What are the steps to become a legal American citizen if you are coming from Mexico?
I have heard some hearsay and it involves Mexican citizens having to bribe their government to help them legally get through and that there is a long waiting list.
Is any of this true?
Has anyone here legally become a U.S. citizen under these circumstances without first entering the U.S. and breaking an immigration law?
Answer:
To do it legally a Mexican would have to go to the US embassy or a US consulate and apply for a visa. There are many categories of visa available.
If approved he/she would have to wait for the visa to be issued. This could be fast or it could take years.
He/she would get a Mexican passport, pick-up the US visa, and legally cross the border. After arrival he/she would report to the CIS and apply for a Green Card.
After 5 years with a Green Card he/she could apply for citizenship.
Millions have done it legally. As you can imagine, many of them are mad as hell when they see people do it illegally and demand instant citizenship.
Get a passport, apply for extension, Go to a class on citizenship. The process is easy and new people visit and stay all the time. They can apply for a work visa, get married to an American, there are lots of legal ways but the person who gets thousands of dollars to bring you here illegally just wants money and if you fail he wants more. It is just like the person who is asking you for a dollar on the street, that person has options and refuses to use them.
I don't know, but things are getting tough.
There are not really very many avenues available.
These are the few options there are.
Family based visas which means you have to have an immediate family member here that is already a permenant resident or a US citizen (spouse, mother, father, (in case of US citizen you can also include brother and sister) your children cannot apply for you till they are 18 and until they make more than 200% of the poverty line. Not likely in the case of an 18 year old.
Also, if you are a professional that is needed in the US you can apply for a visa, but this will not ever lead to US citizenship.
If you have a million dollars to invest in this country you can also immigrate...not likely in the case of most.
Or you can marry a US citizen while on the outside of the US (no if you are not legally here you cannot legalize your status by marrying a US citizen the 245i law is no longer in effect)
That is it, there are no other options.
Just like everyone else, if you came here legally, you have to wait for 5 years to apply for citizenship. Shorter if you served in the military
Yes the Mexican government does like to interfere with American Immigration policies (which still doesn't work for them) even though they have tough immigration policies on illegal Central American AmerIndians that crosses their border illegally.
How does Mexico treat its illegals?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/articl...
Mexico's Own Migrant Story
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles...
Mexico Works to Bar Non-Natives (legal immigrants in their country) From Jobs
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/21...
Check out this story on how the Mexican government likes to interfere with American Immigration policies as an example:
Boy asks Mexican Congress to lobby Washington to stop his mother's deportation
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11/...
His mother
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local...
Doccuments Reveal Mexican Government (Military) Incursions into U.S.
http://morningcoffee.wordpress.com/2006/...
Here's the steps:
1) Fill out a mountain of paperwork.
2) Gather pictures of everyone you know & everyone who has ever known you in your life and also pictures from any major event in your life such as marriage or birth of a child.
3) Get background checks from every town you've ever lived in.
4) Get fingerprinted.
5) Get a physical.
6) Get a certified copy of your birth certificate.
7) Get letters of reference from people who will employ you when you get here or letters of support from a family member here.
8) Send in lots of money along with all of the above.
9) Wait 10 years for an answer.
OH, I forgot the all-important PASSPORT you need to buy. Yeah, those come in REAL handy.
If you decide not to pay the monumental fees upon fees the government charges for all of the above "required" services to apply for entrance into this great land only to wait half your life to find out you're not good enough to come here anyway then skip steps 1-9, pay the coyote $2000 & we'll see you next week.
You have to be petitioned for residency either through a blood relative that is a U.S. citizen, a spouse that is a lawful permanent resident, or your employer. Blood relative is mother, father, brother, sister, spouse, child over the age of 21. You can find more information at www.uscis.gov. Also google up the "Visa Bulliten". If you don't have a blood relative that is a U.S. citizen it will take a while unless you can get an H1B visa and find an employer that is willing to petition for you to obtain residency. The problem is that as soon as you are a permanent resident (notice I did not say conditional permanent resident) you are no longer beholden to them. You can take your 'green card' and work for anyone anywhere without limitation.
Once you are a permanent resident you have to wait 5 years before you can apply for citizenship. 3 years if you are married to a U.S. citizen.
Unfortunately for most folks, the United States does not have a merit based immigration policy but a relationship based immigration policy.
You might also look into the Diversity Visa program although I don't think Mexico is one of the eliglble countries.
The immigration information post by website user , MyTend.com not guarantee correctness