My biometric appointment with the immigration services was on January 28th, 2013, 2 pm. I took an early leave from work, so I could get in the appointment on time. I drove nervously, and slowly on the icy snow-covered road, from Mclean, VA to Richmond Highway, in Alexandria VA.

I arrived at 1:15pm, parked, and then there was a knock at my car window. There was a man, saying the office is closed. What?!!

I found out the US Government offices was closed till 12 pm due to inclement weather, and because of the closures there were already 300 people waiting in line, it was way over capacity for the facility to handle all work. The Immigration offices was sending people who were just coming in, to come back another day. They gave me 1 to 2 weeks to go back, otherwise my appointment will be in jeopardy….

I couldn’t believe it, because of the closures they are putting the pressure on us to come back for an appointment otherwise lose my chances in applying for the US naturalization. The frustration is not that I had to come back in 1 to 2 weeks, it was a much longer wait.

I arrived at the US in August of 1995, to attend a university, as an international student. The decision to come to the States and to Virginia was made possible because of my sister who lived in the Northern Virginia area. And she was very generous to let me stay at her place.

My sister was by then a naturalized US citizen, and she sponsored me to immigrate to the United States in 1996.  Family based, also referred to “Chain- migration” and what Donald Trump would often slam on.

A naturalized  US citizen is allowed to sponsor, their spouse, children, parents, and siblings only to the United States. However, the process is not really understood or known by many. Depending on the relationship of the sponsor the wait time varies. For spouses, children, and parent, the wait is not as long, however, if it is a sibling the wait can vary. In my case it was 12 years.

The are several steps apply for the immigration process, and this process is changed every year. A form 1-130 (12-page long petition form) needs to be filled, with each form there is a fee attached, current fee is $ 535. Detailed information of the person being sponsored needs to be filled in, along with passport size photographs, and financial guarantee (bank statements along with other financial must be presented) that if the sponsor will be able to take care of the sponsored in case something happens. This then is sent to be processed, if approved, they are put on a wait list, to be issued a visa, by the State Department.

Now the waiting game beings, based on the relationship status, a visa number must be available. The State Department is in change of issuing the visa, and there is a visa bulletin to show which year they are processing current. But wait, this isn’t all. If you are from a country with many people who immigrated to the US, for example India, Mexico, China, or the Philippines, your visa is in a group by the country itself in a different wait list than the rest of the world.

Per the November 2022, State department visa bulletin, anybody who applied in August of 2016, their visa is about to become available. F1 is unmarried children visa who are under 21, F4 is for siblings. (Link below)

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-for-december-2022.html

In March of 2007, my visa for my permanent resident or better known as “green card” was available for me, I had to make a biometrics appointment, the fingerprints are run through FBI check list, I had to provide a clean police record from my home country, followed by a physical screen checkup, which included to see if I had HIV and or tuberculosis, among other diseases.

After all, cleared I had to go through an interview process with an immigration officer. The immigration officer looked through my file, asked a bunch of questions, where my sister worked, he asked for my school transcript, which I didn’t think to bring, but I asked him to call George Mason University’s registers office and they can answer any questions he has on my transcript. He was content with my answers, and I was given a permanent resident status.

The wait to apply for a US naturalization is 5 years, and after 1825 days wait, I applied. I filled up the N-600 form send in the fee, currently at $ 1,170. So, when I was told if I don’t come within 1 to 2 weeks for my biometric appointment, I will lose my place, I didn’t take it lightly.

Next morning, I woke up early, drove back to Richmond highway, and was the third person to wait in line for the Immigration office to open. I called my supervisor explained my situation and that I will be at work a little late. My fingerprint was taken, and all went after.

My immigration interview was scheduled in March 2013, they will quiz you on United States Civics. There is a book you can study from, which I did. I was early for my appointment, and I waited waited, seemed like I was the only one let in the office, did I get the date wrong? What is going on? Finally, my name was called. The officer was nice and friendly, some short talk later, she already started quizzing me, 10 questions I need to answer correctly, apparently, I did, she congratulated me, and told me there was a special swear in ceremony that will be held at the Library of Congress if I’m interested. I chuckled a little, a good friend of mine works at the Library of Congress, yes, I said, would love that!

My swear in ceremony was a blur, the then President of Library of Congress James Billington gave a boring speech. The current Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, was the then Director of Homeland Security, gave a compelling speech about how his family escaped Cuba to come the US. My picture appeared in the Library of Congress’ gazette, by default, ( link below) as newly sworn in US citizen.

https://loc.gov/staff/gazette/issue.php?id=688

It will be 10 years in April 2023, I must send in my passport to be renewed. I’ve voted in every general election since, and it blows my mind when Americans choose if they feel like voting for an election, especially when it is not presidential.

With my US passport, I don’t have a lot of restrictions as I did with my Bangladeshi passport. I remember travelling to Bonn, Germany visiting my parents and the German authorities were extra careful even to ask for my return tickets to make sure I wasn’t staying back in Germany, even though I told them my father is a diplomat there.

There is a lot of things to be thankful for being a naturalized Citizen, but not all is rosy. In 2021 took my father to the City of Falls Church City Hall election office, so we could vote early, they looked at us like we walked in by mistake, when I told them we are here to vote, after an awkward moment, ballot paper was brought to us.

I had a suffocating feeling once from living here, and I needed a break, I was grateful a yogi friend had a yoga retreat in Peru and I went to the retreat, taking a break from all that is USA.

It is not easy seeing the plights of the dreamers, they were brought to the US as children and this is country they know, and Congress making their case into politics. I asked a neighbor who is an Afghan refugee, if they miss their country, she replied there is not much to miss.

Five years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I would like to go to Christmas Catholic mass with her, I said yes, and so we went. During that time the rhetoric toward immigrates were negative. The archbishop in his speech mentioned, to look around, the poinsettias that are a decoration originated from Mexico. German immigrants brought tradition of putting lights, toys, and sweets on the branches of the evergreen tree. Dutch immigrates took the celebrations of the feast day of Saint Nicholas with them to New Amsterdam in the American colonies. The Christmas custom of placing a wreath on the door originated in Ireland.

What the archbishop was making a point is that Americans is a collection of people and ideas from all over. I like to think a kaleidoscope of people from everywhere and it should be embraced and celebrated. Oscar Handlin said it best- “Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history.”