Future ideas?

What is everyones future plans? I am about to graduate high school then go to a community college that i will pay off on my own
After that idek I wish I could get financial aid

Everything hangs on immigration reform. Pass, I stay, not pass, I leave. I'm 25, if I go back, I might still able to do something, but I can't see myself endure another decade living in the shadow.

I'm 100% with you. It's a difficult choice, but maybe the right one.

I'm bearly gona be 21, my gf and me are planning to married some time next year, and she's a u.s. citizen.
So we're both gona be set. Hopefully everything goes according to both of our plans.

May I ask why would you leave the country? You two have your work permits (or are waiting), and driver's license. Why leave the USA?

I find a waste going to college or university if the reform doesn't pass. For now were only getting a two year opportunity to work and have a license for five years. Why not juice the heck out of your permit and work? Its most likely that daca will end when mr obama leaves.

I hope CIR passes. But DACA doesn't have to end after Obama's term. We'll have to make sure and work our butts off that a Democratic President gets elected after him ( Hilary, am looking at ya) . A majority Democratic House would be the cherry on top

I know that's right, something or nothing. life sucks that way. can't travel, can't even go on a cruise. it's like you are stuck. and the worse part is that we make our life legit everything is cool for a whole 2 years and bam a halt. it's hard to continue the underground way after you built your foundation the legit way.

let's wait this out. this people need to stop messing with people's life.

Unlike many people here (maybe most?) I have lived in both countries, and I can adapt to Mexico if I have to. I'm not 21 anymore, I'm not planning on getting married, and I have yet to finish college. It's been five months since I applied and I haven't been approved yet (yet being an awkward word). If I don't get approved, or denied, I'm just gonna try to finish school within the next two years, then leave, since there is no future here for me (I can dream all I want, but at one point, we all have to be realistic and think of our future). I'm sorry if I'm not like anybody else that 'knows' something good will happen and will have to marry or wait to fix their statuses.

IF I get approved to DACA, I'll continue in the college I want (not the one I have to go to) and be happy for a bit, traveling within the US and whatnot. But...what if I get approved next year after my birthday? Does that mean that in two years (when I'm 31) I won't be able to renew my permit? I'm not trying to make a case here (whoever thinks they deserve to be approved first can go f themselves, nobody cares), I'm just trying to show you that I have an option to be happier than I might be here. Maybe some (very few) are going through the same thing and might identify and think their future twice.

Then again, I might get approved tomorrow and all this will change .

That's what I thought, and here I am, 28 and still in college...think it twice.

Exactly. Some of us have traveled, seen places, tasted different things. I live in south Texas and I have visited most 'cultural/tourist' places here than many natives. Maybe some of you are conformists, I grew out of that phase, I wanna keep on moving.

It's still kinda awkward trying to explain people why you don't vote, which is why I'm gonna start saying I'm a convicted felon .

To tell the truth, is more psychological than any other reason. I just felt that I'm not in control of my life, everything I do is dictated by my status. It had affect me for more than a decade, and having a license to work just doesn't cure it. I have stated from the very beginning, that having a work permit is just put us in limbo, rendering us or simply, me, helpless.

I felt incomplete and unaccepted without a green card, and every where I go, I felt that I don't belong. I have decided long before that I would go back, I was suppose to leave by the beginning the year in fact, but had stayed because the prospect of a immigration reform.

I understand that many have restarted their life with the work permit, and really started to live out their dreams. However, I just felt unsatisfied, everything felt temporary, unstable.

Unlike many here who only known US, I am very interested in my own culture, I speak fluent Chinese and can read as good as any natives, only at handwriting that I failed but it can easily be train. I understand that studying a culture isn't the same as living in one, especially with the Chinese corrupted reputation, but I felt that if I try, I can assimilate.

Also, unlike many here who have a difficult finance situation, my family had a small business, and we are living reasonably well-off. Once sold, we can at least guarantee that we won't have to worry about food, and housing for a while, especially that the government is starting to developing our village, meaning that we'll have new housings (the government actually forces you to sell your ancestral home to build apartments, however, as result, they'll sell you part of the building (several floors) for cheap, thus you can either rent or sell those floors you doesn't need/want).

All in all, we believe that we can live reasonably comfortable.

Another reason is that, we're tired. The small business is making profits, but we're working over 10 hours a day. And is very tiring, and monotonous. And the business this year is getting bad, we're only making half as what we used to make, and we're started to feel is not worth it (in fact, with the decreasing business, we would have to sell at a much lower price than last year, rendering this year a complete and total waste).

With the money we could have for selling the business, my parents could live a comfortable life, like many those of their age in China, doesn't have to wake up early in the morning and work until late at night. We have known few who went back because they can't stand living as illegal anymore, and they're all happier for it.

And I... I can do other stuff, start my own business or work for translation, I'm 25 now, I can still do these stuff, but if I finally give up and go back at 30+? There's very little thing I can accomplish, and more difficult to restart a life. Is not easy as it sounds, I know. But that's where we're free to do what we please.

We will be... free.

I know this make me sound like a ungrateful bastard, and I might get comments such as "If you like your home country so much, why not just go now?", or that I'm not really an American because I feel so strongly for China. It maybe true, but that's only because US didn't didn't/refuse to accept me. yea, that's the keyword, acceptance.

I am not saying China is better than US, no way, maybe in the future but as of now, China is still very behind US. Ask many of them who came here to stay (came here under pretenses). But comparing with living in the US without acceptance, and living in China, I think I would probably pick China.

These are my reasons for leaving. I don't want to leave, really, I have a foundation here. All my friends are here... here is where I grew up... my childhood, my teenage years, my college years... 90% of my memory and life experience is in the US... But I have to leave to do what my heart wants and needs.

Again, this is more psychological than anything. I am weak, unlike many of you, I can't handle being illegal for any longer... I would not take my life out... but I will take my life somewhere else.