I need urgent advice and help from people in the forum from the U.S.

[Milos Uzelac]

I will clarify here and explain why I am posting this in this thread. 

One of my friends (I consider her that) who I came to knew when she went on the same sociology department has planned a trip to the U.S. in the wake and beginning of the exponential infection growth among U.S. residents from the gradual increase in spreading and the infection rate of the COVID-19 pandemic through the U.S. states and the as I followed the stock market gradual crash from Monday and tremendous historic losses the DOW is suffering because of the epidemic, it seems to me like a wake of a new economic recession and a sudden halt to normal economic participation, life and work for a lot of Americans and upcoming potential mass panic and critical and deadly healthcare infrastructure problems your country might be facing in the next weeks as I inferred this from watching the news on Democracy Now and RT America.

She wants to because she has worked hard in planning and arranging this trip to U.S. state of Missouri (which has currently 13 reported cases as of now from the CDC and maybe countless more poor people which couldn't get tested because of the dysfunctional unpreparedness of this outbreak from the healthcare system)  because (I don't know which city or town in the State, I don't want to ask here until I receive advice from people here on the forum) she wants to get a Green Card permanent citizenship by getting married to a guy (only for the because I heard it from here last Thursday she wants through the marriage to obtain a Green Card)  she arranged with online for a fee (as I understood I am not sure again, I want to consider pressing her on that after I hear advice from people here on the forum about the subjective experience you have about the state and life now generally through the U.S. and the safety of traveling there by flight and staying for a couple of the days in these conditions). 

She has booked a flight from a Turkish international airport (she is from Serbia like me, she would travel to Turkey on Friday I presume) for the Kansas City International Airport in Missouri on Saturday (I couldn't find here flight so I don't know the exact time I don't know which airline company she booked it on) and wants to in these conditions go on that international flight, stay in Missouri, get married, get through the process of getting a Green Card and leave after a couple of days in the midst of this day by day worsening pandemic and economic crisis in the U.S., in which they may soon shut down eventually, if the situation worsens very fast, all international airline travel, despite the recent bailouts by the Federal Government, just so she can get that Green Card because she might not be able to have this opportunity again to make a travel to the U.S. for this goal, if she doesn't go now, in a couple of months as I understood. 

What I really could use is advice from the people who now live in the U.S. on whether on not making a trip now in these uncertain circumstances is worth the risk that she is taking or too dangerous for her safety now and on how to convince her rationally and showing genuine care for potential serious danger to her safety, not becasue of her capabilities and independece which she has, but because of the potentially chaotic external circumstances, while not being intrusive to her of somehow postponing this trip now until the situation calms down despite her oportunity to get fast Green card now  (I consider going to her apartment tommorow in Belgrade with another friend that she is much closer to than me and trying to convince her that is too dangerous for her to make the trip now with evidence and answers from people which I would post on her messanger (I talked to her before through the chat on this issue and showed her evidence of the current state of utter uncertainty in the U.S. but she said she to me she is responsbile enough for herself, a grown financially idependent adult and that she is aware of the high risks and is willing to take them becasue of a rare opportunity to get that Green Card the she planned for now) knows the U.S. about current state and future crises that may occur in the country), in this really uncertain and dangerous circumstances (in which she may be getting stuck in the country not being able to make a trip back), even though she has planned it and wants to because I think she feels it's her may be her only opportunity in a long time and I don't know somehow because she thinks she may not receive a refund for the ticket by the airline despite this uncertain continued international flight travel situation, she arranged to get a green card with a marriage deal with this guy.

So I would be really grateful if I could get  some advice until Friday from people here that live in the U.S. (that I would as your advice and personal experience of the current and future state of the U.S. is heading to, send it to her with my comments on messanger and use as it one of the last ditches to try convince her to pospone the trip and ask for a refund of her card and try explain to that guy that she wants to make that arrangement with him after this crisis settles down) and are going through this crisis on how to approach with care her on this with relevant facts about the state of your country and shared direct personal experience that you have now in living through this national, healthcare, economic and potentially wider total social crisis (I'm seeing online that people that are suddenly getting fired suddenly who worked in bars and restaurants other service sectors in various states because of the pandemic caused economic crisis) and on what to do let her go to make her potential life-threatening gamble because of the opportunity of a Green Card gain that she planned weeks ahead (and that's what I am worried about that she is trying to do because of her partial I think from my perspective stubbornness that she doesn't want to listen to the advice of people that care about her safety and are worried about her unchanging of desicion and plan despite the circumstance and because she maybe thinks they are not experienced as her (she went to Flordia on her own before), too scared and that they are trying to infringe on her independence and generally don't konw what they are talking about despite the outer circumstances that are in my view systemic and wholly collective transcend any individuals lone capability and sole experience).

