David Dobrik says he's stuck in Slovakia because green-card issues are preventing him from entering the US, where he grew up under DACA immigration policy
- David Dobrik says he's stuck in Slovakia because of issues with his green card.
- The YouTuber was born in Slovakia but has lived in the US since he was 6.
- He's abroad filming a Discovery+ series centered around him leaving the US for the first time.
YouTuber David Dobrik has spent the last two weeks documenting his travels abroad for millions of followers. But now, he says he's stuck in Slovakia and cannot return to the US.
Dobrik, who has more than 18 million YouTube subscribers, said on his Instagram story on Tuesday that he was experiencing problems with identification that would allow him to reenter the US after his trip to Europe with friends.
"Hi guys, sorry I haven't been too active on social media," Dobrik said on his Instagram story on September 22. "Everyone went back home because this is taking way longer and it's a lot harder than I thought it was getting my visa and green card."
Dobrik, 25, was born in Slovakia but moved to the United States when he was 6. Since then, he hadn't left the US until this summer. Dobrik's a recipient of DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy, which allows children of undocumented immigrants to live in the US and avoid deportation.
DACA recipients can obtain approval from the US government to leave the country for reasons that include work, education, and family emergencies. Still, that's considered a risky practice, said the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, a nongovernmental organization that trains attorneys in immigration law, because it does not guarantee admission back into the US.
In a vlog posted two weeks ago, Dobrik announced that he had secured a green card, or permanent-residency card, which would allow him to exit and reenter the country freely without the government approval required for DACA recipients. Physical green cards can take weeks or months to arrive in the mail. While a visa is a temporary pass that lets you enter the US, a green card allows you to enter and remain in the country for a longer period of time (most green cards are valid for 10 years).
Dobrik announced earlier in September that he was taking his YouTube friend group, the Vlog Squad, on a trip to Europe for a 10-part Discovery Plus series called "Discovering David Dobrik."
The group has been posting on social media about their adventures abroad in the weeks since.
In Tuesday's Instagram video, Dobrik showed himself and his assistant Taylor Hudson in a grassy remote area in Slovakia.
"This like a f---ing scavenger hunt, so I'm apologizing because I can't get any vlogs up or anything," the YouTuber went on to say. "I hope to return to the States soon, it's like I'm lost, I'm literally stranded. Wish me luck."
Dobrik added that he and his podcast co-host Jason Nash filmed an episode of their show "Views" before Nash returned to the US, so that will be posted as per the podcast's usual schedule.
It's been three months since Dobrik returned to YouTube after Insider's report of rape allegations against one of his former Vlog Squad members. Insider reported in March 2021 that a woman who appeared as an extra in one of Dobrik's November 2018 vlogs had accused "Durte Dom" Zeglaitis of raping her during the shoot.
Initially, Dobrik was temporarily demonetized on YouTube, which meant he couldn't make money from ads on his videos. He also lost a slew of sponsors and stepped down as the head of Dispo, a camera app. But since June, Dobrik has been posting on YouTube again, and he appeared in a Discovery+ "Shark Week" special episode.