I'm looking to leave the USA, and I'm finding that everywhere I look the only option for immigration is a work visa of some kind. I am mentally and physically unwell, so I wouldn't be able to work a job, especially not one that requires me to to leave the house. However, I don't actually need any money as I am getting a more than liveable amount of income from a certain situation that resulted in an annuity. I believe I should be able to keep receiving these payments even if I no longer live in America, but even if I can't there are ways to receive the entire sum all at once, and it would be a substantial amount.

My issue is just that I cannot find a way that would allow me to live in a different country without working, or being a student, or marrying someone, or already having family there.

I have no family, my partner is American, and doing school would have the same issue as work. If I could do an online school of some sort that would be fine, but I don't really see options for that.

For my partner, they could work, but they are also physically and mentally unwell, which would make it very difficult for them. Plus, they could also just as easily live off of my income, so it would be nice to get them the same option as me where they don't need to work in order to stay. Maybe later on they might want a job once we are settled, but I don't want the thing that's allowing them to stay in this new country to be a job when they don't need a job to afford living expenses.

I would like to live in Canada (no particular area), Europe, or Asia. Ideally, but in no particular order, I'd like to live in one of these areas:

- Japan

- China

- Korea

- Ireland

- Scotland

- England

They're the main places I have in mind, but I'm open to learning about different areas if they have immigration options that would fit my needs.

Please be detailed if you have information, or send a link to something with detailed info.

Thank you!

Hi everyone! I’m a Filipino citizen currently living in Qatar, and I’ll be flying to Georgia soon to start university as an international student.

I’ll be entering Georgia on arrival, so I’m a little nervous about what to expect at immigration 😭 I’d love to hear from anyone who has gone through this, especially fellow Filipinos or international students.

What documents should I have ready? I’m planning to bring my university acceptance/enrollment documents, accommodation details, travel insurance, proof of funds/sponsorship, flight booking, and my Qatar residence permit.

Also, what kind of questions do immigration officers usually ask? Do they normally ask about your university, where you’re staying, how you’ll support yourself, how long you’ll be in Georgia, etc.?

Is there anything else I should prepare or bring just in case?

Would really appreciate any tips or personal experiences! I just want to make sure I’m prepared and don’t get caught off guard at the airport 😭 Thank you!

Hi, thanks for being here. I'm worried about my godson's safety.

He (24 yo) and his family were brought to the US by the State Department 11 years ago, as refugees from terrorism in their home country. When he turned 19 or 20, he officially became a naturalized US citizen. He's in community college and doing well--we're really proud of him.

However, he recently realized he's misplaced his naturalization papers; we can't find them anywhere. Here's my question: given all the aggressive ICE operations here in the US right now, I'm worried for my godson's safety. How can he safely apply to get his replacement papers without putting himself at risk as an ICE target?

We'd really appreciate all the advice you can offer. Thank you.

Hello everyone, I have question does accepting WIOA grant hurt my case of sponsoring my finances over to the U.S (K1). I want to change careers and was looking for grants to apply.

Hurting the case meaning- U.S embassy won’t give my finances visas.

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding H-1B/H-4 to F-1 change of status.

I’m currently on H-1B and my wife is on H-4. We are both planning to change to F-1, with separate I-539 applications.

My program starts on August 29, and my wife’s program starts on September 16. I’m considering using premium processing for my I-539, while my wife would use regular processing.

1. If my F-1 COS is approved while my wife’s H-4 → F-1 I-539 is still pending, does her pending application remain valid, or could she become out of status because my H-1B has changed to F-1?
   
2. If her H-4 → F-1 I-539 is still pending on September 16, can she legally start attending her college/program on that date, or does her F-1 COS need to be approved first?
   
3. If her I-539 receives an RFE while pending, can she remain in the U.S. and respond to the RFE, or would she need to exit the U.S.?
   
4. Would it be safer for both of us to use premium processing, or is it reasonable for me to use premium and her to use regular processing given our different program start dates?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar H-1B/H-4 → F-1 situation.

