Crossing over!!! The road to becoming legal!!!

[Rod 0]

Hi everyone, yesterday I watched the movie crossing over and it brought reality right back into my life. I actually got chills from that.

I came to the US when I was 12 and then when I was 16 I went to Brazil for 2 years and came back at the age of 18.

I'm 35 now and have spent the majority of my life here. I own a home, I work, I file my taxes but still live under the fear that I can lose it all due to my

illegal status here. Sometimes I get sad thinking of how unjust things are. I didn't choose to come, my parents decided and I had to follow along.

My parents are legal now, my mom is a US citizen and my dad has a green card. My mom petitioned for me in 2005 and my priority date is nov 2005.

I have 2 beautiful kids, a girl 7 years old and a boy 3 years old.

I've noticed that priority dates move really slow.

I wish it wasn't this hard to become legal in a country that I gre up basically. Here I had my first girlfriend, got my HS diploma, Married, had kids, bought a home, work, file taxes and it still not enough. I guess I just have to overlook the bad and be hopeful for the future.

God bless us all!

Since my is nov 2005 and their working on oct 2000. How long do you think it will take for them to get to my date?

Please help!

Thank you!

Edited June 7, 2009 by Rod

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hi everyone, yesterday I watched the movie crossing over and it brought reality right back into my life. I actually got chills from that.

I came to the US when I was 12 and then when I was 16 I went to Brazil for 2 years and came back at the age of 18.

I'm 35 now and have spent the majority of my life here. I own a home, I work, I file my taxes but still live under the fear that I can lose it all due to my

illegal status here. Sometimes I get sad thinking of how unjust things are. I didn't choose to come, my parents decided and I had to follow along.

My parents are legal now, my mom is a US citizen and my dad has a green card. My mom petitioned for me in 2005 and my priority date is nov 2005.

I have 2 beautiful kids, a girl 7 years old and a boy 3 years old.

I've noticed that priority dates move really slow.

I wish it wasn't this hard to become legal in a country that I gre up basically. Here I had my first girlfriend, got my HS diploma, Married, had kids, bought a home, work, file taxes and it still not enough. I guess I just have to overlook the bad and be hopeful for the future.

God bless us all!

Since my is nov 2005 and their working on oct 2000. How long do you think it will take for them to get to my date?

Please help!

Thank you!

Is your wife a US citizen?

[scandal 951]

Hi everyone, yesterday I watched the movie crossing over and it brought reality right back into my life. I actually got chills from that.

I came to the US when I was 12 and then when I was 16 I went to Brazil for 2 years and came back at the age of 18.

I'm 35 now and have spent the majority of my life here. I own a home, I work, I file my taxes but still live under the fear that I can lose it all due to my

illegal status here. Sometimes I get sad thinking of how unjust things are. I didn't choose to come, my parents decided and I had to follow along.

My parents are legal now, my mom is a US citizen and my dad has a green card. My mom petitioned for me in 2005 and my priority date is nov 2005.

I have 2 beautiful kids, a girl 7 years old and a boy 3 years old.

I've noticed that priority dates move really slow.

I wish it wasn't this hard to become legal in a country that I gre up basically. Here I had my first girlfriend, got my HS diploma, Married, had kids, bought a home, work, file taxes and it still not enough. I guess I just have to overlook the bad and be hopeful for the future.

God bless us all!

Since my is nov 2005 and their working on oct 2000. How long do you think it will take for them to get to my date?

Please help!

Thank you!

Note - you chose to post on this public forum. That opens you up to commentary from anyone else here, whether you're going to like what you hear or not.

You didn't have to share all that personal information about your situation, but since you did - here's my reaction.

Sometimes I get sad thinking of how unjust things are. What's unjust???? That this is a nation of Law, and that we have the right to enforce our laws?? Get real. You are not owed anything here. You broke the law, now you complain it is "unjust" that that law may be enforced against you?

I didn't choose to come, my parents decided and I had to follow along. I don't buy that. When you are 18, you are already of age of majority. You could have chosen not to return illegally to the US at age 18, you are not dependent on your parents at that point. Moreover - you could have left the US at any point after that, voluntarily. You are not here due to "lack of choice". You've made that choice each and every day that you are here.

