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Status Pending
Hosted by Jimmy Gutierrez

A podcast about how our immigration system works — or doesn't — and the impact it has on the people who are going through it.

Ways To Subscribe


There’s a line we hear when people talk about immigration. A phrase that’s repeated over and over: “Do it the right way.”

But what does that mean? And what’s the “right way” in a time like this, when the rules seem to always be changing?

On Status Pending, a podcast from WUWM, we break down the different ways people come to this country, the hurdles that have existed for years, and the new ones people are facing in real time.

two women sitting next to each other outside
Government & Politics
From undocumented to green cards: two sisters' immigration journey
What does it take to navigate the U.S. immigration system? Hear from two sisters who went from undocumented, to DACA recipients, and finally, to green card holders.
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Government & Politics
From Mediterranean shores to Lake Michigan: an international student's story
Gal Dahan has lived in Milwaukee for six years, most of that time as an international student. Now she’s trying to figure out if there’s a path for her to stay.
Listen Now

 
Government & Politics
'We don't have choices': The last-arriving refugees in Wisconsin
Over the past year, there may be no pathway to U.S. citizenship that has changed more than that of refugees. So, what did it used to mean to be a refugee? And what's changed?
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Government & Politics
What does it take to get a U.S. work visa? Two Nigerian teachers' journey to Milwaukee
Two Nigerian teachers moved to Milwaukee to teach in Milwaukee Public Schools. Now, changes to H-1B visas have forced the district to pause hiring international teachers.
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Government & Politics
The green card pathways for immigrants who are victims of crime
When a crime is committed against someone without legal status in the U.S., it can open a pathway to a green card for the victim. But it comes at the cost of proving your abuse.
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Meet “L,” a young woman who has lived in the U.S. since she was a child, but has no clear path to citizenship.
Government & Politics
Life without a clear path to citizenship: An undocumented student’s story
How do you think about the future when you have no clear path to citizenship in the country you call home? Hear from a young undocumented woman who has lived in the U.S. since she was a child.
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"Status Pending" is produced by WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee’s NPR, a part of the NPR Podcast Network.

The podcast is produced by Jimmy Gutierrez, Emily Files, Audrey Nowakowski, Xcaret Nuñez, Katherine Kokal, Maria Peralta-Arellano, Valeria Navarro Villegas and Samia Saeed. Editorial support from Ann-Elise Henzl and Michelle Maternowski. Design support from Erin Bagatta.