The Long Wait: A Legacy of the Immigration Act

The 1965 Immigration Act promised equality, but my grandmother waited seventeen years for her green

card. She arrived with a nursing degree nobody recognized, scrubbing floors while

my mom translated her homework. Today, thousands face this loop.

An Indian engineer has spent twelve years renewing temporary visas. He cannot switch

jobs or buy a home, while his daughter benefits from stability he's never known.

The crisis is a backlogged system. Technology could process applications in months instead of decades.

My grandmother finally got her citizenship at sixty-two. We must do better for those

still waiting.