Sorry guys who are struggling in reading this for this bad sentence structuring and phrasing I didn't have a plan on how to make this appeal to you and request and I am trying to write it fast because I am not sure when she will leave and I procrastined on writing on this forum after I started this plea with her on Monday, I apologize. Hope you are able to read it and supply me with a short answer, personal experience of what you are going through in the U.S. and predictions of what's going to happen there and advice and criticism of me If I am doing something that doesn't concern me and too intrusive to her even though I know her and I am worried about her adamant desire and grave risk-taking of going against the grain and going despite the external world circumstances that go against her opportunity of making a trip now because of the reasons I stated above.

Thank you for your response and time set off on them in advance.

 

[Rebecca Kalamata]

She will not be permitted to enter the United States as she is neither a citizen nor a permanent resident. I don't think there is a big risk for her safety healthwise but if she were to get into the USA and plans to take care of her business, she will probably find the offices she needs are closed. She will probably get caught up in being locked down as we are fast approaching that situation on a state by state basis. And she sounds like someone who does what she wants and might not follow the guidelines/rules and catch the virus and not know it. Then she would infect Americans which would not be appreciated. And she might not be able to reenter EU countries.

I live in the EU part of the year and am concerned that I will not be able to use my return ticket to Greece in July. We are all in this same boat of wondering how the airlines are going to manage all these prepaid tickets. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. The governments will decide for her but if she makes it in she should be fine healthwise. We will not appreciate her coming however.

[Milos Uzelac]

@Rebecca Kalamata Thank you for replying so soon Rebecca, Serbia is not as far as I know a part of the list of the travel ban countries in the U.S. because of the pandemic since we are not an E.U. member state and infection rate in the country is low for now (but could rapidly grow because of inadequate health infrastructure that we currently have and because of a recent domestic recent migration flow of 50.000 somewhat people coming from seasonal working jobs in Germany because of the situation that want to probably take care of their family members that they left behind in the country and stay with them or simply in the country during the crisis, the Serbian government despite the media narrative I think is not adequately prepared to quarantine infected people and contain the potential infection spread of the virus among the abroad workers and the rest of the population at all, and we may witness a major outbreak in a couple of days because of these people that migrated) 50 some cases no deaths as of today. 

Sorry I just looked at an update of the travel ban countries for flights to the U.S. from CNN Travel, yeah Turkey is on it as well I don't know Il check with her now since she said she plans on traveling to Turkey and taking a flight from there as I know there are no direct flights from Serbia to Kansas City, Ill try to find out from her. I'll ask her and try to get find out If she is still planning to travel now (I hope not though some illegal dark charter flight canals) and will send her your response and advise Rebecca if she is still adamant about it. Thanks for giving advice and setting time off for a helpful response.

 

 

[Preety_India]

Green card is a long struggling process. 

She won't get a greed card. 

Marrying a United States citizen only for a green card can land the migrant in prison. She shouldn't do that. It's considered illegal. 

. 

You have to live in the US many years to get that. 

Also at this time travel has bans and restrictions. She might get stranded. Detention. 

Good luck. 

 

 

[Milos Uzelac]

@Preety_India Thanks a lot for the response and advice I will message and ask her tomorrow morning and find out what's her plan now (given that there's a travel ban on Turkey and she said to me and friend of hers that she is supposed to fly from there) given the situation since she is now inactive for 3 hours now on Facebook and probably asleep if she is still adamant about it tomorrow on the chat (I might try to see if she wants to talk to me on the phone) or wont to respond to me, I will forward your responses and ask her close friend if she is willing to help me persuade her.

I read some basic green card info online concluded that if you get through a marital legal process that you might get it as the citizen of the spouse that you're officially in marital communion with since I went into it as a complete newbie and probably sounded a whole lot pretentious in the post like I know the inner-workings of applying and getting citizenship in the U.S. from first hand or from studying the U.S. legal system, thanks for dispelling my illusions and intellectual high-horse with a quick informed answer, though when I think about her options now maybe she changed her plans and plans to stay there during the pandemic with the guy she arranged it with, I really hope not. I will find out somehow tomorrow, thanks a lot for the help!

[Milos Uzelac]

Though I remembered now she has an Israeli citizenship (on grounds of being an ethnic Jew through her mother's ancestry) with her I don't know if she's going to try to use it a political bartering tool of  privilege of having an Israeli passport for getting that Green card don't know if they may give her a pass on those grounds.