Anyone Care to hear my rant? (22 y/o Canadian stuck in the US)

[LostCanadian 1]

Hello all and thank you for taking the time to read this. I've always had a good positive looks on things, people, and life until now. I'm sitting here typing this with a massive headache.

For the first time in my life I am jealous.

I am an illegal immigrant from Canada (Born there). I came to the US in 1999 when I was 10 years old with my family who was here on some sort of business visa (PHX AZ). My parents had money and decided America was the new place to be and moved down here. Not sure what happened within our 4 year visa but we were not allowed to renew. My parents being from Iraq did not help after 9/11 (We are christian Iraqi's). Visa expired in 2003 and since then we are still here but now my family is broke (make just enough money to make ends meet). My parents insist on staying here forever and never returning to Canada because of the weather. They are lucky enough to have at least a Social Security card so they can get jobs, and loans..

Me.. I've got nothing. No papers. Immigration wise I'm just as good as those Mexican guys you see standing in the home depot lot. I've found out its pretty much impossible for me to get any kind of status here unless I am a famous athlete or a millionaire looking to invest. I have nothing and no one in Canada where I am a citizen. I have no money to even try to go back and start a new life. United States is all I know pretty much. It sucks seeing all my high school friends in Universities graduating and succeeding in life while I'm stuck here looking like a loser going nowhere (they don't know I am an illegal). I can't get a job anywhere unless I try to find someone who pays cash which is something I am against and its hard to find. I buy and sell stuff on craigslist to make money (so sad I know).

I now get extremely jealous seeing all these new Iraqi people coming here as refugees and the US government literally handing them green cards and putting them on a path towards citizenship. What really bothers me is that so many of these people are just lazy and unintelligent. They all live off welfare and food stamps. #######??? A person like me could make so much better use of a social security card, green card, and citizenship.

What am I supposed to do? Besides going to Canada with nothing. This just isn't fair.

Sorry for coming off really bitter and negative. I am seriously watching my life going down the drain right before my eyes and thats not a good feeling.

[Boiler 43,597]

Go home, Iraq or Canada, you have choices.

[EAbbas 213]

just wondering why you didn't seek help when you were close to 18 or just turned 18 to get your self into a legal situation with your expired visa. I understand you couldnt do anything while you were younger and at the mercy of your parents decision making but when you turned 18 you needed to have adjusted your status or at least spoken with an immigration attorney to help you figure out what your options are...

Maybe you should do that now....?

There are others here who have way more knowledge on overstaying etc than I do and I'm sure they will reply giving you more info

Good luck with it all...

[Boiler 43,597]

He does not have any options to stay in the US, legally.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello all and thank you for taking the time to read this. I've always had a good positive looks on things, people, and life until now. I'm sitting here typing this with a massive headache.

For the first time in my life I am jealous.

I am an illegal immigrant from Canada (Born there). I came to the US in 1999 when I was 10 years old with my family who was here on some sort of business visa (PHX AZ). My parents had money and decided America was the new place to be and moved down here. Not sure what happened within our 4 year visa but we were not allowed to renew. My parents being from Iraq did not help after 9/11 (We are christian Iraqi's). Visa expired in 2003 and since then we are still here but now my family is broke (make just enough money to make ends meet). My parents insist on staying here forever and never returning to Canada because of the weather. They are lucky enough to have at least a Social Security card so they can get jobs, and loans..

Me.. I've got nothing. No papers. Immigration wise I'm just as good as those Mexican guys you see standing in the home depot lot. I've found out its pretty much impossible for me to get any kind of status here unless I am a famous athlete or a millionaire looking to invest. I have nothing and no one in Canada where I am a citizen. I have no money to even try to go back and start a new life. United States is all I know pretty much. It sucks seeing all my high school friends in Universities graduating and succeeding in life while I'm stuck here looking like a loser going nowhere (they don't know I am an illegal). I can't get a job anywhere unless I try to find someone who pays cash which is something I am against and its hard to find. I buy and sell stuff on craigslist to make money (so sad I know).

I now get extremely jealous seeing all these new Iraqi people coming here as refugees and the US government literally handing them green cards and putting them on a path towards citizenship. What really bothers me is that so many of these people are just lazy and unintelligent. They all live off welfare and food stamps. #######??? A person like me could make so much better use of a social security card, green card, and citizenship.

What am I supposed to do? Besides going to Canada with nothing. This just isn't fair.

Sorry for coming off really bitter and negative. I am seriously watching my life going down the drain right before my eyes and thats not a good feeling.

I was in Canada yesterday. Nice place, friendly people. Very polite. Awesome smoked meat sandwiches

Go there.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Gary and Alla

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

This is why we need to make it economically impossible for US employers to exploit illegal aliens, this man is a good example of the horror many of these good people live everyday so we can have "cheap labor"

we need to implement a huge tax on anyone that exploits illegals for profit and avoids the labor, wage and hour, and other laws we have to protect people's dignity. We need to padlock ANY business that exploits humans like this.

We are flattered you chose our country, Sir, it is a waonderful country really, but as you see, there are some bad people here. Racist people that wish to exploit people of other nationalities to avoid paying proper wages and benefits. Racists who want to keep a class of people working to provide them cheap labor. I am sorry that this exists, it has been something our country has always struglled with. These people first had slavery and fought the elimination of slavery. Then they treated African Americans as 2nd class citizens for 100 years,until they finally got the respect they deserve, NOW they treat illegal aliens the same. Illegals are the new "slaves" and the same people try to keep you here, try to make it difficult for you to be removed, try to lure you here with false promises. Just to serve them and increase their profits.

Don't DO IT!

