So, my maternal grandparents immigrated from the Ukraine

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

33. I'm a U.S. permanent resident (a/k/a 'green card' holder)

I'm from Italy (the city of Bologna in north-central Italy. The one known as the fat - for the cuisine, the learned - the first university in the western world, and the red... for its porticos and politics!!).

My story is somewhat well known on DU, but here it goes again. My dad is a gifted engineer (with a few international patents to his name). He worked for a subsidiary of FIAT, S.p.A. in Bologna for several years. That company bought a small carburetor manufacturer in the U.S. - one plant in Michigan and one plant in rural North Carolina. The company sent my dad to the plant in NC to get the engineering and R&D going. It was supposed to be a two-year assignment and then he'd go to Brazil. This was 1987.

I was 15 at the time and my sister was 13. We and mom tagged along, because we thought it was going to be an incredible opportunity on various levels: becoming fluent in English/Brazilian Portuguese, experiencing different cultures, seeing the world, etc.

Brazil fizzled out, while the NC plant grew and eventually the assignment was expanded in length. We came under an E visa (treaty trader/investor - complicated visa that takes too long to explain). The company hired a business lawyer who dabbled in immigration, but was by no means an expert.

As the green card process got started, I turned 21 years of age. Instead of advising then-INS I was about to age out (age 21 is when you are considered an independent adult for immigration purposes), the attorney either forgot or didn't know. So, while my mom, dad and sister got green cards, I was left out. I was switched to F-1 status, while the company paid for my outrageously high tuition (since I no longer qualified for in-state tuition) and even paid tuition for a very expensive private university after undergrad.

To make a long story short, my dad acquired U.S. citizenship in order to put me on a higher priority list. He still has Italian citizenship. Luckily, I fell in love and married a U.S. citizen and began working as soon as I was granted employment authorization. After 7 years of marriage, we divorced amicably.

By a cruel twist of fate, since the first time I could work, I have worked in immigration law and my experiences with it - good and bad - have helped me become rather successful in this very narrow niche (I specialize in employment-based immigration).

I have not applied for U.S. citizenship primarily due to cost and my laziness. My sister, who is married to a U.S. citizen and has two kids who are dual Italian/US citizens, is in the process of applying, but she will also retain her Italian citizenship.

My mom has no interest in becoming a U.S. citizen. To be honest, she has never liked living in the U.S. and wants to return to Italy as fast as possible - in fact, she's always wanted to return.

Both my mom and dad want to return to Italy, but I doubt they will do that since their grandkids are here. My now-husband and I have often tinkered with the idea of living in Italy, since my husband wouldn't have a problem finding a great job there in his field. We are childless so we do want to retire in Italy some day.

My husband is eligible to apply for Italian citizenship in about 1 year and he wants to go for it.

For many things, I am very Italian - food habits, certain behaviors, etc. For others, I am very American - less formal, not as concerned with external appearances or fashion.