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When Lisa arrived in the US in 2012, for a Masters' program, immigration was far from her mind. As the urgent knock of the real world intensified around graduation, it appeared that there would be a few steps in this process and by as long as the rules were followed, immigration would be mostly procedural.

Nearly 8 years after she first arrived, we talk to Lisa about the emotional toll of a turbulent immigration journey. We reconcile who she was, who she has become and what parts of herself seem to have been lost to this stressful path and what a threshold of tolerance might look like for her, when she reconsiders if the costs are worthwhile after all.

Further reading

The Price of the US Pie
What legal immigrants are going through, in their daily lives.
We The LegalSindhu Mahadevan
  1. Green Card Backlog: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2020/visa-bulletin-for-july-2020.html
  2. More on Green card backlog: https://www.cato.org/blog/150-year-wait-indian-immigrants-advanced-degrees
  3. OPT and stem extension: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/training-opportunities-in-the-united-states
  4. OPT and stem extension application: https://www.uscis.gov/opt
  5. OPT and stem extension unemployment days: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/fm-student-employment/unemployment-counter
  6. H1B Cap: https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-dod-cooperative-research-and-development-project-workers-and-fashion-models
  7. H1B Lottery: https://www.murthy.com/2019/12/16/frequently-asked-questions-about-h1b-cap-and-electronic-registration-system/
  8. H4-EAD: https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/employment-authorization-certain-h-4-dependent-spouses
  9. EB1: https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-first-preference-eb-1
  10. I-797: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/form-i-797-types-and-functions
  11. H1-B Program: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/immigration/h1b
  12. STEM Fields: https://www.ed.gov/stem
  13. Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-eligibility/green-card-immediate-relatives-us-citizen
  14. Family Immigration: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/family-immigration.html
  15. RFE: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/understanding-requests-for-evidence-h-1b-petitions-in-fiscal-year-2018.pdf
  16. Specialty Occupation: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-dod-cooperative-research-and-development-project-workers-and-fashion
  17. Visa Stamping: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html
  18. H1B "Transfer": https://www.murthy.com/2017/04/20/h1bs-cannot-be-transferred-misconceptions-around-h1b-employment-change/
  19. I-140: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/petition-filing-and-processing-procedures-for-form-i-140-immigrant-petition-for-alien-worker