Family self-deports after 11-year wait for US Green Card, Reddit post says

A family that spent nearly 11 years living legally in the United States while waiting for permanent residency has decided to leave the country voluntarily, citing emotional strain and prolonged delays in the immigration system, according to a post shared on the social media platform Reddit.

The decision was disclosed in a post on the USCIS subreddit, where a family member described the experience as ‘stressful’ and reflective of the frustrations faced by many immigrants navigating the US immigration process.

According to the post, the family’s asylum application was approved after eight-and-a-half years. However, they continued to wait for a Green Card (Form I-485) for several months even after attending an interview. After almost 11 years in the country without permanent resident status, the family chose to ‘self-deport’, citing urgent personal circumstances and the psychological toll of the prolonged uncertainty.

“We cannot wait any longer. We don’t want to die waiting for a green card. We are not animals, we are human beings,” the user wrote, alleging that the immigration system was “rigged and corrupt”.

The post also criticised the stress of living in the United States under prolonged legal uncertainty, expressing disappointment with what the user described as the country’s current political and social direction.

Reports show that more than four million people were waiting for immigrant visas as of November 2023. The backlog has been attributed to annual visa caps, per-country limits and administrative delays, leaving many applicants in prolonged limbo.

Since May 2025, processing delays and family separation have reportedly worsened following visa interview freezes in Mexico and Colombia. Mexico accounts for the largest share of the backlog, with around 1.2 million cases, followed by India (291,000), the Philippines (288,000), the Dominican Republic (251,000) and China (231,000).

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has said it is working to reduce delays. The agency processed nearly 11 million filings and completed 10 million cases since 2022, projecting a 15 per cent reduction in its internal backlog by early 2025.

Despite these efforts, processing times for Green Card applications and several other immigration forms continue to exceed the agency’s six-month target, leaving many applicants facing extended waiting periods.