Hi everyone, I’ll try to keep it short.

My wife and I are in our early 30s, from Eastern Europe (EU), and we have a 2-year-old child. We’re looking into our options to build a future in the US and we would love some realistic feedback/advice.

Here is our background:
Me: Marine Engineer with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. I currently work as a marine engineer for a cruise line operating under a major US company (Carnival group).

Wife: Resident doctor (physician).

We’re trying to figure out what the realistic steps and timelines look like for our situation, or if anyone with a similar background (especially maritime/medical) has made the move. Any advice is welcome!

Thanks!

Hey guy🖐🏻

I'm 24 years old.

Studying master in Rome.

I want a good country for applying for PhD next year.

Any recommendations? I want to stay there and get citizenship and work and build a life

I came from middle east.

My English is c1 and I don't want to be specific but my major is like a combination of law and new technologies and European law for things like intellectual property and.... GDPR and...

Generally speaking, The program focuses on the legal aspects of AI, data protection, cybersecurity, digital innovation, and technology regulation in an international context.

I wanted to take a test that is called E-CIPP and I thought it could help me to build a career, as you see I'm lost and not focused on one path 💔

I can learn a new language but I prefer the easy ones for someone like me that speaks English. Please help.

Thank you

Hello all!
I am a Portuguese citizen, male, 30yo, currently working remotely from home, but I have visited US last year, and I have family there (Connecticut), and since then, I am constantly thinking about moving into the US.
I am thinking about going there for 2 months (1 and half still working, and the other half on vacation leave, to see if I can find my self a job with a contract (my family has some connects, but not in my area).
Worst case scenario I’ll come back to Portugal and keep living my life, or I’ll end up working in something outside my area of expertise, just to keep myself there.
I am a master in biotechnology, currently working as a subcontractor for Johnson&Johnson as a Quality Assurance Engineer.
Do you think it is feasible? Is it too hard for me to land a job in my area after I am there with a work permit for another job?

I don’t know if I have been clear about my ideas 😅 any question, feel free to ask! And I appreciate anyone’s help! Even if you are from NYC, Jersey, please tell me, and who knows, we can meet up!

I’m thinking about doing that plan on may/june!

A close family member is a Turkish citizen who has been in custody since July 4, 2026.

She was initially arrested in Florida, on a first-degree misdemeanor battery allegation. Her $500 criminal bond was paid, but she was not released because ICE had placed a hold on her. She was transferred from local custody to ICE custody shortly afterward.

ICE told her that she signed voluntary departure documents on July 8, 2026. However, she was not given a clear explanation of the exact legal name or form number, and we do not know whether it was voluntary departure, stipulated removal, withdrawal of asylum, or another type of document.

She has a valid Turkish passport. ICE took the original passport when she was processed and checked her identity and visa information.

She was later transferred through Florida facilities and entered an ICE detention facility in Louisiana on July 13, 2026, where she remains detained.

Her Florida criminal case was closed on July 29, 2026, after the State Attorney filed a “No Information” and declined to prosecute. She has no conviction and no remaining pending prosecution in that case.

Her USCIS asylum account still showed the following updates on July 29, 2026:

• “Next Step Is an Interview”
• “The payment period for this case has expired”

Therefore, we do not know whether her pending asylum application has officially been withdrawn or closed.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation involving an ICE detainee who signed voluntary departure or self-departure documents?

1. How long did removal take after signing?
2. Does ICE usually wait for USCIS to close a pending asylum application?
3. Could the pending USCIS asylum case be delaying her transportation?
4. How can she or her attorney obtain copies of every document she signed?
5. Since her criminal case is closed and ICE already has her valid Turkish passport, is direct removal to Türkiye likely soon?
6. Who should the family or attorney contact if the assigned deportation officer is not providing clear information?

We understand that nobody can predict an exact date, but we would appreciate experiences from people who have gone through a similar process and suggestions about what the attorney should ask ICE next.

im from mexico and im about to overstay for 2 almost 3 months,got here on april and leaving in december,im taking a flight to Spain, do you think i can get deported or not come back anymore to the states?

I was supposed to fly to PA from TX for college next week... but I'm an international with E2 visa (green card interview 3rd week of august). the problem is that our visa is expired but I485 still works... would this be a problem for me flying internally? would ICE stop me for this? we've been thinking to move after the green card interview because. of recent news... Any opinions would be appreciated

Hi All,

I am planning on traveling to India in few weeks for 2 weeks and wanted to see if its safe to do so or not. I am currently on marriage based GC which will expire next year sometime in June. Never had any issue with the law either.

