When I opened the Columbia University admissions email, I wasn’t aware of how much my life was about to change.
At the time, I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and had applied for a Master’s degree in journalism after years of being disillusioned, working in an advertising agency. I made little money and struggled with how long my workdays were and how little time I had for myself. I also felt like I needed a new challenge, and not only changing careers but moving to a new country could provide that for me. The letter welcomed me into the class of 2011, and I had to reread it about 20 times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
It’s been 15 years since I moved to the US. Throughout my time here, I have had seven different immigration statuses in the US, including six years with an H-1B visa, before becoming an American citizen.
It was an arduous process that consumed my time, energy, and money, and it wasn’t until I finally had my American passport in hand that I felt I could stop thinking about my immigration history.
I came to get my Master’s degree at an Ivy League school
My initial plan was to move to New York City for the 10-month-long journalism program. I had left a boyfriend, a cat, and a fully furnished apartment back home, along with my entire family. Through Columbia University, I was given an F-1 student visa that allowed me to enter the US legally for the duration of my program.
I remember how out of place I felt during my first weeks of school. I was one of a handful of South Americans who had been accepted into the incredibly competitive program, and unlike many other students, I had no journalism experience. What I did have was a lot of experience in social media and making things go viral. English is also not my first language, and at first, I struggled with communicating 24/7 in it. Sure, I could read a book and watch a movie with no problem, but actually living in the US was a heightened experience.
Before graduating, Columbia University held a job fair. International students were warned that it’d be hard to get hired because sponsoring visas was expensive for employers. I went with little to no hope, and to my surprise, a television network hired me right there and then. When I raised my concerns about being on a visa, they let me know that they’d be applying for my H-1B right away.
I was on an H-1B visa for 6 years
The company that hired me had its own legal team in-house that was incredibly well-versed in work visas. They handled the whole laborious process for me, and I was approved within months.
The one catch was that if I wanted or needed to change employers, a new company had to re-sponsor me. I felt somewhat tied to that job, especially because every time I applied to a new role, I would get asked the same question, “Will you need sponsoring in the future?” which almost immediately meant a rejection was coming my way.
I worked at that job for two years of my three-year max before needing to have my H-1B visa renewed. When I found another role at a different company that was more interesting to me, I applied, disclosing that I had a work visa that needed to be transferred and eventually renewed. Being trilingual — I am fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English — played in my favor because they were looking for someone to explore taking the company into Latin America.
While it was nerve-racking because there’s always a chance that your visa will be denied, the initial transfer and following renewal process went smoothly. I had to travel to Argentina often to get my visa restamped with my new employer’s name on it and undergo extensive interviews to ensure I was still the best candidate for that specific job.
Even though I’d go to Argentina often for visa-related issues, I still missed out on big family and friend events, such as my nephew’s birth and my best friend’s wedding. While my visa was being renewed, I couldn’t leave the US. It sucked, but losing my ability to stay legally in the US would’ve sucked more.
My husband sponsored my green card
Because the H-1B visa is a “double intent” visa, I was allowed to apply for a green card or permanent residency. This could be done either through my employer or through marriage.
Right before I was about to hit my maximum of six years on an H-1B, my employer let me know that they were not moving forward with my green card application because it was too expensive. I needed to either move back to Argentina and continue working for them from there or find a new job that would sponsor me.
When I found out, I was already engaged to my now-husband, and we decided to apply for a green card through marriage. He became my sponsor, and we had to prove through extensive paperwork and interviews that we were, in fact, lawfully and truthfully married. We filed about six months after getting married because that’s how long it took us to gather all the supporting documents we needed.
My green card was approved in 2018, months after the birth of our first child and a year and a half after we first applied. This card allowed me to live in the US legally and work for any employer without needing sponsorship anymore.
It felt freeing. I stopped working full time as a journalist and decided to freelance for companies like Netflix and Sundance. This also meant that I wasn’t questioned about my work every time I entered the US because nothing on my passport or green card was tied to an employer. And while a green card can always be removed by USCIS, it did feel like a more stable step in my immigration journey than having an H-1B.
While on my green card through marriage, I still was not allowed to vote, nor get divorced from my spouse, or I’d lose my legal status.
In 2021, I became an American citizen
After four years on my green card and having had two more children, I decided to apply for American citizenship. I wanted to have the same passport as my children. As an immigrant, my mind would always jump to the worst-case scenario, and I worried about Argentina being put on a travel ban list, for example. Every time we traveled, my husband and kids went through one line at the border, and I went through another, and I always panicked that we would get separated.
The process of applying for citizenship was the easiest in my over a decadelong experience with visas. It took me about two months from applying to becoming a naturalized citizen. I had to take an English test and a civics test, and that was it.
While my intention when I first came to the US was not to stay forever — and that is still the case — I’m grateful that I was able to navigate the gruesome and sometimes incredibly discouraging US immigration system. I don’t take it for granted. And more importantly, I’m relieved that I don’t have to spend more time or money on never-ending applications.
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