Must Be Doing Something Right
For whatever reason, the fiance visa petitions that we have been filing in recent months are being approved in record time. We received an approval today just 42 days after we filed. It took just a week short of six months before the petition I filed to bring Ping here was approved. But I love delivering the good news to our clients. They are thrilled.
But they just can't bring themselves to process the Citizenship Certificates quickly. I have watched for several months as the reported processing time has changed. They update the numbers around the 15th of each month, and they always report what was happening in the past, not what is happening currently.
So in mid-September, they reported that as of July 31, they were processing applications received on Mar 3. In mid-October, they reported that as of August 31, they were processing applications received on Apr 3. One could logically expect, therefore, that in mid-November they will report that as of September 30 they were processing applications received on May 3. And it won't be until in mid-December that they could be expected to report that as of October 31, they were processing applications received on Jun 3.
But we shouldn't have to wait that long to find out, because logically, on November 4 (yesterday) they should have been processing applications received on Jun 7 if I did the interpolation correctly, and that is the day they received the application we sent in for Cici. With any luck, we should receive something from the USCIS later this week either scheduling an interview or sending us the certificate. We need to have some passport photos made so we can send for Cici's passport as soon as the certificate arrives. We can also go get a Texas photo ID made, and get her social security card issued.
In the meantime, Cici wants to audition for admission to The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. It is tough to get in, but if she can do it, the school is rated as the best high school in Houston. Its SAT and ACT scores are very high, and its attendance and graduation rates are extremely high. Maybe that is because the students who manage to gain admission to that school really want to be there. Cici is preparing for the annual regional competitions with her flute, so she will be ready to play the competition music at her audition.
I am going to ask the school if she can audition with the gu zheng, though, because that would be a unique application. Maybe even with the flute she might stand out from the pack because she is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, and has proven her ability to speak, read, and write English through her grades last year and this year. But before all of that, the girls are ready for their second turkey day in America. We have asked Cici to prepare the pumpkin pies, and you can bet that she can do it.
But they just can't bring themselves to process the Citizenship Certificates quickly. I have watched for several months as the reported processing time has changed. They update the numbers around the 15th of each month, and they always report what was happening in the past, not what is happening currently.
So in mid-September, they reported that as of July 31, they were processing applications received on Mar 3. In mid-October, they reported that as of August 31, they were processing applications received on Apr 3. One could logically expect, therefore, that in mid-November they will report that as of September 30 they were processing applications received on May 3. And it won't be until in mid-December that they could be expected to report that as of October 31, they were processing applications received on Jun 3.
But we shouldn't have to wait that long to find out, because logically, on November 4 (yesterday) they should have been processing applications received on Jun 7 if I did the interpolation correctly, and that is the day they received the application we sent in for Cici. With any luck, we should receive something from the USCIS later this week either scheduling an interview or sending us the certificate. We need to have some passport photos made so we can send for Cici's passport as soon as the certificate arrives. We can also go get a Texas photo ID made, and get her social security card issued.
In the meantime, Cici wants to audition for admission to The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. It is tough to get in, but if she can do it, the school is rated as the best high school in Houston. Its SAT and ACT scores are very high, and its attendance and graduation rates are extremely high. Maybe that is because the students who manage to gain admission to that school really want to be there. Cici is preparing for the annual regional competitions with her flute, so she will be ready to play the competition music at her audition.
I am going to ask the school if she can audition with the gu zheng, though, because that would be a unique application. Maybe even with the flute she might stand out from the pack because she is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, and has proven her ability to speak, read, and write English through her grades last year and this year. But before all of that, the girls are ready for their second turkey day in America. We have asked Cici to prepare the pumpkin pies, and you can bet that she can do it.
Somebody say Pumpkin Pie?
So is she wanting out of the current high school or is this in addition to the current high school?
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Smitty, there are a couple of things that are driving Cici's desire to try this other school. First, she believes she is ready for a bigger pond, and second, she would like to be in a pond where other Chinese fish are swimming. It is tough (and it can be lonely) when you are one of a kind in school. Last year there was a Chinese girl who was a senior at Cici's school, and she and Cici became very close. That girl is in college in San Antonio now, so it has left a big void in Cici's life.
I think there is a third reason. Cici hasn't made a big deal of it, but I know it grates on her. That is the religious aspect of this school. The religious fervor that she faces every day in the teachers and administration of this school has caused Cici to comment that she doesn't like Christians.
What you really mean, I suggested, is that you don't like Christians who are zealots. I don't particularly like zealots either, but we can't use that as a basis to criticize all Christians. There are zealots about more things than religion, and the same rule should apply. Some people are zealots about the environment, or their neighborhood, or their school, or their country, and many other things.
Having to endure the time they spend in chapel each week is like punishment for Cici. I know the feeling. That is how I felt in church when I was forced to attend a fundamentalist church. She tries to use the time to study quietly, not bothering anyone, but the teachers confiscate her study materials when she tries to study.
Sometimes I am tempted to have her wear a buddha necklace to school every day, but I know she is the one who would suffer for it, so I haven't suggested using that plan as payback.
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I knew it was a religious school, but I didn't know it was that bad.
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They are good people with good intentions, but some of them use misguided efforts by attempting "forced conversions." I don't know if it because of the same reason, but many students have left the sophomore class. It is probably down to about half its original size.
The Asian students also feel quite strongly that the students and teachers are prejudiced against Asians. I know, because most of them have talked with me about it. Cici also feels that way, every day, but she holds her head high, keeps her mouth shut, and lets her grades speak for her. The Asian students come here, usually before they can communicate well in English, yet they quickly rise to the top and set the curve in their classes. I suspect that creates some resentment. They don't buy into the religion, so I suspect that creates more resentment.
It isn't just this school. It is an unfortunate fact of life in America, and it isn't likely to change.
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It makes me wonder how diverse Houston is? Living on the west coast, there is a great deal of diversity in the major cities. It doesn't stop racist idiots, but there usually are not that many.
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Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the country, but prejudice still thrives.
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