Back in March Jenny and I filed our I-129F petition. It’s the first step in being together on a permanent basis. This will make fighting with each other a lot easier as we’ll be under the same roof.

Jenny and I actually don’t fight or argue or do anything we probably should. I’m too passive and she is too supportive. We’ve both acknowledged to each other how fighting in a long distance relationship can’t work because a Caps Lock key just doesn’t have the same effect as screaming at a loved one in person will.

Returning to my original point, we’re currently waiting on the petition for approval. It’s agonizing. I can’t remember ever waiting for something with so much anticipation. Putting the petition together took some hard work itself so to just wait around now for someone to tell us we did everything right gives me the feeling of helplessness. I can’t pay someone to do it faster. Jenny can’t cry to make it right if we did something wrong. We’re just playing the waiting game right now and it really sucks.

Each day I check the USCIS website for any updates. Like maybe one day there will be a contest where you can speed the process along. It’s not going to happen.

One promising thing I did see today was the processing times have been updated. When I last checked the site was most recently updated on April 28th and they were processing cases from October 3rd. The most recent update on May 13th says they are now processing cases as of November 3rd. This has taken away about half a month from when Jenny and I thought our petition might be approved. This could mean we receive our approval sometime in September. Or, if things continue to speed along, sooner.

Our anniversary is in August and finding out our petition has been approved then would be a great gift. My birthday is in October so if it happens a little later it would be nice way to celebrate another year of life although I’d much rather spend my birthday checking for Visa approvals instead. The next step to this whole process is filing for a Visa which has a much shorter waiting time ranging from 2-4 months. After Jenny and I gather up everything we need following a Petition approval (this may take 2-3 weeks, really) we’ll then need to wait a few more months before we hear back about the Visa.

It is possible, but very unlikely that 2016 will be the year Jenny is able to come here. Early 2017 is probably when it will happen. Hopefully, after cleaning my apartment this weekend rather thoroughly, it stays clean until then.