My Voice

from Saathee Raleigh September 2022

Film Clips

America’s CHILDREN Act

The Plight of Children of Long-Term Visa Holders

My Voice by Fedora Castelino

When I was a child, I moved out of my birthplace of Mumbai, India and immigrated with my family to the United States. My parents both left their homes, security, and families behind to start a new life ahead of them with me.

I grew up with a beautiful blend of Indian and American cultures. I learned to make rotis alongside apple pie. I grew up listening to Kishore Kumar and Bruno Mars. I was raised on American soil and it wasn’t until I was a high school senior applying to colleges did I realize that I am not considered American.

My parents moved to the US on my dad’s H1-B work visa, a visa that is a nonimmigrant that allows US workers to hire foreign workers for high skilled jobs in several fields such as IT, STEM, finance, business, etc.

This visa, however, is not easy to obtain. Prior to entering the US, an aspiring H1-B visa holder must win the H1-B lottery with less than a 38 percent chance of winning. Every applicant has three or four attempts to win this lottery, or they will not have a chance at claiming an H1-B visa. In 2011, my father was lucky and won the lottery his first try, and we entered the United States.

My Voice continued on page 78