This morning my wife received her UK passport so that marks the very end of our long immigration journeys. Here is our complete timeline for posterity - perhaps it will encourage/reassure others that follow us.
Phase I:
June 1996 - met online (using a MOO)
22nd January 1997 - I traveled to Tucson and we met IRL for the first time
March 1997 - I visited Tucson
June - August 1997 - I went on the BUNAC work exchange program and spent it in Tucson
May 1998 - Final UK University exams finished so I visited Tucson
June 1998 - I graduated from UK university
June 1998 - October 1998 - I spent all day every day searching for a job in the US.
October 1998 - I was sponsored for a H1B visa and started related work in the UK in the meantime
April 1999 - I received my H1B visa
May 1999 - I visited Tucson* and then moved to Dallas to work
June - November 1999 - weekend trips from Dallas to Tucson every couple of weeks
* I didn't see my future wife from May 1998 to May 1999, a whole year. Very hard.
Phase II:
23rd November 1999 - married in Tucson, I applied for green card and work permit. I went back to Dallas to work out notice period
18th December 1999 - I moved to Tucson
January 2000 - I received my work permit
September 2001 - I received my two year green card, registered with Selective Service System
Sometime 2003 - My green card interview
Sometime 2003? - I received my full green card
November 2004 - I applied for US citizenship
February 2005 - My US citizenship interview
March 2005 - I received US citizenship and applied for passport
March 2005 - I received my US passport
Phase III:
February 2010 - we fly to UK so wife can take Life in the UK test
June 2010 - wife applies for ILE
24th September 2010 - wife receives ILE
30th October 2010 - we move to the UK
15th November 2013 - wife applies for UK citizenship
28th February 2014 - wife receives UK citizenship
11th July 2014 - wife applies for UK passport**
19th July 2014 - wife has UK passport interview
21st July 2014 - wife receives UK passport
** my wife couldn't apply for her UK passport in February 2014 because she needed her US passport to travel with...
That is a total of 18 years from first contact to both having two passports, although there was five years of no immigration paperwork from March 2005 to February 2010. Seems like yesterday that we first met.
Good luck with all your immigration journeys!
Andy
