Paolo becomes a citizen!
Donation protected
Mabuhay!
My name is Paolo O. I've lived in the U.S. for 12 years and 11 months. In 11 months my Permanent Resident Card(PRC) expires. I've never renewed my PRC before and I'm afraid of my status expiring. With our current Administration, PRC holders are at risk of being deported.
My mother and I flew to the U.S. on March 2006. It took her 6 years for us to come here and it took her 7 years to become a U.S. Citizen. I was 16 at that time and I should have been a citizen as well. Once you become a citizen, any of your children under 18 years old automatically becomes one. In the process of my automatic citizenship, something went wrong. We forgot to file N-400. My parents, who are now in the Philippines lovingly helped me pay for the form. In June 2016 we filed the form, I took the test and I passed with flying colours. After the testing phase, they told me that the form we filed was the wrong form. I have been a citizen since my mother became one; they just need proof. I was devastated. Applying for a different form costs a bit more than the form I was doing. I've been working with an attorney through the Volunteer Attorney Program in Duluth to try and get this sorted before the end of 2018.
It's been difficult for me living here. I've been living with two last names-my birth-given last name and my adoptive last name, and it's been incredibly difficult dealing with things such as Immigration Services, Social Security, trying to open a bank account, the DMV, etc. Having two last names also makes feel vulnerable in a way I don't want to feel; I have to constantly explain my background and talk about where I'm from when it's not something I always want to be sharing with people.
The filing fees for the form I have to fill out, N-600, are twice as expensive as N-400. My parents aren't able to help with this cost, and it's too high for me to be able to pay on my own. The cost for this Form is 1,600.00. The filing process for this takes around 7 to 8 months to go through the court and be finalized and confirm my citizenship, so it's now or never.
Any amount you can donate is incredibly helpful. This is my home, I am working towards finishing my AA, I have a job, family, and friends here. Thank you for reading my story, and please share!
My name is Paolo O. I've lived in the U.S. for 12 years and 11 months. In 11 months my Permanent Resident Card(PRC) expires. I've never renewed my PRC before and I'm afraid of my status expiring. With our current Administration, PRC holders are at risk of being deported.
My mother and I flew to the U.S. on March 2006. It took her 6 years for us to come here and it took her 7 years to become a U.S. Citizen. I was 16 at that time and I should have been a citizen as well. Once you become a citizen, any of your children under 18 years old automatically becomes one. In the process of my automatic citizenship, something went wrong. We forgot to file N-400. My parents, who are now in the Philippines lovingly helped me pay for the form. In June 2016 we filed the form, I took the test and I passed with flying colours. After the testing phase, they told me that the form we filed was the wrong form. I have been a citizen since my mother became one; they just need proof. I was devastated. Applying for a different form costs a bit more than the form I was doing. I've been working with an attorney through the Volunteer Attorney Program in Duluth to try and get this sorted before the end of 2018.
It's been difficult for me living here. I've been living with two last names-my birth-given last name and my adoptive last name, and it's been incredibly difficult dealing with things such as Immigration Services, Social Security, trying to open a bank account, the DMV, etc. Having two last names also makes feel vulnerable in a way I don't want to feel; I have to constantly explain my background and talk about where I'm from when it's not something I always want to be sharing with people.
The filing fees for the form I have to fill out, N-600, are twice as expensive as N-400. My parents aren't able to help with this cost, and it's too high for me to be able to pay on my own. The cost for this Form is 1,600.00. The filing process for this takes around 7 to 8 months to go through the court and be finalized and confirm my citizenship, so it's now or never.
Any amount you can donate is incredibly helpful. This is my home, I am working towards finishing my AA, I have a job, family, and friends here. Thank you for reading my story, and please share!
Organizer
Paolo Oznerol
Organizer
Duluth, MN
