Declaration of Independence pushing for immigration

On the Fourth of July I have made it my habit to read the Declaration of Independence. Those big words of the preamble and the conclusion continue to impress me by the power that words can execute. This year I’ve been drawn to a more technical section though: “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
The most prominent theme that follows is the well-known “taxation without representation” among many others.

My highlight this year is about immigration:
“He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.”
The biggest concern for America was and ought to be: how can we get the most people here and make them citizens as quickly and as smoothly as possible? The king of England is hurting us by putting up a fence around our borders…

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Our Green Card Timeline

Illegal immigration is not the cause of the problem but a mere symptom.
Legal immigration is the problem. Here is what it looks like in general:

Here is what it looked like for us:

June 2009
Our first attorney charged $50 to refer us to a colleague of hers.

July-October 2009
According to the USCIS visa bulletin there were no green cards available in our category

August 22 2009
Phoebe Katharina Haas was born and automatically had dual citizenship

November 2009
Green cards got available for our category

December 2009
our attorney submitted our packages

April 2010
USCIS lost our application packages

December 2010
our attorney resubmitted our packages

May 2011
Senator Orin Hatch pursued a congressional inquiry about our case

June 5 2011
Benjamin Maximilian Haas was born and automatically had dual citizenship

July 2011
USCIS lost our application packages again

December 2011
USCIS found parts of both lost packages,
an immigration officer came for a workplace visit
and the green card application got approved

January 2012
Had to redo our physicals because they expire after one year
and USCIS invited us to fingerprinting appointments in their local field office

March
Employment Authorization came in the mail with wrong birthdays and names

May 2012
USCIS requested additional evidence

June 2012
Green Cards came in the mail

Total time: 3 years
Total cost: $9,039.56
USCIS fees: $5,565
attorney fees: $2,934.56
medical exams: $540
US citizens born into our family: 2

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