Hello,

I have a question that I can't find the answer to on the Internet.

First my situation:

When I was five years old, I came to the United States from Israel with my parent with a visa. A year later we consulted an attorney and started the process to adjust to permanent resident status (i.e., to obtain a "green card"). Over the years, my parent obtained a work permit and a social security number, while the "green card" application was pending.

I am twenty years old now -- graduated from high school and about to graduate from community college -- and the application is still pending!

Now my question:

What will happen to me when I turn twenty-one years old? As far as I understand, an applicant's child who is 21 years old (or older) cannot obtain permanent resident status with the parent. Other than that statement, I have no clue what consequences the child will have to face and what options will be available.

Will I be sent to a so-called "INS detention center" (i.e., jail)? Will I be deported? If so, to where? Do I have the option to ask for asylum due to the "modern" political and military unrest in my birth-land (to a Christian minority, the government provides no protection whatsoever, discriminates, harasses, and practices oppression, since Christians are not considered "citizens")?

As a personal note, I would like to say that living lawfully here for over fifteen years with a parent who paid taxes to the IRS, and not obtaining permanent resident status, is truly an injustice; not only to us, but numerous others as well, whose residency is being given away to criminals by the INS.

Thank you.

How did your parents qualify to apply for a Green Card? Has the INS just lost their application or are you in a strange category that has a long wait time. Whats your status? Are you effectively illegal?

I think you had been grandfathered by the so called 245(i). Whatever happened in the past you still can get legalized because your papers were processed before 245(i) was abolished. All you need is to get a lawyer, I think he knows what's this all about. You need to pay $1,000.00 for penalty. And besides you have been a resident in the US continously for almost 15 years. I heard the INS have waivers for people who has been living here continously for 7 years, ( Is this correct?)