"Winding Road: My Immigration Story" by Viktor Kopic (Part III)

With no luck in the job hunt up in Washington, D.C., and feeling that I needed a new start, I decided to head for Texas and look for a Political Science Master’s Degree program that was still taking applicants in December (in order to begin in January). I ended up signing up with the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I received my renewed F-1 student visa.

During my last semester at UTSA, I would begin to look for job opportunities again, but having been worn out from all the moving in a short period of time, I began focusing on offers within Texas. In addition, another major reason for my decision to stick around in Texas had to do with my parents’ immigration battle.

My parents on their wedding day.

After a total of nearly thirteen years, they were still unable to obtain a Green Card, and to make matters worse, after the application for their Green Card had been denied originally in 2009 (which led to a further appeal of the decision), the INS had sent them a letter in the earlier part of 2012, asking for additional evidence to appeal the decision. The reason for the 2009 denial and 2012 letter from the INS was because, our now former lawyer (who was fired just a few years before from the law firm we are using) had made a mistake when sending the application for my father to the INS in 2007. In the simplest terms possible, the mistake was in regards to listing my father’s education on the application at a higher level than what it really was. The INS, being an institution that only sees the black and the white, and really does not use much actual thought for anything else, saw this mistake as an attempt of being “dishonest” in the application and stated that based on the job description and education requirements given by our previous lawyer, that my father was “not qualified” for a job in the field that he has been in for about 35 years, and who is one of the most respected and sought after individuals in the global shipping community.

Pictures of my father, during his younger years sailing on the ship.

However, despite using certain “connections” through acquaintances in an attempt to write letters and intervene, and the law firm admitting that it was in fact their mistake and providing further proof required by the government, we have yet to hear back from the INS as to what the final verdict will be. All our lawyers however have said that the worst is to be expected, and therefore my parents, with the full support of my father’s company’s headquarters in Germany, have already made arrangements to leave the U.S. for a minimum of 12 months, during which they will be in Hamburg, Germany. While they were supposed to hear from the INS in December, they have not as of yet, but the latest the verdict would come in is expected at the end of February 2013. If our fears our confirmed they would leave the country soon after, and make a comeback in about 15 months under what is called the L visa… which we were told MUCH later by the same law firm that we had used all this time that, had we applied for the L visa, specially for someone in my father’s position, the process may have gone much quicker and smoother.

Recent picture of my folks.

Expecting this outcome, I began making preparations to move from San Antonio to Houston for what I thought would be a brief period. Balancing the thought of maybe leaving the U.S. as well and taking one of several offers in Europe, around the same time, a friend of mine who had then been working with a communications company up in Dallas told me of a position that had become available that he thought I’d be a great fit for. Little behold, just as I began typing in the communications company’s name online, the search option pulled up the name of a different organization that had a similar name to the communications company up in Dallas. This one though was called Vox Culture Houston. Thinking that is was somehow affiliated with the communications company (which turned out to be that it was not); I decided to check it out and was immediately hooked by what I saw. The rest, as it is said, is history, and I am where I am today. What happens next only tomorrow will tell.

Helping present at a Vox Culture event.

As I stated in the very first blog posting, if I could sum up my experience in the U.S. so far in one word, I do not believe it would be one that would be appropriate from a professional stance. However, when I look back at the last thirteen (going on fourteen) years of my life, where I’ve been and where I am now… I have found that my overall experience with the immigration system has played a key part in the making of who I am today. The challenges that I face (together with my family) are still there, and will likely remain as such for the foreseeable future… and while there have been bumps along my path where I’ve felt lost and broken, having found this unplanned and unexpected path that I’m currently on has given my soul a sense of resurrection. Doing the work that I do now has given me a sense of definition and completion, while giving me the optimism to believe that something better lies ahead. More importantly, I believe, it has given me the will and the energy to stand up and fight for what I believe is right, and try to live my life by my own rules and choices as best possible, while giving a voice to a side of an issue many are unaware of. What I am most grateful for however, is that when I look at the overall experience… I realize that I have become more aware of who I am and what I stand for.

In order for brevity, I will end this chapter of my story with a poem by William Ernest Henley, Invictus, that over the years I’ve found both inspiration in (the poem as well as the poet himself), and which I have felt best captures this winding road, my immigration story.

