I figured out why I hate immigration forms so badly.
I just filled out the forms for my US embassy appointment in January. The problem is that the embassy is using the same forms for people like me as they do for first-time tourists. The forms have to be filled out completely, and I find myself struggling with a form that is obviously a bad match for someone like myself. I guess that this is a part of my greater issue with being treated like a tourist every time I re-enter the United States, though I fully understand that the person sitting behind the desk in front of me at Immigration cannot tell from the looks of my passport whether I have lived here for 9 years or am I just arriving for the first time and cannot speak a word of English.
Examples - form DS-156:
26. How long do you intend to stay in the US?
- I live here
27. What is the purpose of your trip?
- I live here
28. Who will pay for your trip?
- Me
29. Have you ever been in the US? When? For how long?
- I have been living in the US since 1999
(this section has a sub-section in which I'm supposed to list every single past entry to the US. I have probably entered the country 20 or 30 times since 1999, so for years now I just leave it blank and let them deal with it)
30. Additional visa issuances:
- (here I have to list every single one of the 8 or 9 visas I was given in the past, with exact dates. I have discovered though that I can slack off at this section as well, and they seem to be fine with it)
I made an appointment online for 1/4, and discovered to my dismay that all visa appointments, every day, are scheduled for 8:10 AM. So much for short lines. I am so so so happy that this is the last time I'm doing this.
Monday, November 05, 2007
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