Green Card
Themes in this story: Choosing a career, ****disclosing status, navigating setbacks, staff turnover, tools for coping with stress and anxiety, crossing the border, processing a new reality
After undergrad, I worked at a nonprofit college access program for about a year until I decided to move across the country with my partner. It was a little nerve-wracking because I didn’t have a job lined up. My friends encouraged me to look at roles in the people and talent department of tech companies and startups so I applied to entry level recruiting coordination roles. I heard about my current company through an alum of my college who was on staff. She referred me, and within a month of moving I had started working there.
Honestly, I never knew that an employment-based green card was possible. I knew that there was an employment route, but I only understood employment-based immigration adjustments like visas, which are different from permanent residency. When I entered the workforce after college in 2017, my plan was just to keep renewing DACA, but when there started to be threats to the program, I grew increasingly concerned.
In June of 2020 I told my supervisor that I might lose my work authorization and that I wanted her to be prepared in case I needed to leave. I didn't expect her to respond by saying she’d talk to the company’s lawyers about sponsorship. I didn't go in with that intention, but she offered, so I told her, I really don't think anything is possible, but sure, go ahead.
This was the first time I talked about it. She was generally familiar with what a Dreamer was, but not super familiar with DACA. I explained that it was a two year renewable program and if it were to go away I wouldn’t be able to work. She spoke with the legal team and a couple weeks later she set up a call for me with them. They asked me a few questions to confirm that I wouldn't trigger a bar and to find out if I’d had any previous petitions or contact with immigration enforcement, which I hadn’t. Once all that was done they presented the PERM option to me and I happily accepted.
First we had to create the job description and start to get reference letters to show that I had the proper experience. Then they posted the job to make sure that no one within the U.S. was ready to do the work that I do. After that was the actual PERM filing, which we started in the spring of 2021. It seemed like we were good to go but it turned out they hadn’t checked a box saying that I could work remotely, so the whole thing had to be resubmitted. It was really disheartening and frustrating. I didn't hear back that the resubmitted version was approved until July of 2022.
I realized that I needed to play a bigger role in making sure that the process kept moving forward. There was a lot of back and forth between my manager and the lawyers, and things often got stalled unless I nudged them. I made sure that as soon as they gave me anything to do, I did it immediately. Thankfully, they were willing to do premium processing, so that also helped move things along. Once it was finally approved I had to wait for a consular processing appointment, which took more than a year.
Meanwhile, the company went through multiple layoffs, and I was constantly in fear that the whole process was going to abruptly end. Over the course of my tenure there, I've had eight different managers. Each time I’d wonder, will one of them just want to get rid of me? I felt like I had to constantly prove my value and ensure that I had extremely strong performance cycle after cycle. Now that I have the green card, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I have the freedom to work wherever I want. Those eight or nine hours a day don’t feel so high stakes anymore.
I didn't disclose it to any of my managers except the one who started the process with me and then eventually the one that I have now, because I had to tell him that I was going to be leaving for a couple weeks. Thankfully he was very supportive. He realized how big of a deal it was and helped me find coverage and provide an additional letter.
After attending a post-election webinar hosted by Path2Papers and the Legalization Project, I requested legal support via a survey linked in the Work Visa Journey Roadmap they’d shared. I got connected to the Path2Papers team in March, shortly after I scheduled my consulate interview. Their attorneys provided me with legal advice and prepared me for consular processing.
I didn’t have a choice. All employment-based green card interviews have to be in Juarez. I asked Path2Papers if I could go to Mexico City where I have family, but they said this was the assigned consulate for these types of cases. I didn't know anyone in Juarez. I had never been there and I didn't know how safe I would feel.
Yes. I got an email on February 28th letting me know that my appointment was March 26th—less than a month away. I dropped everything to plan. For two straight weeks I didn’t do anything outside of work except prep; gathering documents and making sure I had my medical tests scheduled and records in order. Path2Papers also recommended that I apply for emergency Advance Parole, so I did.
I’d done Advance Parole before. Once when I was in college to study abroad and the second time to see my family in Mexico. Thankfully the InfoPass appointment went smoothly. They asked me to walk them through the different pieces of evidence, then I waited for them to produce the document, which they gave to me right away. I arrived in Juarez on March 20th.
I bought a one-way ticket because I didn’t know when I’d be able to return. One of my aunts who is a U.S. citizen took unpaid time off work to come along with me. Her support meant so much. She cooked for us and we entertained ourselves at a rental house nearby. A lot of people in Juarez rent their homes to people doing the consular interviews, and so we were in the top unit of someone's home, with our own kitchen and bedrooms. It was really nice but I just had so many thoughts about what my world would look like if the interview didn't go well. I was trying to accept that if I wasn’t able to return, I would make a life in Mexico.
I scheduled therapy sessions for before and after the trip, but not while I was there, because I wasn't sure how much privacy I would have. However, I was constantly talking to friends and doing a lot of journaling. My aunt and I exercised and tried to eat really healthily. I worked remotely on some of the days, and I was grateful for the distraction. I also tapped into my spirituality—which is usually non-existent—because I felt like I needed to dig deep to connect with something bigger than myself.
The officer was very kind. I was expecting the worst, but I could tell right away that he wasn't looking for a reason to deny me, and that made me feel very comfortable during our conversation. When he looked me in the eye and told me that I was approved, I started crying. He reacted like he could tell how much it meant to me and he said something along the lines of, Thank you for all of your contributions to our society, which is a really nice sentiment, but is also corny and a little misguided. Still, I appreciate the words and that he saw me as a person, a real human being.
It was jarring to be face to face with the people who held the power to completely alter my life and to see how simple it actually was to process something that had taken so many years to make happen. I got approved on a Thursday and five days later I got an email that said my passport, which was stamped with my immigrant visa (temporary green card) was ready to be picked up. We packed up and I bought flights for that same afternoon. Then we went straight to the border to walk across. That was both scary and surreal. I'd never been to a border town before. I couldn't believe what I was experiencing.
They took me to a separate area, but I wasn’t alone, my aunt was with me. We went into this big waiting room and eventually someone called me up. They just took my passport, clicked some buttons on their computer, and stamped it. It went smoothly, but given recent headlines about green cards being revoked and green card holders being detained at U.S. entry points, I was still terrified. I’d made a point to clear apps off my phone and that could possibly be incriminating. I was prepared to be questioned about my political beliefs, but they didn't look at my phone or ask me any questions at all.
On the way home I had a layover where my parents live. I stayed the night with them and we were all so relieved and happy. But it wasn’t until I got home that it really started to hit me. I couldn't stop crying. I thought, This all happened so fast. Now I'm back in my living room but in a totally different reality.
I’ve been asking myself if I want to change my career, which are thoughts I never let myself consider before in case the PERM process didn’t work out. Now that it’s done, I really want to travel the world, go see my family more frequently in Mexico, and see my friends that live in other countries. I am also counting down the days until I can apply for citizenship so that I can help my parents.
In general, I feel much lighter now. I feel like I have options. I truly think the experience of leaving and accepting that everything could completely change gave me even more appreciation for the life I have and the people in it. I just feel so relieved that I could come back to my life.
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