Jose and Ana Ocampo have been struggling to obtain their legal resident green cards since 2002, when Jose came to the United States to work for a pharmaceutical company.
In 2002, Jose Ocampo moved to Indianapolis, Indiana from Costa Rica when he was offered a job with a U.S. pharmaceutical company. Jose was told he would be able to advance his career and eventually become a United States Citizen. From the time he was a young child, he was fascinated with the U.S. and dreamed of the opportunities the U.S. could offer him. What the Ocampo’s did not know was how difficult, how long, and how much money it was going to cost to fulfill Jose’s dream.
Jose worked for the first company for a few years. When that job ended, another company offered to hire him and help him with his citizenship status. Again, the second company failed to follow through. This happened a third time, and Jose was left trying to figure out a way to keep his family in the place they now considered home, Indianapolis. Jose found a job working for Holy Rosary Catholic Church as the Hispanic minister and high school teacher.
During their time in the states, the Ocampo’s have been trying to obtain their citizenship. The first step is applying for their green cards. There are many costs and fees involved and any small mistake can get the application thrown out with no refund of the fees. This happened to the Ocampo’s and they lost everything.
Because Jose is on a work visa and Ana’s and the two older children’s visa are attached to his, Ana cannot work and neither can the two children. This makes life for the Ocampo’s difficult, especially since Jose has not been able to work in his professional field, pharmacy. Ana is also a professional, a dental technician, who has not been able to work for the past fourteen years.
In January 2015, the Ocampo’s got work that their legal immigrant status paperwork was being processed. They hope to hear the good news that they will have their green cards by the end of the year. The next step for them will be applying for United States Citizenship.
