Any Documented/Legal Dreamies here ? Join This Thread... - Page 4

you can't work at all? I find that odd, only because in my graduate department we have a large number on international students on F-1 visas and they were all able to apply for SSN's so they could get funding (they are on the payroll of the school) , and they can apply for paid internships for the summer.

Yupp and to be specific...you can work only on campus for a maximum of 20 hours per week. After 1st year, however, you can apply to work off-campus for 20 hours a week. During the summer vacation, you can work full-time. After graduation you can work temporarily full-time for a short period of time then you pack your bags or get a sponsorship from a company (H1B).

^well only being able to work 20 hrs a week on-campus is still better than not being able to work at all (i'd take that in a heartbeat), and at least you do have the chance to be sponsored by H1-B visa (again another opportunity i would love to have) - though i do understand none of that is a guaranteed and you might have to leave the US as well

I agree that we have it a bit better than the rest. However, as you stated, nothing is guaranteed and it's a tough path ahead for something we don't deserve. Lets hope Dream Act will solve both our issues. Dream Act for 2009 !

Alright,Durbin's staff said the bill was specifically meant for "illegal aliens".The bill does cover those who overstay or came in without inspection but the basic premise is that you must be undocumented from what I could gather when applying for the benefit.

yes thats also how I interpreted it as...However, as discussed few of us discussed in the posts above - the legals can easily overstay and fall under this category. So excluding the legals doesn't make sense.

It might be a dumb question but would you have to be Undocumented for at least five years prior to passage of dream act?

In the current version of the bill, there is no mention of of that requirement to qualify. Adding that would not be possible either as it would need a good reason or motivation behind that.

Imagine a kid who was brought here 4 years ago...if the dream act passes, the kid needs to stay 1 more year as an undocumented student to qualify for benefits under the dream act ? I doubt they would do that. You know what i mean....

This is just my opinion but the term "legal dreamie" seems a bit oxymoronic. The main purpose of the dream act is to provide undocumented youths with easier access to higher education so that they can get good jobs and live a decent life.
Honestly, if I was on any sort of visa I would be soooo happy, because upon graduation from college, I would have gotten a job, probably working in a research lab, or I would have gone on to graduate school to get a professional degree in a profession (nursing for example) that would enable me to get a job in the US easily once I graduated. Undocumented students do not have access to these routes like visa holders do.
I understand that you have to leave the country at 21, but I feel like there are many ways to stay if you want to. Also, leaving the country would not ban you for 10 years. I have many friends on student visas who have gotten jobs after graduating from college or have gone on to graduate school. Is it not possible for you guys to do either of those things once you are done with your undergraduate degree?

Please go through the posts above if you can and you will get the answer....In short, if you are not a STEM student (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math) then you don't get H1Bs. If you are history, arts etc student then you got to go home after graduation...If you become a lawyer you wont have an H1B visa waiting for you. Please do some basic research...thanks. Moreover, its not easy to get H1B. Perhaps daffodils, ejgejgejg, Carter86, bobinalbuquerque and others can back me up on this by sharing your opinions/experiences.

I don't think this thread is arguing about Legal Dreamies Vs Illegal Dreamies and who has it better/worse etc etc. We all share the same dream. We all were brought here as minors. We all deserve not to be treated as second class citizens. We all support the Dream Act. Please don't try to set up dividers here.