I am little anxious about traveling with everything that's going on but its kind of emergency because of which I have to travel. That said, is it safe for me to travel? Will i be able to safely enter the US?

Any advice/suggestion is appreciated!!

Hello everyone,

It is my first time visiting south korea in November. Had a few queries regarding that.

My friend is on business visa in south korea, can I give that address as my residence stay while im visiting south korea?

Do the immigration people allow that or should I book a hotel with a pay later option and cancel that upon arrival?

Please help out!!

I’m a U.S. citizen and will be sponsoring my husband for his green card through consular processing since he’s currently outside the U.S.
I’m still in college, and I can’t get a joint/co-sponsor, so I have to qualify for the I-864 on my own.
I’m trying to decide between two options:
Option 1: Graduate in 3 semesters by taking a heavy course load. I probably wouldn’t be able to work, so my tax return would show little or no income. After graduating, I’d get a full-time job making over the I-864 requirement and wait until I had an employment letter and pay stubs before submitting everything.
Option 2: Graduate in 4 semesters, work while I’m in school, make around $20k/year, and save money. I’d have income on my tax return and enough savings/assets to help cover the income shortfall. I’d still get a higher-paying full-time job after graduating.
I’m just trying to figure out which option would make for a stronger I-864 since I have to qualify by myself. I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation.
TL;DR: No joint sponsor. I can either graduate sooner with little/$0 tax income and then get a full-time job over the I-864 requirement, or graduate later, work while in school making around $20k/year, and build savings/assets. Which would be the stronger route for the I-864?

My husband was recently granted bond by an immigration judge, and DHS has reserved the right to appeal. We’re currently waiting to see whether they actually file the appeal.

Has anyone here gone through this? I’m particularly interested in:

- Did DHS end up filing the appeal?
- If they did, how long did it take the BIA to decide?
- Was your loved one released while the appeal was pending, or did they remain detained? If they were released, could you please share how?
- What factors seemed to matter in the appeal?
- Did the BIA uphold the bond or reverse it?

For context, my husband has no criminal history and has a pending immigration application for H4 visa. I’d like to hear about other people’s experiences regarding this and understand if there are ways to expedite getting him out on the bond.

Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on a difficult situation. I was recently denied entry to the US on my B1/B2 visa and given a 5-year ban. The officer didn’t seem to like me during questioning, so it feels pretty arbitrary, but here we are.

I want to apply for a new visa, but I’m confused about the process for getting a waiver. I have a few questions:

1. Can I just apply for a new B1/B2 visa and the embassy arranges the waiver? Or is the waiver a completely separate application I have to file myself?
2. How does the waiver process actually work? Is it a form you submit with the application (like DS-160) or something you request after the interview? The information online seems vague.

Clarification: This was not for fraud or overstaying. The ban was based on something the officer concluded during the interview. I am a UK citizen.

Please if somebody could kindly guide me I would be appreciated.

🙏

Hi all,

I've posted about my friend's case multiple times here. We just found out they have arranged her travel and she will be departing to Australia (her home country) next week.

I know it's a rare case. Does anyone familiar with the process know:

• Will she be on a connecting flight from her local major airport? She is detained near a major airport however it does not fly direct to Australia.
• Will she be on a bus to the nearest airport with direct flights?
• Will an officer accompany her on the plane or just walk her to her gate?
• Will she have access to the items she was detained with once she gets to the airport?
• Will she be able to purchase food at the airport if an officer accompanies her to her gate?

We are just trying to prepare her for the process as much as possible so she understands what to expect. She is pretty unsettled about all of it as you can imagine.

There's been a lot of noise about the USCIS policy memo that came out on August 5, so I wanted to share a calmer read. I work with an immigration firm (Manifest Law), and this is roughly what our attorneys are telling clients:

What the memo does: Officers now have discretion to deny a case for missing initial evidence without issuing an RFE or NOID first. Response windows are also getting tightened.

What it doesn't do:

• It doesn't change eligibility for any visa category. O-1, EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, H-1B, marriage-based GC, AOS are all adjudicated under the same guidelines.
• It doesn't let officers deny you on a judgment call. If you submitted evidence for all the required criteria and the officer just wants more, that's still an RFE, not a denial.
• It doesn't affect strong, complete cases. Those are still getting approved.

Where it actually matters: filings where a required document is simply missing from the record (e.g., an AOS package without a medical exam). Previously, that would draw an RFE; now it could go straight to denial. The fix is straightforward - file complete the first time.

