[NICUrn2B]

Originally Posted by pinoyNP

WAC is issued for those who are in the process of adjusting their status from a working visa to a resident immigrant visa (or resident alien visa or Green Card). You are right, this is something she could have done three years ago. But who knows, she may have run across problems with how her lawyer filed her documents, she may have had trouble finding a petitioner, or she may have missed a deadline of some sort. The bottom line is you don't know what really happened and yet we are easy to put the ENTIRE blame on her. She is disobeying the law but I feel that I have no reason to judge her mistake since I don't know the full circumstances surrounding her case. Your family is lucky. I am lucky. She unfortunately wasn't.

She has a social security card because she had a working visa at one point. Her card should read - "valid for employment purpose only". That's how she can file taxes both from her state of residence and the federal government. Even some illegal immigrants with fake social security cards file taxes that way. However, her social security number is not valid for employment purpose anymore since her working visa is expired. But some employers do not realize that.

I didn't mean to judge her or target her specifically. I was just trying to say that NO ONE (not just this nurse) should accept being illegal. I hope she finds some way to stay in this country because, i'm sure, she will be an asset. I work with a lot of Filipina nurses and I know for a fact that they're very hardworking.

[Elvish]

Some illegal immigrants (probably not this lady if she'd had a visa at some point) have an Individual Taxpayer ID Number (ITIN) that is issued by the IRS for the express purpose of filing taxes. So yes, there are ways that illegal immigrants can pay taxes.

[Suesquatch]

I'd be trying to keep my head under the radar and stay. She and her family might be here illegally, but think for a minute - if you got a taste of life here and then were told to leave it all and go back to Manila (Or Mexico City or Saigon or wherever) would you really just smile meekly and pack it all up and go? I sure as heck wouldn't.

[Lookn2hvn]

I just have one question.

When an immigrant is approved for a work visa, do they expect to stay in the U.S. forever?

I don't think that's the case. It's TEMPORARY. There's a difference between citizenship and a TEMPORARY pass to work here.

[NICUrn2B]

Originally Posted by ThankfulNurse2b

I just have one question.

When an immigrant is approved for a work visa, do they expect to stay in the U.S. forever?

I don't think that's the case. It's TEMPORARY. There's a difference between citizenship and a TEMPORARY pass to work here.

Yeah its temporary but would u give your kids a new world and then strip them of everything they have 20 years later?

I didn't think so.

I hope someone in her family adopts the kids.. i really hope so.

[bethin]

Originally Posted by NICUrn2B

Yeah its temporary but would u give your kids a new world and then strip them of everything they have 20 years later?

I didn't think so.

I hope someone in her family adopts the kids.. i really hope so.

You have a valid question.

I don't know what I would do in her situation as I've ever been in that situation. I'm someone who thinks that until you are faced with a crisis that you don't know how you'll react.

I'm not a expert on immigration, however, I'm sure that amongst all the paperwork, that somewhere in there was a statement regarding the proper channels for obtaining another visa, green card, etc and what will happen if you violate the laws. Odds are she knew the risks she was placing her and her kids in. And I'm truly sorry that her kids get a taste of the good life in America and are then deported.

I can't access the story as it's no longer available, but does she have family here?

[Silverdragon102]

Originally Posted by pinoyNP

The unfortunate truth is, this woman and her family are caught between a rock and a hard place. There are no available visas being issued for the category of immigrants she belongs to. And this has been the case for at least the last three years.

Have to disagree a little, retrogression has only really been ongoing since Oct 2006, prior to that nurses where still able to go the AOS route if already in the US and many posted in the International forum that they did this. They had chance to change their status and if having problems should have found a immigration lawyer that specializes in nurses applications (that is presuming the lawyer was not to par on nurses processes) We obviously do not know the full story but there are many International nurses waiting for immigration and do it from their home country and wait for legal work visa

[Silverdragon102]

Originally Posted by ThankfulNurse2b

I just have one question.

When an immigrant is approved for a work visa, do they expect to stay in the U.S. forever?

I don't think that's the case. It's TEMPORARY. There's a difference between citizenship and a TEMPORARY pass to work here.

Some do expect to stay in the US and after 5 years can apply for citizenship and many do

[rehab nurse]

PinoyNP, I have spoken to you via pm, and we live very close by each other. I am a white female, but I have met so many wonderful filipino friends from working in the nursing field. I have also worked with other nationalities, but most recently before becoming disabled, I became best friends with one of the filipinas I worked with. It was through being friends with her, and also talking with her friends and family, that I realize what a huge mess a whole lot of nurses are in currently. It is so extremely difficult to get into this country (and I am not speaking for all those who immigrate, just about filipino nurses) as a filipino nurse. I had no idea what the requirements were.

Now I do know, and I know several people who came here under different rules (working visa?) and are now stuck in a mess trying to get a green card. They all have lawyers, and because they don't have workers visa anymore, they are not legally allowed to be here, even though they lived here for almost a decade legally and did try everything in their power to get adjustment of status and become legal residents here. They pay thousands of dollars to come here and thousands more trying to stay. My good friend's father actually petitioned her as a young girl, but because our immigration process is so long, she is now a 30something and has to leave after all her work here. She is heartbroken. She has a house here, has all her family here (her parents are both citizens, and actually her mom JUST got citizenship, but she can't).

I find it incredibly frustrating that my friend can't stay while they figure her case out, because she did everything by the book, as did the rest of her family. Yet other people come into this country illegally, and are allowed to march in our streets protesting for amnesty, even though they broke all our laws in the first place, and continue to do so.

I don't know what happened to this woman that the OP is speaking of, but I couldn't link to the story, it says it's no longer available. I am not sure what her circumstances are, but I just wanted to chime in with my friends story, because she is just so upset over the whole situation. The way the visa situation is for her, a RN, she may never get one now. She came here legally, saved a ton of money, bought a home here, worked here, but now she has to go back to a country without any of her family and perhaps never be able to come back. All of her dreams of coming to America are squashed, and she will never be able to pay for all of her bills when she goes back to her home country.

I apologize if I didn't come across clearly, but I am so tired and sick and I just had to post to this. Our system is broken, and I am so tired of listening to the politicians talk about this instead of doing something about it. I wish my friend could find a way to stay, and I wish our country could fix the immigration situation. I am just spurting out what is floating in my chemotherapy-fried mind, so again I apologize for probably not making any sense.


I cannot agree with amnesty for all the illegal immigrants when my friend did things by the book and got screwed over anyway. If people want to come to America, I believe they should do it the right way. Not come to our country, break our laws, and then march down to the White House to say how unfair all us Americans are for NOT wanting to provide amnesty for those who entered our country illegally. Why should they benefit from committing a crime? It's just not fair to those who did things the legal way.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

[NICUrn2B]

"I cannot agree with amnesty for all the illegal immigrants when my friend did things by the book and got screwed over anyway. If people want to come to America, I believe they should do it the right way. Not come to our country, break our laws, and then march down to the White House to say how unfair all us Americans are for NOT wanting to provide amnesty for those who entered our country illegally. Why should they benefit from committing a crime? It's just not fair to those who did things the legal way."


Thank you! Thats exactly how I feel. My parents, like a lot of others, came there and did things the legal way which also meant paying LOTS of money and enduring lots of stress. It would not be fair to let those in hiding just "cut" in line!!