turn 18 still no papers...

T

theguy1992

Registered Users (C)
hi everyone my name is hans, I am haitian i came here when i was 7 years old around 1999. Now i never asked my dad to bring me here, i was young and he brought me in his own free will. From what i've heard from my step mom he brought me here illegally in the airplane, I'm not sure how he did it but he probably through false documentation.I didn't find out that i came here illegally until last few months of high school. This is really pissing me off i got accepted college then i find out i can't go because this guy brought me here with no factual papers, now I am at home thinking what am I suppose to do and where am I going in life. this been stressing me out. How can i get my papers because my dad is a naturalized citizen, I've been doing research lately about how i can but i just don't really know what to do. As, far i as now is that he got his citizenship before i turned 18 , so he told me he got it when I was like 15 or 14. However, to tell you the truth it doesn't seem like he really cares about getting me my papers because this guy goes to the club every freaking night and buying expensive cars for gods knows what.....Now he is saying that he needs to come up with $1000 to apply for me for a permanent residence.....He acts like he doesn't have it but i know he does you think he would of ****ing take out that one thousand before he buys a ****ing house to have a son have his papers to go to ****ing college but no. He really is pisses me off how he used to talking how he never went to college and he wans me to so i have to work hard, so I did as he said now I got accepted to 4 ****ing college which were Uconn, Eastern Connecticut, Qunnipiac University and this private college fogot the name... He knew all this time I was freaking applying to college would think he would tell me there is no point but he waited untill i got my freaking letters. Now I was going to go to Uconn with my friends then I had to tell them a lie saying i don't feel like going college cause i wouldn't like it which i felt terrible about.. i felt like a totally failure now all of them are there having the time of their lives, while im at home doing nothing.... I swear if I knew this shit was going to happen i wouldn' have done shit in school..right now Im not really talking to my dad but please if there is anyway i can get any info on how i can get my papers please help me out.....
 
I suggest that you visit the Catholic Charities immigration assistance agency. Your situation has too many variables to discuss on a forum.

If you have only recently turned 18, you should do this immediately as illegal stay before 18 does not count against you. Once you turn 18, over 180 days of illegal stay triggers a ban so it is very important that you discuss your problem with an immigration specialist immediately.
 
Are you still less than 180 days past your 18th birthday? If yes, that's good news. Let me know and I'll explain.
 
yes i am my birthday was in april 24th...so please tell me further information...also i woulds like to tell you guys that he is trying to get this temporary protection status which i belived was for the earthquake in haiti for people who was here before it happened but i know there has to be a catch because it only up to july 11th,2010 after that I think i have to go back to haiti which i really do not want to do because i honestly don't know my cultures language that well to head back...i can't even read in haitian...
 
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The bad news is that your lack of legal entry means you can't* stay in the US to follow the green card process to completion via adjustment of status, so you will have to leave the US to complete the process at a consulate. Normally that would be the US embassy in Port au Prince because you are Haitian, but maybe due to the earthquake situation another US consulate elsewhere like in Mexico or Jamaica would be willing to interview you. But you'd still have to arrange that with them ahead of time, and obtain a visa to visit that country.

The good news is that they don't count unlawful presence before age 18 against you, as far as obtaining a green card is concerned. And it takes at least 180 days of unlawful presence for you to be subjected to the 3-year ban, so you wouldn't trigger the ban if you leave the US before you are 18 years and 180 days old (October 21 this year). So if your father files the paperwork now and you stay in the US for another 3 months while the initial processing is going on, and then you leave before October 21 you could still get approved for the green card via the consulate late this year or early next year.

Is you stepmother a US citizen? If yes, she can file for you instead of your father, provided that she married your father before you turned 18 and she is either still married to your father, or you have an ongoing relationship with her after the divorce.

For the college situation, you can request deferred admission. Many colleges will delay your start date for a year or two if you ask for it, so you don't have to go through the whole application process again.

Do you have a birth certificate, and your old passport that was valid when you were 7 years old?

*exception is if you qualify for the 245(i) amnesty based on paperwork that was filed on your behalf before the deadline in April 2000. If your father obtained his green card via this route, you might qualify too.
 
Please get yourself to an attorney or agency to help you determine the best approach. Take your parents with you as they may have useful information to contribute.

If finances are an issue and Catholic Charities is not available, the Lutheran Church also has a well regarded program. You do not have to be church members to use the services. There are other agencies around but are sponsored locally so you will have to research your community's resources.

You local university's legal clinic is also a good choice if they have a law school.

Assume it will be necessary to leave in order for the processing to occur and begin making tentative plans should it be determined that you need to leave to keep from incurring the period of exclusion. You do not want to overstay even one day!

Good luck and post back!
 
Man my dad just ruined my life she should left my *** in haiti, but thanks for the information guys you really helped me out, I'm going to try the bes of my abilities to get my papers even though I cant really offered an immigration attorney since I can't even work but I will try. thanks Jackolantern and Concerned4us you guys helped very much with the process.
 
Good luck, but act fast on requesting the deferred admission from the colleges! You have to submit the request a certain amount of time before the school year starts if you want them to honor the request. If it already isn't too late, the deadline must be close given that the school year starts in less than 2 months. They might have a form you have to fill out and submit (which hopefully can be downloaded from the schools web site).
 
You should probably contact an attorney soon. Your dad should petition for you since he is already a citizen. The process should not take too long once he petitions for you.
 
Social service agencies work on a fee scale based on your income. Their attorneys and paralegals are paid differently than private attorneys or volunteer their services. Don't worry about the cost at this time; just go and ask for help.
 
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