←back to thread

I'm Peter Roberts, immigration attorney who does work for YC and startups. AMA

226 points proberts | 10 comments | 05 Dec 25 16:04 UTC | HN request time: 0.421s | source | bottom

As usual, there are countless immigration topics and I'll be guided by whatever you're concerned with. Please remember that I can't provide legal advice on specific cases for obvious liability reasons because I won't have access to all the facts. Please stick to a factual discussion in your questions and comments and I'll do the same in my answers!

Previous threads we've done: https://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=proberts.

1. jacobmartinez3d ◴[05 Dec 25 21:45 UTC] No.46167802[source]▶
I am a native citizen currently watching my first child grow up without me while my wife waits in line for her nearly 2-year-long immigration process. Every attempt to expedite her processing has been denied, even during Typhoons where she loses power and access to hospitals. I feel forgotten, and cast aside by the system - like my family situation is inconsequential and undeserving.

Is there really nothing native citizens like me can do to get our family here outside waiting in a generic line with everyone else in the world?

replies(3): >>46167858 #>>46168849 #>>46175758 #
2. proberts ◴[05 Dec 25 21:51 UTC] No.46167858[source]▶
That doesn't make any sense. I'd need to know all the facts to advise. Please send me an email to schedule a call (proberts@robertsimmigration.com). Which Consulate is she applying through?
replies(1): >>46171456 #
3. zingar ◴[05 Dec 25 23:34 UTC] No.46168849[source]▶
Shocked and curious to know why anyone would downvote a story like this.
replies(2): >>46171794 #>>46172487 #
4. fantod ◴[06 Dec 25 07:44 UTC] No.46171456[source]▶
Isn't 1-2 year wait time standard for spousal immigration?
replies(2): >>46173470 #>>46201330 #
5. padjo ◴[06 Dec 25 09:01 UTC] No.46171794[source]▶
Because people’s lives have become collateral damage for performative cruelty by the current administration and its supporters.
6. 9rx ◴[06 Dec 25 11:26 UTC] No.46172487[source]▶
I'm more shocked about and curious as to why anyone would take time out of their day to press a button that does nothing other than to serve as a poor man's "read receipt" to indicate to the trolls that you read their message, thus incentivizing even more trolling.

But I assume nobody actually purposefully presses the button; only sometimes doing so by accident.

7. nasaeclipse ◴[06 Dec 25 14:07 UTC] No.46173470{3}[source]▶
No. My spouse and I came here together and we applied for her green card in Japan. It took about 2 months.
8. throwawaylaptop ◴[06 Dec 25 19:05 UTC] No.46175758[source]▶
Why don't you just go join your family and make a living where they live? I'm sure many people could increase their salary and career prospects if they chose to abandon their kids and mother of their kids, but to them being together is more important.
replies(1): >>46181067 #
9. ◴[07 Dec 25 11:48 UTC] No.46181067[source]▶
10. justinram11 ◴[09 Dec 25 04:49 UTC] No.46201330{3}[source]▶
This was around 2020-2022 during COVID, but the whole process from start to finish from Taiwan took a little over two years for us (we had issues with the financial supporting documents that took 3 months round trip twice to get resolved -- so potentially would have been closer to 18 months had we done everything correctly).

Extremely frustrating process to say the least (my Taiwan resident card was sorted in less than a month).