves citizens. They don't understand what is it like to be a player in the waiting game. They are on the sideline enjoying their lives, while we wake up every morning thinking about USCIS and why the hell our case is taking so long. You see what I hate to observe, is immigrants getting scared from USCIS or any immigration officer. Remember that African Americans did not have equal protection of the law, and it was until the civil rights movement that they've gained that equality. Immigrants have to do the same. The law protects you guys. Do the right thing, and fear nothing. Stand up for yourself and let nobody put you down. I mean: NOBODY.
In the end I have to say that USICS have won almost every battle, but what really matters is the War. Who wins the war is the million dollar question. I am confident I will win my war against them. And when I do, I will prepare a
comprehensive website for other people to learn and profit from my experience. It is too valuable to be wasted. Which unfortunatley is the case with many other experiences by previous immigrants.
Information is power, so keep it floating.
Thank you,
Publicus.
