Ruan relocated to the United States from South Africa in 2013 to build up his career. But he had no plans to make the United States his home. Then he met and fell in love with Shawn, from Alabama, and everything changed. A year and a half later, the pair married in Denver. What happened next?
Boundless caught up with Ruan, who happily shared their #BoundlessCouple love story and immigration journey for our readers. See what he had to say below.
Boundless (B): Let’s start at the beginning of your immigration journey. What brought you to the United States initially?
Ruan (R): I came here on an L-1 visa for work initially. I wasn’t expecting to stay permanently in the U.S.; I was just going to try it out for experience in my career. Then I met Shawn. We knew each other for a year and a half before we decided to get married.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay in the U.S. or live abroad in the United Kingdom or in Amsterdam. That’s why we waited so long before I applied for a green card. I was in the U.S. for 4 years before I decided to apply for permanent residency based on what’s best for us and my career.
B: Once you made the decision to apply for a green card, what was your next step?
R: At first I was going to apply through my company. They were going to sponsor me for an employment-based green card, but I had to sign an agreement with them that I would work to pay back the money they used to sponsor me. I didn’t like how much money they were estimating I would have to pay back, so I started researching to see if I could do it myself.
“You responded to the questions I had asked. … It showed me that you took interest in my case and you were going to help take me through the entire process.” –Ruan
B: What was that decision-making process like?
R: I spoke to one or two immigration lawyers. I remember when I initially started talks with law firms that they wanted to charge way more than Boundless does. All the law firms gave different estimates, between $5,000 and $10,000. But they wanted me to apply for everything myself. They just gave me a checklist of what they wanted me to provide and a PDF they wanted me to fill out.
After that, I researched online and read about different companies. I read about what Boundless does and some reviews online. I saw how easy and seamless your process is, and I thought, “Wow — this is really well designed!”
So I tried you out, and I really liked how your Customer Success team interacted with me and made me feel like you really cared. I felt like I could really share some of my issues with you, and that’s why I went with you guys.
“The whole application process is expensive … the fact that I did not have to pay thousands of dollars in lawyer fees with Boundless really helped me a lot.” –Ruan
B: After you started using Boundless, what was your experience with the rest of the Boundless team?
R: I just felt like you guys were personal and you guys cared. I got a follow-up email from you, and it didn’t feel generic. You responded to the questions I had asked, and that was really professional. It showed me that you took interest in my case and you were going to help take me through the entire process.
B: What was it like working with the independent immigration lawyer?
R: Every time I contacted Anjana, the independent lawyer, she was very responsive. She always returned my calls and emails. I never felt any lack of communication or lack of information. I really appreciated all of that.
Plus, I really liked the fact that Boundless was much more affordable than the lawyers at the firms I had talked to earlier. The whole application process is expensive, with all the mandatory government fees, so the fact that I did not have to pay thousands of dollars in lawyer fees with Boundless really helped me a lot.
“I felt like I could really share some of my issues with you, and that’s why I went with you guys.” –Ruan
B: How did you feel about the actual marriage green card application package that we sent you?
R: When I got the final product delivered to me, I was really impressed with how everything was done. It was really well designed. The way you included all the tags to sign here and there and how the instructions were done — it was just way better thought out than anything else I had seen.
B: We’re so happy to hear that! Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
R: I really had a great experience. I honestly even recommended you guys to two other people already. I would recommend you to anyone I come across who is going through the same process.
Congratulations, Ruan and Shawn! Thank you for being the first couple to trust Boundless in guiding you through your immigration journey. We’re glad we could help you through such an important milestone in the life you now share in the United States. Best wishes!