Lifestyle – The Somali American

Immigration Story July 2024

Biden order streamlining path to citizenship for spouses could affect 40,000 Minnesotans The order allows undocumented spouses and children to stay in the U.S. while pursuing a green card, removing a major source of stress for many mixed-status families. by Hibah Ansari Immigration advocates say a plan announced by the Biden administration this week could streamline the path to citizenship for thousands of undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens in Minnesota. The plan allows undocumented immigrants the ability to “parole in place,” if they have lived in the U.S. for 10 or more years and are legally married to a U.S. citizen, meaning they can pursue legal status without leaving the country. When Stephanie Kilpatrick Salazar, a leader for Latino advocacy organization Unidos, first read about the plan she was so shocked she thought it was spam. Kilpatrick Salazar’s husband from Mexico is currently trying to pursue status through marriage since she is a citizen. Their four children, ages 17, 13, 12, and 2, are also U.S. citizens. “If everything goes as planned,” Kilpatrick Salazar said, “this could streamline that process for us and allow my husband to stay without having to go back to Mexico for his exit interview. It’ll be way…

Lifestyle

Good Credit Matters More Than Ever

Credit matters more than it did 20 years ago. Why does your credit score matter more than it did 20 years ago? Because more and more businesses are using it to sell, hire and rent to people. Nowadays, some companies check the credit score of an interviewee before they even hire them. In today’s interconnected global market, your credit worthiness can directly affect your quality of life or the success of your business for that matter Not only is good credit essential for obvious things like qualifying for a loan or getting a credit card, but also for less obvious things like getting cellular telephone service, renting a car, and even getting a low insurance premium. Managing your credit will also help you save for a rainy day. A strong credit history, reflected in good credit scores, will let you qualify for lower interest rates and fees, freeing up additional money to set aside for emergencies, retirement, and other smaller unexpected expenses. Decreasing debt and increasing savings reduces stress and leads to greater financial freedom. The good news is that having good credit is not difficult. Simply follow these five fundamentals of good credit management and you will build and…