A Sister Who Wants to be Walked Down the Aisle

"Today, after 12 (almost 13) years of living in the US, working as many as three jobs at times, owning two homes in two different states, paying taxes, and pursuing countless certificates, licenses and degrees, I have asked this great nation for a small favor… Can my brother be at my wedding to walk me down the aisle, as he is the only male first-degree (blood) relative, I have left in this world?

I did my due diligence and hired a reputable immigration lawyer, so there was no room for error in the paperwork. Both my brother and I have shown bank statements, criminal record checks, employment history from the past however many years they asked for… We worked tirelessly, we slept little, we allowed for each and every corner of our lives to be investigated… because we had nothing to hide…

My brother drove from our little river town to the big city, he even bought a suit, he shaved a beard he had been styling for quite a while, he applied extra deodorant, brushed his teeth in the car, wore his very best shoes, and brought to the embassy close to a hundred pages of required documents.

Once there, he was asked to take his shoes and belt off, he was padded down, just like a criminal – for security purposes – of course; and while still barefoot he was rushed to a window, where, from behind a bullet proof glass, a man in a suit, just said DENIED, without even looking at his paperwork; without asking the reason for his visit, or the amount of time he intended to stay. 12 years of dreams and many months of work were crushed today within an interview of a minute and a half… Not taking into account the few thousands of dollars, the unbearable stress, and all the planning that went into this… From finding a restaurant, to figuring out how we were going to pay for everything… from trying on wedding dresses to jotting down itineraries for his visit here… I had so much I wanted to show him! So much I wanted to do with him… We haven't celebrated a Christmas or a birthday together in 12 freaking years!!!

Do you now understand why some people simply choose to jump the fence? I have always been a law-abiding citizen, but I think that if I had to do it over again, I would probably start by meeting him in Mexico. Because, let's be honest, the legal way is not always the best way. Hashtag lesson learned.

To those of you who are going to tell me to go back home, the answer is: HELL, NO! THIS IS MY HOME! I AM AN AMERICAN CITIZEN! And I have worked hard to get here. I should have the right to have my brother at my wedding, to show him my house, my neighborhood, my country!

Tiberiu is 28 years old and he was denied today for no reason, other than being young, therefore posing a "high risk" of remaining in the US illegally upon the expiration of his visa. Apparently, he has no real ties to Romania, where his father still lives, where he has a job, pays for a car, and where he had lived most of his life (with the exception of the six months he spent in Spain once, and he returned from because he couldn't get used to being away from his friends and family). Tiberiu isn't like me. He is shy and soft-spoken, he is the kindest of all his friends, and he has never hurt a fly… Oh, how I miss him so! I should have found him a wife, like I always said… shit, if it wasn't illegal, I would marry him myself… that's how badly I miss him and I want him here!!!

Everything is going to be okay, though… I know it in my heart of hearts. He will shortly join his girlfriend, who has been working in Germany for a few months now. She lives about an hour away from Frankfurt. The flight from Boston to Frankfurt is only about 7 hours. I will take that plane to Frankfurt as often as I can… and I will try from now on (by God, I will try!) to never miss a Christmas or a birthday, or at least not both of them in one year!

PS: For those of you who do not know, the US has what it's called an "investor" visa, that is granted to anyone who can show that they have at least $50.000 they intend to invest in the US. Very seldom does the investor visa require an interview… Most times, the investor just mails the passport to the embassy, where the embassy applies the visa and mails it back, without even seeing the investor in person… But we don't talk about that – although we should, in a country in which we pride ourselves on being all about safety, and this great nation's best interests."