Look, I appreciate that you are a decent person, hard working, law abiding (other than the law you've broken!). That's all fine. And if you are on a path to citizenship that works legally, than I have no quarrel with that. But so long as you are illegal and in the shadows don't expect much sympathy from me, or from many on this forum. This website is dedicated to people who are patiently waiting very long times to LEGALLY bring a loved one to the US. My fiancee is in Thailand separated from me for nearly a year because we want to do it the right way. What sympathy should I have for you who entered illegally and complains about the "unfairness" of it all.

The US has a problem with illegal immigration. In the aggregate, we need to do something about the 12million or so illegals in this country. I recognize the practical need to address the problem. But whenever I hear of an individual case like yours, especially one who thinks they're being treated "unfairly", my blood boils.

[Killer_Clown_2009 0]

Excuse me, but he is here looking for help. These forums do not exist so that ####### like you can come in with an axe to grind. They are here for advice and assistance, not for someone with nothing positive to contribute to use as some soap box. Any reasonable , compasionate human being could relate to what this person says. The law may be the law, but sometimes people get unfairly caught in up in the laws. This is someone's life here. Step into his shoes, he was brought here as a child and his life is here. Imagine, you were in that situation and had to leave your life and return to a country that you do not feel is your own. Boo hoo that you have to wait a bit for your spouse to come, don't expect much sympathy for that.

Hi everyone, yesterday I watched the movie crossing over and it brought reality right back into my life. I actually got chills from that.

I came to the US when I was 12 and then when I was 16 I went to Brazil for 2 years and came back at the age of 18.

I'm 35 now and have spent the majority of my life here. I own a home, I work, I file my taxes but still live under the fear that I can lose it all due to my

illegal status here. Sometimes I get sad thinking of how unjust things are. I didn't choose to come, my parents decided and I had to follow along.

My parents are legal now, my mom is a US citizen and my dad has a green card. My mom petitioned for me in 2005 and my priority date is nov 2005.

I have 2 beautiful kids, a girl 7 years old and a boy 3 years old.

I've noticed that priority dates move really slow.

I wish it wasn't this hard to become legal in a country that I gre up basically. Here I had my first girlfriend, got my HS diploma, Married, had kids, bought a home, work, file taxes and it still not enough. I guess I just have to overlook the bad and be hopeful for the future.

God bless us all!

Since my is nov 2005 and their working on oct 2000. How long do you think it will take for them to get to my date?

Please help!

Thank you!

Note - you chose to post on this public forum. That opens you up to commentary from anyone else here, whether you're going to like what you hear or not.

You didn't have to share all that personal information about your situation, but since you did - here's my reaction.

Sometimes I get sad thinking of how unjust things are. What's unjust???? That this is a nation of Law, and that we have the right to enforce our laws?? Get real. You are not owed anything here. You broke the law, now you complain it is "unjust" that that law may be enforced against you?

I didn't choose to come, my parents decided and I had to follow along. I don't buy that. When you are 18, you are already of age of majority. You could have chosen not to return illegally to the US at age 18, you are not dependent on your parents at that point. Moreover - you could have left the US at any point after that, voluntarily. You are not here due to "lack of choice". You've made that choice each and every day that you are here.

Look, I appreciate that you are a decent person, hard working, law abiding (other than the law you've broken!). That's all fine. And if you are on a path to citizenship that works legally, than I have no quarrel with that. But so long as you are illegal and in the shadows don't expect much sympathy from me, or from many on this forum. This website is dedicated to people who are patiently waiting very long times to LEGALLY bring a loved one to the US. My fiancee is in Thailand separated from me for nearly a year because we want to do it the right way. What sympathy should I have for you who entered illegally and complains about the "unfairness" of it all.

The US has a problem with illegal immigration. In the aggregate, we need to do something about the 12million or so illegals in this country. I recognize the practical need to address the problem. But whenever I hear of an individual case like yours, especially one who thinks they're being treated "unfairly", my blood boils.

