With her family stuck in green card backlog, Shristi Sharma, 18, fears she may have to self-deport when she turns 21
For as long as Shristi remembers, she has looked at Fairfield, Iowa as her home. She was just a five-year-old kid when she arrived on an F-2 visa in the US as her dad was enrolled for a master’s program.
Sledding down the snow hills of Iowa and saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day, pretty much shaped her growing up years in America.
The family of four who have made the US their home for the past fourteen years, however faces an uncertain future. Her parents, who are on work based visas, are also in a long line for green cards.
Read: Tired of green card backlog, Indian doctor returns home for good (October 24, 2021)
According to USCIS estimates, this family, who applied for their green cards back in 2014, will be receiving them in 2099! By then, laughs Shristi, “My dad would be 124-years-old, my mom would be 118 and I would be 96!”
It’s both mind boggling and harrowing to hear that families like Shristi’s, who have been on lawful, high-skilled visas are facing grim situations such as potential family separation and have no definite way to call America their home.
Talking to the American Bazaar on phone from North Carolina, where Shristi studies neuroscience at University of North Carolina, she says, “For the past 13 years we have been stuck on temporary work visas.”
“My childhood was also spent juggling between various visas. As my parents’ work visas required renewals every few years, we were very often filling forms and organizing documents.”
“They have been on F, J and. H-1B visas and currently as a dependent on H-4 visa, I fear that I’ll have to leave the country when I am 21 as I would no longer qualify for a visa as my parents’ dependent,” says Sharma.
Shristi’s parents are in responsible jobs in the US and have been contributing to the US society. Her dad is a director of accounting in a firm in Iowa and her mom teaches Biology and anatomy to high school students in a prestigious private school.
While, today Shristi is an advocate for documented dreamers and knows that there are over 250,000 youngsters exactly in her shoes, this was not always the case.
“Growing up, I always thought that my situation was unique and I was the only one stuck in a visa quagmire. And this is not because I didn’t have many Indian friends,” she says.
“It is because most of us did not discuss the visa situation. It was considered to be a family issue and this is also what I am trying to change as I advocate for kids like me.”
Read: Light at the end of the tunnel for Green Card backlog community? (September 3, 2021)
Even among Indians, who face this unique challenge in the United States as their green card backlog far exceeds any other country’s, there has been a certain stigma attached with talking about visa and self-deporting issues.
Since green cards are issued on a quota system in the US, which allows only 7% of all visas to be issued to one country, the Indian demand outnumbers the supply.
Over the years, a waiting list for permanent residency has been created for Indians. In many cases the wait time is as long as a century!
Despite being an exceptional student, Shristi has had to miss out on opportunities available to her peers. As her visa does not allow her to work she has not been able to take up internships or research opportunities.
For youngsters like Shristi the only hope is in the form of a bill — America’s Children Act. The bipartisan proposal aims to create a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship for documented dreamers.
Read: Family-Based Immigration Backlogs, 5 Things to Know (February 10TH, 2022)
Shristi who is the North Carolina representative for Improve The Dream, an advocacy organization for documented dreamers says that she was heartened to meet senators, congress people and representatives who have shown genuine concern for their situation.
For now, Shristi and thousands like her in similar situations are waiting for a chance to get residency in the United States – a country they have always considered home!