ThreeSixty: Obtaining residency can take many years

By KAREN M. ROMERO, El Colegio Charter School

Last update: July 3, 2009 - 11:34 PM

Even though Cynthia Espinoza had lived in Minnesota for eight years, she had to pay out-of-state tuition when she went to Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

That's because Espinoza, now 32, a political refugee from Guatemala, wasn't a permanent resident, so she didn't qualify for in-state tuition.

"All this process of getting the residence was so slow. It took us 20 years to get our residence card," Espinoza said.

However, Yolanda Hernandez, 34, who came illegally from Mexico, needed less than two years to get her residency card because her husband is a citizen.

The time it takes to earn permanent residency or citizenship can vary widely -- from one to 25 years. Each family is different.

"The immigration system of the United States is broken; it doesn't work for millions of people," said John Keller, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center in St. Paul. "The government of this country does not spend enough time, money and staff to reduce the amount of time people have to wait just to be interviewed."

For example:

• Refugees can get a work permit a few months after arriving, but getting a residency card can take years.

• Immigrants who marry American citizens usually can get residency in one to two years.

• People outside the country with brothers and sisters who are U.S. citizens may wait 12 to 15 years before getting legal documents.

The time that a person can wait also depends on which country they're from.

"There are some countries that have a major demand of applications, such as Mexico," Keller said. "That makes the process even slower."

One thing's for sure: For the 15 million undocumented people already living in the United States, there is no way to apply for legal status except through marriage.

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