So it was 1990 and I was working at Hewlett-Packard, the huge electronics firm. I had just gotten clean from my crack addiction and this was my first job after I got clean. And just to put in a plug for sobriety , if I had still been using, there is no way I could have got this job and kept it for the three years I worked there. Anyway, my job was mainly recycling cardboard at this huge firm.
While I was there they hired a new janitor. He was a friendly bloke and we often crossed paths throughout the day while we were working and we started talking to each other. Well, one day he comes up to me at work and says, “How would you like to do me a favor and earn some cash?” The guy was from Peru and he had a sister back in Peru who wanted to become a U.S.citizen but the only way she could qualify to do that was to marry a U.S. citizen and be his wife in this country. So the janitor wanted me to be this guy and he would pay me $5000 in cash.
Now $5000 is nothing to sneeze at and I actually considered it but my common sense kicked in and I thought there is no way I will do this. And I told the guy no. He nagged me for a couple of weeks to try and convince me to do it but I kept telling him no. The whole situation was a little bizarre and a little funny.
When I was hospitalized in 94, the company I worked for sent me to be tested as well psychologically so I was scared and my wife went with me, after the tests, the company people met with me and my wife, and they offered me $10000 to stop working there and never mention that I did. I was humiliated at that point so we took the money and I bought a diamond ring for my wife with $1000. I had to get a temp job and we had to file bankruptcy, lost the house and moved back with her mother
I would have taken the money, but first I would find out all the legal angles of the situation. Like, if I had accumulated some wealth, what kind of claims could she make on it? I would probably demand a pre-nuptial agreement before the marriage. Also, she would probably have a large family of siblings, parents, and grandparents, and maybe kids of her own. She’d probably want me to get them to the US too. There would be a lot of problems to work out before I would have married her.
They offered me $10000 and then I took a thousand of that and bought my wife a ring, we lived on the rest for awhile but that was a bad time in my life, except being able to get the ring for my better half, they would surely have fired me anyway
Yes, the plan was for me to marry her and than divorce her. But legally I think I would have had to stay married to her for at least 5 years. Yes, the money would have been nice but there would have been too many complications to consider.
It has been 16 years since my divorce in America, after the divorce lived over two years in my auto and then got tired and moved back to Europe. The life goes on.
I do not know if the immigration laws have changed in America. The process of immigrating to America based on the marriage was as follows (24 years ago):
Apply for the fiancee visa, the US fiancee must show sufficient funds
Marry in America within the certain time period
Apply for the conditional permanent resident status, an interview with an immigration person at some federal building
The 2-year conditional residency period
After two years apply for the removal of the conditional status
After two years get your permanent residency, Green Card
After three years you can apply for the US citizenship if still married
So the process was something like this. I was young then, but at my current age I would never take a risk of marrying somebody overseas.
I’m fine in some ways and not so fine in other ways.Thanks for asking. It’s a nice night here, I just came inside 10 minutes ago, I was just standing out in front of my house for a little while people watching and enjoying the fresh air. How about you, how are you doing?