Biometrics

Biometrics- I simply understood it as high tech finger printing. It is one of the things you will go through in applying for a Status of Adjustment or a Green Card.

My son's apppointment is July 7, 2008 at 3:00pm, mine is on the next day at 8:00am while my daughter's appointment is at 10am on the same day.

Hubby was working that time so he asked his sister to come with us. We can reschedule the appointment as we are allowed to but Ricardo doesnt want to. He cannot wait to get another appointment again.

So my kids and I went to Reno last July 7 together with Carol, my sister -in- law, at around 9am. We got there at around 12 noon. We looked for the USCIS address first and have found it before we headed for lunch. But before we got there we lost many times already. We looked for a resto in the vicinity to eat lunch but we find nothing so we headed to the next street, turned to the corner and to the other street again until we found a place to eat. Then we got lost again more times, as in more times, shall I say 5,000 times (just exaggerating) going to the USCIS Office. USA has confusing roads and highways. They have Interstate 80 east and west freeway (even number) and 395 freeway, north and south (odd number) and there are different exits. If you happen to take the other freeway or exits, then it will be hard for you to get back to the same place where you took the wrong lane.You may drive ahead and look for another road to take you to freeway again or you have to go around 5 miles to get back again. It's really very confusing for me especially that I am very poor in sense of direction.

At long last, we got there in USCIS at around 3:03 pm. When we were about to enter the door, a man asked us if we have an appointment, we said yes and he asked what time, we answered 3:00pm, he looked mean and said "you are late". My sister-in-law apologized and admitted that its her fault because we got lost many times and that she was driving the car. Another man popped up and then he looked more mean because of the same reason. I was so nervous that we will get denied to enter the door but finally the first man said we can go inside if we have the appointment and ID Card or Driver's License.I gave him our 3 passports and Carol gave her Driver's license. We passed through the X-ray machine. Carol was checked 3 times because the machine buzzed when she passed. The man found out that it was because of her sandal's metal strap.

Anyways, the other man gave me a priority number for Jun. Although he looked unfriendly to me, I tried to ask him if Jen and I can have our biometrics also considering that we are family and we applied all together and so that we will not come back the next day and get lost again. I sensed that the man was still disappointed and displeased because of what happened but I talked to him straight to his eyes although a little bit hopeless already. But I believed in the saying "Everything is not meant to be but Everything is worth a try". And I did try. I was surprised when he gave me another 2 priority numbers! Carol was suprised too! Whew! I was happy that he considered my request. He was talking to me nicely that time. Thank you Lord! He asked me our passport and the appointment letter only then he gave me 3 forms to be filled out and said to fill them out shortly. The 3 of us filled the forms out hurriedly but carefully. We don't want to be in trouble again, gosh!

The following are the required data in the form. (I hope I remembered them all):

Name, Birthday (be careful because the birthyear is the first being ask not the month or date), Alien Number and Application Number( you will find these 2 numbers in your appointment Notice), height, weight, address, name of mom and dad, place of birth, country of citizenship, contact numbers then you have to encircle the benefits you applied, I encircled I-1485.

I was told to sit down in a chair in the corner to wait for the finger printing. The he requested me to stand up and he put liquid to his hands and told me to do the same before the finger printing. Then he held my fingers in my left hands and pressed it in a tiny window of some kind of a computer machine, then the fingers in my right hand. Afterwards, he took my thumbs and my other fingers one by one, rolled them from left to right until the computer says it is done already. Then he took picture using a web camera.Then he let me affixed my signature using an electronic pen stuck in the machine.

After a few minutes, he handed me the appointment I gave to him earlier with scribbled notes therein and said to keep it and dont let anyone to make a copy of it and wait for the green card in my mail. I am not sure if I heard the latter right. I was expecting him to tell me to wait for an appointment for interview because I came here using K3 Visa. I was too occupied to having conversation with him.

By the way, we were talking while doing the biometrics. I said I was grateful for his consideration and that I salute Americans for being a time conscious people unlike Filipinos. He was so nice to me and even shared to me that he is going to the Philippines next year (February) for a golf competition together with 9 other guys from here to compete from different countries. I jokingly said that I thought he's gonna meet up his fiancee there. He was smiling at me and admitted that somebody from here who got a business there in our country will introduce him to filipino lady. He said he is divorced for 12 years already and he heard that filipino girls are caring and wife-material, etc... I knew it.. He became nice to me when he learned that I am a Filipino.

After everything was done, we thanked him and said goodbye and before i forgot, I said goodluck to him for the golf game. He thanked me then gave me a hand shake.

When we were outside the building, we felt relieved! We are not gonna come back the next day!

Americans are always on time. When you have an appointment here you have to come on time or else you will get into trouble. Lesson learned.

So, don't ever be late!