Collecting evidence of hardship... a few ?'s

[corazoncita]

Ok... I have about 20 zillion medical records to collect for me and my mother-- do I have to call each and every one of the different hospitals and doctors offices we have been to throughout the years? Is there some giant computerized database that doctors have access to which would make this a lot easier? I've never done this before... if I have to call every hospital and doctors office, it will be an eternity before I can obtain all the evidence! Please let me know if there is an easier way!

Also, I know the hardship letter is not supposed to be emotional, but what about letters of character from friends and family members?

OK... as far as the FBI check-- do we order those ourselves, or do we just pay USCIS to order those?

Are "police/prison records" different from the FBI check? How the heck do I get those? I thought you had to come in person to get police records... if so, I'm in trouble. My husband's police records are in North/South Carolina, and I'm in Missouri.

If you know any of the answers to these questions, please let me know!

[Ginger]

Good day,
Well, I do not know computerized database for all the hospitals but my guess would be that you family doctor should have most of them. However the question would be will he agree to disclose the results to add to his statement. But never heart to try.

We did have letters from the family members and friends. More over, in a body of the hardship letter we add paragraphs from their letters. IT is your life and hardship and you can add wherever you want. Just remember to be “on the money” and prove each statement with the evidences.

Good luck.

[Paul & Kerri]

Ok... I have about 20 zillion medical records to collect for me and my mother-- do I have to call each and every one of the different hospitals and doctors offices we have been to throughout the years? Is there some giant computerized database that doctors have access to which would make this a lot easier? I've never done this before... if I have to call every hospital and doctors office, it will be an eternity before I can obtain all the evidence! Please let me know if there is an easier way!

Also, I know the hardship letter is not supposed to be emotional, but what about letters of character from friends and family members?

OK... as far as the FBI check-- do we order those ourselves, or do we just pay USCIS to order those?

Are "police/prison records" different from the FBI check? How the heck do I get those? I thought you ha

d to come in person to get police records... if so, I'm in trouble. My husband's police records are in North/South Carolina, and I'm in Missouri.

If you know any of the answers to these questions, please let me know!

I think it would be easier if you could get a letter from these doctors stating all yours and your mothers health problems. He could also state how it would be hard for another doctor to care for these problems and that you need aftercare from his office.

Our letter did have some emotional hardships mentioned in it, I think that is fine, as long as you don't dwell on that asspect and keep it more on the other extreme hardships.

Our family and friends attested to how it would be hard for me to move to another country and in my mothers case, she mentioned her health conditions and how she might need me if she needed immediate attention (as my dad was an over-the-road truck driver at that time). Our family and friends also mentioned the type of person that my husband was. I think its fine if their letters get emotional, after all they would be losing a loved one!

We never had to get FBI records for our case, he was fingerprinted at the time of his interview, when he was denied and told to file I-601.

Can you call the police department in North/South Caroline where your husband resided and see about getting the police reports by phone? My husband was in Canada for some time and he got a police report just before he left. At the Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic, they wanted the police reports to be within the past 6 months. That time had passed by I think 1 or 2 months for the Canada police report and there was no way they would give him another police report unless he was there in person to request it. Luckly for us, the Prague Embassy excepted the newly expired one.

Best of luck to you! I had children from a previous marriage and this was probably the #1 extreme hardship for me! Hope I helped you out some!

Kerri

[corazoncita]

Yeah, children from a previous marriage is the ultimate hardship. I am so happy to see when people are approved! That gives me so much hope... congratualtions on everything :)

Well, my #1 extreme hardship is that I am my mother's legal guardian. She has been in 4 car accidents in the past 13 years, and has severe closed-head injuries to the left frontal lobe. This causes her to have seizures which have paralized her for up to several months in the past, and also impair her speech. She lives in a handicap-accessible apartment close to where I live, and she gets assistance from the government for her housing and food. She is on about a dozen different medications that she needs daily in order to survive. She needs to be in very close proximity to a hospital for when her seizures occur, and she needs to be on medicaid/medicare in order to purchase her medicine (which is over $1000 a month out of pocket). My mother's medical records are so very extensive... she has been to maybe 100 doctors and hospitals in the past 13 years. She doesn't have any one regular doctor she goes to...

As far as my medical records, I had several problems during my pregnancy... this is a problem, since I want at least 2 or 3 more children. I went into preterm labor at 28 weeks with my daughter. After a hospital stay, I was on strict bed rest to keep my cervix closed, and I was on medicine to keep my contractions down. Also, I developed gestational diabetes, and once you have had it, you are pretty much guaranteed to get it during every other pregnancy. I had to test my blood sugar constantly and take insulin as well. Gestational diabetes also increases your risk for pre-eclampsia, among many other things. I think I can track down all my medical records for my pregancy... I was in 2 different doctors offices, and 2 different hospitals. I also have ultrasound pictures of my opened cervix which are dated.

My second medical problem is that I have severe hypertension/ panic disorder. I have been hospitalized twice for this (my heart went above 180 beats per minute), and I have been hospitalized once for situational depression. I have taken Zoloft on an off for anxiety and depression for about 5 years... I am on it now, and I have been ever since I gave birth to my daughter. I also don't have a "family doctor" per se, on account of the fact that I have moved so much in the past several years.

I have other obvious hardships that I will elaborate on in my letter, but I consider these to be my main hardships. My husband (very unfortunately) has a criminal record (one non-violent/non drug-related felony--failure to stop for an accident--plus several charges for driving without a license) so USCIS is going to be very hard on us. I want to flood them with evidence on my hardship. I'm not really wild about it, but I will track down every single thing I can find if I have to...

[Paul & Kerri]

Yes, it sounds like you have a lot to overcome with your husbands past criminal record. But I feel that you can and will overcome this. You have very strong hardships (in my opionion) and you sound like you know what you have to do about it. I know the hardship letter is a really pain in the butt, but that is what will get your husband the green card in the end! Best of luck to you!

[Ginger]

You have lots of great hardship. You should emphasize that your panic disorder might cause your body severe damage if your hubby is not by your side ( might want to Google info to support what would happens with the people who has this disease if they put in a sever condition).

You might add that since you have to have Zoloft prescription, it would be impossible/unaffordable to get in a foreign country and that should be one of the parts of medical hardship.

Ask your doctor to write what could be a worst case in area if person in your condition put under the extreme hardship. Tell him not to be afraid to use wording like “might cause sever damage or even death…” and so on.

[rkzal]

I also had to get my husbands criminal record check from NC. I called the clerk of courts and was told to send $10 along with a note with his full name and DOB. I got it back within a week. Where was he in NC? I have the info for Guilford County(Greensboro, High Point)

[ratito921]

You should be able to do the check through the county that you lived in.