Hello! I’m Walther, this is Peregrino, and you’re about to read essay #13 of “40 Before 40,” a memoir I intend to finish before I enter midlife. A few other pieces that people have enjoyed are “Just Obese,” “On Death and Loss,” and “On Repetition.” The rest of the essays can be found here.
America will be 247 years old next week, so I figured I’d share my decade-long journey to become a citizen of the good old U.S. of A. It’s un-American not to read this essay. I hope you have a great 4th of July, and God bless the U.S.A.!
TN Visa
I landed in Sky Harbor on a cold and sunny day in February 2012. It was the first time I had seen a blue sky without clouds. Even though it was sunny, the sun’s rays weren’t warm enough for the cold crisp air of the high desert.
I came to Phoenix to work as a contractor for AMEX. I was on a nonimmigrant NAFTA professional (TN) visa, which allows qualified professionals to conduct business in the U.S. What started as a three-month trial run turned into a four-year project.
I renewed my visa in December and returned to Phoenix in January 2013. I had friends, didn’t die during summer, sold my car in Mexico, and paid all my debt. I was burning the ships.
Diana
Diana and I met in February 2013 and dated long-distance for nine months. I took her to meet my family in Monterrey in November of that year—so she knew what she was getting into. We got engaged on that trip. I stayed through December to renew my visa a second time. This visa would expire in January 2015.
Diana moved to Phoenix in 2014 so we could plan our wedding together. Part of the planning included visiting an immigration lawyer to see our options to take me from nonimmigrant to migrant.
Many people think you automatically become a U.S. citizen when you marry one; this is not the case. A citizen can request their spouse to become permanent resident and get a green card. The problem was we had four months to apply for my change of status, and we ran the risk of my visa expiring before we would get an interview and me having to go back to Mexico until then. Renewing my visa was not an option. I would have to disclose that I was now married to a U.S. citizen and, by default, intended to stay here, which could lead USCIS to deny my request, and, you guessed it, I would be back in Mexico.
When Diana and I returned from our honeymoon, as recommended by our lawyer, we took our wedding rings off and took separate lines going through immigration. “You know your visa expires in a few months, right?” said the immigration officer. “I’m aware. I’m working on it,” I said.
The only viable option would be for my employer to request an Extension Of Status (EOS) on my behalf. This is completely legal; all my employer had to do was file form I-129 for me. I wouldn’t have to disclose my marital status and could stay and work legally for another three years. This whole process tested our patience, given that we had to depend on my employer’s HR department to do this for us. They reluctantly did it, and eventually, I got my extension. The only downside was I could leave the U.S., but I couldn’t come back since I didn’t have a valid visa on my passport.
Green Card
Being a contractor on a work visa is like being a prostitute. I had a pimp that would sell my time to AMEX, who would pay my pimp, and my pimp would pay me. And the only way I could get rid of my pimp and sell my time to whoever was to get a green card. I think this is where the analogy breaks down.
Cut to September 2016. I had a year left on my extension, and it was time to take action. We went back to our immigration lawyer, and he helped us prepare all the forms we needed to submit. We sent my application in October. Right before Christmas, I went to get my fingerprints and picture taken. The only thing left after that would be going through the interview process.
We got interviewed in February 2017 by a man who showed no emotions. If this person had chosen a different career, he could’ve been a great poker player. He was like a book written in Mandarin; we couldn’t read him. We took Oliver with us, who was a year old, and Diana was pregnant with Emilio by then. We were determined to show this Mandarin book of a man that we were the real deal, that this was not a green card marriage.
He began the questioning.
“Walther, when is Diana’s birthday?”
“Diana, what side of the bed does Walther sleep on?”
“Walther, where is Diana originally from?”
“Diana, what color are Walther’s eyes?”
The questioning went on for a while. Mandarin book would alternate between our application and the proof we brought. We took all the correspondence between Diana and me, our wedding album, and many honeymoon pictures.
“Why are you two sad in this picture?” Mandarin book asked. “You see, the Trevi fountain was being remodeled. It had all this scaffolding, and we couldn’t see it. That’s why we decided to take a selfie with a frown.” I explained. My answer satisfied his curiosity.
After a few moments of silence, he revealed a faint smile while he said: “This concludes our interview. Based on my observation, I will recommend you get your green card. Congratulations.”
Diana, Oliver, and I hugged, laughed, and cried. Oliver didn’t know what was happening, but he played along. We celebrated with hot dogs and cheeseburgers.
Eventually, I got my green card in the mail; it was good for ten years. I could travel in and out of the U.S. again, and after three years as a permanent resident, I could apply for citizenship. But most importantly, now I could choose who would be my pimp.
Citizen
I applied for citizenship in February 2022; Oliver is now six. I filled out form N-400 online, made the payment, and after that, it was a waiting game.
I studied the one hundred Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test while waiting for my interview. You must answer six out of ten correctly to obtain citizenship.
I went back to USCIS on March 24 for my interview. A lady called my name; we walked into her office. She was no Mandarin book, but still, she was all business. She went over my application, and I did a writing and reading test before she moved on to the civics questions.
I don’t remember which questions she asked me, but I correctly answered the first six questions she asked. At that point, she said: “Congratulations! I will recommend your citizenship application is approved.” I could’ve taken the Oath of Allegiance that day, but the last naturalization ceremony had just ended.
I went back the next day. The room where they had the ceremony looked like the UN General Assembly. Together, we all took the Oath of Allegiance.
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
Right after that, we recited the pledge of allegiance for the first time.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
I had a lump in my throat. I took a picture with my U.S. flag and headed back home.
American
If you had told me in 2012 that I would be a U.S. citizen ten years from then, I wouldn’t believe you. This country has given me amazing friends, my wife and children, and most importantly, the opportunity to provide my family with a certain quality of life.
I am thankful for our founding fathers and those who have come before us. As a brand-new American, I know I’m standing on the shoulders of giants and willing to do my best to be an exemplary citizen.
The American Dream is alive and well, even though the world has gone mad. Happy 247th birthday, America. Here’s to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Before you go
I have some questions for you.
What’s more American than apple pie?
How long should a fireworks show be?
For 5 points, who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
For 5 points, name three of the thirteen original states.
For 10 points, name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
Happy 'Murica anniversary! =D
Huge feat of perseverance