Undocumented immigration fuels debate amid slow, costly path to citizenship
Legal immigration is slow, costly, and complex, often taking years and thousands in fees.
Over 15 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S. amid a broken, backlogged system.
Without reform, the immigration issue will persist, says attorney Anastasia Didaskalou.
CHICAGO - The number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States continues to fuel heated political debate.
What we know
It's a question that often floods social media comment sections whenever immigration makes headlines: "Why don't they just do it the right way?"
"That's the ideology that we hear all the time, but in terms of immigration law, the right way is slow, complex and for most people, out of reach – simply like that," said immigration attorney with Kouklakis Law Anastasia Didaskalou said.
On paper, the path to U.S. citizenship seems straightforward. In reality, it can take anywhere from three to 30 years, even for individuals already living, working and raising families in the U.S.
"On top of attorney fees, you also have to pay money to the Dept. of Homeland Security. That is public information. Under the government's page, under USCIS, you're going to see that each application has a fee. For a petition for alien relative, we are around $600. And then for an adjustment of status, that is another fee and it's, I believe, $1,440 right now. So that's already $2,000 going to the government on top of the attorney fees as the attorney is going to be representing you," Didaskalou said.
More than 15 million people are believed to be living in the U.S. without legal status, caught in a system that is outdated, costly and slow.
Despite promises from both political parties, immigration reform remains stalled.
Didaskalou experienced the system's challenges herself while in school. Now she fights for others as an immigration attorney.
"The system is broken and it has been broken for years now. It is outdated, it is out of reach and it's extremely slow and backlogged. Unless we see change, we're gonna continue saying that this country has too many undocumented immigrants," Didaskalou said.
What's next
The U.S. Department of State releases monthly data on immigrant visas issued.
According to the most recent report, just over 48,000 visas were granted in April.
For more information, visit travel.state.gov.
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