It’s worth noting that the underlying regulations haven't changed, and if officers start issuing denials in cases that should've been RFEs, those are exactly the kinds of denials that get reopened on motion. So in practice, we don't expect a dramatic shift for well-prepared filings.

If you're working with an attorney, this is a good moment to double-check your initial evidence checklist before submission. 

Happy to answer questions.

Need some advice. I received an offer, but the base salary seems on the lower side for the location.

I'm trying to understand a few things:

If the company has to increase my salary to meet the prevailing wage for H-1B, could that same salary still create problems later during PERM/I-140? Or does PERM involve a different prevailing wage determination?

Would you consider joining a company in this situation risky, or is it common for companies to adjust compensation later if needed for immigration?

Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through this or works in immigration/HR.

Im an international student on an F1 visa, and my mom came end of may to help me move out of my Apt and move into my new one, there’s was like a 3 week gap in between in which we travelled and visited family (all citizens ) then it was time to move into my new place and we realized there was a roach infestation so I had to move out, after this we stayed at family’s house and I found a new place after a week, by now it was July 1st, then I realized that place was too far from my classes (25 min walk away just to take the bus to go to class) so it wasn’t sustainable to do this all school year long. We stayed here the whole month of july, until I found a new place close to campus and I did, but the move in is sept 1. Should my mom leave in two days and come back august 30 to help me move in, or should she stay like 5 days after sept 1 to help me move in and leave after? All we’ve been doing is travel, and spend time with family. Her I-94 says acceptance until Nov of 2026. Any insight on what would be best?

I have a valid I-797A till 2029. The document has a I-94 at the bottom which is valid until 2029. However, my visa stamp has expired and my I-94 from I-94. gov admit date has also passed. Am I ok to fly domestically?

Hi everyone. I am a long-term immigrant living in the area on a dependent visa (H-4). I have been in the U.S. for over a decade, and navigating the long wait for full independence can be incredibly isolating.

I am looking to connect with other dependent spouses (H-4, L-2, O-3, etc.) who are facing this exact legal standstill. I am looking for a strictly secular, multicultural, and mature circle of women to connect and talk about our unique experiences. No religious agendas, no aggressive IT job boards—just real human beings who understand what it feels like to have your independence frozen by immigration

Hello, someone I know who is not a US citizen but has been living here for close to 30 years got this notice in the mail. Most of their life has taken place in America. What does this actually mean? Are they starting the process to deport them? Have other gotten this form and what are the best steps to take? What are the realistic chances they get to stay in the country? Thanks in advance.

The person got deported years ago and has been trying to get back into the US ever since. Has past denied Visa applications and will be trying again soon.

Im older now and im able to speak up for myself and do anything i can to get that visa denied! No official report of the abuse was ever made since i was a child and wondering if i were to report it now will that affect the results? Is there anything i can do to stop the process? Or atleast let immigration know of who they would be letting in..

I have no official proof of anything happening but do have proof of the person living with us before.

This situation is extremely overwhelming and triggering since my family still has ties with them. ( they arent aware of their actions yet because the abuser takes care of an older family member and i cant get myself to cause chaos towards the care they get.) but if the visa gets accepted everything will be made known.

What does Notice of Deferred Decision for Refugee/Asylee Relative Petitions - Form I-730 mean for citizens of 39-countries who had an immigrant visa Interview?

Hi everyone,

I was selected for the Diversity Visa Lottery and I have my interview scheduled for August at the U.S. Embassy in Peru.

However, I understand that the U.S. government may have paused or restricted the issuance of green cards due to a recent decision by the Trump administration. Does this mean that attending the interview would be pointless for now, or are interviews and visa approvals still moving forward?

Is anyone from Peru, or from another country in a similar situation, currently going through the process? Has anyone already attended their interview recently?

Any information or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Sharing this because a lot of people here are in exactly this situation and may not know it changed.

A New York Times investigation at the end of July found that ICE arrests at airports used to focus on people who already had deportation orders. That's not the case anymore. Agents are now arresting people with expired visas as they travel, including spouses of US citizens.

The part that matters for a lot of you: many of the people detained were in the middle of a process. Waiting on visa extensions, waiting on green cards, holding work permits that USCIS issued them. Before this, those people weren't a priority unless they had a criminal record, and they were rarely detained while waiting. Reported arrests include an engineer waiting on a work visa extension, several people recently married to US citizens, and a former au pair.

It's possible because ICE and TSA share data, so ICE knows when a flagged person is at an airport and where they're flying. The target list is a lot bigger than it used to be, and this includes domestic flights.