Re: Web Enabled Time/Temp/Humidity and I/O Controller

[Jules <jules.richardsonnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:18:33 -0500, Robert L Bass wrote:

> "Jules" wrote:
>>>
>>> Only because there were few, if any laws against immigration back then.
>>
>> Yep. I came over in 2007 - process took about a 8 months, lots of
>> paperwork, lots of fees (it'll end up being about $4000 when I'm all done
>> I think, and I didn't have lawyer fees on top of that like most do).
>
> $4,000?  I hope that's for more than the green card (which was never green,
> BTW).  We did our own paperwork for my wife and IIRC, ut came to less than $2K.
> That was in 2004-5.

I think fees all went up since then - that's also including long trips
back and forth for medicals, embassy appointments, biometrics etc. which
of course do depend on your location as to how expensive they are
(although I think the medical alone was $400).

I'm getting toward the end of my 2 year conditional residency, and I think
it's about $1000 for the paperwork to change that into a full green card.
Then citizenship comes later (I realise that's optional!) and is
doubtless similarly costly...

>> The process costs a lot more than a lot of illegals can afford - even
>> assuming a legal route is open to them, which it won't be in most
>> cases.
>
> From what some folks in Congress had been speaking about, the recent
> idea is to require illegal aliens to pay a fine, go home and then go
> through a pre-approved process for legal re-entry.  The problem for many
> illegals is all of that will be beyond their financial means.

Yep. It's expensive and slow - but at the same time I can totally
understand a country wanting to lock down its borders. I've just got
issues with use of deadly force to patrol those borders, though...

>  We were fortunate in that my wife was here legally on a 5-year,
>  renewable visa when we met.

Aha, OK... my wife's a USC - met her in 2005 on a trip over here and then
went back and forth on the VWP for the next couple of years before kicking
off all the paperwork.

> I'd love to see a more open
> door policy but that's probably a few years off.  We'll see.

Certainly would be nice just for visitors and maybe an increase of stay
from the 90 days of the VWP.

cheers

Jules