[UPDATED as the process rolls along and more steps/money are added....]

I find it kind of ironic that in the same summer I am applying for med school residency, I am also applying for American soil residency.

In the interest of making my med school residency application That Much More Really, Really Ridiculously Goood Looking, Brandon and I decided to set aside $1,010 that we sort of can’t afford for my Permanent Residence Application. We figure if I have my own “green card” and don’t need J1 or H1 visa sponsorship, I am more likely to get my foot in the door with hospitals that might not otherwise look twice at an IMG. Similar to the ridiculously astronomical USMLE fees (over $2000 for Step 2 CS & CK), we have to look at it as another necessary investment along the med school debt highway.

Plus, I figure it says “I’m from Canada! We’re nice! The government says I can be here! And look! I work hard and am organized enough to get my own paperwork done instead of relying on you to do it for me!”

Whether or not you’re planning to cross the border in either direction any time soon, here is a short run-down of the process:

1) Get into the country
For most non-visiting people, this is with an I-94 Arrival and Departure record issued by a US Customs officer at the border. Some students are eligible for specific visas. They let me in with a letter from my school, the merit of my red-white-and-blue blooded American husband, and a $6 application fee.

2) Family member files I-130
This is where you spend $355 for your spouse or family member to declare that they are indeed related to you and they really want you to be able to live with them in the US. A bunch of photos and copies of documentation are required to accompany the application. After 5 months of processing, you’ll get a pretty I-797 Notice of Action piece of paper that says whether it was approved or declined, but doesn’t really do anything.

3) Adjustment of status
Approval of the I-130 doesn’t grant or guarantee you anything, but you are now given the opportunity to “register permanent residence or adjust your status” with the I-485 application. Fewer photos and copies of documents are required for this step, but more money and a visit to your local biometrics office are needed. Be sure to include a copy of the I-797 you received through your I-130 application. According to online USCIS estimates, it should take about 5 months, so I’m hoping to have that pretty green card in my hands by the time fall med school residency interviews roll around.

4) Get a medical
Once you actually submit your I-485, a few other documents automatically become due (within 87 days). Now you need to visit an authorized civil surgeon for a physical, vaccination history review, and TB test. Form I-693 (Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record) will probably cost you $125. I think this was the easiest step for me and made all of the pre-clinical med school hoops I had to jump through totally worthwhile. The nurse was amazed that I have such a neat and tidy record of all of my vaccinations, titers, and most recent TB test.

5) Get a sponsor
You also need to find a sponsor that is willing to legally commit to saying they have enough money to take care of you so the US government doesn’t have to. For me, Form I-864 (Affidavit of Support for the Petitioner) will have to be filed jointly by Brandon and his parents because Brandon hasn’t made enough money to file a tax return in three years and certainly doesn’t make enough to exceed the 125% of the poverty line cut-off. We are poor.

6) Let me work here!
Next, the US government may authorize you to accept work in America while everything is being processed. Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) is processed within 90 days of when they receive all of the required information. There is a $340 filing fee for this application, but the USCIS website claims: “If you filed a Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, on July 30, 2007, or after, and you paid the I-485 application fee required, then no fee is required to file a request for employment authorization on Form I-765.” So I’m really hoping we fall into that category and won’t be receiving another bill in the mail.

Money so far: $1496
Time so far: 9 months

Here is the same version of events as told by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

I was delighted to hear that the USCIS recently decided to actually make the green card green! Eddie Murphy would probably approve.

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