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be,

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance,

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears,

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years,

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Spotlight: Vox Arts Ambassador!

Introducing Darnell Allen, Vox Culture's Arts Ambassador! As we seek to further engage and build a deeper relationship with Houston's arts community, Darnell is helping Vox learn about the multitude of artists that exist in the city and the creative gifts that all of them have to offer. Stay tuned to the Vox FaceBook page to see what Darnell is up to, while he continues to share his creative talents with the community and raise awareness of the gems that exist within the Houston arts scene!

I am a Bank Customer Service Representative by day, and a Dancer/Dance Instructor by night, and a big Fan of Everything Artistic!! I chose to join Vox because I have this desire to help and to learn! And I see that same desire in all of Vox Culture! And add in the fact that Vox strives to help, while doing so with an Artistic theme attached, and that was enough for me to join! I feel that Vox helps on so many different levels. We can help a particular Organization with their Cause, while informing people of what can be done to help and/or to learn more, while at the same time helping an Artist gain new exposure, experience and a possible new fan base. I am also inspired by the awesome people of the Vox Core Team!

What is your favorite icecream? Hmmm… Tough one!! So, I am a HUGE FAN of Ice Cream! Especially Blue Bell! But to pick a particular flavor would be hard… There are so many!! I guess I’d say… Blue Bell’s “Ultimate Neapolitan” (It’s Dutch Chocolate, Homemade Vanilla, and Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla all in one!)

What is your favorite song? Well, I love so many different types of music, and so many different songs, but if I had to pick favorites, I’d maybe say… Thriller and Off The Wall by Michael Jackson, and Canned Heat by Jamiroquai. Thriller has always been my favorite song and music video! No contest! And the other 2 songs have great rhythms and I love their lyrics! I love these songs because they remind me of just dancing off any worries, hard times, and struggles we may be going through, we know that we can get through it!

Who is (or are) your dancing inspiration? Who do you aspire to be as a salsa dancer? Dance itself is my inspiration! I guess I’d say that all people out there learning to dance also inspire me! I don’t aspire to be like any other particular dancer. My preference is to make sure that when I dance, that I am dancing my own style. I have experienced and danced many different dance styles, and I let all of that become part of my way on the dance floor. And I make sure that I continue to learn!

If you could have a dance-off with three other famous individuals (whether professional dancers or actor/actress known for a memorable dance in a movie) who would they be? Good one… I would say Kevin Bacon in Footloose and the guy from the new Footloose movie. Oh, and the guy from Save The Last Dance. It would be fun to have a Freestyle Salsa dance off with some of the Choreographers from So You Think You Can Dance, because I love the show!

Are you a fan of any current (or previously existing) dancing shows? I am a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance!! I like this show so much because it takes a dancer that is used to dancing their particular style, and gives them many different styles to experience and explore!! So many people get stuck in their one way, and forget that there is soooo much more out there!! We just have to be willing to try!! Like Bruce Lee said… “Be Water My Friends!” I relate this saying to a lot more than just Martial Arts. 

"Winding Road: My Immigration Story" by Viktor Kopic (Part II)

My immigration story would reach a new level of complication following the events of September 11, 2001. With the perpetrators of 9/11 having been able to obtain visa’s for the United States, many politicians deemed it necessary to add further scrutiny, more background checks, and additional requirements in order to obtain a Green Card. In the process this would lead to a backlog in the immigration system as well as prolong the waiting period for applicants.

In the first three to four years following the events of 9/11, as many immigrants (especially those of darker skin, from the Middle East, or those of Muslim of Sikh belief may) may attest to, it was near impossible to get pulled over by a police officer without being asked “where are you from?” or “are you Arab?” or be selected for greater scrutiny in security checks at airports, or even museums for that matter. While the majority of people I knew, or those who were around me, were still welcoming and friendly towards me as a foreigner, it was a hard not to take note of moments such as getting randomly pulled out of line at a airport security checkpoint, made to take off your shirt behind make-shift cubicles used for “privacy” while standing next to other folks that look “similar” to you, and get questioned and searched. After a few years however, the tensions and these types of situations, would begin to decrease.

Dressed up for my highschool senior prom... something my folks used to joke about as being another step to becoming more "Americanized".

