<p>My situation is a complicated one but I’ll try to break it down.
I was born in Hungary but came to the US when I was three and have been here for the past sixteen years. My visa (B1 maybe, not exactly sure) expired in 2005 along with my mothers and siblings. I DID come here legally but at the moment, I am undocumented and can not get a job or any sort of federal aid. I worked my way into college and am currently attending as an undergraduate.
I’m at a crossroads because, at the age of 19, it is time for me to live on my own and support myself. Recently however, my parent received a settlement check that came out to nearly 100k. With this money, it was decided that she would return to her home country of Hungary due to the fact that living in the US undocumented, unable to obtain a job, is too much to bare.
I can either return with her to Hungary where I am a citizen and am entitled to all sorts of aid or stay here in NYC, which I consider my home and where I grew up, and somehow try to support housing, college tuition, and other living expenses, all without the help of the government.
With the settlement money, it would be possible for me to apply for a green card. However, I would not be allowed to receive any sort of federal aid for five years, during which time it would be the sole responsibility of the co-sponsor (one is needed in my case) to handle all expenses that the government would normally pay for.
If I stay here, I could get a job and be a college student at the same time. I need to know how to manage the cost of staying here in the US. My tuition is $2400 per semester as a full-time student and, added to the other living expenses, I would need to make approx. $20000 annually in order to pay off all my bills. This includes food, transportation, books, tuition, housing + utilities, and misc.
For five years, I would need to be able to support myself 100% until I could apply for any sort of federal aid (this, of course, is if I decide to stay here and apply for a green card with the help of a co-sponsor.) My other option is to return to Hungary where everything would be foreign and out of place to me. I can manage the language but the dramatic change in every aspect of living would be extremely difficult to adjust to and a choice in life I would prefer to never have to experience.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to “make it on my own,” quite literally, for five years should I decide to stay here, please let me know.</p>
<p>I think what you need is an immigration attorney who will study your case carefully. While each case is different, it CAN BE easier to legalize your status if you entered the country legally and if the decision to overstay a visa wasn’t yours (it was your family’s - you were a minor.)</p>
<p>
Unfortunately I am not in a position to give you advice, but I am curious about the quirks of US immigration law and I would love to learn more about your situation. If you don’t mind sharing this information with us (you can PM me if you like), how would you qualify for a green card, why would you not be eligible for federal aid for five years (that’s the part I am really curious about!), and what’s this co-sponsor business?</p>
<p>The co-sponsor is needed because my family’s income is too low to apply for the green card ourselves. My stepfather is a US Citizen but, again, his income is too low therefore we need a co-sponsor who will basically make sure that we are not a “burden” to the government. This is to make sure that people don’t apply for green cards and immediately right after begin asking for federal aid such as unemployment, food stamps, medicaid, etc. It is the co-sponsors responsibility to pay for any federal aid we would request within the next 5 years.</p>
<p>It’s kind of ironic that they make you jump through all these hoops with a co-sponsor: when I got my green card, I got a “Welcome to the US” brochure that outlined several federal support programs that might be of interest to new immigrants (medicare, etc). I applied for financial aid for college within a month of getting my green card and no one seemed to mind. </p>
<p>I am sorry that you are in this tricky situation! Best of luck!!!</p>
<p>This poster likely needs the co-sponsor for the 5-year period between application and receiving the green card. As soon as he gets it, he’ll probably get the same welcoming things. I went through this 30+ years ago w/my husband.</p>
<p>Actually we would receive the green card within 4-6 months after applying with a co-sponsor.</p>
<p>That’s not too difficult if your dad is US citizen, you already have an answer. Find a sponsor, become US citizen yourself and stay in US legally. That’s the right way to do.</p>
<p>Nobody has really answered the question I made this thread for: How to support myself for 5 years without any government aid?
I should not have mentioned my immigration situation because every reply has been regarding to my green card dilemma.
So I ask again, if anybody has any solutions for living in the US by myself, please let me know.</p>
<p>We haven’t answered that question because it seems obvious: you will need to work, possibly put college aside, or attend part time as you’re supporting yourself. Whether, as an illegal resident, you can get a job that pays enough to do it all is a question none of us can answer.</p>
<p>Geez why are you trying to do it in the ILLEGAL way? Everyone is advising you to make it LEGAL, of course. By law, if you insist on being ILLEGAL immigrant, you should get your ass out of the US, because you can get arrested and deported immediately when you’re working.
I think that’s the kind of advice you’ll get here, if you’re not happy, you should get on forums for illegal immigrants, if there’s any</p>
<p>vote obama and he’ll give you amnesty</p>
<p>Import I never suggested doing it any “illegal” way. How is it illegal to find a co-sponsor and obtain my green card? Or perhaps you were referring to something illegal in trying to support myself for five years without federal aid while holding a green card.
How about you, being too stupid to understand straight English that wouldn’t phase a third grader, stop ■■■■■■■■ the forums. Instead, go enjoy your dark little home with your knocked-up girlfriend and unemployment check before the fatty buildup in your arteries decides to finally end your miserable, insignificant life. Deadbeat.</p>
<p>These forums won’t provide any answers at all. I tried explaining my situation but the entire thing flew over everybody’s head. I’ve seen absolutely nothing but confusion and apparent misunderstanding of my dilemma therefore I’m just gonna end the thread here. I could find more productive answers from a trained monkey.
Admin close this thread.</p>
<p>awww dont cry ok here’s my advice
my case is the opposite though, i was born in the us but lived outside for most my life</p>
<p>100grand is a lot of my money…try talkin your mom into givin you some for living expenses(nyc is very exp as you should know)
but either way, you’re eventually have to go the american embassy and get a renewed visa if you are eligible(as it seems), then you can live happily ever after</p>
<p>its a no-brainer really</p>
<p>u dont need any stupid attorney…they are blood sucking thieves who merely interpret obscure english with antediluvian grammatical structures to justify their usurious rates</p>
<p>as for now: go to school and be the highest in your class, not much else i can say on that</p>