I got my permanent residence - Page 2

Nice bok873,Now the only thing you have to do is get your SS Number & you'd be all set for everything else.I don't know how long it takes where you live but it took mine only 4 days.

We are all happy for you.
Keep finghting for the rest of us who are left behind.

CONGRATS!!! I'm happy for you


......this is only the begining............

I can only imagine how you must feel. I wish I could feel like that. Congratulations.

Dude enjoy your life. I'm happy for you. Also, never forget how it was to be a Dreamer. Here is a video that I really love and It makes me really think about life.

Thank you very very much everyone.. I really appreciate all of your replies they do bring me down to tears.. bc I do know exactly what you all go though living here in the US with what they call illegal when we grew up here and not having another place to live being so.... used to our ordinary lives... Thank you.

Here are some answers to your questions:

ChivasAmerica, I came in legally but overstayed with an expired i-94, but I was protected under I-24. I'm sorry but I do not want to specify my origin, for the privacy.

Keider, you are absolutely right. Everyone here will join me soon.

CIR DREAM2009, I will keep posting and sending my essays, my life stories to those senators

Ianus, it took me three weeks to get that ssn card. Thanks.

DamianLeon, I will do that, for sure.

Thanks again everyone!

CONGRATS.. can't wait till all of us can join you. But until then don't forget about us & enjoy all life has to offer now.

wait....wait...wait...
U say u were under 21 when the petition was filed for your father, and are now over 21 when it is approved? And u can be approved along with your parents?

Is this really possible? I know someone whose uncle filed a petition for her mother 11 years ago (she was 11 then, turning 22 now). The case is just now coming up, but the lawyer they talked to said there is no chance that she would be legalized along with her parents. Otherwise its the same story...they arrived legally, overstay visa,....whats I-24?

Can someone please help me out here?

Congrats!! Dont forget about the ones left behind!! I may not know you, but i'm happy for you!

Thiefofhearts,
I'm sorry. I meant 245(i). I was slightly buzzed when i wrote the previous thread. You may know what it is, but I'll post details on that amendment on the bottom of this posting.
Let's talk about your friend's case first. That case is very similar to what I had. She can definitely get her work permit(temporary for one year) and her SSN. Process for getting the green card takes longer(approximately 5 month), and the USCIS issues a temporary residence, I should say, for a year first. Within that year of having a work permit, that person will be invited for an interview for a permant residence. I got a letter for an interview in about a month, after receiving my work permit. That lawyer may be right, may be wrong. I always knew that it all depended on the interview, not what is written as a law and what lawyers detemine to say. My family didn't have a lawyer. We had a representative who did all of our paper works and he did every papers, every details perfectly. We all went alone for an interview, without him. I knew that it is a good possibility that I will not get my residence, but I had a hope that someone who would interview me will be nice enough to grant me a residence. And even if my case didn't work out so well, I knew I could appeal to a decision made over the interview and make a case out of this to argue. That appealing process takes time(I heard at least a year or two for processing, but I don't know for sure), and that person who was declined for a permanent residence can renew his/her work permit and stay in the US legally in the mean time.

Tell that person to get an ssn card and a driver's license the first thing as soon as he/she receives a work permit regardless of what is ahead, and tell her/him to keep prayers and just wish for the best while getting all the paper works perfectly done&submitted. Do Not miss out on a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g.

Here's a detail on 245(i) amendment

Q. What is the new 245(i) Amendment?
A. The new 245(i) Amendment allows some aliens who are out of status, entered the U.S. without inspection, or violated the terms of their non-immigrant visa to apply for adjustment of status after their immigration petitions are approved.



Q. Who is eligible to take advantage of 245(i)?
A.To be eligible to take advantage of 245(i), the alien must meet the following requirements:

Physically present in the U.S. on December 21, 2000; An immigration petition or a labor certification application has been filed for the benefit of the alien on or before April 30, 2001; and
The immigration petition or the labor certification application must be approvable at the time of filling. (this means that the application is good on its face).



Q. What kind of benefits does an alien get from 245(i)?
A. 245(i) will allow the alien to apply for adjustment of status even if the alien entered the U.S. without inspection, was out of status, or violated the terms of his of her non-immigrant status. The alien still needs to meet other requirements for adjustment of status to obtain a green card. The 245(i) only lifts three of the bars in the adjustment of status process.



Q. Who is not protected by 245(i)?
A. 245(i) does not protect an alien from removal proceeding and does not grant other benefits such as employment authorization or advance parole.



Q. Does 245(i) protect aliens who have been ordered to be removed?
A. No. If a person has been ordered to be removed from the U.S., he or she cannot use 245(i) to lift this bar to adjustment of status. Also, if the alien is ordered to be removed in the future, the 245(i) does not protect the alien from removal.



Q. Does 245(i) exempt the J-1 holder's home residency requirement?
A. No. The 245(i) does not grant a waiver to the J-1 holder's two year residency requirement. An alien who is subject to the two-year home residency rule still needs to obtain a waiver or fulfill the requirement before applying for adjustment of status.



Q. What are the benefits of 245(i) to those who are currently in status?
A. For those who are in status and who were physically present in the U.S. on Dec. 21, 2000, if they are beneficiaries of immigration petitions or labor certification applications filed on or before April 30, 2001, they will be eligible to take advantage of 245(i) even if they fall out of status in the future.



Q. What are the three and ten year bars, and why should they be of concern?
A. Before the enactment of 245(i), aliens who are out of status needed to return to their home countries and complete the process for an immigrant visa at the U.S. consulate. However, if aliens found to be out of status in the U.S. for more than 180 days would be barred from reentering the U.S. for at least 3 years; aliens found to be out of status in the U.S. for more than 360 days would be barred from reentering the U.S. for at least 10 years. Under Section 245(i), an eligible alien can remain in the U.S. to obtain permanent residence through adjustment of status, and thus never trigger these entry bars. (Once permanent residence is obtained, these entry bars no longer apply.) Thus, it is particularly important that people subject to the bars not leave the U.S. at all until they become permanent residents since the 245(i) does not lift the three year/ten year bars.



Q. What is the penalty fee and when must it be paid?
A. The Section 245(i) penalty fee is $1,000, and is in addition to any other filing fees that the USCIS charges. This fee does not have to be paid when relatives or employers submit the visa petition or labor certification on or before April 30, 2001. Rather, it is usually due later, when the alien applies for adjustment of status to become a permanent resident. Thus, the $1,000 fee needs to be paid at the time of filing the Form I-485A, which is submitted along with the standard application for adjustment of status (Form I-485).



Q. I came into the US legally with a B-1 visa and am out of status now. I just married a US citizen. Moreover, I was present in the US on December 21, 2000. May I use 245(i) to apply for a Green Card?
A. Yes, you may, but you do not need to. Even without 245(i), the fact that you are out of status does not prevent you from applying for adjustment of status. If you use 245(i), you have to pay a $1,000 penalty. If you do not 245(i), you do not need to pay the penalty. For the purposes of getting a Green Card, there is no difference whether you use 245(i) or not.