In elementary school we all grew up with the phrase, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” However, what we did not understand at the time was that Christopher Columbus was the first immigrant (and mass murderer) to the country that later became known as the ‘melting pot.’ Throughout the year, America became the home to people that were fleeing religious persecution and eventually a home to those who wanted to create a better life for themselves. My immigration story adheres to the wave of migration to the U.S. in that time as there was an influx of Asians in the fourth wave of immigration due to a new law giving priorities to those who had the skills needed in the labor market. My family’s immigration story is neoteric as I am a first
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We migrated to “Amerika,” as it is pronounced in India, in 1998. Similar to other Indians migrating into the U.S., my father, Aasif Bagdadi had studied computer science in India, which made him an excellent candidate for the H-1B visa. My father was hired through a company called Mastech, an IT staffing company that tries to match IT professionals with companies (Mastech). Through this connection, he was able to find a job in the U.S., which made getting H-1B easier for my father and the rest of my family to immigrate here. With the H-1B visa, getting a green card was easier as it is a ‘dual-intent’ visa, which eventually allowed my parents, my sister, and I to become a permanent resident, and then eventually citizens of the United States of America. According to both my parents, they felt that moving to America impacted our lives more financially than in other aspects of my life making us more financially stable than if my dad were to take a job in India. Even though he was paid less than others that would have started out where he did, since he took a job in America it allowed him to rise through the ranks until he became the head of the IT department in his current job. In other aspects of our lives, my parents felt that there would not be such a dramatic difference if we lived in …show more content…
Even though my dad and mom had lived in for two years, the move to the States was still difficult. Unlike Kuwait, where my father had my grandfather and other family to show him the ropes, our move to Wisconsin harder due to the fact that he knew nobody in America. His migration was a leap of faith that he did on his own; it was only when he had established his life and set up a stable home that he brought my mother, my sister, and I over the pond. My father learned to adapt to the American lifestyle throughout the years, understanding the importance of owning a car, something that was essentially useless and seen as a luxury in India since public transportation is more efficient due to the vast amount of people in Mumbai, which is not the case in America as many times things are spread out throughout the city. After moving to America, my family tended to move around a lot, going wherever my dad found his next job. This resulted in an unstable childhood for me since I attended a different elementary school and neighborhood each year and was not able to keep friends for a long time. However, as I grew and as my dad rose through the ranks in his field, the longer we stayed in places until we got to Jacksonville,
We migrated to “Amerika,” as it is pronounced in India, in 1998. Similar to other Indians migrating into the U.S., my father, Aasif Bagdadi had studied computer science in India, which made him an excellent candidate for the H-1B visa. My father was hired through a company called Mastech, an IT staffing company that tries to match IT professionals with companies (Mastech). Through this connection, he was able to find a job in the U.S., which made getting H-1B easier for my father and the rest of my family to immigrate here. With the H-1B visa, getting a green card was easier as it is a ‘dual-intent’ visa, which eventually allowed my parents, my sister, and I to become a permanent resident, and then eventually citizens of the United States of America. According to both my parents, they felt that moving to America impacted our lives more financially than in other aspects of my life making us more financially stable than if my dad were to take a job in India. Even though he was paid less than others that would have started out where he did, since he took a job in America it allowed him to rise through the ranks until he became the head of the IT department in his current job. In other aspects of our lives, my parents felt that there would not be such a dramatic difference if we lived in …show more content…
Even though my dad and mom had lived in for two years, the move to the States was still difficult. Unlike Kuwait, where my father had my grandfather and other family to show him the ropes, our move to Wisconsin harder due to the fact that he knew nobody in America. His migration was a leap of faith that he did on his own; it was only when he had established his life and set up a stable home that he brought my mother, my sister, and I over the pond. My father learned to adapt to the American lifestyle throughout the years, understanding the importance of owning a car, something that was essentially useless and seen as a luxury in India since public transportation is more efficient due to the vast amount of people in Mumbai, which is not the case in America as many times things are spread out throughout the city. After moving to America, my family tended to move around a lot, going wherever my dad found his next job. This resulted in an unstable childhood for me since I attended a different elementary school and neighborhood each year and was not able to keep friends for a long time. However, as I grew and as my dad rose through the ranks in his field, the longer we stayed in places until we got to Jacksonville,