We had so many suspicious looking fact but interviewer just didnt care. alla botu chemistry when they meet you!!!

[MrsNotBonJovi 18]

We don't know that she did work with fake documents. We know that her employer "made up" a SSN and put it...somewhere.

He probably wrote a number on a payroll form to get her paid, and that's it.

What people typically say here is that as long as you didn't misrepresent yourself as a US citizen, you're fine. I never saw her say that she claimed to be a US citizen, only that she worked with a fake SSN and admitted to it.

If there ever was a payroll with a fake SSN, that is not fake documentation? Why put in the SSN there at all, if the only purpose was to pay her?

Well, since the OP hasn't been heard from since her first couple of posts, we do not yet know if she had claimed US citizenship too, do we?

The bottom line is all of us are playing devil's advocates here not because we want to mob-lynch the OP, but because there is a genuine concern that her post gives rise to a lot of false hope to those desperate to bypass legalities to get where they want. The desperation can be condoned, but not the means. Everyone may not be as lucky as her.

Edited June 22, 2012 by MrsNotBonJovi

[Stuart and Thea 95]

I don't see anywhere in the original post that the OP said that she falsely claimed to be a USC. You can have an SSN and authorization to work with it while still an alien, I got an EAD card when I did my AOS package. Yes, the OP could potentially get into trouble for using a made up SSN, but not anywhere near as much as her employer. So what? Who cares? I certainly don't, it has NOTHING to do with obtaining a green card, or the interview that everyone is so up in arms about.

Also, adjusting status after marrying a USC while on an overstay IS the legal way, if it's legal, why isn't it the right way? The fact that she came in on a different visa and adjusted status should make you guys HAPPY that it WAS done the right way. Now, coming in on another visa or as a tourist with the INTENTION of adjusting status after arriving is not cool, but the way the OP did it is perfectly fine, perfectly legal and no one should really say otherwise. What are you supposed to do if you fall in love and get married and have already been living here for years, move to a country where you don't have a home or a job and wait more than a year to come back home? That's stupid, and NOT NEEDED TO LEGALLY ADJUST STATUS!

As to the interview to get the green card? It wasn't unlike mine. The interviewer asked me how to correctly spell my maiden name, my married name, my son's name, he confirmed addresses and birthdates. That's all he wanted to know. I too had pictures, and I did bring my passport, but the interviewer never asked for anything. I said that everything I filled in on the forms was correct, and provided him with extra stuff that he didn't even ask for, like a lease with both our names on it, last year's tax return, updated vaccine info, all the things I thought we'd get an RFE on if they didn't have it. Guess what? We probably would have been approved even still. I did give him a photo from our wedding that he put in the file, and copies of the papers mentioned above, so the file has what it needs in it, but I'm not worried, we obviously didn't spark any questions in his eyes, so either they already had what they needed from us, or we too looked right.

My spouse is older than me by 12 years, he doesn't look his age, but neither do I, so the age difference still looks visible. We didn't necessarily play it up for the interview, but we did act like a happily married couple, joking around in the waiting room, etc. We were probably the only people there who didn't have a sour look on their face. Why? Because we knew that if pressed we could prove anything they wanted us to prove. I had a bag full of evidence. The fact that they didn't need it wasn't my problem, does that mean that they aren't doing their job? I think that instincts of an interviewer will come into play after doing it for some time, as well as the investigating that they do beforehand on people to sniff out anything fishy.

Congrats to the OP on your greencard, but man.... why'd you have to go and be stupid and work illegally? That can really come back to bite you in the butt. I'd do some serious reading up on the subject and be prepared. Start saving now in case you need a good lawyer.... Hopefully you don't, and it doesn't ever come up, but it just might. Don't ever fill in incorrect info on a legal document and sign it. That's just plain stupid, and you're asking for trouble.

[Mike B. 231]

She can still be charged with I-9 fraud. The SSN doesn't need to actually be assigned to someone else. Five years and $250K.

I guess the question that this raises is thus: What makes you think that she ever signed an I-9, let alone a fraudulent I-9? Maybe she did, but quite frankly I somewhat doubt that the same employer that said "I'll just make up a fake SSN for you and won't check your documents" turned around and then said "but it's absolutely critical that you fill out signed form I-9 and that we maintain proper record-keeping practices in accordance with the pertinent provisions of federal law." My guess is that the government won't audit the employer and that if they did they employer would end up saying "look, I don't even remember, maybe there was someone who filled out an I-9. If so I lost it."

