Just found out my gf is illegal

[theghost]

Well....mett this wonderfull girl at my cusins school, shes really great. Recently she saved up a lot of money...about 5-8 grand, and I told her she should buy a car, and I kept pushing her to buy a car, I can't drive her everywhere all the time, but I still do. Anyways she told me she doen't have a social security number, and I ask her why. She said her parents never bothered to apply and whatnot. Shes been living for 15 years at least in the united states, how can she be illegal, why do they make stupid laws. Well I'm not going to break up with her for that, thats why she didn't told me before, cus she didn't want me to break up with her.

 

I was wondering what can I do to help her out? we both don't know about this type of situations, I know if I marry her she could be fix within 2 years...lol...but thats too soon to marry her, I only know her her for about 4 months.

 

So...anyone has suggestions? if there a way she can get her licence? we live in california if that helps.

[DopeStar]

Thats craziness, call the I.N.S. (thats the one right?) and ask them some questions. dont give out any names but call them or go online and search google for it.

[theghost]

I went and did a google search but I get all these offers that charge for citizenship, I think they are scams, don't know for sure.

[Day_Walker]

You have to realize that in a general sense US Immigration Laws were created to keep people out of this country. Unless you have an immediate relative (husband, wife,mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter) or other special circumstances you cannot become a citizen of this country. Honestly she could be living her for 25 years and it wouldnt make her anymore of a citizen or permenant resident. People come to this country illegally for different reasons. Calling the laws "stupid" just cuz they arent accepting for your situation isnt productive. The only legal means of her being able to get a drivers license and a SSN would be for her to apply to become a permanent resident at her local Citizenship and Immigration office. Which probably wont do any good because unless she has a current visa her and her family will have to go back to their home country.

[theghost]

I think its gonna be harder than I thought, look what I found.

 

link removed

 

crazy.

[DopeStar]

link removed

 

ok I didnt read much of it but number 1 says this and it might help you

 

 

U.S. Citizenship Tutorial - Step-by-Step Overview

 

Provided - Courtesy of the American Immigration Center

 

 

You may apply for naturalization if:

 

1. You have been a lawful permanent resident for five years.

[Gauchori]

I had known that you cound become a recident or something if you lived in the U.S. For 5 years, worked for at list 4 of them, pay your taxes, and didn't got law cuts and going to jail or something like that.

[theghost]

seriously seriously, I won't lie to you guys, I think her visa expire long time ago. I think the main reason why she hasn't got deported by the border people is that she is light skin. Dopestar thanks for the link.

 

My question now is this.

1) You have been a lawful permanent resident for five years.

 

How can she be a 'lawful permanenr resident'?

[DopeStar]

work visa??? I dont know

[theghost]

work visa??? I dont know

I don't know either.

 

Does anyone has good knowledge of this?

[reborn]

Hi thegosht,

This is just a girl's 2 cents on the situation. Actually, I do not know much about US citizenship laws. Regarding that, and from doing an internship in a councelman\s district office once in NYC, I can suggest that you go to your local Councelman/s office. The one I did the internship in had a free lawyer for people with immigration issues and questions. Also if your girlfriend is mexican or latino or philipino, or whatever, there are usually NGO[s that have resources and free legal counceling for illegal immigrants. I think this may be a good starting point. You need to talk to an immigration lawyer regarding this issue. I take it you are both young and don't have tons of money to throw around so the NGO or Councelman[s office lawyer is a good start. And usually this guys know their laws really well as they are constantly dealing with people in this situation.

I have a friend that is in a similar situation to your girlfriend but living in Europe. I know the girl has gone through a really tough time to stay legal there, and though her bf loves her he doesn't seem to go through too much trouble to help her stay. It isn't his responsability ofcourse, nor is it yours, but if 2 people love each other and they have found each other and one is in this stinky situation, I think is very beautiful, and very encouraging, loving and supportive to the other person the one in the vulnerable position to have the love and support of the other one.

You may not be able to do much short of marrying her, and if you are not ready for that do not let anyone push you into that, however letting her know that you care and that you will support her and help her in her situation I think will make her feel very good, protected and loved.

My friend is one of my closest friends, and one of the nicest people I know, I met he bf once and he seemed preety nice too, however I know she has been going through very tough situations and he seems to be kind on the sidelines. She is very deppressed sometimes and tells me she is sometimes afraid when she sees a police go by. Or that once someone mugged her but she couldn't call the police cause she was afraid to be deported or something. I think it is a very sad situation, that sometimes life or economic situations or simply bad choices bring you to and that you live like a marginated person from society, not being able to have somehting as normal and necessary as a drivers license. I just want to congratulate you for the way you are responding to your girl. She is very lucky to have you.

[Day_Walker]

She is a Lawful Permenant Resident if she has her Green Card. You get the green card by applying for lawful permenant resident status with Citizenship and Immigation Services (formally INS). As I said before if her visa is expired then she is most likely not able to file for lawful permanent resident status in this country, she would have to go back to her home country and apply for it through the US Consulate. The reason why she hasnt been picked up by Border Patrol doesnt have anything to do with her beling "light". Border Patrol rarely goes out and deports people. Unless you have committed crimes they could really care less. In actuality they would ask you to leave the country before they deported the person.

