Over the past couple of years, I've noticed that a few of my friends were finally being reunited with their parent/s. I was told that the process of petitioning an alien relative have gotten quite speedy and I was encouraged to start petitioning my mother since I've been a US citizen for sometime. This plan has always been on the back of my mind but now that I have to make that decision, I had some moments of doubt. I wanted to see first how the newly-arrived parents are managing their new lifestyle. I was curious as to how they are integrating to their new status and adjusting to a different culture. Most of them were already enjoying their retirement and had their own network of friends back home. Is it really a wise and fair decision to take all that away from them? Is living in the US really worth it for them?

Maybe I'm way over thinking these things. I'm sure people assumed that I would be trying to get my parent to come to the US once I became a citizen. I reckon people have made comments to my mother like "You're lucky. Your daughter will take you to the US". I wish it's as easy as that. My Mama had to make a very important decision to uproot herself from everything she has ever known, including leaving her own elderly mother, at this point in her life. It was certainly different for me then since I was just starting out and very eager for a fresh beginning. My mother have already made a life for herself. She is surrounded by family and friends and although far from living in utmost abundance, she has properties she can speak of. Being here in the US means she will be financially dependent on us, with less family and not much of a social life. Furthermore, she won't be able to visit my father's grave whenever she wants. She really do have a lot to give up if she's going to make this move.

Don't get me wrong. She liked it here when she and my father visited five years ago. In fact, my parents were looking forward to migrate eventually. But now that my father's gone, I wasn't all too sure if my mother would be happy in a new place where she only have me and Kenny as immediate family. As much as I would love for her to be close by me, I left the choice up to her. After mulling things over, her ruling finally came down based on who's going to gain advantage from it. Like the good mother that she is, she's ultimately doing this for my youngest sister Sande . Once my mother becomes an immigrant, she'll be eligible to petition my sister since she's still under 21 years old. She just wants my sister to have the same opportunities I have. Also, my mother was motivated by the likelihood that my other sister Emily (and her family) will finally make it to the US soon since her application for a nursing job in New York is currently in the works. Things are definitely looking more to her liking and I'm glad and relieved about that. I wouldn't want her to be left in the Philippines without my sister since she's been looking out for her. My mother might not be in poor health yet but I'd prefer for her to be in a place where there is better medical care when she needs it. I still blame my father's demise on the substandard medical service in our city. I just wouldn't want my mother to be another casualty.

A few weeks ago, I finally submitted the application to the USCIS. It took sometime to get everything together as it can be a slow and tedious process obtaining documents from the Philippines' government offices. It was a mad rush to submit the requirements since I wanted to take advantage of the lower fee. After July 31st, the application fee was raised from $190.00 to $355.00. That's quite a big difference, huh?

Anyway, I recently received the Notice of Action   that notified me of the receipt of the application. I spoke to my mother about it and she seemed pleased that things are going as planned. She sounded quite excited and informed me that she's starting to get her business in order, tying up loose ends and making sure that my little (not really so little anymore) sister will be taken cared of while she's away. It's going to be tough to be parted from each other but such sacrifice is necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of a family reunion that's been long overdue. I can't wait for that to happen soon!