The Other Option (leaving) - Page 3

I've been thinking about this ever since I graduated. I almost left right after I graduated but my family talked me out of it. A lot of us aren't' from Mexico, once we leave we're NEVER coming back for 10 plus years.

It's more than 10 years for most of us. Probably anywhere from 13 years to 20 years because tourist visas are notoriously hard to get from most countries even with no overstays. We'll have to wait until a relative of ours who is a citizen can sponsor us and for most of us it's either going to be our parents or siblings and those petitions can take more than a decade.

Don't worry about the 10 year ban. Visitor visas (tourist visas) are notoriously hard to get from most countries anyways. Even if you didn't have the 10 year ban, the odds are you couldn't come back anyways. I know people without 10 year bans and they feel no differently about their situation because in the end if you come from X country, your odds of getting a tourist visa are next to nothing. Add on the fact that you used to live here and it's a zero chance of getting one.


I don't know about you guys but I'm not ready for being banished from my homeland yet. I've grown to see this country's government for what it really is, hypocritical and full of itself. But the U.S. is the only home I've ever known and as long as I'm banned from seeing my family, friends, and everything I know, I'm not leaving willingly.


ALICRAPers are uneducated hicks who haven't contributed jack to this country's economy so they wouldn't understand how important it is to keep us here. They fail to see what an investment this country has made in us and just when the time comes to reap benefits of the investment, they block the DREAM Act so off we go to give those benefits to countries that invested nothing in us but at least don't treat us like criminals for something someone else did when we were kids while they let real criminals who committed real crimes like Senator Vitter keep his Senate seat and give him amnesty for his crime (and yes, it was a real crime, not a civil offense like us).

yeah, leaving this country is plan b for me after i graduate. i've been making some connections and relations with my boss and his associates, I might do some traveling to other countries to work. he is involved in the oil industry worldwide. I dont think i'll be able to stand being here with a degree.

right on man. it's definitely good to have a plan b =]

you know, a little part of me feels as though the dream act WILL pass within 2 years. like it's a gut feeling that i can't really explain.

however, in the case that it doesn't ... i've already decided to go back to mexico after i graduate. if i have to teach english until i can immigrate somewhere else (like england or europe) then i'll do so gladly.

for now i'll stay here tho. i'm going to graduate in 2011 and i hope to have a 3.9+. the director of financial aid knows my situation ... and he just credited $20,000 to my account to cover my out of state tuition. =]

When I went to Michoacan, Mexico I met alot of dreamies who went back or were taken back to Mexico by their parents. For alot of families living in the USA has gotten really hard the last couple of months, so they decided to go back. I asked some why didn't they stay until after the elections and many stated that even if Obama got elected to be president, they didn't see think Dream would be really high up on the "to do list". That GW Bush had 8 years to pass some kind of amnesty and even though he wanted it was never done. So why would when things are for the worse, would they worry about a bunch of "mojados"...well I kind of understood from where they were coming from. Things are bad right now the economy, war, gas prices, housing.....sad but true!

Who knows, what will happen in the next few months???

dreamer hippie...what school do you attend? if you don't mind you can PM me too

I know what you mean, truly i know some DREAMers working in Mexico with a U.S. degree. Mexico is not that bad as some people tend to devalue its economic status. I know it'll be hard for some people who were brought into the U.S. as infants, to establish a life there. A professor of mine loves Mexico, he says that the atmosphere in Mexico is life.

Im not sure about leaving..Im 17 now and I came here with my family 8 years ago. We came from the philippines with tourist visas..my father was an airline mechanic and was waiting for his company to sponsor him. 9/11 hits and it hit us really hard..my dad's company shut down and getting sponsored was out of the question...our lawyer said to wait and dont leave U.S yet...and waiting was exactly what we did...we waited until our visas expired and now...8 or nine years later..im stuck

idk what to do...i planned on going back to the philiphines...studying premed and then proceed onto medschool there..the benefits are that I can actually go to school and it will b very affordable..only problem is I wont be able to come back to the U.S for 10 years. So i'll be split from my family for 10 years...possibly even more..the rest of my family do not agree with me in going home..they say that what if i go home this year and then next year dream passes?..then im a bit screwed then

right now...im pressed against time..i will b a senior in highschool this coming school year...Im still confused as to what to do..i don't want to make the wrong move of going back but I also don't want to waste my time here..a medical career will need much time and so time is precious...but idk what is the right decision to make

Hey guys!! I am also an ex-pat...I am 22 now but I grew up in Cali from 4 to 21. I graduated in 2007 and as some of you said - i realized that my future was at stake if I stayed. I had also gotten accepted into a prestigious university for grad school in the UK (eventhough Im not from there either) and I am actually writing my dissertation at the moment! I am a month shy of getting my Master's degree and I have traveled a lot while in Europe. Freedom is a priceless feeling honestly.

Seriously guys, it was tough at first to cope with the fact that I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to go home (US is home to me). Yet now that I am finally settled in London I have finally learned what it is like to feel truly free and happy - we are some of the few people who could ever experience this i think since we never had our freedom. I finally realized all the options that are open to me all over the world, don't let a political status decide your worth and your future. It is really a loss for the US for pushing us out because they invested so much money on us but don't want us at the same time. The US makes itself look ridiculous by the very fact that we are recognized as americans as soon as you step foot in a different countries yet they themselves call us foreigners. No matter who i talk to they won't call me anything but American but I finally realized that's who I am regardless of what the American government wants to call me.

Seriously if you are considering leaving talk to me I will try to guide you or help out somehow. I have done loads of research this past year and know about the 10 yr bar, etc etc. My own plan is to apply for law schools this fall and to apply for a student visa for 2009 along with a temporary waiver (you don't need a US citizen, just yourself) just to obtain my degree and then go back to Europe and work until my bar is over. If they don't give me the Visa then honestly I don't give a crap anymore it's my last effort ~ honestly @ this point in time I have made so many friends in Europe that I feel it is more of my home than the US...I have been having doubts about even going through with the Visa but i will try for my friends that are there and to finish the dream of a legal education.

Don't hesitate to contact me ~ stick together! Only we understand each other...

p.s. don't limit yourself to returning to your own country, canada has fairly lax visa rules especially if you want to study there really. Also, even if you are undecided apply to some schools abroad and see where your fate takes you...that's what I did and was shocked to get into one of the best schools in the world. It doesn't hurt to apply and have more choices.

THANK YOU! I have to say that I personally have never experienced freedom in my life. Many people say that it's all in my mind, that freedom is within you, but I really cant just go anywhere I please. I am limited to tons of things.