Lydia, Lydia, Lydia

This story begins well over one year ago. International adoption requires mounds of paperwork, before and after our children arrive home. Once home we need to get their permanent resident card, social security card, a formal American adoption and name change, birth certificate, citizenship papers and passport. We waited some years before applying for the citizenship papers for the girls because of the time commitment and expense. But finally when faced with another exorbitant fee increase, we quickly did all that was needed(and more) for the girl's citizenship document. Now mind you they are already citizens, this is the $400.00(before the fee increase) citizenship certificate we need to purchase from the government to have in case the government ever questions their citizenship.

Months pass and we receive Eva's citizenship document but not Lydia's. Apparently when filling out the form on one document I put the wrong birth year. My bad. But, we did have other forms with her correct date and they have forms in their files with her correct date and I sent her photos passport style, six years old, 3'7" and 45ish pounds. Their response is send the replacement fee of $380.00 and we will send a correct document.

So, the letter above is one Simon sent during his Civics class to Nancy Nathanson, state representative, pleading our case and asking for financial leniency. In her reply she stated she had no jurisdiction with a federal agency but she would forward the letter to Congressman Peter DeFazio and suggested Simon contact him directly.

Simon never did write Congessman DeFazio but two months later, due to the forwarded letter by Nancy Nathanson, we received a letter from DeFazio stating he would be happy to contact U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services on our family's behalf if we were to file a request for a fee waiver, which he included.

Hurray! A lot of work but justice might be served and we might just get a certificate without putting out more money. Just a bit more work for us now.

Now forward to yesterday when we received a letter from the U.S. Department of State Passport Agency telling us, after being told we had turned in all that we needed 5 weeks ago for Lydia's passport, because she doesn't have a Citizenship document we need to send a certified copy of the full and final foreign adoption decree, translation included, before they can process Lydia's passport request.

I've got some work to do tomorrow. End rant.