If you’ve been following me, you know that for the past five years I’ve had one main objective in my whole life: getting myself and my brother outta here. It is what I promised my mom I would do, and I’m so close to achieving that goal.
However, as is customary in my life, new obstacles have arisen and I find myself at a crossroads. While I finally have the means to leave the country and travel literally anywhere in the world (or, as far as what few savings I have will let me go), the problem is that I need to figure out where my brother and I can stay, at least in a short-term manner.
I had some plans that, unfortunately, cannot come into fruition right now. Things have changed, and after losing two years to COVID lockdowns some stuff is no longer valid.
I’m sharing all of this with the faint hope that someone may share some insight, as this is the last thing I need to figure out before putting things in motion, buying new tickets, and leaving my old life behind for good.
Right now, the countries that I have friends at and and can stay with are countries that both my brother and I can currently enter as tourists only, that means not being able to legally work or stay beyond 3-6 months (depending on the country). Staying at a friends place was always part of the original goals, as it’s not like I count with a lot of money to initially rent a place while I get a job and all that.
That includes countries such as the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, and others.
I can visit any of these countries (and more), yes, there is nothing stopping me from doing so — but I cannot overstay nor be able to work (legally). In these countries, I’m still just as I was before obtaining my Italian passport, nothing has so-far changed in that regard.
And just because I obtain a work visa (or something of the sorts) doesn’t mean that my brother automatically does too. Even though he is under my care (morally, not legally) he is, for all legal intents and purposes, another separate adult man, this has always been a factor that has made (legally) migrating more difficult to me — but there is no way in hell I’ll ever leave him alone.
Some have suggested that I try to seek asylum in the United States, which I would have no objections to doing if that’s what it takes for my brother to be safe. However, immigration attorneys have seriously advised and cautioned me against attempting to do that, as now that we’re dual citizens, we will be denied under basis of something called Firm Resettlement (even though neither of us speaks Italian, has ever been to Italy, and obtained citizenship weeks ago and never been able to actually exercise such citizenship yet). I could fight it in court (if I had the money) but I’ve been told it’s quite difficult to do so and again, it’s money that I don’t have.
The irony is that asylum was something I could have attempted as a Venezuelan, but in order to do so, it was required for us to be on U.S. soil to do it, which I wasn’t able to since neither of us has a U.S. visa. In any case, the Biden admin is about to crack down on that, or so I’ve been told
Another option was Biden’s parole for Venezuelans, which we’re also ineligible for under dual citizenship grounds — besides, I don’t have the thousands of dollars to bribe my way to a sponsor as most people are doing these days anyways.
There are certain types of work visa that I could be eligible for, but after years trying I just don’t know anymore — if I had succeeded at any of those I’d still have to solve my brother’s case.
I never sought to smuggle myself to the U.S. as I’m probably the last idiot in this country trying to do things the “right way,” nor do I count on the resources to do so anyways. Being an Italian citizen does open the option for a E2 visa — but unless you got some spare 100,000 USD around that’s off the table for me (plus, there’s other requirements to consider).
My brother does have humanitarian options at his disposal, but these require the aid of U.S. citizens and ultimately are entirely up to the discretion of U.S. authorities, and do not solve my case (again, we’re separate adults legally speaking).
Ideally, yes, I’d love to stay in the U.S. and be around people that I now consider to be my family, it’s something both my brother and I really need after all these years — alas, unless I do something illegal (with all the risks that entails), it’s quite uphill right now, unless there is something I’m not seeing at.
When it comes to Canada, I can stick around as a tourist for up to 6 months per trip. There are indeed some expedited options at a work visa that I can now apply as an Italian that I could not as a Venezuelan — however, I’m nearing the age limit for them (18-35), and they require me to have legal residence in Italy, which I do not have.
Currently I sent them an inquiry to Canadian authorities explaining everything, but as of the time of posting this I haven’t received a response.
Naturally, now that I’m a “Citizen of the European Union” without ever having stepped foot in European soil (funny how that works), that means I can live and work in any EU country from the get-go without having to go through all of this.
The problem is that right now, I have nowhere to arrive at, nor know people there, in addition to language barriers. Naturally, Spain (or even Ireland) are places without language-related obstacles for us, but renting a place is way out of my budget (I have to work for the two of us). I have an online part-time job that, while it helps me stay afloat in Venezuela, would fall short in European countries (the only reason I’m relatively ok right now in Caracas is because I don’t have to pay rent).
I’m trying to solve the limbo of the paperwork of our home here, which would immensely help us relocate but I have no real timeframe for it, or if it will be sorted out at all. I have to weigh that against my declining situation here, my mental health, and my desire to just simply leave and not look back (it’s been five years of obstacles and failures, I’m 35, burnout from everything, and really need a new start for my own sake before I completely fall apart).
I was also trying to resurrect a project I had been working on between late 2020 and 2021 that, if it had materialized, would’ve given me some decent amount of money. It wasn’t going to turn me into a millionaire overnight, but it would’ve opened many doors to me. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is happening (no response in 2+ months), and is one of the reasons I’m so downtrodden right now — it is what it is.
This is a huge and important decision to me, but like I said, this is what I get for being one of the last idiots in this country trying to do things right. Trying to find a solution to this is why I’ve been absent lately and barely published content in 2023 so far. I have some great plans for this year, just need to clear my head first to start oiling them gears.
I really want to get outta here as soon as possible, tomorrow even, I’m just so burnout and tired of solving one obstacle only to have 3 new ones thrown at me. My life has been essentially on pause for the past five years, and that’s taken an ever-increasing toll on me, both physically and mentally.
Regardless of what happens and where I end up arriving at, I intend to spend a few days in the United States with my brother as tourists, meet some friends, try to get some hardware and clothes (I’m writing this on a dying 12 year old laptop), and try to wind down after all I’ve been through, even if for a few days only. After all, we haven’t had a vacation since 1999 and I could really use one right now.
So yeah, that’s what I got so far. any insight would be really appreciated, feel free to contact me through whatever means works best for you,
I’ll update this post as more I get more info or as things develop over the next days.
-Kal
