You cannot change your status if you weren’t “inspected on arrival” (have a visa) and you’re banned from re-entering the country to be “inspected” for a decade after you leave. So if you overstay your visa you could change to permanent residence since you were “inspected” but if you never had a visa in the first place there’s no pathway to legal residence even if you’re married to an American citizen and have American citizen children.
Not really in practice. There are other stories of spouses married to US citizens and being the parent to US babies. These guys are literally ripping families apart. They did it the first time and they are doing it now.
There is a ‘path’ but the hoops you would have to jump through mean you’ll self deport and be away from your family for a very long time(by design). The immigration system is backed up after all. Plus what ever stable job you had will be gone after the months to years long wait.
Even 20+ years ago, it was a struggle. I had a boss who had married someone from Guatemala (I think, or maybe Peru? it’s been a decade since I talked to him) while he was in the military overseas, and ended up having a child with her. When he came back, it took TWO YEARS, the wife and child left behind in south america the entire time, to get them approved to come and live back in the states.
edit: 20+ years ago, not 15. I forgot how long it had been since I worked for him.
Wait he’s actually gay? I never knew that
How do you deport a husband anyway, doesn’t marriage guarantee citizenship?
You cannot change your status if you weren’t “inspected on arrival” (have a visa) and you’re banned from re-entering the country to be “inspected” for a decade after you leave. So if you overstay your visa you could change to permanent residence since you were “inspected” but if you never had a visa in the first place there’s no pathway to legal residence even if you’re married to an American citizen and have American citizen children.
Not really in practice. There are other stories of spouses married to US citizens and being the parent to US babies. These guys are literally ripping families apart. They did it the first time and they are doing it now.
There is a ‘path’ but the hoops you would have to jump through mean you’ll self deport and be away from your family for a very long time(by design). The immigration system is backed up after all. Plus what ever stable job you had will be gone after the months to years long wait.
Even 20+ years ago, it was a struggle. I had a boss who had married someone from Guatemala (I think, or maybe Peru? it’s been a decade since I talked to him) while he was in the military overseas, and ended up having a child with her. When he came back, it took TWO YEARS, the wife and child left behind in south america the entire time, to get them approved to come and live back in the states.
edit: 20+ years ago, not 15. I forgot how long it had been since I worked for him.
“Service guarantees citizenship.”