We had another non-milestone yesterday. We received our “brown envelope.”
The brown envelope is, well, a large brown envelope. It’s from the US consulate in Guanghzou. It tells us that USCIS has told them to approve our child’s visa when we go to pick her up. It also has some forms: “Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative,” “Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration,” medical forms, and a few others with similarly exciting names. Some of these we’ll need to fill out just before we go. Others we’ll fill out while there.
Why do I say this is a non-milestone?
Well, first, the letter is dated Feb. 8. But they don’t send them until after the Chinese government has acknowledged our petition, which happened March 3, and then they wait a little longer. By the time you actually receive the brown envelope, it is anti-climatic. Also, our agency has warned us that not everyone even gets a brown envelope and not to worry about it if we don’t get one.
Still, it’s a sign of progress of some kind, and since we’re looking at a long wait right now, any kind of forward movement is something to celebrate.