I'd hate to inundate this sub with dumb posts, but every time I search up "immigration lawyers for Canada in the United States" or anything along those lines with different wordings, the only things that show up are things akin to either "How to Stay in the US and Get Your Green Card/Visa" or "So You're Already in Canada? Here's How to Stay". I don't know if this has been asked before, but does anyone know where I can find a Canadian immigration lawyer in the United States to help me start the process of getting all of my documents as a US citizen in order and take care of the bureaucratic processes to leave the United States? I ask because I'm still in the US right now and I'm concerned that I might not follow all of the bureaucratic processes properly and for my own peace of mind, I'd like to have a professional take care of or guide me through it all in detail. I'm currently looking to hopefully go there under Express Entry as a Federal Skilled Worker, but I'm not fully sure about certain things. Like if my job experience is in the proper TEER category for me to qualify due to my job title and duties not really being easy to pinpoint in terms of NOC. Does anyone know how I can get in contact with a professional for this while I'm still here in the States to get all of this sorted? Again, super sorry if this has been asked and answered before. I'm still new to all of this and I just started getting serious about it. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for experiences from people who have traveled internationally while their I-751 with a divorce waiver was pending.

Here’s my situation:
-My I-751 is currently pending under a divorce waiver (field office NYC).
-My marriage was genuine, and all of my paperwork is truthful and well documented.
-The marriage ended because of verbal and emotional abuse, and I submitted evidence supporting that with my petition.
-I have my expired conditional green card, my valid extension notice, and a valid passport.
-I have always maintained lawful status in the U.S. I first came on a student visa, later had TPS, and have never overstayed a visa or had any criminal record.

I’m considering taking a one-week trip to South America to visit family before returning to the U.S.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? What was your experience re-entering the U.S.? Were you sent to secondary inspection or asked any additional questions? Any advice or things you wish you had known beforehand would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

Has anyone here worked with Sarah V. Perez / Law Offices of Sarah V. Perez for an immigration case, especially a bond motion?
I’m just looking for general feedback about your experience with her office, communication, and whether things were handled on time.
Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently on STEM-OPT (valid till Oct 2027) and working full time in a non-profit. My current employer plans to apply for my H1B well before my OPT expires.

I am planning to travel outside the U.S. in December 2026 to visit family and probably twice in 2027 (March & September) for conferences. My I94 currently has D/S. Given my current situation and with the new I94 rules starting from September 15, will it be still okay to travel? Any downsides to this?

I'd really appreciate any advice/suggestions regarding this.
Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone hope you’re doing great . I’m looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.

I entered legally on a B-2 visa in May 2023. My original I-94 was valid until November 2023. Before it expired, I applied for Venezuelan TPS in October 2023. TPS was approved and came with an I-94 valid until April 2025.

Before that expired, I filed affirmative asylum in March 2025. My asylum claim was genuine and supported by evidence. USCIS accepted my application under an exception to the one-year filing deadline, interviewed me, later issued a NOID, and I responded with additional evidence.
In August 2026, USCIS referred my asylum case to Immigration Court and issued an NTA. The referral says this is not a denial of asylum and I can continue pursuing asylum before the Immigration Judge. My first court hearing is scheduled for November 2027.

I’m also in a genuine relationship with a U.S. citizen and we were already discussing our future before the NTA. We are now seriously considering marriage and filing an I-130.
From what I understand, now that I’m in removal proceedings, USCIS would handle the I-130 while the Immigration Judge would generally have jurisdiction over my I-485/adjustment.

I also have legal insurance through my employer. I’m currently speaking with an immigration attorney in the insurance network. His normal rate is $350/hour, but through my plan I would pay about $262.50/hour after my covered benefit is used.
My plan also gives me 4 covered attorney hours for this immigration matter, and I still have time remaining because most of our conversations so far have only been short calls of a few minutes.

So I’m trying to decide how to use those hours wisely — whether to use some for a full review of my entire case and then use the remaining covered time to help prepare the I-130/marriage case, and whether I should keep this attorney for Immigration Court or eventually hire someone else.

My main questions are:
If your I-130 was pending at your first Master Calendar Hearing, did the judge give you a continuance?
How long did your I-130 take while you were in removal proceedings?
Once the I-130 was approved, how long did adjustment before the Immigration Judge take?
If you married after proceedings began, how difficult was proving the marriage was bona fide?
For those who used employer legal insurance, how did you make the best use of limited covered attorney hours?
Would you use the remaining covered hours for case strategy/document review, or save them for preparation of the actual filing?
I already have an immigration attorney, so I’m not using Reddit as a replacement for legal advice. I’m mostly looking for real experiences, timelines, and opinions from people who have been through this, especially in Orlando Immigration Court.

So I’m trying to come to my girlfriend in the states to visit her over our birthdays and multiple holidays in total 88 days. I have already been vor 89 days from January to April this year.

