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I thought I'd find a place to express how I feel. There was a topic here about someone being an illegal alien as well. My story is similar but a bit odd at the same time and you'll see why as you read through the story.
My parents came here with a tourist visa that was valid for a one year. They brought me along and during that time I was only 4 years old. I'm sure this is common but they also decided to overstay their visa. Now that I think about it, back in the days, it was so much easier to obtain legal residence considering how the law was not that strict during that time but why didn't they? Did they not think about how it could affect me later on and how laws would progress? I simply do not know but now I'm the one facing the consequences for their actions. Luckily for them they were able to obtain Driver's License legally. Before, DMV's accepted foreign birth certificates to obtain one. Nowadays, you will have to go through an extra mile to obtain one and prove legal status ever since 9/11 occured.
Now I will get to the odd part. My family was able to obtain AUTHENTIC ORIGINAL SOCIAL SECURITY CARDS. They even got me one when we came to the U.S. This is why we were able to pay our taxes like any other Americans. This is also why I can open a bank account and I hold 3 credit cards under my real identity. I was able to attend Community College because I have an SSN. I am now living independently with my partner and the apartment is also under my name because I have an SSN. I'm a young entrepreneur and I was able to obtain an Employer Identification Number and my business is licensed under the state of Ohio. I am also going to start paying my federal taxes soon so my parents can no longer claim me for any tax refund. My business is concentrated on selling bulk items to businesses for resale such as electronics (mainly mobile phones) and softwares. I earn an average of $5,000-$7,000 monthly. Currently, I have a big client that I'm working with who will be buying from me on a weekly basis of 50 softwares that earns me $10,000 weekly. However, I split this profit with my partner's father because we have negotiated that he will be investing in my business to earn some extra income on his side. I'd still be making $5,000 weekly leaving me with $20,000 still. Life is great. I'm really loving life at this point. My parents are very proud of me and I've helped them along the way with my business and this has made me very happy but there's still something missing in my life.
My mom is still illegal but my father is in the process of obtaining his green card from my half-brother. My father should be receiving it by the end of this June or beginning of July. We have paid our lawyer the necessary filing fees and he said that once my father obtains his green card, he will be able to petition me as soon as possible. I am aware that because we overstayed our visas, we have to pay an extra fee since this is against U.S laws which my father has already paid for since this is required during the procedure. My waiting time will be 2-5 years. It still saddens me because I cannot drive and I have to rely on my partner to drive me around. I will never feel independent until everything is taken care of. It's gotten to the point where I was asking people if they knew someone from the DMV to simply provide me a driver's license since I hold a SSN. I've been informed that the only documents DMV's really check is the SSN and I have an original one. However, I won't be able to present any primary documents such as birth certificate, us passport, state id, etc because I don't have any of that.
If anyone can help me out, I would really appreciate it. I'm not talking about fake documents or anything but does anyone know if there are other exceptions to obtaining a drivers license or at least a State ID so I have some sort of identification? I feel like I should deserve one since I'll be legal in the U.S soon and I am paying my taxes monthly from my business. I've heard around that DMV's accept other form of identification as long as it matches your SSN but I'm not safe with just showing my foreign passport. All I really have is my foreign passport (which I renewed 1 year ago in Los Angeles CA so no I-94 stamp is presented because it's in my old passport that they took), apartment lease contract, school transactions, W-2 Form, SSN, debit/credit card, EIN with TAX ID, Business registration and vendor's license. If I obtain a DL or State ID, I'd feel better knowing I can be independent and then I wouldn't mind waiting 2-5 years for my green card. I am now 19 years old. I came to the U.S when I was 4 years old. It really does get depressing after 15 years of nothing and my only wish is to be able to obtain any sort of identification so I don't have to feel embarass around my friends because I don't have an ID.
Do you need to be an American citizen to get a driver's license or ID card? Maybe it depends on the state you live in b'c I used to know of an individual in a similar situation and she had an ID card.
I would be very careful if I were you......the fact that you have been illegally using a ssn for all these years can be held against you when you try to get a green card. The same would hold true if you have been arrested for illegally driving.
If I were you, I would contact the best immigration attorney that I could afford (in other words, not the ones that advertise on late night tv) and tell them the facts of your case and see what they advise.
I am sorry for you, your parents really put you in an untenable position. Nonetheless, you may still end up paying for your parents sins...especially where the ssn is involved.
I know what you're talking about. She got an ID card when her I-94 was still valid. I was only 4 when I came to the U.S and at that time, it would be odd that a 4 year old would have an ID so my parents didn't get me one even though my mom wanted to be on the safe side and tried convincing my dad.
However, if they did, I would've been able to renew that every 4 years and I wouldn't have a problem right now but my dad refused and said it wouldn't be a problem later on anyway because I have an SSN but now he regrets getting me one!
I know my cousin who visited from the Philippines last year got a tourist visa and she was on a vacation. Her and her mom went to the DMV to get an ID while they were here so they have some sort of identity but they left for the philippines already. Whenever they visit, they still have their ID because it's valid for 4 years and they can renew it.
But in mid 2008 or ending of 2008, people who now present a I-94 stamp valid for a year on their passport (tourist visa) can no longer obtain a renewable State ID. They will still be able to obtain one but it'll only be valid for the same time they received in their tourist visa. 1 Year or 2 years. However long it's valid on their passport.
Okay, I missed a few things in your post. So post-9/11, non-citizens have a hard time obtaining driver's licenses. My suggestion to you is wait until you get your legal residency status. Then, you will have a green card to show them. Sounds like you guys already have a lawyer. I would ask the lawyer if he/she has any ideas to help you get a driver's license earlier. In the meantime, take the bus and save up for a really sweet car.
However, my whole family came to the U.S together with tourist visa. Like I said, my half-brother was also illegal until he fell in love and married a U.S citizen. They never questioned his SSN. However, he also did have to pay a fee for overstaying the U.S but that's about it. He is now a U.S citizen and this is why he's petitioning my dad. My dad is finished with all the procedures but we're just waiting for the green card to come and it should be this summer.
I never understood how my parents obtained the SSN. My father's side of the family also came in the U.S the same time we did but their SSN was labeled "not valid for work" while ours did not state that. Ours are actually valid and we use it to apply for jobs and also for paying taxes.
if you are an illegal alien, go to your country of birth and apply to immigrate here. until then, leave.
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