I am very conservative about this type of thing: I think that immigrants who do not carry around their green card with them (and I bet there are at least a couple on this thread) are absolute fools who are just asking for a night in jail and a bunch of immigration problems. I tell my wife not to jaywalk as long as she is not a citizen. My wife is here on a letter of extension, and in our travels to the southwest we did not go to the state of Arizona because I operate under the assumption that some idiot sheriff's deputy isn't going to understand the letter and arrest her for having an expired green card. In short, I get it: it makes no sense to do something that will cause you to always have the fear in the back of your mind that one day everything will come crashing down on you. That being said, I don't think that it is certain that things will come crashing down on the OP. I also think that the level of vitriol leveled against her is just run-of-the-mill "I had a sh*tty experience so everyone else should also" psychology which is totally irrational. "It's not fair that things are better for some people than for me!" I want to make it clear that I'm not talking about Jim here, but others.

Honestly, thinking about my own ancestors, I know that during the shameful NINA period of this country's history at least one of them used a forged document to claim that he was born in New York when he was really born in Dublin, and another dropped the O' prefix from her name when she filled out forms to hide her Irish descent. I guess it's too bad that there wasn't a Visa Journey back then for people to work themselves up and get all in a huff about what a bunch of moral degenerates my family members were for trying to improve their lot in life by living and working in the United States. I have a hard time getting too excited about it, though.

[bsd058 296]

Ya. Typical. There are more and more people posting about criminal activity online that the police are catching because they got cocky about it, or they just didn't have the common sense to remain silent.

Well Shireen B from the New York area, married to Todd who just received her GC recently, I would think it would be easy to remedy the situation now that you've admitted to a crime on the internet. The government can possibly link this to you. In fact, they encourage people to report evidence of criminal activity.

I don't know if they would deport you since they essentially created an estoppel by admitting you even though you admitted to committing a felony; I just think a prison sentence would be in order.

Could be a troll though.

[Mike B. 231]

Ya. Typical. There are more and more people posting about criminal activity online that the police are catching because they got cocky about it, or they just didn't have the common sense to remain silent.

Well Shireen B from the New York area, married to Todd who just received her GC recently, I would think it would be easy to remedy the situation now that you've admitted to a crime on the internet. The government can possibly link this to you. In fact, they encourage people to report evidence of criminal activity.

I don't know if they would deport you since they essentially created an estoppel by admitting you even though you admitted to committing a felony; I just think a prison sentence would be in order.

Could be a troll though.

Did you even read the OP's post? She already came clean to having worked without authorization in a sworn statement to the government. What are you talking about? "Now they can use the internet to find you!" They already know who she is and have admitted her to the US.

Also, please let me know what part of Title 18 you think she has already confessed to and is going to end up in federal prison on?

[Bryan and Isabel 29]

Ya. Typical. There are more and more people posting about criminal activity online that the police are catching because they got cocky about it, or they just didn't have the common sense to remain silent.

Well Shireen B from the New York area, married to Todd who just received her GC recently, I would think it would be easy to remedy the situation now that you've admitted to a crime on the internet. The government can possibly link this to you. In fact, they encourage people to report evidence of criminal activity.

I don't know if they would deport you since they essentially created an estoppel by admitting you even though you admitted to committing a felony; I just think a prison sentence would be in order.

Could be a troll though.

Or nothing can happen and they can live happily ever after in the USA like all the other people who slipped by and continue to do so daily.

Im sure there are bigger Criminals the Government is occupied with than this one. You know how every one starts at A and wants to get to B, does it really matter how they do this? or if they did it EXACTLY how you and I did it? no not really.

[bsd058 296]

Chill out.

I know that she said that she admitted to using the SSN illegally. That's why I thought that maybe an estoppel was created when the government admitted her.

It's still criminal activity to use an SSN that doesn't belong to you.

If she is reported, the police can easily prosecute her based on that alone.

Or nothing can happen and they can live happily ever after in the USA like all the other people who slipped by and continue to do so daily.

Im sure there are bigger Criminals the Government is occupied with than this one. You know how every one starts at A and wants to get to B, does it really matter how they do this? or if they did it EXACTLY how you and I did it? no not really.

This is true.

Just so long as no one was hurt, I hope she doesn't end up in jail. Although if people continue to do this and get away with it, eventually someone is going to end up hurt.

[UK_Fan 192]

i'm surprised this thread hasn't been closed yet

[DandT14 272]

If there ever was a payroll with a fake SSN, that is not fake documentation? Why put in the SSN there at all, if the only purpose was to pay her?

Well, since the OP hasn't been heard from since her first couple of posts, we do not yet know if she had claimed US citizenship too, do we?

The bottom line is all of us are playing devil's advocates here not because we want to mob-lynch the OP, but because there is a genuine concern that her post gives rise to a lot of false hope to those desperate to bypass legalities to get where they want. The desperation can be condoned, but not the means. Everyone may not be as lucky as her.

