Mental_Asylee
New Member
Hi, everyone! I'm new here, and needing help. My case is pretty complicated; I will try to sum it up as best I can.
My parents left South America when I was very young due to a warranted fear of persecution. As a toddler, I entered the United States on an importer/exporter visa my father had obtained. After that visa expired, we were out of status for a while, but were soon enough granted political asylum, after my father was able to prove that it was not safe for us to return. My father was granted primary asylum, while my mother and I were granted derivative asylum. My parents went through the process to obtain themselves green cards and U.S. citizenship, but never did the same for me; make of that what you will.
At the age of 14, my mother one day told me that I was an asylee and not a regular immigrant, as I had previously been led to believe, and I found that I had almost none of the documentation I needed. I did not work or drive throughout high school like my friends, because no one would hire me or give me a license without papers. Finally, at 17, my mother and I attempted to obtain citizenship for me on the grounds that my mother was a citizen, and this request was denied by U.S. Immigration. At 18, I attempted to file for a Green Card in my own right, and this was also denied. I did, however, obtain enough proof of identity and status to obtain an EAD and other documents, and was able to begin working.
I am now 20 years old, and am cooperating with an immigration lawyer to try to straighten things out. She says that my status right now is hazy, but that she will work to get me a Green Card. With her help, my mother is now filing a Petition for Alien Relative form. My lawyer also presented the option of trying to acquire Primary Asylum in my own right, but after hearing stories of how confrontational and offensive the asylum officers my parents encountered were, this option terrifies me. I know this is not the case for everyone, but it still troubles me. I really don't want to have to establish fear of persecution again; it was hard enough for my parents the first time. My lawyer says this latter option, obtaining Primary Asylum, would be faster than the former option, resulting in my Green Card being issued in 1 to 2 years, as opposed to the 6 or 7 that a Family Petition is supposed to take. Still, I chose to go with the Family Petition, since it seems more certain that I will be approved that way.
The thought of interviewers digging around in my life worries me. I have been admitted to an in-patient psychiatric facilities twice, for one week at a time each. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder type one, and take antipsychotic medication daily. This is the origin of the crappy pun in my username. Anyway, growing up, I was on various types of welfare at different times. I got into some trouble once in high school, but was told I have no legal record, and my lawyer says none of these issues are really problems. These things still concern me.
If anyone is reading this and has advice, please help me. Is obtaining primary asylum really better than doing the family petition? Is either one safe for me, like my lawyer claims? Would I have to establish fear of persecution all over again if I tried to get Primary Asylum? Can I really theoretically stay and work in the US forever with just my 1-94 with the asylum stamp, like my lawyer says?
I am scared
My parents left South America when I was very young due to a warranted fear of persecution. As a toddler, I entered the United States on an importer/exporter visa my father had obtained. After that visa expired, we were out of status for a while, but were soon enough granted political asylum, after my father was able to prove that it was not safe for us to return. My father was granted primary asylum, while my mother and I were granted derivative asylum. My parents went through the process to obtain themselves green cards and U.S. citizenship, but never did the same for me; make of that what you will.
At the age of 14, my mother one day told me that I was an asylee and not a regular immigrant, as I had previously been led to believe, and I found that I had almost none of the documentation I needed. I did not work or drive throughout high school like my friends, because no one would hire me or give me a license without papers. Finally, at 17, my mother and I attempted to obtain citizenship for me on the grounds that my mother was a citizen, and this request was denied by U.S. Immigration. At 18, I attempted to file for a Green Card in my own right, and this was also denied. I did, however, obtain enough proof of identity and status to obtain an EAD and other documents, and was able to begin working.
I am now 20 years old, and am cooperating with an immigration lawyer to try to straighten things out. She says that my status right now is hazy, but that she will work to get me a Green Card. With her help, my mother is now filing a Petition for Alien Relative form. My lawyer also presented the option of trying to acquire Primary Asylum in my own right, but after hearing stories of how confrontational and offensive the asylum officers my parents encountered were, this option terrifies me. I know this is not the case for everyone, but it still troubles me. I really don't want to have to establish fear of persecution again; it was hard enough for my parents the first time. My lawyer says this latter option, obtaining Primary Asylum, would be faster than the former option, resulting in my Green Card being issued in 1 to 2 years, as opposed to the 6 or 7 that a Family Petition is supposed to take. Still, I chose to go with the Family Petition, since it seems more certain that I will be approved that way.
The thought of interviewers digging around in my life worries me. I have been admitted to an in-patient psychiatric facilities twice, for one week at a time each. I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder type one, and take antipsychotic medication daily. This is the origin of the crappy pun in my username. Anyway, growing up, I was on various types of welfare at different times. I got into some trouble once in high school, but was told I have no legal record, and my lawyer says none of these issues are really problems. These things still concern me.
If anyone is reading this and has advice, please help me. Is obtaining primary asylum really better than doing the family petition? Is either one safe for me, like my lawyer claims? Would I have to establish fear of persecution all over again if I tried to get Primary Asylum? Can I really theoretically stay and work in the US forever with just my 1-94 with the asylum stamp, like my lawyer says?
I am scared