My Path to U.S. Citizenship

I came to the United States at the age of 20, without documents, but with a very big hope: to obtain my U.S. citizenship. That hope stemmed from the fact that my father is a U.S. citizen by birth. However, my immigration process was not easy. Along the way, I met many people who promised me help in exchange for money, saying they could fix my status. I trusted them, but they all turned out to be scams.

In 1994, I met someone who told me that the process was simpler than it seemed. This person sent my application to the State Department, and to my surprise, it was accepted. However, they asked for evidence that my father had lived in the United States before the age of 14 and before I was born. My father, now an adult, had a very difficult time getting those documents. The process was inconclusive and once again, I lost hope.

I continued to seek help. I consulted with many people, including a very well-known attorney in San Diego. I told him my case, and he agreed to take it, along the same lines, to the State Department. He charged me to get Social Security and census information on my father, but never did anything. After a year with no progress, I asked for my documents and my money. I was told to come back the next day. When I returned, the lead attorney prevented me from entering the office of his wife, who was handling my case. He handed me the incomplete papers and told me that I would not get my money back. I felt helpless, but like many people in my situation, fear paralyzed me.

It was then that I decided to go alone. I began searching for information in libraries, public records and on the Ancestry website. Fortunately for me, I found a lot of information about my father: property in his name, an invention he registered, information about his three previous children and his two marriages. I also found birth certificates for his siblings. I knew my grandmother was very Catholic, so I asked for my father’s baptismal records in Texas, and that turned out to be key to my case.

In 2013, someone recommended me an office called Global Immigration Services. I went and told them my whole story, with every detail, every obstacle. I gave them all the documents I had gotten, including the original notice from the State Department. They decided to apply again. The first time, the application was rejected. The second time, it was accepted.

A month later, they asked me for more evidence. Global Immigration Services got it, and we sent everything they asked for. In 2015, I received a call that changed my life: I was asked to report to the State Department to pick up my passport.

Reflection and New Beginnings

My story taught me that with perseverance, faith and determination, even the longest battles can have a worthy ending. And now, with my story, I have the opportunity to help others not to feel alone, not to be cheated, and to believe that it can be done.