I have a friend who has been here for decades after marrying a US military guy ...but she stays a legal resident by annually flying back to her birth country and refiling for the right paperwork. I am not sure why the Mexicans don’t do that, just apply for legal residency as required and viola, you are documented. Maybe they just do it because they’ve never have to fear actual enforcement of immigration rules like European immigrants do. The government always looked the other way for crop pickers then never got out of the habit when the started coming to harvest freebies and drop anchor babies instead.
I tried to talk her into going for the full citizenship test but she has major test anxiety and evidently it isn’t cheap. She’s in her 70s now and has always worked and paid into the system. Raised kids who served in the military.
Is she like a permanent tourist?
It you have permanent residency, you do not need to fly back, ever. You need to actually stay here, for most of the time (google exact rules)!
I think, after 20? years of LEGAL residency, you are actually exempt from the citizenship test?!
It used to be that way long time ago.