I’ll try not to make this a sob story. I’m posting because my situation is extremely unusual, and I’m hoping someone familiar with nationality law, statelessness, human rights, or UK immigration might be able to help.

I’m a medical doctor, a University of Glasgow graduate, and registered to practise medicine in both the UK and Kuwait.

In September 2025, my Kuwaiti nationality was revoked.

Background: My grandfather, who died in 1999, was lawfully granted Kuwaiti nationality in 1977 for distinguished service to the State. Nearly 50 years later, the authorities reassessed his grant, deemed my grandfather “impure” and revoked the nationality of his descendants, including my father and me.
Both my father and I were born Kuwaiti and despite losing our nationality, our records haven’t been transferred into Kuwait’s administrative system for stateless or non-Kuwaiti individuals. Our civil records still identify us as Kuwaiti, while the other system has no record of us.

Essentially, we cannot be processed as Kuwaitis, but we cannot be processed as stateless people either.

In November 2025, I started working as a doctor for the Kuwait Ministry of Health. By February 2026, my employment was terminated because the authorities couldn’t administratively process my status.

Following that, I secured a junior doctor position with the NHS in Glasgow, obtained a UK Skilled Worker visa, and completed all pre-employment requirements.

Unfortunately, my passport had been suspended, meaning I couldn’t legally leave Kuwait. My NHS start date was postponed from July to October and now to November 2026, but despite repeated applications to activate my passport for immigration purposes, I remain unable to travel. Even though I am doing exactly what they want which is for me to move out.

The consequences extend far beyond employment. I face restrictions on banking, owning or selling property, obtaining a SIM card, and carrying out ordinary legal transactions. Everything I owned as a Kuwaiti still exists, but I can no longer reliably exercise control over it.

The simplest way to describe it is that the person who legally owned everything I have no longer exists.

I’ve also approached international organisations. The UN informed me that a humanitarian assistance route previously available to Kuwaitis had stopped approximately a year earlier. The timing was frustrating given the wave of nationality revocations, although I have no evidence the two are connected.

The Red Cross in Kuwait was genuinely accommodating and tried to help, but ultimately concluded that my circumstances fell outside its mandate.

I previously made a public appeal, but others began exploiting my situation for political purposes. Concerned about the possible consequences for my family, I deleted the posts. I wasn’t threatened by anyone, but I no longer felt comfortable speaking publicly.

After more than a year of this, I’d be lying if I said suicidal thoughts hadn’t crossed my mind. Losing my nationality, employment, ability to travel, and potentially the career I spent years building has been devastating.

I’ve turned to Reddit because it’s less widely used in the Arabic-speaking world, and I feel somewhat safer discussing my situation here.

My question is simple: Is there any legal or humanitarian mechanism that could help someone in my position obtain travel documentation or permission to leave Kuwait, particularly when they already hold a valid UK visa

Thank you for reading

Hi, im an international student currently studying in the US. I am from nepal and doing my undergrad in mechanical engineering. I am in my sophomore year right now and i really don't know if i can stay in the USA considering all of the political stuff happening around here? i don't exactly see a future back home, otherwise I would go back without a second thought. I am thinking of moving somewhere else after my OPT. Where do you think is the best place for me to move to in the future?

Mods, please delete if not allowed.

Yesterday we were flying home from Amsterdam to Houston, and when we arrived, a flight attendant announced that everyone should stay seated while officers from CBP boarded. A little while later they announced two names of passengers and within 3 or 4 minutes two individuals came walking down aisle.

My guess is there were visa issues. I'm also assuming their names were picked up from the passenger list which would have been available to CBP. Does anyone here have insights into what might have triggered this and how often it happens?

Thousands of dollars spent with an immigration lawyer for someone I know, just to have the case dropped because it’s too complicated. We have talked to countless experienced individuals for advice just to come up short. So I’m taking it to Reddit, show me what you guys can do.

Said individual was brought to the US from Mexico when they were a baby (3ish maybe?), grew up not knowing there was an issue, received a social security card from the church, got a job, paid taxes, had 5 children, had a license, did everything a normal citizen would do. Then things changed when presidency changed (Obama maybe?) and they were flagged when trying to renew license. Father is US citizen but his name isn’t on the birth certificate and he passed away. Their mother is Canadian/British dual citizen. Believe they have siblings that with a blood test could prove they share the same American father? They were married but never got citizenship through that. They are not Mexican and were only born there through weird circumstances.