Edited June 7, 2009 by Killer_Clown_2009

[scandal 951]

Excuse me, but he is here looking for help. These forums do not exist so that ####### like you can come in with an axe to grind. They are here for advice and assistance, not for someone with nothing positive to contribute to use as some soap box. Any reasonable , compasionate human being could relate to what this person says. The law may be the law, but sometimes people get unfairly caught in up in the laws. This is someone's life here. Step into his shoes, he was brought here as a child and his life is here. Imagine, you were in that situation and had to leave your life and return to a country that you do not feel is your own. Boo hoo that you have to wait a bit for your spouse to come, don't expect much sympathy for that.

My beef is not with you. Yet you refer to me with an explitive that VJ software transformed to ####### . Hence you attack me personally, when I have done nothing to you.

Further - I have not personally attacked the OP. I disapprove of the OP's stance, yes. But I have not called him names or insulted him. I challenged the basis of his claim that he is being treated unfairly.

I have also not looked for sympathy for my case. I realize that many people on VJ wait patiently - I am no more or less special than anyone else and do not ask for special treatment, from you or anyone. I only referred to my own case to highlight to the OP that this is a forum for LEGAL immigration.

You say the OP is "looking for help". The OP posted considerable detail about his own situation. He did not need to do that to ask his question. The only question he asked was

Since my is nov 2005 and their working on oct 2000. How long do you think it will take for them to get to my date? If his post contained only those words and nothing more, he could have had a nice non-inflammatory routine response from the VJ community. Instead he chose to bring his illegal status into the discussion. That's on him, not on me.

You say "[these forums] are here for advice and assistance,". Yes, they are. And they are governed by the TOS of this site.

Ergo, from the TOS:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FRAUDULENT OR ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ACTIVITIES

VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board.

For more information on immigration and how immigration fraud affects all members of the immigration community please see USCIS.GOV.

Since the OP is by his own admission breaking US law by his presence in the United States, here is my advice and assistance to him, compliant with US law and VJ TOS:

Leave the country. Now. Apply for legal status from outside the country.

[venusfire503 54]

I have 2 questions.... and some rambling thoughts...

1 - How did you get back in when you were 18? I understand that a 12 year old doesn't have much say in what happens (coming in illegally), but an 18 year old does. I do understand why you'd want to get back to the life you had - and where your parents were. I know at age 18 I didn't exactly have the best social conscience or whatever you want to call it - we want what we want when we're young. I'm sure you weren't thinking about what immigration laws were then. I do think it's good that you're working on becoming legal now.

2 - Don't you have some kind of status since you applied and are just waiting? I have no idea about these things. Just curious. I know that when my husband applied for his green card, he was considered an 'applicant'. Even though he didn't have a very clear cut status (his 90 day stay was over, but he hadn't been approved yet), he was here legally. I just would think that if someone had applied for some type of status (like your mom applying for you) that you would be in that same sort of 'applicant' category.

Also, like someone else asked, is your wife a citizen? I imagine if she is, that opens up another door for you - then you two can apply for your green card.

I understand your frustration. You might be here illegally, but it's the life that you know - the US is home for you now. I don't know how possible/feasible/practical (sorry - can't think of the right word right now) it would be for you to leave now and apply for a visa (and what are the chances you'd get one?). You're paying taxes and doing everything responsibly, including trying to become legal. I also understand some people's frustration that you got here illegally, and they (as well as most others here, including me) had/chose to do things the legal way. And you probably don't like being lumped in with people who come here illegally to take advantage of the system (and don't pay taxes, etc).

I can understand how you feel it's unfair that you don't have an automatic right to live here. Just like I don't understand why we had to go through hoops to get my SO here. Why is it fair that some people are born here, others can easily visit under the VWP, and others can't even hope to get a visitor's visa? Why do some people get their visas quickly and easily, but others have to wait a year or more? My husband is here now, so I don't have to worry about that anymore, but at the same time, his family can't even come here to meet their new nieces/nephew/grandchildren. Since my ex won't let me take them there, they only know each other through the webcam.

Unfortunately, we all have different situations, and some are 'luckier' than others. We just have to work on it, and do things according to the rules. I am happy for those who have uncomplicated journeys, and feel sympathy for those who have difficult ones. I've had a little of each - getting him here was relatively simple, but there were glitches with AOS, and the whole problem with my children meeting their stepfamily just sucks.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with getting legal status. Uscandual, I hope your fiancee's visa comes soon. I remember how frustrating it is, even when it's a short wait. Waiting almost a year must be very difficult.

