One thing is for sure...

The ground feels shaky these days. I had a phone appointment with our immigration lawyer and the information was disheartening. As with all things, the excuse is COVID; our Extension paperwork is behind. Our investors visa is intact until November 2023 BUT without the I-94 update, we can be removed from the US at a moments notice. The I-94 was set to expire in November of 2020, we knew that and we "thought" we had been planning ahead by going to the land border in July of 2020 to get it renewed. Unfortunately, we were told by border security, after a mandatory 2 weeks quarantine, that we were too early; the renewal could only be done within 30 days of the expiry date. I had argued that coming back (17 hour drive) in a few months, would not be feasible especially during a pandemic but the officer wouldn't budge. I described the situation to our lawyer (a person I thought should have known about the 30-day rule) he said it would be no problem; we can apply for the extension document. It is now August and the extension has been 'received' but not yet approved. The extension is meant to give us an additional 365 to get the actual I-94 updated. Herein lies the problem, November of 2021 leaves us in a worse position because we can't apply for a second extension so we HAVE to head to the land-crossing for the I-94 renewal risking being denied re-entry into the US. Kevin's work authorization is also a big question mark because of the back-up in application/renewal processing. He was already granted an extension of 180 days which has expired and if he does not get the proper documents from USCIS by January 2022, his US drivers license will expiry too and he won't be able to drive. The weight of immigration and the uncertainty of our future gives everything a layer of stress. In hindsight, I am glad we didn't jump into buying a new house. Whether we like it or not, we have to prepare for the worst. Being sent back to Canada for an extended period of time would set back our business, our investment and our family. I hate to sound so selfish because I know we aren't the only one's in this predicament, immigration is and always has been a wish and prayer placed in the heads of the government no matter where you hope to go. Our plans are as clear as mud and we anxiously visit the mail box every single day. One thing is for sure though, I couldn't go through any of this without my husband. Kevin keeps me calm and grounded. He is the only reason I am able to get restful sleep. He is the first person to remind me how far we've come and how far we can still go... like Portugal if all else fails 😂