Friday, April 30th, 1999 (continued)

You might ask yourself how long can it take to go down from the 31st floor to the 3rd floor. Well...

There are so many people in INS (Immigration and Nationalization Service) that you have to stand in line to get a number (I'm not kidding). I stood about 30 minutes in line to get a number, and then they told me that it would be at least 2 hours before my number is called. So I went to work for a couple of hours, went back to the federal building, waited an additional hour and finally at 15:24 I got to see the clerk, and it's a good thing, because they close at 16:00.

After considering what I mumbled in my immigrant English, the clerk took a form, on which she wrote basically what she told me: "It's very simple. Go to the 10th floor to Inspections. They would replace your faulty I-94 form".

After verifying that I'm allowed to be on the 10th floor (I showed him the pass), the officer listened to my story and replied: "Well, the lady from the 3rd floor sent you to the wrong place. You should go down to the 6th floor to Status Verification. They can give you a letter stating your status as an alien in this country." He wrote the room number on my pass and sent me off.

Yet another comic relief

- "What do you want?"
- "..."
- "Who sent you here?"
- "I was in Inspections on the 10th floor and they told me to come here. Here's my pass."
- "Well, 10th floor cannot send people down here. I cannot help you."
- "But they said that you can give me..."
- "They cannot send people down here. I cannot help you."
- "So what can I do? They sent me here."
- "You don't understand, so I'll explain again: I cannot help you."

I went back to the 10th floor.

A different officer was now in charge and explained:

- "Well, I don't know who told you to go to the 6th floor. What you actually need to do is to take an I-102 form, which is a "Request for an I-94 replacement" form. Fill it out, mail it to us, and we'll mail the new I-94 back to you."
- "Okay, where can I get this I-102 form?"
- "On the 3rd floor (Of course!?!)"
- "But there's like a million people there..."
- "I can't help you."

It turns out that they close the doors at (probably) 15:30, since they close at 16:00. When someone came out the doors I stuck myself in the doorway trying to explain that the clerk that handled my business sent me to the wrong place, and I waited for so long and so on. I fought the verbal fight until a guard (A Sumo woman) from behind said: "Sir, please step away from the door and let them close it." I explained the whole story to her and she let me in!

Back to the clerk that talked with me before. I briefly described my journeys in the building.

- "Okay, I will give you I-102 form, but I must warn you that it costs money."
- "How much money?"
- "$85, and it also takes at least 3 months"

3 months? What will I do 3 months without a bank account? (note the missing quotes - this was a thought)

- "Well, the clerk at the airport makes a mistake and I have to wait 3 months and pay $85?"
- "I understand your point, but there's nothing I can do. Here's the I-102 form."
- "Well, can you at least send me back to the 10th floor, maybe they can do something else."
- "Sorry, they told you to get the I-102 form, so I'm giving it to you."

(I sneaked to the 10th floor without permission! The same officer, opens his eyes widely)
- "You?"
- "I have a few more questions"
- "For me???"
- "Yes"
- "Did you get the I-102??????????"
- "Yes, but you see..."
- "Sir, just fill the form and mail it. What's so difficult about it?"
- "But I it takes 3 months and..."
- "Sir, I'll explain again - fill the form and mail it..."
- "Okay, If you can just spare 2 minutes of your time, I'll try to explain everything. Please, just 2 minutes. Please."

I explained that I want to beat the 2 months time of the first request for a SSN, and that it's not fair that someone made an error at the airport and I'm paying (literally) for it.

"In that case," he said, "You should go to Status Verification and ask for a letter stating your status. Go without a pass from the 3rd floor."

Knowing that 6th floor already closed (surely the closed at 16:00), I thanked him with my best puppy eyes look and started to leave.

"You know what? Give me your passport for a moment". He then tore off the demonic I-94 I had on it, filled a new one, put all the right signatures and gave it back to me. I said thanks 100 times and left.

I went up to the 31st floor but it was closed. So I decided to come back the next day.

It will soon be over

Back to the Social Security Agency, equipped with a passport with a valid I-94 and a big smile. I went to the clerk, showed him the new I-94 and the form I filled the day before.

- "Well sir, I cannot help you. It seems you've already applied for a SSN at a different office and they locked you. You'll have to go there and clear things up with them. I can do nothing from here."

... "So I have this new I-94, and I want to get my SSN."
- "Okay sir, let me check in the computer... Okay, you're currently locked because your status is being checked in Immigration. It will take at least one more month."
- "Yes, but I went to Immigration myself, and they gave me this new I-94."
- "Okay, but you're locked, and I can't do anything until your status is verified with Immigration."
- "Yes, but I already did that. I know I had a bad I-94, but I've fixed that, why do we need to wait?"
- "Sir, I'll explain it to you in more detail. You're locked, and I can't do anything until your status is verified with Immigration."

I'm trying to clarify a point here. I'm not sure some of the people I talked to are human. If they are human they're numb, and you have to somehow make them snap out of it and act like humans. So I said the following:

"Okay, I see there's a long line, and I don't want to slow everyone. I would like to speak with someone else."

I got to speak to her manager. The conversation was almost the same, but then I remembered the trick from the previous day. If it worked with the automaton from Immigration, it might work here. "Okay, If you can just spare 2 minutes out of your time, I'll try to explain everything. Please, just 2 minutes. Please."

Once again I told the story of my life and explained that if they would have told me on the first time that I have a problem with my I-94 I would have solved it, and putting me into the computer shouldn't force me to wait for another month.

It worked. The manager told me to wait while she checks it with her supervisor, and after about 15 minutes she called me and said: "Sir (imagine the US National Anthem playing...) We're going to do it for you."

They (the manager and the clerk) worked on the computer for about 10 minutes, going to options where no SSA clerk has gone before, arguing about fields to fill, keys to press and menu items to select. And they enjoying every moment of it. It's a day they would never forget. Not one of all those gray days at work. And as they unlocked me, their own souls were rising up higher than ever.

I got my SSN the next monday.