Wah-wah! Here comes the sun.

How my friend manages to get visa and work in the US

// August 4th, 2010 // news, personal

EPA/DARREN HAUCK

I always curious on how illegal immigrant in this country (I am talking about the USA) be able to live and work in the United States.

Of course I didn’t dare to ask. I think it would be inappropriate to do and I don’t think any other polite ways to ask them. Still, I am curious as hell.

Then I met a friend of mine who is now moving back to Indonesia. Her decision on why decided to live the country where other people willing to give up anything so they can have a little taste of America is another story.

Firstly, how she got the visa. Everyone knows that after 9/11, it’s almost impossible to get tourist visa, especially if you’re coming from third world country, and some rumor suggested it also applied to people who are coming from “Muslim” country.

Let’s put aside the ‘potential terrorist’ attack, but based on many people experience it’s extra harder to come here if you have empty passport alone. So, I guess before you decided to come here, better go somewhere else first, make sure it’s a rich country.

(Don’t blame me if that doesn’t work, though)

Of course the passport thing only one out many things you need to do. It seemed that US government has gotten smart over the years, they learned that many people come here pretended to be a tourist, but never leave the country.

So, how come my friend manages to come here? For her case it’s mostly luck I think. She had empty passport, but still got a tourist visa for her and her toddler son at the time.

She said she owed that to her son. When the embassy officer at the embassy asked what she would do in the US, her son immediately answered (without rehearsal a day before, she promised), “I want to meet Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck…”

She guessed that the embassy believed that was really their purpose and granted them the visa.

So, she finally flew to the USA.

My next question is how to get a job? In my experience, it’s always required to have social security card. They ALWAYS asked for that. She said she got the fake one. As simple as that.

Still, I wasn’t satisfy. Was that really that simple?

Then she said something that she didn’t really care for church anymore. She lost me this time. I don’t see the connection between my question and her replies.

She said it’s hard to take the preacher seriously because it was the church who helped her (and many people) getting the fake SSN. So, they actually had connection with what she called “mafia” that helped her getting the card.

So, I asked who identity she was using, and she thought it could be some dead people.

So, she got a job and live the American life. The next step is to get Green Card or Permanent Resident. I don’t remember correctly, but I think she mentioned having a lawyer helping her.

She actually went to couple of interview with immigration where she had to make up story. I think she said that she needed the asylum because she couldn’t go back to Indonesia since there were riots on the place where she lived.

She said being a Christian has a little benefit because then you could say that it’s hard to be minority in your country and you got threatening from majority because of what you belief.

Wait, as far as I know, there were Muslims who were also illegal here. In that case, how they got their green card then? Well, they could be just saying that they’ve been forced into jihad.

However, she didn’t manage to get her green card because she had to go back to Indonesia due to personal reason.

I always wanted to share this story, but always forgot to do so. However, lately there has been lots of news report about the new and controversial immigration law in Arizona and it made me think about her story.