I fill out payroll forms all the time and submit them to my company payroll. I fill them out, I sign them, and the employee never sees it nor agrees to it. If I put a fake number on there, it would be my responsibility, not the employee.

And plenty here have been attacking the OP, not just playing devil's advocate, and I think it's less about what she actually did and more about her attitude. That, and people are looking for a place to direct their anger and anxiety about this whole process.

[Mike B. 231]

Chill out.

I know that she said that she admitted to using the SSN illegally. That's why I thought that maybe an estoppel was created when the government admitted her.

It's still criminal activity to use an SSN that doesn't belong to you.

If she is reported, the police can easily prosecute her based on that alone.

This is true.

Just so long as no one was hurt, I hope she doesn't end up in jail. Although if people continue to do this and get away with it, eventually someone is going to end up hurt.

Actually, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against this interpretation of the law. Unless it can be proven that the OP knew for a fact that the made-up social security number that was used was an actual valid social security number that had been issued to someone, she cannot be convicted of aggravated identity theft. See Flores-Figueroa v. United States.

[DC85 113]

first of all congratulation in your easy process, Second , I wonder why people start attacking this poor lady about her process. is it because she has an easy process and you guys were paranoid as hell, and over react & worried about AOS !!???? is it because some of you guys envying her for everything went super smooth!!!!?? and you wish her to get in trouble in future OMG !!!!! . I would say, just go and celebrate your success. and to those people who felt so bad because she got her GC easily, guess what her GC won't be revoked for this , because she didn't lie to USCIS to get any immigration benefit. if, the chance is 1/10000000, the government decided in the future to prosecute her, what do u thing usually the judge would decide when he/she see that the employer is the one who broke the law ? plus the government is always interested , in such cases, in the employer not in a person because the government could easily lose the case in the court in such circumstances. Some of you guys did their best to ruin her happiness.

[MrsNotBonJovi 18]

I fill out payroll forms all the time and submit them to my company payroll. I fill them out, I sign them, and the employee never sees it nor agrees to it. If I put a fake number on there, it would be my responsibility, not the employee.

And plenty here have been attacking the OP, not just playing devil's advocate, and I think it's less about what she actually did and more about her attitude. That, and people are looking for a place to direct their anger and anxiety about this whole process.

Elsewhere on this board, the OP has said it was she using the SSN which indicates awareness and accountability.

I can only speak for myself when I say hurting the OP's happiness over a successful AOS is not the intention,but just to deter others who may want to follow the example into believing their own processes would be easier too if they did similar things.

That the OP confessed her mistake on her paperwork may actually work in her favor since she has been honest but what worked for her may not work for others. I would hate to see anybody hurt for taking the kind of risk that she did.

Edited June 22, 2012 by MrsNotBonJovi

[bsd058 296]

Did you even read the OP's post? She already came clean to having worked without authorization in a sworn statement to the government. What are you talking about? "Now they can use the internet to find you!" They already know who she is and have admitted her to the US.

Also, please let me know what part of Title 18 you think she has already confessed to and is going to end up in federal prison on?

First off, learn how to use quotation marks. lol. I didn't say that at all. I said they can link you to criminal activity and people are caught all of the time when they think they've slipped through the crack. Do you read the news ever?

A certain branch knows that she misused her SSN. It doesn't mean they took the time to report her to the police.

A person who knowingly uses a social security number that doesn't belong to them commits fraud against the United States Government. If she is set up on direct debit, then it's wire fraud, and financial institution fraud. The list continues if she uses the number for more things.

I would think that section 1028 would produce some indictments. She only needs to go along with the false number knowingly, and I would think that would be considered an authentication feature. Title 18 defines authentication feature as any of the following:

[hologram]

- [watermark]

- [certification symbol]

-

[image]

[b] [sequence of numbers or letters][/b]

[other feature]

Just for your information...you asked.

Edited June 22, 2012 by bsd058

[jaycali 415]

In the end, all w can do here is let the CIS do it's job, and they did. The OP was honest in her application, and the CIS granted her permission to stay with her husband. Congrats.

[bsd058 296]

True. You know what. I was ridiculing and rude. I apologize to the OP. Apparently there have been some cases that have been overturned in supreme court that indicate that if you do not intend to harm someone, you could possibly get away with this type of fraud.

Please see here:

http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/11/30/6345521-courts-using-anothers-ssn-not-a-crime?lite

I also apologize to anyone else I offended. I just thought it was common sense that fruad was illegal. Apparently, it all depends upon a judge's interpretation.

Congrats to the OP.

And sorry.