The changes and extension in the Green Card application process also led to some individuals trying to take advantage of immigrant workers. For example, when my father wanted to depart from New Orleans for Houston, to take a job at a German shipping company’s office in Houston, his now former boss threatened to use "legal action", in the hopes that it would scare him into wanting to stay in New Orleans and work at the same company. While in her case it did not work, there have been other situations where immigrants have chosen to remain where they are working, even if they are unhappy, out of fear of any repercussions by their employers.

Now living in Baton Rouge and going to Louisiana State University, I began to face new challenges in my immigration status. My status as a foreign student at LSU was complicated. Given that I was a resident of Louisiana and I had come into the U.S. as a minor with an H-4 visa, I did not have to apply for an F-1 visa (one of the main types of visa’s given to foreign students). Had I been arriving from outside of the U.S. and just starting to apply for university, then I would be required to have applied for an F-1 visa.

Third from the right: With some of my teammates back in the day, when I was on the LSU Rugby team.

However, what our lawyer in Houston had failed to tell us was that, by the age of 21, no matter if I held residency within Louisiana and had been legally inside the U.S. with an H-4 visa, I would also have to apply for an F-1 visa to stay in status legally (as an adult child, you cannot be dependent on an H-1B visa holder). It was not until we asked the lawyer, only a few months before I turned 21 did she bother to say, “oh, you didn’t know?” and when asking for what would be some other solutions to the situation in case if the application did not go through or was too late… “just get  married, it’ll make it easier.” To avoid repercussions with the INS and to be able to complete my studies successfully, I changed my status from the H-4 visa to the F-1 student visa.

Furthermore, I also had to face certain challenges as an immigrant in the career path that I chose. As a political science major at LSU, it was a goal of mine to work within the U.S. intelligence community or the State Department. While I knew certain opportunities, like being the president of the United States, were out of question; other jobs, where logically speaking you would think they would value someone of multinational origins and multilingual skills were also out of reach. To make matters worse, I would not realize this until my senior year in college. Luckily though, I had found out about the think-tank world.

At the NATO Allied Command Transformation Base during a visit to gather research for work.

With the potential of a job opportunity in Washington, D.C., based off a project I was working on, with one of the most respected think-tanks in the world, I also applied for what is called the Optional Practical Training status in the hopes that if the project went well, the company would support me with an H-1B. The OPT is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 status who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for more than nine months are permitted by the USCIS to work for at most one year on a student visa – for which you are given a work card. While the project I had been working on was developing smoothly, the recent global recession had dried up the funds necessary to complete the project, and the company had quickly realigned its priorities. This left me in limbo for a period, and disillusioned, given the political atmosphere in D.C. at that time.

At an art exhibit event at the Croatian embassy in D.C..

While I continued to use what was left on the time period of my OPT to do some miscellaneous tasks at this company, I began job hunting in the hopes of finding another company or organization willing to support me with an H-1B. The best opportunity that I had gotten was through one of my then-boss’ connections. The interview went great and the gentleman had even said that I was a “shoo-in” for the position. However, talking over the phone the next day with the gentleman, when I mentioned the support I needed for an H-1B, he kindly let me know that they would not be able to do so “due to the strains and time consumption, and other aspects of the process,” and from there wished me farewell and all the best. The feeling that I remember most after having gotten that phone call was that, in some cases, I was being looked more in terms of who I am rather than what I have to offer. Feeling out of luck, I decided it was time for a change...

Spotlight: Vox Finance Coordinator!

Introducing Laurie, Vox Culture's Finance Coordinator! As we seek to continue the internal development of Vox, Laurie is helping the organization to continue to become bigger, stronger and better financially! Read on to learn more about her!

I am an accountant/auditor by day and a basketball junkie by night. My work and own travel schedule has taken me to see incredibly interesting places all over the world, but it has also opened up my eyes to see the great needs of the world and the gap between the rich and the poor. I have always had an interest in social entrepreneurship and non-profit causes and Vox Culture is definitely an organization that strives to make a difference in people's lives.

What is your favorite icecream? Vanilla or Chocolate Chip.

What is your favorite book? Poor Economics.

What was your favorite class that you ever took in school? English, because there was a variety of literature to read.