Any advice? Do what you do best Reddit!

​

Asking for a friend

My friend lost their job on September 29th 2026, They had an approved i797 / h1b application. Their OPT expired in Jun 2026. Their stem opt extension is filed and currently shows a status of "processing"

DSO had informed them that they have transitioned to h1b

Their employer hasn't informed them if the h1b application has been withdrawn and if so when

They are currently in the us

Questions:

1) Are they currently out of status since they were not employed on Oct 1, and their stem opt extension is still processing ?

2) can their DSO update their status back to f1 (reinstatement)?

3) how much time do they legally have to stay in the us ? 90 days? 60 days?

4) Can they do a h1b transfer to another company?

5) If they apply for h1b sometime later in the future would they need to go through the lottery process again?

6) Do they need to exit US immediately?

7) Has anyone faced the same issue or knows of immigration attorneys who have dealt with similar issues?

Hi everyone,

Two days ago, ICE officers stopped my wife at LAX while she was flying to Texas with our minor child.

We entered the US legally on B2 visas and have been waiting for our asylum interview for six years.

When ICE approached her, they immediately asked, "Do you have asylum pending?" She confirmed that she did. They checked something on their tablet and then told her, "Okay, go ahead, you're going to miss your flight." But before letting her go, they gave her a paper requiring her to appear at an ICE office on October 13 with her immigration documents.

She is currently in Texas with our child and will be flying back to California before the appointment.

I have a few questions:

1. Since ICE already stopped her and issued this appointment notice, is there still a risk of being detained at the airport in Texas on her return flight? Would this appointment already be visible in their system?
2. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? What usually happens at these ICE appointments? We have no criminal history. Do they typically detain people, or release them with an ankle monitor, a phone app, or regular check-ins?
3. Would it make sense for her to attend the appointment with our minor child, since we don't have anyone available to watch the child at that time? We have already arranged authorization for a trusted US citizen to pick up the child if necessary. Does having a child present make any difference in ICE's decision to detain someone?
4. If ICE starts removal proceedings against my wife, what happens to our pending asylum application? I'm the principal applicant, and she's included as my derivative spouse. Would her case be separated from mine, or are there other possible outcomes?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar, especially those with pending asylum cases.

And please, I'm not looking for comments telling us we should have thought twice before flying. Unfortunately, we didn't have another option. We considered the risks and made our decision. What's done is done, and now we're trying to figure out what comes next.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Hi. Theoretically can someone who holds a current Japanese passport with a current us resident green card go to japan for two weeks then return to USA without incident or problems ?

Please, my j-1 visa is valid and my ds-2019 is active, can i go my home country for 1 week and back while i have an approved i-140 NIW?

Hello everyone,

I am 24 years old, and for the past five years, I have been trying to find a way to leave Afghanistan because of the events that took place in the country five years ago. The change of government and the Taliban’s return to power led to a major crisis, resulting in economic hardship, social restrictions, limited access to education, employment bans, and many other serious social and economic challenges.

I am now looking for a legal way to leave Afghanistan and build a better future for myself. I am open to any legitimate opportunity, including a student visa, work visa, sponsorship, or any other legal pathway that could make it possible for me to leave the country.

I would sincerely appreciate your advice, guidance, and support. If you know of any programs, organizations, opportunities, or possible pathways that could help me achieve this goal, please share your suggestions and experiences.

Thank you very much for your time and support.

Hi everyone!

I recently filed my N-400 application for U.S. citizenship in September 2026 under the 3-year rule - WAVA

I'm concerned about how my travel history might affect the continuous residence requirement.

Here's my situation:

- January 2026: Spent approximately 1 month in Mexico.

- May-September 2026: Spent approximately 3.5 months (110 days) in Europe.

- September 2026: Returned to the usa, where I live and work.

- October 2026: Considering leaving again and returning in March 2027, which would be approximately 4.5-5 months abroad.

Or should I stay till december and then leave as Winter is so difficult for me!

None of these trips would individually exceed six months. However, I'm concerned that spending only one month in the U.S. between two extended trips could raise questions about my continuous residence.

