We finally heard something back from Canadian immigration. The consulate has scheduled an interview with us in October in Los Angeles… That’s a pretty practical and good excuse for us to get out of town for a road trip… But We are not very sure how Bryan will take the long car rides…
I am actually a bit worried about the interview. I already know why they want to interview me… It’s because of my seemingly suspicious expired (and useless) passport. I will have to go into the long story of why it’s expired and how that problem can be fixed. But it’s a catch 22 kind of deal… Canada most likely won’t issue me a Green Card unless I have a valid passport (as stated in the Interview letter); but I can’t get a valid passport unless I have Green Card from another country (long story)! So I am stuck.
The strategy is, as I thought about it, to have the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (or TECO for short, it’s the closest thing Taiwan has to an embassy in a country with no “formal” diplomatic relations with Taiwan) issue a promissory note to grant me a new passport if Canada can promise to issue me a Green Card… Notice both are just promises on paper — So basically, I get Taiwan to promise a new passport to show the Canadians that I am no criminal so that the Canadians will, in turn, issue a promise to give me Green Card as long as I can obtain a valid passport from Taiwan (based on the assumption that no Green Card can be issued without a valid passport).
But it’s too early to tell what will happen at this stage. Canada might feel it’s too much of a hassle and think that this whole deal is too “fishy” to go through. But then again, I read everywhere that Canada IS short on young talent in various industries… Maybe I will say enough of the right things to make them want me enough to go out of the way just a little bit to help me out…
We are scheduled to go to a “pre-interview” training with the agency we are applying the Canadian Green Card though next week. Hopefully they will reveal some good tips on how to score some cookie points with the Extended Americans… I mean, Canadians.