Meet Grace, whom we have known for about 12 years. She first came to see us for some help with citizenship, as part of our collaboration with Notre Dame Health Care. Notre Dame’s Sister Helen Wright Citizenship Program helped Grace with study and scholarship opportunities, and we helped her with paperwork and navigating the immigration system, which can be daunting.

Grace came to the U.S. from Ghana in 2008 on a diversity visa. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is a Department of State sponsored program that makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. (uscis.gov). She found work as a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) and worked at multiple places at the same time and accepted as many shifts as she could. It’s a common practice, actually, for so many immigrant CNA’s; they support a lot of family, both here and back in a home country so they work as much as possible.

Grace became a citizen in 2014 and she was so happy and proud – it was a great day! Soon after she began the process of sponsoring her husband to the U.S. Sponsoring family members is a long and expensive process. Sponsoring a spouse takes less time than other categories, but still it’s a process with multiple steps and multiple payments. Then there is the interview at the U.S. Embassy, not anxiety-producing at all!

Once Grace’s husband was here in the U.S. and working, she began work to sponsor her mother, the same process with multiple steps and more payments. And it’s not just payments for the process. Petitioners contract with the federal government to take care of those people they sponsor for either 10 years or until the immigrant in question becomes a U.S. citizen. This means that if Grace’s mother or husband, for any reason, could not work at any point after they arrived in the U.S., Grace would be held financially responsible for food, shelter, clothing, medical insurance for them. No public assistance is given to these immigrants until they are in the U.S. for 10 years or until they become U.S. citizens. Grace had to document that she had enough income to care for her own family and her mother.

Next immigration process? For her husband to become a U.S. citizen and that has been successful Next, to help her mother obtain U.S. citizenship and that has been successful also. And more! Grace has siblings still in Ghana and her mother would like to bring them here. Of course, Grace is helping with all that is required, both in terms of required income and making sure all the correct forms are done.

One day Grace was at the office to work on her siblings’ paperwork. I was marvelling at her unbelievable work ethic and her commitment to helping her family when she told me that she had just finished building a house for her siblings in Ghana, so they could live together while they wait to come to the U.S. Some of us might feel pressure or stress under such financial commitments as those Grace has made. We might think of it as a heavy burden to be shouldered, feeling the weight of it all. We might even resent how our hard-earned money gets spent. But Grace is one of the happiest people you could ever meet, always smiling or laughing. There is a joy there, along with gratitude, love for God and love of family.

So, Grace, I’m so glad you came to America and I’m so glad we all got to meet you.