Crossing a road is a risk. Getting out of bed too quickly is a risk. Eating out is a risk. Crossing a border is a risk. Life, as I'm trying to explain, is full of risks.

You can apply for residency when you are already in many places without the risk of an agency like ICE arresting you for trying to do the right thing because many other countries are far more understanding. And free, let's not forget that either, and it's mostly propaganda and US-exceptionalism that makes USians think otherwise.