[theghost]

Day_Walker, you provide usefull information, but yet very depressing.

 

Reborn, thanks...

 

 

I don't think she is gonna go back to her home country, she only lived there for about 3 years. Is there a way to apply for a visa through the US?

 

 

My best bet is to marry her, I'm still thinking very very hard. And I think this is gonna be the biggest decition I will ever make my entire life.

 

Please, keep me inform of these laws, I still don't get all of it.

[Mjane]

I actually know a lot about immigration laws.

I doubt your gf came here on a visa as she would have been four???

Perhaps it was a tourist visa?

Regardless here is her situation... she can go to school, college or university as an illegal. But she can't work unless she wants to get an under the table job... which means a life of slavery...

You have to be a resident before you can be a citizen. The big stumbling block is how to be a resident... there are only two ways: you can have a family member sponsor you (mother, brother, husband, son) or have a company sponsor you for employment. Option two is only available if you are really special and successful and have a university degree or are a movie star or an athlete or nobel prize winner. Ok, or high tech guru.

Believe it or not... that's it. Those are her only options.

Are any of her close relatives citizens? This is her only route although I get the impression the rest of her family is illegal as well.

Well, she can get married, although they can smell out a fake marriage in no time.

[theghost]

What do you mean by sponsor?

I'm interested to know about the company sponsor thing.

 

how can they smell a fake marriage? if I love her and I move in with her....it wouldn't be fake.

 

Shes a waitress, and I have no idea how she gets paid...I think she uses a fake SSN...No BS, I think thats how she does it, anyways I really don't care about how she works. I just don't want her to be taken away from me.

 

Mjane, if you don't mind can you give details... ...plz?

[Mjane]

All this information is on the INS web site.

She wouldn't qualify for a work green card. At a minimum you need a university degree in a specialized field. It takes about two years, costs at least $5,000 and the company has to show that it can't get many U.S. residents to do the job. That's why it's usually used for specialized scientists, doctors, nurses, professors, nobel peace prize winners, movie stars, musicians, etc.

There are sub criteria... like you can be prominent and famous in your field and garner awards and accolades. When there was a shortage of high tech workers, quite a few engineers got it because there really was a shortage of u.s. workers. Now there are too many because of the downturn.

If your gf went to school and became a registered nurse she'd have a very easy time getting legal permission to work because there is a national if not worldwide shortage of nurses.

The company files the application. They sponsor the worker for employment.

By fake marriage I mean when you file for her residency, they will require proof that you have a real relationship. They would probably even do an interview, home visit, etc. You should start putting together a photo album of the two of you showing you have a real relationship over a period of time.

You also need to have be employed making a minimum amount of money.

[theghost]

ok, whats the INS website url?

[avman]

ins.gov

[Cecil de Volange]

Their is a law that if you have live in the US more than 10 years, she would be eligible to have a green card and SSN. I ask my father for the site.That is what my friend is going through right now. She couldn't go to a University because they were asking her for a drivers license and SSN. She doesn't have one of those. She is having difficulty going to school also because she does not drive. I wish a the governor of california sign the law to make undocumented immgrants have driver's license because not all are terrorist.

[Mjane]

Cecil,

What you are referring to is amnesty that was offered illegals back when Regan was president. He allowed illegals who had been in the U.S. for 10 consecutive years to file for residency.

There is no amnesty program now available and probably never will be again. President Bush has been proposing a guest worker program for 3 year stays for unskilled workers (those who fill vacancies in chicken factories and work in onion fields, etc), but Congress won't go for it.

And I forgot to mention Ghost. People who are refugees or seeking political asylum can also seek residency through those methods. There is also the green card lottery, which you posted the fake link to.

But the problem with the lottery is its only open to people from countries who don't get a lot of residency permits.

For example, people from Canada or Mexico can never get in the lottery, but it's open to people from those tiny nations you have never heard of.

[theghost]

Hopefully things will change...well because president bush will probably not get elected..

 

I know that they are probably never going to be amnesty again because of all this terrorist.

 

Anyways what about this political asylum?

[the_tiger_striped_cat]

There is no amnesty program now available and probably never will be again.

 

This isn't totally true. Her parents may be eligible but they have to get on the ball!

 

link removed

 

FOR A GREEN CARD:

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1)Amnesty as listed above

2) you could marry her

3)if she can find a company that will sponsor her for a green card.

4) The lottery but it's offered to countries with low immigration.

 

FOR A VISA--HOLD ON ONE STEP AT A TIME

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It will be eaiser to get a green card if you have a visa (but I guess that's also hard)

 

5) Student visa

[avman]

You can also visit an immigration attorney. They can look at the situation and advise you of the best option.

[Cecil de Volange]

There is no amnesty program now available and probably never will be again.

 

Really...that's not what my friend's lawyers told her which she told me...

 

Although my friend did asked a lawyer at a firm, the lawyers recommended my friend to do the 10 years thing, but I do hope such thing exist.

[theghost]

ok, I got an update from her. She said her parents aren't eligible, but her grandparents are citizens...

 

Also, she in the only one without a green card from all her siblings, her siblings where born here.

 

I contacted a lawyer and talk for a bit, and there is not such thing as a 10 year thing....she said it can take up to ten years for the whole process. And I also realize that lawyers are very expensive.