Many people born in the US don’t understand what America means to some people. I became an American citizen a month ago, and I want to share my story. I dreamed about America since I was 13 years old; I thought it was the best country in the whole world, and it was my biggest dream to live here. I moved to the US when I was 17. It took me 11 years to become a US citizen. I had to get six visas one after another, and every time, I had to explain and prove that I deserved it. I was so scared that I might not be worthy of a green card, and I cried when I was finally approved.

In those 11 years, I never missed a rent payment or got a ticket because I really wanted to show that I was worthy of living here. Every single day, I aimed to be the best version of myself to live in what I saw as the best country. I spent over a million dollars on rent, my car, and daily living expenses. I always paid my taxes, and I worked incredibly hard to get to this point. Becoming a US citizen is one of my biggest achievements in life. I would look at the American passports of my friends and think, “What a beautiful passport,” admiring every page, every detail. I would hold it in my hand, wishing and dreaming that one day I would open that little book and see my own photo inside. I still can’t believe it when I open my passport now and see my face. It feels too good to be true.

My whole point is that I never received any benefits or government support; I never wanted to take advantage of this country. I worked hard and was always grateful to live here. I support every legal immigrant who has gone through the same journey and made the hard choice to leave everything behind to start a new chapter for a better future.

It breaks my heart to see how some people now can just walk in and get a passport. Does this mean that all my hard work was for nothing?