7 Things You May Not Know About Immigration (but probably should)

Yesterday, I became a citizen of the United States of America. It was so exciting — more than 1,000 new citizens being welcomed with music, speeches, recognition of your country of origin, and many congratulations (you can even apply for a passport and register to vote while you’re there — super convenient!). While this part was fun and easy, the past 7 years… well, not so much. Here’s a peek into 7 things you may not know about the immigration process:

1. They May Not Understand Your Situation. Sometimes life happens in a way that isn’t easily understood by the immigration officer reviewing your application. You might move for a job, or relocate to be closer to family or because you’ve finished school. After temporarily living with in-laws, moving about an hour away for a job, and then relocating to the other side of the country for a career opportunity, I was told that this didn’t make sense and the relationship I was in wasn’t bona fide. Unsettling stuff while trying to settle into a new country! Luckily, 250 pages of Facebook posts, shared bills, lease agreements, notes and drawings to each other, and various other minutiae proving one very real relationship later, that allegation was dropped.
2. You May Think You’re Going to be Deported. A document obtained from your home country might be completely misconstrued by the reviewing officer (hypothetically of course, they might read through your divorce papers and declare you to be still married and committing bigamy — then later confirm you’re legally single AF). Things like this are sufficient for Immigration to send you a notice threatening to revoke your petition and commence deportation proceedings. Take a deep breath — this does not mean that any of this will happen. The key here is to find out more about why they’re potentially rejecting your application. In many cases, there is a simple misunderstanding of the documentation you provided, and this can be easily resolved without anyone being banished to their homeland.
3. You May Need to Get Your Local Congressperson Involved. While the process is intended to allow people in who meet certain requirements (some pretty old-school determinants of moral character, basic English, fundamental knowledge of US civics and government), the process is after all run by humans and Immigration doesn’t always get it right. In these cases, you’re well within your rights to get in touch with your local Congressperson’s office. They’re able to utilize their special Consular team that works directly with a special team within Immigration — one that tends to have more answers and the ability to access information you wouldn’t be able to on your own. For some reason, my application ended up in their Sensitive Case department which isn’t able to communicate with the applicant. Only by contacting my local Congressperson’s office was I able to get a status update on my application and clear up confusion around a very straightforward change of address.
4. Prepare to be grilled about random things. Okay, I get it — there are plenty of people trying to get into the country for nefarious reasons; I am in full support of there being a thorough process to keep the country safe; that said, I didn’t expect to find myself being asked about, and confessing to, an escapade when I was 19 years old and a friend of mine was caught pilfering a road cone. Immigration will grill you — plain and simple; the questions shouldn’t be hard if you’re being honest; however, they may dredge up some long-forgotten memories (amusing or painful).
5. You May Not Have Proof of Your Legal Status for Some Time. With processing times being fairly lengthy across the board these days, there are times when your temporary green card may expire. You should receive an extension letter, but that could then expire too before any action is taken on your application. This can be an incredibly stressful time — you know, and Immigration knows, that you’re totally allowed to be here. But can you prove it if you were stopped by law enforcement? Could you prove it to a new employer? This situation can leave you feeling really trapped, unable to travel and unable to change jobs. At this point, an 1–551 stamp — basically the passport stamp version of a temporary green card, becomes your best friend. Schedule an Infopass appointment on the Immigration website. They should provide a stamp to prove your status for anywhere from a few months to around a year which enables you to travel, take up new employment, and not have heart palpitations every time a police car drives past.
6. You May Not Be Able to Leave the Country for a Period of Time. There are a couple of scenarios where people waiting for an adjustment of status simply can’t leave the country. That can be really rough, especially if you need to get back home for an emergency. In this case, you’d be looking for what’s known as ‘advanced parole’, which will allow you to leave and return to the United States without jeopardizing your immigration progress. Again, an InfoPass appointment is particularly useful here, which can be booked on the USCIS website.
7. You’ll be called an alien. The United States doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to describing immigrants. You’ll be referred to as an alien — first non-resident alien, then resident alien. Only when you become a citizen will the alien moniker leave you. At that time, you’ll be given an American flag to wave, a note from the President of the United States, and the most positive and congratulatory comments you’re likely to ever receive from government officials. Your alien number will still appear on your naturalization certificate, but it’s likely to be the last time you’ll ever see it.

The immigration process is lengthy, complicated, and doesn’t always work how it’s meant to. The immigration officers I met with throughout my journey were, for the most part, exceptionally professional, respectful and — while they clearly weren’t allowed to overtly show it — human. I made a very intentional decision not to utilize an immigration attorney, but I recommend that you do what’s right for you. I personally enjoy researching, and I’m okay at it, so I ran this process myself. If you’re not comfortable reading government procedures, completing legal forms, and producing a range of documentation, I’d recommend considering an attorney.

For those of you going through this journey, good luck — there is an end in sight if you keep doing what’s asked of you, and if you ask for help when you need it. For those of you who aren’t enduring the twists and turns of immigration but are simply interested, I hope this gives you some insight into this rollercoaster of a process.