Facts on Immigrating Legally

A lot of people don't realize how extremely difficult it really is to come to the United States legally. I hear all the time "my grandparents came here legally why don't they...." and the infamous "get in the back of the line". Let's get one thing clear first, as immigration policy stands today there is virtually no process for unskilled immigrants without relations to the US to apply for legal permanent residence. Nor, are the immigration policies the same as they were 20+ years ago. To be more exact, after 9/11 terror attacks the government has pretty much made it impossible for an average person to reside here legally. Many people just don't know these types of facts.

Just recently on a news forum someone stated it only takes 4 years to come here legally. When I asked on which visa I got no reply but more derogative comments on the issue. After I started shooting out facts on the news forum no one seemed to have anything else to say. No surprise! Later on that day I received a message from a complete stranger who read the information I provided on the forum. In his message he stated the following:

"I think you must be a very level headed person, there is likely more to this entire immigration thing than the news reports"

He also admitted that he didn't realize how long and how impossible it was to receive a visa. He thought people wouldn't come here legally because it was a "financial thing". Of course I had to correct him on that as well. :)

It doesn't surprise me that his knowledge of the immigration system was little. I used to be one of them. I didn't know anything about it until I actually had to go through it with my husband.

People who are not knowledgeable on the US immigration policies are telling other people, who also don't know anything either, false information. It's a rapidly growing issue that causes xenophobia in our country. It's easier for people to fear and hate than figure out a real solution to the problem.

The immigration process is very complex and hard to really understand. The closest thing I have found that gives you a glimpse into how it sort of works is the below cartoon illustration. Yes, though it may be a cartoon illustration it gives some honest facts on immigration. So enjoy this illustration and pass on to those who dont have a clue! ;)

Click on the picture to see the actual pdf file so that you can adjust the size so that you are able to read the writing in the picture.

My First Post

So I have finally decided to start my own Blog. Reading and writing have always been sort of a passion of mine. A passion I have rarely ever gotten to express and thought the best way to start expressing and embracing my passion was to start a blog. Not sure if that was a great idea but hey you always need a starting point! So after debating on what I wanted to write, I figured I would start off with something I knew I would have no problem writing about. I will explain what "Love Knows No Borders" means to me.

In March 2005 I met someone who has changed my prospective on life. Julio was not a typical guy I would have usually been interested in but I was not a picky person and was open to making friends with anyone. Never did I imagine our friendship would lead to the amazing family I now share with him.

That is the great thing about life, it never seems to stop amazing me.

Nothing was typical about me and Julio's relationship. Not even the place where we first met. Who knew I would meet the man I love at KFC! You are probably questioning if I really meant KFC as in Kentucky Fried Chicken. My answer is a "yup"! I will admit that it wasn't the first place I thought I would meet the love of my life, but now that I look back, it was the perfect place to meet! I mean I love chicken so meeting the man I love at KFC was fate! :)

Julio was different from guys that I had met before him. He was a lot more mature for one thing. But what stood out the most was his personality. His personality was a big factor of my attraction to him. He was such a friendly and polite guy. He was the funny guy that could make you laugh and he was the friend you went to when you were feeling down. He can hold a conversation with anyone and make friends so easily. For me, he is the only person who can piss me off to the fullest one minute and the next minute turn around and make me laugh. Most the time I forget why I was ever mad at him to begin with. What I love about him the most is our conversations on life. Just by the conversations we would have I knew that he had a good heart! :) To sum it all up he is a great man.

After a few months of being friends we saw that we were more than just friends and decided to take our relationship to another level. That is when Julio explained to me something I didn't really know anything about until I met him.

He explained to me that when he was about 8 years old his mother had brought over him and his brother to the United States from Mexico illegally and he told me he had no "papers". At first I was first taken a back by when he said "no papers". I had no idea what he was talking about. Mind you I was only 18 and didn't know much about the world outside of my friends and partying. He explained to me that "papers" meant legal residency.

After having a deep conversation about his situation I remember getting really quiet, just trying to absorb everything he explained to me. My silence made Julio unnerving and he than told me that he would understand if I no longer wanted to be with him. I remember feeling insulted right away and told him off.

"Do you really think I am that shallow?", was the first thing that burst out of my mouth.

The look of shock on Julio face was priceless and I couldn't help but laugh afterwards. (see what I mean, he always knows how to make me laugh).

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be with Julio. No residency status could have ever changed the love I had for him. Though a law may state that he does not belong in this country, there is no law that will tell my heart to stop loving him. Which is where I got "Love Knows No Borders".

Julio being born in a different country doesn't make him less of a person. This wasn't something that he chose to do, nor was this something his mother wanted for her children but she had no choice to bring her kids with her. I admire my mother in-laws willingness to protect her children and provide them with a better life here than to suffer where they were at. How can you punish people for wanting a better life. Our immigration system is such a mess that good people like my husband can be subject to deportation at anytime.

He has adapted to this country and has learned the language and considers this place his home. How can you make a person feel like they don't belong in a country they have lived in for 22 years of there life. He belongs here.

So despite his residential status, I knew he was the one I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. Which is why I married him on January 21, 2006.

September 8, 2007 we brought our beautiful daughter into this world, who is now 2 years old. Only a love like ours can make a gorgeous kid like this! ;)

We now face a long and formidable journey into the US immigration system. I am not sure what the outcome will turn out to be, but hopefully immigration reform will see the light of day before its too late.

Tearing up families will not fix the immigration problem that the US faces today. It will not lead to examples for other immigrants who come here undocumented. The only way to fix the problem is with comprehensive immigration reform.

Please Stop tearing up families like mine across this great nation.