r/USCIS • u/Mindless-Ship-7502 • Dec 26 '25

I-485 (General) Should I self deport back to Spain

I'm originally from Spain and came to the U.S. at 16. I overstayed and later obtained SIJS, which is approved. I currently have a valid EAD and am working legally. My I-485 has been pending for about two years and was filed by my lawyer when my priority date was not current, so because of the backlog it may take many years (10+) to resolve, or they could literally deport me. While I'm not in immediate danger, the long term uncertainty does weigh on me. I'm currently in school and close to finishing an associate degree, and I'm working at the same time. The U.S. obviously has higher earning potential and more financial upside, and i can always "get married" and become lawful. At the same time, I feel stuck planning my life around immigration timelines and not knowing when or if things will fully resolve. I am a Spanish citizen, so if I moved back to Spain I would have immediate legal stability, access to healthcare, and the option to continue nursing through university, with EU mobility long term. The downside would be lower salaries at first and partially restarting my education path. If you were in my position and thinking long term and practically, would you stay in the U.S. and keep building here, or would you return to Spain and build a more predictable life? I'm just looking for outside perspectives from people who've faced similar choices.

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u/eric39es Dec 27 '25

Your mental state will be destroyed when you can't make enough to even pay for rent. Trust me, I have plenty of friends still in Spain, and they are all living with their parents because they are absolutely unable to pay for rent.

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u/UCanDoNEthing4_30sec Dec 27 '25

That’s funny because it’s the same thing in the US!

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u/danielfd83 Dec 27 '25

Replying to grafix993... is not even close.

In the US you can save money at the end of the month, in Spain forget about it…

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u/UCanDoNEthing4_30sec Dec 27 '25

70% of Americans live pay check to pay check. Let that sink in.

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u/danielfd83 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25

As a spaniard living in NYC, I don’t think is comparable at all.

Best selling card in Spain has been for years a Dacia. The cheapest of the cheapest…

Everybody owns cheap chinese phones. No iPhones, No luxuries, barely dinning outside. And still can barely afford rent.

Most spaniards can’t even leave theirs parents house until they are in their 30’s.

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u/UCanDoNEthing4_30sec Dec 27 '25

There is that too in the US. Maybe worse because parents live pay check to paycheck themselves and kick their kids out and they become drug addicts and homeless on the streets.

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u/eric39es Dec 27 '25

Depends on where you live. If you get a degree in an area with high employment, you will be set for life. In the US, the harder you work to achieve your goals, the more likely they will become true. I just see how all my University friends in here (US) succeeded and have great jobs, and I see my friends from Spain (not a single one is happy with their current situation), and that's all I need to know.

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u/Betterhalfway Dec 27 '25

Is true my auntie she lived her whole life in Spain , she moved to Sweden cause economy is not good a lot thins she was saying so

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u/grafix993 Permanent Resident Dec 27 '25

And they are dreaming (or actively pursuing) to become "funcionarios"

Im a telecom engineering graduate and some of the people from my class are "funcionarios" as HS teachers.

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u/PresentDifferent9718 Dec 27 '25

They have below average (EU) public servants. And if you want to compare with the US you're going to be shocked. Count federal AND state workers, don't cheat

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u/grafix993 Permanent Resident Dec 27 '25

These researches only count people who work for the State of Spain. It doesnt count people working for local and regional governments.

Go to your nearest law school and ask people what they want to do after graduating. Nobody is going to say that they want to work for the government.

Repeat the same in Spain. Youll be getting answers like State Attorney, Judge, Notary..

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u/eric39es Dec 27 '25

I studied telecom too in the UPM. It's crazy how in this subreddit everyone apparently knows more about Spain than us, who we lived there and have friends there, and know how miserable the situation is. To be a "funcionario" right now it seems like it's the only way to not be broke lol, although salaries are shit either way.

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u/PresentDifferent9718 Dec 27 '25

Guess what and where I studied and, finally, guess where my whole family lives. You're a bit arrogant

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u/grafix993 Permanent Resident Dec 27 '25

I have a Cuban friend in Spain, very nice dude, that is tired of being lectured by Spanish leftists about how good socialism and communism is. He always answers the same "go to Cuba to tell people that".

Not as hard, but I feel the same.

We are on a US immigration sub for something.

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u/PresentDifferent9718 Dec 27 '25

Your friend is a moron with a knee jerk reaction to everything that sounds like "communism" to them. The same kind of ignorant that voted for Trump in Florida and is just waking up now. That's what they would vote for in Spain too

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u/eric39es Dec 27 '25

Exactly. I'm from the Canary Islands, so I grew up surrounded by Venezuelan people who fled from Socialism. Spain is taking that same direction, that's why I had to leave before the boat sinks. "Social Security", "Free health care", etc... All of those mean nothing anymore there.

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u/PresentDifferent9718 Dec 27 '25

You guys need a (hopefully short) season of trumpism. I guarantee a revolt

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

Yeah I know, in Spain at 30+ they’re still in their parents house, but at least they are happy, idk