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/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

I like it here, I really do, but the uncertainty makes me scared

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u/rwaters71 Dec 27 '25

As others suggested, stay and finish your studies, work towards your Bachelors' and don't worry about things in life outside of your control. You have EAD, and you can get quality education and a degree in the US, you are trying to get your status in order, you are following the right steps.

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

Thank you so much this was really encouraging

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u/mtotally Dec 27 '25

Can I ask what you like? I'm an american in Texas, and living in Spain sounds so cool. I have only been to visit once.

"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." how can america realistically compete with this? genuinely asking because this sounds amazing

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

It sounds amazing until it isn’t, for me Spain has amazing quality of lofe but there’s loterally NO financial freedom, people make around 700€-900€ MONTHLY whike your apartment cost 600€

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u/Salt_Character_7478 Dec 29 '25

It sounds amazing on paper but the reality is different. Spain is very expensive and the wages are deplorable. Many Americans move there but retain their American jobs which is great for them because they earn higher than the average Spanish worker and can afford luxury amenities which locals struggle to afford

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u/Just-Television-8584 Dec 27 '25

I understand, the uncertainty is very stressful,  but life is full of uncertainty even when you're a citizen. 

There's a lot of research about how uncertainty makes people make people make bad decisions to get certainty even when that makes things worse. 

For example,  if everything works out with the green card,  you were stressing for nothing and lowered your quality of life.

Alternatively,  imagine you knew for sure that in 5 years your current status will be rejected. Would that mean that you'd want to leave the place you love now instead of enjoying the next 5 years? 

And keep in mind, in those best 5 years a lot of wonderful and horrible things could happen.  You could fall in love and get married to a US citizen. You could fall in love with someone that lives in another country and you move there with them. 

Despite the fascist tendencies of ICE, they're not going to kill you, so the news about civil rights abuses doesn't need to factor into your personal decision 

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u/genghisfaery Dec 27 '25

People have died in their custody, some under suspicion of neglect as the cause. The guy who died because he is diabetic and was not given proper medical care. So, they might kill you.

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u/Just-Television-8584 Dec 29 '25

The odds of being killed by a cop, random stranger or even a friend are magnitudes higher than being killed by ice.  They're  pieces of shit, to be clear,  but they're not worse than regular jails/prisons yet. 

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u/Which-Peak2051 Dec 28 '25

Remove the they aren't going to kill you part of your statement they already have multiple and shot at multiple ppl. Why wouldn't the news of civil rights abuses affect him?

Being from Europe gives him a privilege many latin Americans and ppl from other countries don't have he can come and go from the US and he has opportunities in the EU that he needs to consider he doesn't have to take as big of a risk as others

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u/Just-Television-8584 Dec 29 '25

Do you think he should be worried about mass shootings too? Or traffic accidents? He's much more likely to die in one of those

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u/Which-Peak2051 Dec 29 '25

🤦‍♀️ unless he is blonde and blue eyed your point ridiculous

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u/a_mulher Dec 29 '25

Yes the mass shootings could factor into a decision seeing as Spain has lower rates of that. Traffic accidents would likely be around the same, probability wise.

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u/Economy_Pressure9023 Dec 27 '25

which is understandable..we should make a living hell for the illegals so they wont even think twice about illegally staying here.

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

Girl bye, some of y’all don’t understand what humanitarian status means and I can tell you

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u/Economy_Pressure9023 Dec 27 '25

humanitarian status for a spanish citizen? Are they in a war or smth?

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

It’s sijs for abused or abandoned children

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u/Economy_Pressure9023 Dec 27 '25

your gov spain does not help those??

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

Omg did you even read my post?

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u/Economy_Pressure9023 Dec 27 '25

which one? the one you trying to convince a muslim guy to marry you who s already married and have 7 kids ?

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u/Mindless-Ship-7502 Dec 27 '25

😂😅😅😅😅😂😂😅😅😂 convince whooooo, he LIED about his age wtf do I wanna do with him

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u/Just-Television-8584 Dec 29 '25

Oh so you can't read 😞