What is your favorite time/season of the year? Summer, because there is more daylight into the evening.

"Winding Road: My Immigration Story" by Viktor Kopic (Part I)

Unlike many immigration stories many of us hear on the news, this one has a number of twists and turns and involves plenty of aspects that cannot be painted in a black and white picture. Whatever your conceptions about immigration may be, I’ll start off by saying that this blog is not intended to pick and choose sides in the immigration debate, but to open your eyes to an aspect of it that many do not realize exists and is sometimes oversimplified by the government, the media, or the general public.

I am Viktor Kopic, Vox Culture’s Research & Development Coordinator. This is my story.

My story begins where I was born, in what used to be the former Yugoslavia, and is now seven different republics. When I have mentioned to many people that my family and I left Yugoslavia during the summer of 1991, as it was beginning to disintegrate and envelope itself into a protracted and bloody war, most have had a preconceived notion that we were refugees instead of immigrants. Despite departing during the beginning of a civil war, we were in fact immigrants, given that my family and I left the country out of our own will without being forced, and primarily due to my father’s promotion with a Yugoslav (later Croatian) company. As the area between the Croatian capital, Zagreb, and my hometown of Rijeka had become unsafe for travelling (due to the beginning of unrest), we departed by car, through Slovenia (which months earlier had also declared independence from the Yugoslav republic, and still had road blocks erected throughout the 10 mile border separating Croatia from Italy) and into Trieste, Italy. From there we flew to Frankfurt, Germany to what would be my home for just about eight years, Caracas, Venezuela.

On a stroll with my father along the harbor by downtown Rijeka, Croatia (then-Yugoslavia).

We would then move from Venezuela following the election of President Hugo Chavez, as the situation in the country slowly began to deteriorate. This move would lead us to finally coming to the United States, with our first stop being Annapolis, Maryland. This is where the story about my family’s ordeal begins.

Flying in a four-seater plane we rented; by the Angel Falls (the tallest waterfall in the world) in Venezuela.

During a trip on the Orinoco River, in Venezuela.

After officially obtaining a job with an American shipping company (an industry my father is specialized in) in Annapolis, my parents decided that they wanted to begin the process for obtaining a Green Card. A Green Card is a visa status that indicates an individual(s) hold permanent resident status within the United States. It is the first step prior to applying for U.S. citizenship, which is if the individual(s) chooses to do so. There are varying forms of Green Cards including: Green Card through Family; Green Card through Job; Green Card through Refugee or Asylum Status; and other more specialized Green Card status’. The Green Card through Family applied to my mother and me, given that I was still a minor and my mother was not working, and the Green Card through Job applied to my father. The visa status given to my mother and I is better known as the H-4 Visa (or visa that is handed to direct family members, such as the spouse and children under 21 years of age, who accompanies an H-1B holder) and my father’s given visa status is better known as the H-1B Visa.

By definition, an H-1B status, “allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations… The regulations define a specialty occupation as requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor including but not limited to architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, biotechnology, medicine and health, education, law, accounting, business specialties, theology, and the arts, and requiring the attainment of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent as a minimum (with the exception of fashion models, who must be of distinguished merit and ability).”

The way the process worked was, if the H-1B holder got approved for a Green Card (after the 2-3 year process) the direct family would get a Green Card together with that individual. However, due to pre-existing financial troubles with this U.S. company and a bitter feud over a military contract with a Canadian company, which also involved the Canadian government, and ended with the Royal Canadian Navy storming the U.S. company’s ship in international waters just outside of Canada (and the Russian captain of the ship sending out an emergency call saying that he was being boarded by “pirates”), we all soon left Annapolis for New Orleans, Louisiana.

AP photo of the Royal Canadian Navy boarding the GTS Katie.

While my father would begin working in New Orleans for another U.S.-based shipping company following our short-lived stay of one and a half years in Annapolis, we would also experience our first bump on the road in terms of the U.S. immigration process. While it used to take only 2-3 years to complete the Green Card application, what our new lawyer in New Orleans would explain to us is that, when an H1-B holder leaves the former sponsoring company to begin working at a new sponsoring company, the entire process starts all over again. In the years to come though, rather than getting any easier, our immigration story would continue to get even more complicated…