I really wish we lived in a world where people could easily, legally, safely go wherever they wanted whenever they wanted. I know it's unrealistic, though.

venusfire

[scandal 951]

Great post venusfire

[venusfire503 54]

Great post venusfire

uscandual,

Thank you. I was hoping it wouldn't be taken the wrong way.... I tend to ramble (ask anyone who knows me!), and try to look at things from different angles, which creates the possibility of p***ing off several people at once. Glad it worked right this time!

venusfire

[*Robert* 2]

Great post venusfire

uscandual,

Thank you. I was hoping it wouldn't be taken the wrong way.... I tend to ramble (ask anyone who knows me!), and try to look at things from different angles, which creates the possibility of p***ing off several people at once. Glad it worked right this time!

venusfire

Not to worry venusfire... it would appear that the only one that would get pi$$ed off would be the killer clown!

[Nagishkaw 510]

Great post venusfire

I agree and great posts by you too, Brother Scandal.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Since this thread has digress from the OP's original request for help for staying in the US legally despite his illegal presence, I am going to add my 2 cents.

Helping people to come to the US legally or stay here legally is one of the reason we are on this board. At the same time, we don't like people who are in the US illegally saying that they are being treated unfair or here because it was not their choice. I agree with uscandual that everyday that you stayed here in the US after your 18th birthday is a choice to remain illegally in the US.

There is the point that you are working and paying taxes. That is what everybody I know do. I will not applaud someone for doing what they are suppose to do - pay taxes on your wages. Illegal employment is the core of this issue as far as I am concern. Illegal aliens do not have work authorizations. Both illegal employees and their employers should be fined and prosecuted as far as I am concern.

In summation, I don't mind helping people who are here illegally become legal. There is a legal mechanism for it so at some point the US government has said this is okay. What I do have a problem with is people who are here illegally saying 1) their situation is not their fault and 2) US laws are unfair to them. Just because something is not your "fault" doesn't mean you can't fix it. Leave the US before you establish more ties and go home. There the situation will be one of your making and US laws will have no effect on you.

[aaron2020 11,651]

Rod made a choice to illegally immigrate to the US after he turned 18 years old. He made a choice everyday to stay here illegally. He choose take a job illegally as he did not have a legal right to work in the US. He choose to marry. He choose to have US citizen kids. Ultimately, he is choosing to pursue legal means to stay in the US. I don't think anybody can fault him for pursuing legal means to stay in the US. However, his choice to say that the immigration system is treating him unjustly because he has done everything else "right" by paying taxes, etc. and his choice to be here is because his parents dragged him to the US is simply disingenuous.

Edited June 7, 2009 by aaron2020

[Susita 175]

I know a few people that are in similar situations to yours. The government is working on a bill that's purpose would be to reunite families. There are many lawyers that work pro-bono with situations like these, you should research them. It is a rough situation and I understand but USCIS does not look favorably upon staying in the country unlawfully. I hope that your wife is a citizen and/or the application your parents filed for you goes through.

In the future you may not want to post all the details of your situation, many will not be sympathetic, illegal immigration is a heated topic.

I wish you the best ... boa sorte amigo,

Suzy

[Rod 0]

Thank you all for all the comments and responses.

Like all of you said since I was 18 I had a choice. You're right. I could have chosen to stay in Brazil with my relatives but I didn't. I followed my parents back here. We all entered with a visitor's visa and overstayed.

Staying in Brazil by myself to me seemed the worst thing I could think. Did I know it was wrong? Yes I did. so today I live the consequences.

Like I said in the beginning, I get said sometimes because of not being able to legalize my status here. That's all.

Uscandal and many others don't appreciate people breaking the law of this country. I don't either. I don't agree or do I condone any types of crimes including illegal immigration a crime.

I can't change the past but I'm trying to take the right steps in the present. Like I said, my mother has applied for me and here I wait for my priority Date to come up.

I may have to wait a little longer than Uscandal but my hope lives that one day it will happen.

Meanwhile I take care of my family and live each day trusting in God.

Anyway, can someone please answer my original question.

Thank you!!!

[sdw 10]

If your wife is a US citizen, a spouse applying is faster than a parent of an adult.