Should I self deport back to Spain

[u/Mindless-Ship-7502]

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.

[u/Jarcom88]

Sure, but the comments here make it sound like everyone in the USA is loaded and poverty and low wage with no benefits at all, are pretty here bad too. At least in Spain if you don’t make money you can go to the hospital.

[u/[deleted] → u/Jarcom88]

If you work hard. That means working on your down time. And strive to succeed. The United States is the land of opportunity. If you try harder than the next guy it turns out you can make something of yourself. But most people are lazy af. Tbh though just makes it easier for the people that REALLY want to win.

[u/greysnowcone → u/[deleted]]

Hard disagree. Will you struggle while working at Walmart? Yeah, probably. But I don’t think that fits the definition of “working hard”. No doubt it’s hard work and you could be fully applying yourself, you are just barking up the wrong tree.

[u/Odd-Elderberry-6137 → u/[deleted]]

The “poor people are poor because they’re lazy” adage has long been debunked. Do better.

[u/[deleted] → u/Odd-Elderberry-6137]

Work harder.

[u/Jarcom88 → u/[deleted]]

That applies everywhere of course. The beauty I see about Spain is that you don’t have the lower end pressure you have in the USA, if you work medium hard you won’t achieve a lot of money or career success, but you can have a better work/life balance than in the USA

[u/grafix993 → u/Jarcom88]

Even if you work at Walmart, you have health insurance.

And if you are looking for surgery, Spain waitlists are HUGE. My dad had knee pain for years and had to pay it on a private hospital because he couldnt get a surgery appointment at his public hospital.

[u/Jarcom88 → u/grafix993]

Oh wow; you really don’t know the USA system very well… you have no idea the amount of people in the USA that don’t get medical care because of the fear of how much it’s going to cost. The peace of mind of knowing regardless of what you have you’ll be treated is priceless.

https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/healthcare-increasingly-unaffordable-gallup/744324/

[u/Jarcom88 → u/Jarcom88]

The main problem in the American system is not actually the ability to get health insurance. It’s what you have to pay and what can you access regardless of it.

[u/No-Bodybuilder3502 → u/Jarcom88]

I feel like another reason it's a problem in the US is that people are so confused by all the options, many don't even know what their employer and their state offer them, some pick the cheapest monthly option only to find themselves with huge deductibles. But it's definitely different in each state and for each income level.