Funniest Immigration Myth You've Ever Had to Bust

[Protocol417 161]

In the year or so since we started working towards my SO's visa (and now AoS) we've come up against some pretty bad misconceptions about the immigration process.

My favorite so far has to be when my SO got his social security card, about two months after moving here on his K-1.

He posted about it on Facebook and a former co-worker, an American expat living in the UK, said, rather jingoistically, "Congratulations! There are so many rights that come with being a US citizen which you've never been able to enjoy before today! You've definitely made the right choice!"

We then had to awkwardly explain to her that a social security card doesn't grant citizenship.

So what has been the funniest misconception you've had to put to rest?

[Morningmist 76]

That foreigner's don't pay taxes. the HR rep. at one of my prior jobs was like "you're so lucky you don't have to pay taxes" during lunch break in front of everyone else. I was like really? You do my payroll and you see the huge chunk that gets taken by the federal and state government and you are still accusing me of not paying taxes? God she is an idiot. I hated that job because of the morons that worked there.

[Kajikit 65]

Not 'funny' but many people still don't realise that immigration is not as simple as it was 20 or 30 years ago. I didn't just decide to be married, pick up and come to the US and become a citizen automatically through marriage, it took YEARS and a heck of a lot of money...

[Caryh 5,206]

So many people think my wife was automatically citizen when she got here. She's even been asked who's she's voting for in elections. Another comment is "Wow, you speak English so good". I guess it's expected that every immigrant has horrible English.

[novedsac 355]

My ex was from the soviet union - i was amazed at the number of people who, once they found out, would ask 'how did you escape?' - like she swam the Bering Straight or jumped the Berlin Wall or something.

Oh, and many people would ask her how she liked her new freedom here in the USA. That really irked her as she felt Americans had too much freedom, too much choice, too much social heterogeneity. She preferred more authoritarian leadership.

[Morningmist 76]

Oh another one. That only citizens can get ids. Whenever I read about stuff regarding voter fraud and why voter id is needed, many state that only citizens can get ids. I've had a state id even when I was on a non immigrant visa.

I do know that in NC they state that it is subject to DHS authorization but there isn't anything like that on my GA one.

[TBoneTX 46,302]

Kind of a sub-myth:

Shortly after Mrs. T-B. arrived, I took her to the local Mexican supermarket. After checkout, I had her ask the employees if they could identify her country of origin on the basis of her dialect. The guesses were "Colombia," "Honduras," and "not Mexico."

When she revealed that she was from Ecuador, one guy blurted out, "Really? And I thought that all Ecuatorianas were ugly!" Mrs. T-B. & I concluded that he, as with many others, was probably familiar solely with the stubby native-Ecu Indians in colorful hats who get a lot of face-time in tourist publications.

[B_J 2,752]

Almost everybody thought all that was needed to bring her here was:

1. Go there.

2. Get married.

3. Fly back together.

They don't quite understand what has to happen between steps 2 and 3.

[christeen 966]

That because we married in Italy, it did not count and had to get married here again.

[TBoneTX 46,302]

Almost everybody thought all that was needed to bring her here was:

1. Go there.

2. Get married.

3. Fly back together.

They don't quite understand what has to happen between steps 2 and 3.

Seriously, this nails it.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

How about file for parents no worry they will get social security and medical because all old people get that in the US

[spookyturtle 9,466]

It's worth the wait.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Serious though. The number 1 thing that gets busted is most people are surprised that they can do this without an attorney. For some reason everyone is conditioned that lawyers are needed for everything. Far from the truth.

It's worth the wait.

And after all I went through I became domesticated. smh

[Caryh 5,206]

It's worth the wait.

That's a number 1 myth on VJ

[aaron2020 11,651]

My favorite.

I pay taxes so I am entitled to have x, y, and z be here in the US.

So, the rules do not apply because you are special.