I have been waiting to write this one for decades. Meher is one of my favorite people and on May 18, 2017, she will take the oath of United States citizenship in her hometown of New York, NY. It was a 16 year journey that Meher and I began in our twenties. We have moved across jobs, law firms, cities, and countries together. Meher and I both overcame challenges to find enduring peace at this point in our lives. Over those 16 years, we have cheered each other on while working together to handle all the roadblocks that immigration law, bureaucratic inefficiency and life threw our way.
Meher’s journey from Mumbai, India involved work in New York, a return to Mumbai, lots of work in Connecticut and extraordinary delays in her efforts to get her residence. Meher got her residence through employment, but the path was littered by the extraordinary backlog in the Indian employment-based third preference, the tech bubble popping, the 2008 everything bubble popping and a return to Mumbai. Through it all, we kept her residence application going until that magical priority date rolled around.
Meher, beautiful, smart, charming and overall delightful, could have married an American. Plenty sought her as their wife. But Meher, ever herself, was determined to do it her way. And when life threw her challenges, Meher dug in and willed her way forward.
One of the things I love about immigration is how it allows me to tell the stories of the most extraordinary people that surround us. And for all the hyperbole about immigrants, all of them share a desire to make themselves who and what they want to be. To watch that passion up close and to draw my own strength from it is the greatest gift an attorney can receive.
So proud and happy for you, Meher. Love, ACB
It has taken me a while to respondI! This week was the three year anniversary of my swearing in ceremony!
There are some people in life without whom you could not have gotten to the place you want to be in life. They are extraordinary people – people who help you not just because it is their designated role in your life, or their job. They help because it is their purpose in life to make a difference to your life. If these people happen to play an official role – say your immigration lawyer – be extremely smart, know their work better than anyone and are interested in helping you – well then you are lucky as you now have a very powerful ally and friend indeed!!
The immigration process truly had me in a bind and to be honest I let go of the idea that I would ever become a citizen. But three years ago it happened!
What matters to me and what matters most of all from everything that Ava described above is that she was with me through it all – when I met her a few decades ago she saw what citizenship would do for me and the impact it would have on my life. She employed her knowledge and skills on top of her compassion and passion to keep the process going through roadblocks that seemingly couldn’t be overcome. She made it happen and kept her eye on the ball even during years when I wasn’t paying attention to matters.
Ava we have weathered a few things in life over the close to 2 decades since I first walked in your office and shortly after asked for a piece of paper because I had forgotten to bring a note pad with me!!
We are finally here and I was so blessed and fortunate to have been able to celebrate that special milestone with you in person. Your role in my life has been so much more than helping to get me a passport or more importantly a right to vote – a right that I can now finally after so long fiercely exercise. You took a 16 year journey with me shoulder to shoulder with kindness and brilliance until you dropped me safely to the destination. Thank you my extraordinary friend.
Love,
Meher