I’m legal 
Today I went to the Po Box to colect the mail which had accumulated for over a week to find among the stack an envelope marked ‘Office of homeland security’ It say’s my restricted residency is now unrestricted and as of the date i applied for residency I am now a ‘Full legal resident’ and should appear in person an the INS in Latham NY with my passport and 3 photos for my present green card to be replaced with an unrestricted one … YEEHAW 
How long has that taken Pat?
Sorry, I dont know how long you lived in the States.
Only four and a half years
congratulations pat 
I didn’t know there was restricted and unrestricted residency status’s. I always believed mine was unrestricted before and after I got my Green Card. TYhe only “restriction” before I got my Green Card was that I wasn’t allowed to go home without going through INS procedures, to obtain travel visas and the like.
I didn’t go home for 4 and a half years, boy did that hurt. Now I have my Green Card I go home every year, next trip is planned for October.
Other than that, I have all the same rights of a US citizen except I can’t vote, become a Border Patrol agent and I belive there are restrictions on becoming a cop. Although the latter is something I have been looking into, as being a police officer here very much appeals to me, actually its about the only job I would give up being a trucker for.
Later
Stuart
They bought in two year, restricted green cards just before I applied, it is still a regular Green card but expires after two years and you must apply for all restrictions to be lifted before the expiration date or be deported, you then get a letter from INSto cover you and can travel on that, as i did in march to the UK and to Canada earlier, now I have this notification it states that I cannot leave the country for 6 months, or until my new full green card arrives. Unless my passport is stamped with authorisation before leaving.
My Green Card was issued before any restrictions I guess. I have a full 10 year one.
Hope everything goes well for you Pat, shouldn’t be any problems, unless your one of our friends from south of the border or from Afghanistan. Which I know your not, you’ve been through it, just fill out your name and address like 50 times over 500 forms and they all dont ask for much more info than just your name and addy…lol.
Good Luck
Stuart
Nice one Pat, congrats. Just remember that as far as I understand it, the British government doesn’t accept any oath you may or may not swear to give up British citizenship 
I would NEVER give up British citizenship and NEVER pledge an oath to any other nation, so don’t worry
Pat Hasler:
I would NEVER give up British citizenship and NEVER pledge an oath to any other nation, so don’t worry
Good on you!! not that I ever thought you would!!!
Congratulations. There follows an email I sent earlier today to friends in the business in which I work.
Ladies, Gentlemen.
Many of you are aware that, for the past six weeks, I have been engaged in
negotiations with the US Embassy with a view to regularizing my status in
the land of the free. Herewith an update.
Saturday morning, passport is returned. All of a tremble, I open same.
There is a visa. Good. Ten years - splendid. Multiple entries - marvellous.
Stuck the right way up and in the right passport - be still my beating
heart. Only one thing takes the shine off an otherwise tip-top day.
The visa code. Ladies, gentlemen, Dixon the occasional journalist and
frequent misser of deadlines you know and love. Dixon the serial bon vivant
and all round decent fellow you - I hope - respect and admire. Dixon the
serial blagger and destroyer of budgets you have probably come to terms
with.
And so prepare yourself for a fourth category. A big hand, please, for
Dixon the … ORDAINED MINISTER.
That’s correct - after a six week background check, a number of trips to
Grosvenor Square - quite frequently at an hour usually reserved for
sleeping - and all sorts of other shenanigans, the INS has got me marked
down as a Bishop or the like. And not a trainee one either ? full on and
time served apparently.
On the plus side, in these days post Block Exemption, the fact that a
religion is not identified allows me to operate as a multi-franchised
minister, conducting baptisms in the morning, Bar Mitzvahs at mid day and
an afternoon shift in the direction of Mecca. Home for a change of frock,
and an evening’s diary could include a soupcon of Shinto, a hint of
Hinduism, ending the day with a bit of the charismatic a la the Deep South.
All valuable revenue streams.
But I still can’t write about trucks in America.
Take care y’all
Northamptonshire UK (legal) and Dallas TX (now very uncertain) resident
Oliver Dixon
allikat:
Nice one Pat, congrats. Just remember that as far as I understand it, the British government doesn’t accept any oath you may or may not swear to give up British citizenship
But now I can’t have him deported if he divorces me… I’ll have to come up with an alternative plan now lol
If the British government doesn’t accept or recognize an oath you swear to another country to give up British citizenship, seems to me you end up getting the best of both worlds, so whats the problem then? And frankly, it does recognize it to an extent. The information we found it stated that if Patrick were to ever choose to become an American citizen, he loses his British pensions, any claim of assistance by the British consolate should he ever need it, would have to turn in his British passport when he got an American one, because the US only allows naturalized citizens to hold one passport, ect ect… basically they recognize it enough to withdraw any financial benefits that may have been earned over the years, unless or until you return to Britain permanently.
I believe that as a permanent resident, the only restrictions he has is that he can’t vote, work for border patrol, or run for president… Other than that, he’s got every other right and privilege of an American citizen.
Now that Patricks residency is taken care of (and its taken a long freakin time), its time to file the British paperwork for Sadie, to claim her dual citizenship. That way she’ll have the option of living in Britain when she’s older without having to go through the immigration crap.
Well I’ve just been in touch with the INS as my green card expired a little over 12 months ago and so has my 12 month extension 
they told me not to worry about it unless I plan to travel abroad…they are currently 4 months behind 
Bully
Bully… I called them about 2 1/2 weeks ago because we hadn’t heard anything. They told us that if he didn’t receive it by his expiration date, just to go to the local INS office for a new extension. Then they processed it and sent it. Bet you get yours in about 2 weeks time as well.
Hi Pat,
If your next one is anything like mine, you should be good for another 10 years, before you have to renew it.
I’ve been here since March 1996.
I was able to make multiple entries on my work visa/permit, though.
Jim.