Miami Immigration Office 2014, Holy Crap It's Still Dark
I have been to my share of immigration offices in Miami. In fact I used to work at 7880 Biscayne Boulevard which was the main office back in the late 1970's. The neighborhood was kind of seedy back then. I often had a hot dog at the Triple Dead Heat Bar or walked a couple of blocks for a slice of pizza at Flora's. The place these days is coming back as a neighborhood I've been told.
One of the more outrageous aspects of the old office was the fact that most cases were handled on a first come first served basis. Folks would line up the night before. Early the next morning, a security guard would give out tickets that allowed folks to enter. It became common to pay someone to hold your space in line. The process wasn't very user friendly and eventually guards were in the parking lot where the line started to keep all hell from breaking loose.
The 7880 Building was the site of demonstrations for Haitians, Nicaraguans, Cubans and other assorted South and Central, and Caribbean Folks.
The new office has moved north and west of the old office, and the building is new and set up with adequate parking, and lots of other things, some very people friendly items, but you still have to go through a metal detector and the guards all carry guns.
Patty's appointment was for 7:15 AM Tuesday and instead of going to the Kendall Office, it was a call to go north. I was a little bit puzzled because we had almost become regulars at the Kendall Office. Over a period of three years we have made at least eight trips to the Kendall Office. Usually we applied for an appointment on the computer, printed out a time and went. I've only been relatively close to the process since 2004, the original application for permanent residence goes back to 1988.
This time they wanted an update of a physical exam, an updated local background check and a face to face meeting at 8801 NW 7 Avenue. The round up of physical exams, background checks, IRS, and Social Security Records was easier this time. This wasn't Patty's first rodeo and the last visit to the Kendall Office seemed almost promising. There were no red flags on the I 765, I 485, and since the I 360 had been approved almost a year earlier, the process would be more or less routine and just to have patience.
This morning came early. We were in the car at 5:00 AM. Three relatively well dressed folks arrived at 8801 NW 7 Avenue at about 6:05 AM. I knew we would be early but we were already up at 4:00 AM and the traffic would be light. The overland route to the Miami Office was a little bit busier than I expected and there were lots of folks waiting at the bus stops along the way. In the back of my mind I wonder if it would have been possible to get from South Miami to the Immigration Office near Liberty City entirely by public transportation and do it in a timely basis
The overnight guard came out to let us know the office wouldn't be open until 7:00 AM. He actually came out at about 6:45 to organize the line for those that needed bio metrics and/or other services. The process was very smooth, not very crowded and about 7:25 AM Patty was called for her appointment.
According to Patty, the interview went well and she was surprised how well the interviewer understood most of the details regarding her case (even the ancient history). She left the interview with the understanding that her application for permanent residence would be approved and her green card would be received in the mail in about four weeks. I asked her what the name of the lady was that interviewed her. Patty said she was so nervous that she only remembered that the lady did not speak Spanish like a Cuban and that she was from Trinidad/Tobago.
I sure hope she gets a green card in twenty eight days. Twenty seven years has been a long time to get this issue straightened out. And as Patty has been studying: The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land.
And so it goes.
One of the more outrageous aspects of the old office was the fact that most cases were handled on a first come first served basis. Folks would line up the night before. Early the next morning, a security guard would give out tickets that allowed folks to enter. It became common to pay someone to hold your space in line. The process wasn't very user friendly and eventually guards were in the parking lot where the line started to keep all hell from breaking loose.
The 7880 Building was the site of demonstrations for Haitians, Nicaraguans, Cubans and other assorted South and Central, and Caribbean Folks.
The new office has moved north and west of the old office, and the building is new and set up with adequate parking, and lots of other things, some very people friendly items, but you still have to go through a metal detector and the guards all carry guns.
Patty's appointment was for 7:15 AM Tuesday and instead of going to the Kendall Office, it was a call to go north. I was a little bit puzzled because we had almost become regulars at the Kendall Office. Over a period of three years we have made at least eight trips to the Kendall Office. Usually we applied for an appointment on the computer, printed out a time and went. I've only been relatively close to the process since 2004, the original application for permanent residence goes back to 1988.
This time they wanted an update of a physical exam, an updated local background check and a face to face meeting at 8801 NW 7 Avenue. The round up of physical exams, background checks, IRS, and Social Security Records was easier this time. This wasn't Patty's first rodeo and the last visit to the Kendall Office seemed almost promising. There were no red flags on the I 765, I 485, and since the I 360 had been approved almost a year earlier, the process would be more or less routine and just to have patience.
This morning came early. We were in the car at 5:00 AM. Three relatively well dressed folks arrived at 8801 NW 7 Avenue at about 6:05 AM. I knew we would be early but we were already up at 4:00 AM and the traffic would be light. The overland route to the Miami Office was a little bit busier than I expected and there were lots of folks waiting at the bus stops along the way. In the back of my mind I wonder if it would have been possible to get from South Miami to the Immigration Office near Liberty City entirely by public transportation and do it in a timely basis
The overnight guard came out to let us know the office wouldn't be open until 7:00 AM. He actually came out at about 6:45 to organize the line for those that needed bio metrics and/or other services. The process was very smooth, not very crowded and about 7:25 AM Patty was called for her appointment.
According to Patty, the interview went well and she was surprised how well the interviewer understood most of the details regarding her case (even the ancient history). She left the interview with the understanding that her application for permanent residence would be approved and her green card would be received in the mail in about four weeks. I asked her what the name of the lady was that interviewed her. Patty said she was so nervous that she only remembered that the lady did not speak Spanish like a Cuban and that she was from Trinidad/Tobago.
I sure hope she gets a green card in twenty eight days. Twenty seven years has been a long time to get this issue straightened out. And as Patty has been studying: The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land.
And so it goes.
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