My questions:

1. Could this pattern of travel jeopardize my pending N-400 application, even if each trip is under six months?

2. Would postponing my departure until December instead of October significantly reduce the risk?

3. Has anyone experienced something similar or received legal advice about multiple extended trips during naturalization?

I maintain employment with a U.S. employer since may 2026 and intend to return for my citizenship process.

I'd also appreciate recommendations for immigration attorneys offering free or affordable consultations, preferably in Chicago or online.

Thank you for any advice or personal experiences!

My minister friend is getting married next month. He has not been approved yet by USCIS, but soon. Then he will go to an interview in a few months. We have a lawyer that is leading the way. I researched, but doesn't his new wife come with him with little to no problem. She actually been to the US a few times on visitor visa, he hasn't.

I plan to file Forms I-485, I-765, and I-131 for my family and me. Attorney fees are currently very high, so I am exploring whether I can complete these applications independently.

If anyone has experience filing these forms on their own, or can recommend a service or consultant who can provide guidance for a reasonable fee, please let me know.

TIA

Hey guys, here is my situation.
I am M29 living in France, working in the horse racing industry for 15 years.

In 2016, I decided to come to California to see the breeder’s cup and ride a bit in Santa Anita park.
Turned out to good for me, I had great opportunities and made a bit of money (never work on a contract it’s only a sportive income).

I came back to France in 2017 (after 3 months) and came back to California in May 2017 with the ambition to ride races again.
At the airport, I went to the secondary. They questioned me on and off for 3 to 4 hours, opened my suitcase and found saddles, helmets, everything showing I was coming to ride.
I told them (and it’s true) that I wouldn’t get any fix income, no contract or anything and that if I wouldn’t win races I wouldn’t make money. They allowed me in.

So I went on for 3 months again, came back to France and then left again in December 2017. This time I overstayed my ESTA by 113 days. I had great opportunities, I knew I wouldn’t ride races for very long as I couldn’t really keep my weight down so I decided to overstay and try the best until I can’t.
I gave up around July 2018 and that’s when I left USA for the last time.

Now, I don’t (and can’t) ride races anymore. I am more than 25 pounds heavier than I was, I still ride horses in training for a bit of money but my main focus is on other activities. I ran a taco truck for a couple years, and I am now launching an iPhone App tracking racehorses workouts as it’s completely in my field.
The app is working good in France and Australia, and I’d like to extend to North and South America.

As USA is being a big piece on the market, and as I still have contacts there, I’d like to get there and communicate.
I plan to do a 2-3 weeks trip on the east coast and another one later on the west coast and I can’t get an ESTA. I didn’t even try.
I’d like to get B1/B2 visa.

I have a 5 years girlfriend in France, my own place, I definitely don’t plan to stay in the US, it’s only to communicate about my app.

What are the chances I get granted for a B1/B2 in your opinion ?

My only concern is that I still have one foot in the industry, even tho I really can’t expect to be a jockey again.

Thanks guys

FOR AWARENESS — PLEASE DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE

CFIS > CUIN Immigration (cuin.ca) > MERIT Regulated Immigration Consultants (RIC).

Do your due diligence before entrusting anyone with your money or immigration future.

The operation has reportedly had a presence in Asia, including centers involved in its day-to-day activities. These center/s and their relationship with the Canadian-facing immigration consultancy warrant closer scrutiny.

For anyone considering their services, look beyond the company name. Verify who owns and manages the business, who handles client recruitment and payments, which licensed professionals are responsible for immigration advice, and what happens when applications or refund requests do not go as expected.

Previous public complaints concerning CUIN (cuin.ca) are worth reviewing independently. If the business has continued operating under another name (MERIT RIC), it is important to establish whether the management, ownership, and practices have also changed—or whether the same operation continues under a different identity.

If you have dealt with any of these entities, consider sharing your experience and any verifiable information that may help others make informed decisions.

I have been traveling in the US since I was young (I’m a tourist) I have my uncles and aunts to visit but at the same time I really like visiting there, especially San Francisco. I stayed for about 3 and a half month this year and came back for 3-4 nights from Canada crossing the Borders of US. I got sent to secondary inspection for the first time where the CBP suspected I was doing escort work. I’ve never worked in the US but I did monogamously date 2-3 guys who supported me separately during my stay. They obtained information about my previous phone number, bank cards, phone configuration, and etc then they let me pass. Am I going to get in trouble or is there something I should be worried about? I’m curious why they grabbed those information and even the phone numbers of my previous partners. What’s the right thing to do and how would I know they’re not going to do something to me when I’ve never done “prostitution”?

