At 42, a Brazilian woman from the São Paulo metropolitan area decided to end her two-year stay in the United States before receiving a final decision on her political asylum application. She has requested anonymity for this article.

Unlike Mariza da Silva Leandro, featured in the previous chapter, who returned to Brazil after being detained by U.S. immigration authorities, this woman decided to return voluntarily, fearing she might not receive permission to remain in the country.

Her decision was influenced by stricter immigration policies in the United States. Afraid of facing difficulties remaining in the country, she chose to leave voluntarily while her asylum application was still pending.

"I was afraid to stay there and suddenly find out I wouldn't get asylum. I preferred to return before things became more difficult," she said.

The Brazilian woman arrived in the United States on a tourist visa and applied for political asylum a few months later. She first lived in Florida, where she worked cleaning houses. While awaiting a response from immigration authorities, she moved to New Jersey. Unable to adjust to the area, she relocated to Georgia, where she stayed until deciding to return to Brazil.

Asylum is a form of protection for people who fear persecution in their home country because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. In the United States, applications are generally submitted using Form I-589 and reviewed by immigration authorities. Filing an application does not guarantee asylum: the case must meet the requirements established under U.S. law.

The wait for a decision can be lengthy, and the outcome depends on an individual review. In this woman's case, the process was still pending when she decided to leave the country.

"Those were two years of many changes and uncertainties. You go to another country hoping to build a life, but there comes a time when you have to decide whether it's worth staying or better to return," she said.

Voluntary departure, in turn, can take different forms. One is the U.S. government's self-deportation program, operated through the CBP Home app. The tool allows immigrants without lawful immigration status to report their intention to leave the United States and, if they meet the established criteria, receive assistance in arranging their return to their home country, including travel support and financial assistance.

Back in Brazil, the woman resumed her routine from before the trip. She returned to her job, rejoined her family, and is trying to reorganize her life after two years abroad.

"Today, I'm close to my family and back at work. It's good to be able to resume my life here, even after everything that happened," she said.

Her experience reveals another side of returning home after immigration. While Mariza, from Divino das Laranjeiras, a small town in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, is trying to rebuild her life while holding on to the hope of reuniting with her husband in the United States, this woman returned to a densely populated region, where family and professional ties were already part of her life.

Their paths are different, but both show how immigration uncertainty can change plans and force Brazilians to reconsider their future away from the country in which they sought new opportunities.