Naika, a Canadian, and Thomas, an American, met in Seoul, South Korea over a decade ago. Thomas was in the U.S. Army and Naika taught English. They were married in the spring of 2017. After Naika received her green card with the help of Boundless, we caught up with her about their immigration journey.
Congratulations on receiving your green card and moving to the United States! Can you tell us a little about how this came to be?
First, we thought we would move to Canada, on the east coast. Due to the political climate in the U.S., we thought, “Why not try Canada?” But at some point along that journey, we started thinking more about the U.S. once we thought about having a family. I would be landing somewhere pregnant and unable to work, so we thought the States would be easier because [Thomas] could then work, and we’d still be close to family in both countries.
It was just a progression of brainstorming, and eventually we put all of our focus on moving to the U.S. Things are starting to fall into place. We brought our dog with us, and now I’m six months pregnant!
That’s fantastic! Congratulations! Back when you decided to move to the United States, how did you research your immigration options?
We started the process in Canada. First, we found a legal agency, thinking agencies could help. But then Boundless just fell into our laps. I sent my husband a link from an online news source that was highly recommending Boundless. Because of the ease and price, there was no need to look around for other options.
With Boundless, everything was said and done in about four months. We were shocked! The embassy in Seoul was really efficient, too. We’ve heard horror stories about how long it can take to get your green card, so we were blown away by how fast it was. The [application] package was shipped to an area close to my home within a few days after we finished the application online.
“Because of the ease and price, there was no need to look around for other options.” -Naika, on deciding to sign up with Boundless
Can you describe your experience when you received the application package we sent you?
Thomas went to drop off the first packet. The [immigration officer] at the U.S. embassy commented on the packet and said it was the most organized packet she had ever seen. It was so great for us to pull out the little clip and sign here and there where the numbers were. I’m a bit OCD, so the organization was pretty amazing and satisfying to see.
That’s good to hear. We do our best to make it easy for all Boundless customers. How did the interview go?
We made the appointment online. When we walked into the final interview on the day of our appointment and handed them the packet, they handed it back and said, “Just give us what’s necessary.” But it was so well organized that we knew where everything was and could do it easily.
I was nervous about the interview, but everything went well. They asked us two or three questions, and the interview was done in a minute or two. Thomas was sitting next to me, and they asked me, “Is this your husband?” and then just a few other straightforward questions. They asked if we had any kids, and I told them I was expecting, and they wanted to make sure we were moving to the U.S.
I know it’s been many months, but I’d love to know about your experience using the Boundless website.
Thomas, my husband, was the first one to go on the website. I was sitting beside him, and he entered everything [into the online application]. We just filled in everything, and we heard back almost right away. It was just one-stop shopping: enter your info, pay the fee, and then hear back.
“The immigration officer at the U.S. embassy commented on the packet and said it was the most organized packet she had ever seen.” -Naika, on submitting the couple’s Boundless application package
How was working with the independent attorney you got through Boundless?
Anjana was fantastic! She was very fast and very efficient. She got back to our emails within a day or two, fielded all of our questions. We had a lot of correspondence and found it all extremely easy. Anjana was clear with her instructions, clear about what we had to do and dates and deadlines. She was very available.
On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend Boundless to others?
A 10, absolutely. Especially compared to the Canadian process, the process through Boundless was so much more efficient, cost-effective, and faster. I would tell people not to consider anything else. Do it with Boundless.
Dealing with these things can be very stressful. We were both very busy at the time we were applying, and we were stressed because we anticipated that this process would be a monster. But with you, it really wasn’t.
Is there anything else you would like to add that might help us make Boundless even better?
Honestly, I would give you constructive criticism if I could think of any, but everything just went so smoothly for us.
After the last trip to the embassy, we got the big packet with what to do, at the airport, and that we were approved for getting the green card. I had to get a Social Security number after, and they said I needed the I-94, so then I emailed Anjana about it. She told us that we didn’t need it, and that the Social Security Administration was mistaken, which was correct because they processed my request after we left. I know, technically, Anjana was off the clock because we had already submitted our application, but it was great that she answered our questions anyway.