I have a court hearing coming up end of the month. I have been in the US since I was a child on H4 and then I switched to F1. Eventually I fell out of status after graduation. I recently got NTA. I can’t afford a lawyer. I intend to leave the US and never come back. Can I leave the US before my master hearing? I don’t want to be detained. If I fly out directly internationally will I be stopped at airport?

Hello Everyone! I started my EB5 journey back in Feb 2025 as an F1 student on OPT. After receiving funds from India as a gift from my parents and brother. I applied for I-765, I-131, I-526E, and I-485 together.

• Fully funded: June 2025
• Priority Date: July 3, 2025
• EAD (I-765): Approved Oct 14, 2025 (5 Yrs)
• I-526E: Approved Aug 22, 2026
• AP (I-131): Pending
• I-485: Pending (Responded Medical RFE)

Would love any input on the expected timeline for the rest of the process (AP approval, I-485 processing.). Thank you in advance!

Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma

I'm asking for advice on behalf of a friend who is an international student from India currently living in Oklahoma on an F-1 student visa.

She has been working at a retail store in a mall and was paid in cash, off the books. Her employer has not paid her for the past several months, and she estimates that she is owed approximately $5,000 in unpaid wages.

The situation has now escalated. Her employer is accusing her of stealing from the store, claims she owes him $4,000, and has threatened to report her to the police. He says he has security camera footage. As of now, he has only threatened to contact the police, and we are not aware of any police report or criminal charges.

My friend says that on certain occasions, she put her own money into the register to make change for customers when the register did not have the necessary denominations. She remembers reconciling the register at the end of her shifts and believes the totals matched. However, she does not have written records to substantiate this recollection.

She is extremely worried because she is on an F-1 student visa. She is concerned about both the theft allegation and the potential immigration consequences of having worked off the books.

We want to make sure she handles this correctly and does not inadvertently make her situation worse.

What should she do if her employer reports her to the police? Should she contact a criminal defense attorney before speaking to anyone about the allegations?

1. Can the employer legally withhold approximately $5,000 in unpaid wages or claim she owes him $4,000 without establishing that she caused a loss?
2. Does being paid under the table prevent her from filing a wage claim with the Oklahoma Department of Labor?
3. Since she is on an F-1 visa, what potential immigration consequences should she be aware of regarding unauthorized off-campus employment and a possible theft investigation?
4. Should she consult both a criminal defense attorney and an immigration attorney, ideally someone experienced in the immigration consequences of criminal cases?
5. Are there affordable legal aid organizations or other resources in Oklahoma that could help her?

Hey Reddit,
My name is Artem , I’m 19 years old. I was born and raised in Mariupol, Ukraine - the city that was almost completely wiped off the map. My childhood home no longer exists. It was destroyed during the war.
Right now I live in Berlin. I’m safe, I work, I study when I can… but my heart has always been somewhere else.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of living in the United States. Not as a tourist. Not for a couple of years. I mean permanently. Building a real life there. I’ve never even been to America, but somehow it has always felt like the place I was supposed to end up.
I’m not looking for charity or someone to “save” me. I’m looking for any legal way to get there and stay. Work visas, study opportunities, sponsorships, talent visas, anything realistic. I’m young, healthy, hardworking, and ready to start from the very bottom if needed. I just need a real chance and someone who knows how the system works (or is willing to guide me).
If you’ve been through the immigration process, if you know programs, lawyers who actually help, companies that sponsor, universities, or even just want to give honest advice - I would be incredibly grateful.
I know how crazy this sounds. Posting on Reddit and hoping someone reads this. But I’ve always believed in luck, and right now this feels like the only move I have left that still feels like mine.
Thank you for reading.
Any help, advice, or even just a kind word means more than you know.
Artem Hrinchenko

Does anyone have recent experience with Master Calendar hearings in Orlando with recently appointed judges? Do they usually have open calendar space to schedule individual hearings relatively soon (within a year), or do transferred backlog cases fill up their docket so merits dates still fall around 2 years out (2028)? Appreciate any recent experiences.

