The Green Card backlog — A chronic struggle

What happens to you, if you came to the US as a kid, along with your parents on a visa who decide to pursue life in the US long term?

The typical happy ending would be that you and your parents, become legal permanent residents and eventually, citizens by naturalization.

This idyllic happy ending though, is not the reality for applicants who are caught in the gauntlet of the Green Card backlog. For the children in these families that grew up with a sense of belonging to the US, the reality is more than just disappointing- it is destabilizing to the point of ripping families apart and utterly changing the course of life itself.

This past week, amidst discussions on the latest round of Covid-19 relief, a deeply important discussion, but largely unnoticed discussion took place in the Senate. Important enough that we have decided to take this week to pivot to the topic of the consequences that children of immigrants stuck in the Green Card backlog face.

One such child, whose life stands at the brink of this destabilizing reality, is 16 year old Sarvani from St. Louis, MO and this week, we introduce you to her life, her challenges and the cost that a fractured immigration has inflicted on her and her family.

Listen to our bonus episode, and follow along to the article here.