Go back to Canada, Sir! You can get a good job there, health care, respect, decent treatment. You do not need to live such a life to serve American business by lining their pockets with cash! Go home, Sir! Best of luck in life, Canada is a fine country, lots of opportunity there.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Also your parents may want to move back to Iraq if they prefer the weather. Saddam is gone and now Iraq is safe and prosperous. Thousands of brave Americans and Iraqis died to make it a better place for Iraqis to live. Now we have removed the military so they are now fully independent and a prosperous democracy!

[LostCanadian 1]

just wondering why you didn't seek help when you were close to 18 or just turned 18 to get your self into a legal situation with your expired visa. I understand you couldnt do anything while you were younger and at the mercy of your parents decision making but when you turned 18 you needed to have adjusted your status or at least spoken with an immigration attorney to help you figure out what your options are...

Maybe you should do that now....?

There are others here who have way more knowledge on overstaying etc than I do and I'm sure they will reply giving you more info

Good luck with it all...

I am sorry but this is the only response I can take seriously.

To answer your question. I previous to being 18 I never really knew/considered my immigration status was an issue. I was focused on my studied in high school and overall having fun with friends and my life. I realized what was going on when I couldn't get into a university. I was given false hopes and promises from my mother that she would help me acquire some sort of status here. I waited and waited for nothing until this past year and a half that I am screwed. I've looked in every corner and looked at every page. There's nothing I've found that I can do.

To the other posters... Wow. Am I being mocked or trolled here? These can't be serious responses.

LOL @ "Canada... Go there." Yes because it's just that simple right? I am just as American as anyone else in this country and have more American pride than anyone I personally know.

As for Iraq, I have nothing that associates me with that country other than my parents were born there. I'd be just as illegal there as I am here. I am seriously laughing out loud at the comment that Saddam is gone and there's no US military so it's a wonderful democratic country.. PLEASE!! I am surely being mocked here, are you completely delusional as to what's happening there along with the conditions? Ever watch the news and look past the propaganda? That Iraqi economy sure is booming now, US has nothing on Iraq.. Yeah, right.

Folks, I came in here looking for helpful advice. Not to be mocked and given rude responses to pretty much "get the #### out". If your idea of good advice is to just to go back to Canada with nothing and no one just to struggle to survive then please keep that to yourself. I am hurting no one and have done nothing illegal. I am not leeching of anyone's precious tax dollars as my family pays taxes too.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Folks, I came in here looking for helpful advice. Not to be mocked and given rude responses to pretty much "get the #### out". If your idea of good advice is to just to go back to Canada with nothing and no one just to struggle to survive then please keep that to yourself.

No one is mocking you nor were you given rude responses, as you say. You just do not like the answers you were given. You are the one who posted your story here on a public forum, yet you expect responding members to keep their opinions to themselves. C'mon. As was suggested, you may want to seek counsel with a qualified immigration attorney.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

You are not just as American as the rest of us as we have/are immigrating the legal way and do/will have green cards and USC. Usually people that are in your position are there because they jumped the border not because they were brought by parents. You did mention that your family had some sort of visa originally. You are an overstayer not a border hopper ? Not that is help your position at the moment. The only time that makes a difference is when you are trying to adjust through marriage. Your stay since 18 means you are looking at a 10 year ban from the US. There is no reform that is seems to to be going in the minds of the voters when there aren't enough jobs for USC's. Your life is fully of sh-t at the moment, you need to see how to make something good grow from it. Good luxk

[luckytxn 2,263]

Go back to Canada. Good luck.

[Ban Hammer 12,861]

one post removed for tos violation:

Condone or instruct, either directly or indirectly, others on how to commit fraudulent or illegal immigration activities in any way, shape, manner or method.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

What am I supposed to do? Besides going to Canada with nothing. This just isn't fair.

Sorry for coming off really bitter and negative. I am seriously watching my life going down the drain right before my eyes and thats not a good feeling.

You're right, it isn't fair that YOUR PARENTS SCREWED YOU OVER LIKE THIS JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T LIKE THE COLD. How selfish of them to put you in such a position.

I am just as American as anyone else in this country and have more American pride than anyone I personally know.

I am hurting no one and have done nothing illegal. I am not leeching of anyone's precious tax dollars as my family pays taxes too.

NO you are not American at all! You are Canadian and that's where you belong unless you take steps to immigrate here legally.

The only way you can honestly say you're not leeching off our "precious tax dollars" is to show that your parents have paid enough taxes to cover the true cost of your presence in the US (which includes the public education, protection by police & fire, wear & tear on the roads & infrastructure etc) which I highly doubt. And now you're an adult who doesn't pay taxes but continues to utilize those resources.

Initially your parents were at fault but you have made a choice to continue living here illegally so you are now just as at fault as they are.

[Helen Louise Pile 80]

Folks, I came in here looking for helpful advice. Not to be mocked and given rude responses to pretty much "get the #### out". If your idea of good advice is to just to go back to Canada with nothing and no one just to struggle to survive then please keep that to yourself. I am hurting no one and have done nothing illegal. I am not leeching of anyone's precious tax dollars as my family pays taxes too.

People are telling you to go to Canada because you are a Canadian citizen and you'd have better opportunities there, not because they are being rude.

I understand you want to stay here. If that is not possible, you need to figure out a new plan instead of clinging to the old one. There are good Universities in Canada.

Stop wallowing in what was supposed to have been...start planning for what will be! Your future is bright.

Good luck.

Edited December 18, 2011 by Helen Louise Pile

[Anh map 2,098]

Currently you have no path to legal residence in the US.

Moving to Canada will offer you the opportunity to work, etc. No use debating the "fairness" of it all. The reality of your circumstances is that Canada is a good option.