I am international student with OPT and F1 visa, what I should be aware of? (I have my EAD Card, I20, and offer letter)

My offer letter date is 1 day before I arrived in the US, is that ok? Like October 29, but I will be arriving October 30.

So, my husband is a Canadian and I am an American. I have repeatedly visited him through land crossing over the past year and have always come back when I said I would. Well, yesterday I packed my car for a 3 week trip for his birthday and arrived at the border, only to be sent to secondary inspection.

As soon as I arrived there, the officer was very standoffish and I felt like she was individually targeting me and being very inappropriate. I compiled a list of what happened below. I am very shaken up by her repeated power tripping and leading interrogations.

The officer completely refused to look at standard digital bank statements or screenshots. Instead, she demanded that I hand over my unlocked personal mobile device with active, open access to my live banking application so she could manually scroll through my accounts.

When I explained that my savings were from a lottery win that I used to help escape from my abuser (who used to financially trap and abuse me, thus explaining my transitional life phase and why my foundation is shaky rn), she kept asking why I didnt file charges against him. In trumps america? File a charge against a man as a woman?!

The officer repeatedly used leading, open-ended psychological phrasing (e.g., stating, "So you told me XYZ, do you see how...?" and trailing off into silence) to intentionally induce panic, disorientation, and emotional distress while I was trying to provide an accurate narrative. She also said "maybe if your husband was with you..." implying that she would've let me in if he was there?????

When I explicitly asked for clarity, stating that I did not understand how a temporary transition phase made me a flight risk, she refused to explain the regulations. Instead, she shrugged and repeatedly snapped, "Look it up, look it up"

I clearly articulated my legal long-term plan to file an Outland Spousal Sponsorship Application. The examining officer explicitly stated on the record that she "didnt know what an outland sponsorship application was" ??????

The officer questioned the legitimacy of my marriage as one of the first questions, asking for my marriage certificate. I informed her that my certificate was in my car outside and offered to retrieve it. She actively instructed me NOT to get it. Later in the interrogation, she used the lack of physical proof regarding the relationship as one of the many convulted reasons to justify turning me away.

When asked what was left of my assets in the United States, I explicitly stated that my furniture, bed, heavy pet trees, and my entire professional music recording studio equipment remained at my U.S. residence. Shrugging, she dismissed these ties entirely and stated, "its not enough, its just a bed and furniture" when i explicitly told her my entire STUDIO EQUIPTMENT is left in the usa and i cannot work without it.

I offered to immediately pre-pay my entire U.S. rent for November and December right in front of her to prove my binding obligation to return. The officer dismissed this compromise entirely, stating that since I had savings, I could "just send the rent and still never return," completely ignoring my expressed distress over losing a massive, non-refundable temporary booking.

The officer falsely implied that my vehicle was full of my entire life's belongings to claim immigrant intent. She completely refused to physically inspect the car or verify my explicit explanation that the vehicle only appeared full due to bulky medical supplies for my pet and a specialized allergy kitchen setup that CBSA has a regular record of me traveling with.

She then issued an allowed to leave and highlighted that I must show proof of residence and financial support next time I come. But the thing is, I literally showed her a weekly lease that I rent and offered to pay the rest of the rent for the rest of the year. And I obviously showed her by entire banking app, which is a violation of privacy. And that banking app shows that I have plenty of savings from the lottery as my support as i figure my life out. I was crying and explaining that the airbnb was only until the end of october and that it was non refundable. And all she said, was, " I can't help you with that. I can't help you with that." All while shaking her head and scoffing as if I was a nuisance. None of her logic made sense, because she told me that until I paid more rent receipts for my current place that I didn't have proper proof of residency. And that until I made more money for my business, that I'd be denied from canada, because I don't have a proof of consistent income. So basically i'm functionally banned from canada until my life gets better?!?!? Which doesn't make any sense. Because no matter what I say next time, they're going to aggressively question me, since me and him just got married. And now I just incurred 1,800 dollars in losses for the airbnb. The lottery isn't a lot. It's only enough to sustain me for a few months. I hate her so much I hate her with all my heart and I dont understand what im supoosed to do to get into canada again because we aren't filing for Residency yet and now I cant make the airbnb and had to cancel it. Im so mad.

We were just wondering if an LTP can be buried on American soil after they died or do they have to be transported back to their country of birth to be buried? Has any of you ever gone through a situation like that? and how did you handle it?