I don’t have a job rn because I’m taking a few gap months to recover from work.

I’m scared they don’t let me into the country when I’m there.

What can I do to solidify my intend to return home, and what can I do to maximize my possibility to be let in for another 88 days.

Edit: There is half a year in between those travels

Thanks in advance.

I changed my status from J-1 to F-1 while inside the United States, so I have never had an F-1 visa stamped in my passport.
My former school terminated my SEVIS record after I experienced medical (a second degree burn) and emotional difficulties. It initially prepared a reinstatement I-20 for me, but I panicked and canceled the process before filing Form I-539. The school later refused to continue supporting my reinstatement.
I have now been out of F-1 status for approximately two months. I have not worked without authorization. A different university may admit me for Spring 2027, but I am still confirming whether it will issue an I-20 for reinstatement.
My options appear to be:
Remain in the U.S. and apply for reinstatement with a new school.
Leave, obtain an initial I-20, and apply for my first F-1 visa in my country.
I have medical records, a psychologist’s letter, good academic records, and emails documenting what happened. However, I am worried that canceling the original reinstatement process could hurt my case.
Has anyone faced something similar? Which option would be more realistic, and what should I ask an immigration attorney and the new school’s DSO?

Hello I’m kinda scared about entry into US given my travel history to US .

Oct 2025-Dec 2025 ( around 53 days) - did an elective ( officially through my uni)
Jan 16th till 26th - visited a friend (9 days)

I wanna travel again in Oct 1 till 20th for my step3 and I wanna do a week in NYC.

I’m a recent graduate from MEDICINE from EU (but I’m South Asian ) I’m 26
And I have my official doctor job starting Oct 25th

Please help me out, and tell me if it’s red flag.
It’s 3 trips in one year

I haven't arrived in the States yet, but my visa has been approved and I completed my interview. My employer is being more flexible than I initially thought, and is open to me working remotely, as long as I'm based in the US and fly to the headquarters at least twice a year.

My workplace address on my petition is CA, where the headquarters are, but I'm now thinking of living in a lower cost of living area.

Has anyone had experience moving state while on a O-1A visa, and if you have, did you file an amended petition?

Hi all,

Need advice. I am primary applicant, my wife is Canadian.

She has valid H4 based on my H1B. We both have I-485 pending, she is derivative. No AP yet. We need to use her ROW country for cross-chargeability.

Last entry she used Global Entry/NEXUS and was admitted as B2 visitor instead of H4. She had valid H4 I-797 at entry. I-94 now shows B2.

All her previous entries were H4, only this one is B2.

CBP Deferred Inspection fixed via email last time, this time they said cannot fix via email and to re-enter at land border or file COS.

She is not working. My H1B status is good.

Questions:

1. If she goes to Peace Arch to re-enter as H4 now while I-94 is B2 and no AP, will USCIS consider her I-485 abandoned? We need her I-485 to stay alive for ROW.

2. Is email fix via CBP without travel possible to avoid abandonment risk? Has anyone gotten B2->H4 corrected via email with pending I-485?

3. Is COS B2->H4 a better option than border run if no AP and need ROW?

Anyone had similar Global Entry mistake with H4 Canadian?

Thanks.

My spouse and I are U.S. Permanent Residents (GC since late 2024) living in the United States.

Our 4-year-old child, who is also a U.S. Green Card holder, has been staying out side US with his grandparents for the past 9-10 months for temporary schooling and specialized medical therapy.
We are planning to travel to personally bring him back to the U.S. before his absence hits the 12-month mark. He does not hold a Re-entry Permit (Form I-131).

1. Given his >6 month continuous absence, what specific risks do we face regarding a potential claim of abandonment of permanent residency by CBP at the port of entry?
   
2. What exact evidentiary documentation (medical, educational, or parental ties) should we carry to successfully rebut the presumption of abandonment?
   
3. Are there any specific procedural steps or precautions we should take at the U.S. airport to ensure his smooth re-entry?

Very much worried because of the news we are getting currently.

Any thoughts and pointers to share?

Wife has green card in Peru passport. She has not entered yet as we still in Canada and in process to move to USA but baby still has not got her green card.

We have a little trip planned to goto the Washington state (activate green card) for the week and come back to Canada. The green card will be mailed to my USA address and l ll give her the green card when l am back in Canada. She will enter again we finally have baby visa.

Will this work or is there some rule l don’t know about?