Stu on Nostr: Can attest to this, and I had it even easier than Cory's specific path. Still, every ...
Can attest to this, and I had it even easier than Cory's specific path. Still, every step of the way, from initial visa application through citizenship (by which time you may have a family, financial responsibilities, etc.), you're reminded that every answer to every form has to be absolutely right, lest you face significant penalties. I don't think people truly understand the stakes.
As I've mentioned before, by the time I got to the citizenship interview at USCIS, my ring binder file of paperwork (which the interviewer pulled out in front of me) was a few inches thick.
Having been through the US immigration process (I got my first work visa more than 25 years ago and became a citizen in 2022), it's obvious to me that Americans have *no idea* how weird and tortuous their immigration system is:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/52177745821/
--
If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/02/06/doge-ball/#n-600
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Published at
2026-02-06 20:33:57 UTCEvent JSON
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